I mentioned this one at the Raleigh show, and Tom Mullane opined that whenever I put one of these up the answer is going to be something weird. Tom's not allowed to answer on this one, or give any hints... (he knows the answer anyhow)

OK, so, what is this, and what do I do with it. The first part is obvious. The "B" part isn't. Let's hear your ideas. I'll post my answer this evening. Don't bother looking at the link to the picture - it won't give any clues.

Danged it's hard to keep my big mouth shut....
But I promised Ron I would be good... and he has some of my babies he is holding hostage...

This one should be a no-brainer for some of you....

The metal threads resemble the cap threads for Sheaffer Triumphs, TDs, and Snorkels.

Maybe a lathe attachment to give the TD and Snorkel sections their ribbed friction grip or an easy cap attachment for mechanical polishing...

I think that's the adapter for the pressure release valve on the Murphy Towers boiler system. Does Ruaidhrí or Ernst know you have this part??

Not Sheaffer. But your idea is valid, and it has been used for lathe work.

MT staff won't let me in the door on the grounds that I would do more damage than Ernst.

It's to hold two sections on either end of a Geha cartridge - the sort that had an ISO end and a Geha end.

As for any other purpose, It looks like a lathe tool designed to turn a section & cap without dismounting from the lathe.

Regards

Richard.

OK, all together now. Pull off the blind cap on your Vac or 51.

Remember to think outside the box.....

Its the threads from a 51 filler unit, that part I know. If its used for lathe work than I guess you use it to mount a barrel or blindcap under a lathe. I know, you use it to grind down the barrel to remove inscriptions.

Ha, just kidding. I don't know why you'd mount a barrel under a lathe. Perhaps someone else will.

That is the threaded collar from a Vacumatic, or 51 Vacumatic filler. Possibly from a speedline filler, as they easily come off those, but that is just speculation. A trashed plastic filler unit could have supplied said threaded collar. But I digress.

The threads on the blind cap half are turned off to allow gripping it in a lathe chuck. The barrel can then be threaded on to allow a barrel to run true on a lathe. Then one can either cut off the end of a damaged barrel or perform many other lathe based activities with the barrel. One could per se, back bore the barrel and with the correct mating part fit a replacement front half and solvent weld it together. Thus one previously trashed vac barrel can be salvaged.

Now, knowing Ron, he most likely has a small piece of steel with mating threads to the section end of a Vac barrel turned on it with a large face to spin the barrel up to. Thus a barrel could be threaded on from the section end and made to run true for turning repairs as well. I know what I am making tonight now BTW.

How did I do Ron??

Cheers,
Sean

It can be used to hold the blind cap if you have to turn one down for some reason. Or it could be used to hold a barrel for turning, but then you'd want to stick a cone ahead of it so that it doesn't disappear in the barrel.

BTW, the damaged blind cap threads are a red herring. It's just the blind cap nipple from a trashed filler unit.

But I have a much more direct idea in mind. Anyone who's had a sticky/stuck filler will appreciate this one.....

Remember to look beyond the obvious, and don't forget that these come in three sizes.

Given the clues, I suppose you could use it as a centering tool to insert thru the nib end of a vac. It would seat against the shoulder of the diaphram compressor ring and protect it as well as center the tool used to push a stuck filler out. Might have to reduce the threads some.

This doesn't utilize the three sizes clue though.....

Hmmm, this is gonna have to wait til I get home. I need to hold one in my hand.

Well I'm holding one in my hand right now and still stuck. Hate to be the first to throw in the towel...

Paul

Great idea !
I occasionally used a similar threaded plug as a tap, refreshing damaged threads or cleaning up glue residues in barrels.
After filing 3 axial grooves under an angle of 30-40° at 120° apart in the threaded part one can use it as an "ersatz" tap.
The plug is mounted in a handle and it works fine.
Logically a real tap is the way to go, but I still have to buy one.
Are these standard "off the shelf" taps ,any idea on the threads spec's and where to buy?
Thanks &regards, Francis

Sean, I am ashamed of you....

Will this have anything to do with the stuck filler in my mustard 51? hahaha!

George

hey I thought outside of the box now though didn't I? See I never thought about a tap made from a threaded collar as I hand chase the threads on all the pens I do anyway. It is just part of my routine, so I never even thought to try something else.

Hey, never said I knew it all, just most of it. LOL. Besides, my idea would work given more thought. I'll see when I can turn up a section mandrel and see how it works.

Cheers,
Sean

I was going to make you wait until this evening to find out, but Francis and Sean got the answer.

You often find that the threads in a vac or vac fill 51 are all gummed with crud, or are rather tight when you try to screw the filler in. Cleaning out the threads makes it easier to reinstall the filler, and lowers the risk of damage to the pen because you can feel how tight things really are without the resistance from the filler threads. This can be done with a dental pick, but it takes time and doesn't do as good a job.

I have a prototype thread chaser that I got from Daniel Kirchheimer two or three years ago that I've steadfastly refused to return even though it wasn't even heat treated and was just a prototype and.... (you can hear Daniel, can't you?) The thing is just too darn handy. Maybe if enough of us bug Daniel he'll make them and sell them....

BUT, I have only the demi/speedline size. There are vac standard and oversize vac fillers, and on occasion those need to be cleaned out too.

Just take a dead filler (if you don't have one at the moment, wait a bit, you will!) and a round mini file. Cut at least two channels across the threads, three or four if you want, all of the way down through the threads. This will give an area for the swarf to go as you run the blind cap nipple through the threads. Clamp in your vac tool, and chase the threads.

A word of caution - make SURE that you have the nipple positioned in the barrel threads correctly. If you cross thread the threads in the barrel, you'll have a real mess on your hands.

This is a picture of my thread chaser, and one made from the dead filler..

Marvelous!

Anyone ever try this with an old cone to clear off the old diaphram from the barrel seat?

The problem there is that you have to have a precise angle for a cutting edge, and are cutting against a rathre abrasive material. I have a set of seat reamers that Daniel made for me, but a lot of work went into them, and they're made out of hardened tool steel. The aluminum of the cone wouldn't cut, and would not hold an edge if you managed to get a cutting edge on it.

The thread chaser really is just cleaning out existing threads, and the cuts across the threads just give a place for the crud to go. It wouldn't stand up to heavy use (which is why I like the thread chaser that Daniel made) but will do for the person who repairs their own pens and only needs it on occasion.

Ron, do you clamp the blind cap threads in a tap handle? I would think that this would reduce the feel needed to ensure that you are not cutting too deep. BTW, I will be making one of these now. Thanks for sharing your ideas and tools. It is really helpful for all of us mere mortals to see what the pros do.

Cheers,
Sean

Ditto on Sean's sentiments!!

To me it looks like the threaded piece that fits in the back of a Parker Vacumatic, speedline filler pre WWII. What do with it: slip it over the plunger mechanism, fit the diaphragm over the bottom of the plunger then screw it back into the pen. To do that you'll need either a Vac block or wrench. Screw it down until your blind cap screws on correctly and lines up with the rest of the pen- which is tricky.

I use these. Both end of the filler nut (barrel and blind cap) and a vac section tap.

Click to view attachment

Regards,

Todd

Nice set of taps Todd !
Could you please confirm the respective thread spec's so I could try to buy or possibly make me a set?
thanks, Francis

Francis,

Thank you. Only one of these would pass the test as a tap and is from tool steel, the others are from mild steel and work fine as thread chasers.

For sizes, I settled on the following values given as major diameter (D) and tpi cut as a sharp 60 degree thread:

Hood 0.351 - 48 (single lead) (This is the same as the barrel end of a vac filler)
Blind Cap 0.304 - 36 (single lead)
Aero Barrel 0.368 - 48 (triple lead)

I put a 2 degree taper on the ends to make it easier to start the threads. If you haven't machined tool steel you are in for a treat....go with thread chasers and use mild steel or even aluminum (I have a set of those also.) If you do not have an indexing head on your lathe or don't have a CNC lathe, cutting the multiple lead threads is time consuming but doable.

As for a reamer to clean the ferrule seat, I made that too. Not hard to make but dangerous to use. One small anything and you will never get the filler to seal. If you need to clean the seat use a scratchy pad shoved down the barrel end.

This was sort of done to see if I could actually make a 51 from scratch. The other reason being I was challenged to make a tap--it went something like "it takes special tools to do that."

Another cautionary note, if you decide to chase the threads at the hood go easy on it. The material is very thin and less tolerant than the barrel end.

Thanks for the thread spec's & your advice Todd, greatly appreciated !