Hi all,
today I fitted my first ink sac on a Parker VS I bought cheaply through the "Dutch e-bay" (sold without ink sac). It is a 46 blue VS, with a black hard rubber feed, no breather tube. Nice nib, Parker USA, 6 (indicating '46, I think).
I had read "Da book" and also consulted Richard Binder's info and all seemed to go well. No sac spreader needed!
The pen filled well and wrote very nicely. However, only a slight downward movement was enough to dislodge multiple drops of ink. The ink came out of the breather hole.
Next, I removed the sac again, knocked the nib and feed out and checked both. The nib is clean and the feed as well. The lower (ink) channels are free of debris. Only a few of the "teeth" of the comb on the underside are missing.
Then I thought that maybe the sac was too large (16), or the pressure bar was fitted too tightly, but ink also drops when the barrel is off.
When squeezing the sac in order to fill the pen bubbles come out of the breather hole.
Is it possible the feed is not original? I also have a 47 VS and this still has a lucite (clear) feed.
I would really value your ideas on what I am doing wrong.

Thanks,

Rob

More likely the sac is bad or not adhered correctly.

I usually put on a coat of shellac, allow it to air dry for a minute or two, put on another coat, and then slip the sac over the nipple.

The sac should fit tightly enough that you have to push it on. If it just slips on loose, it's going to be hard to seal it. A smaller sac, or a "necked" sac may be required.

I would also check the section for a crack -- this will allow air to bleed in and ink to run out.

I'm assuming that is a fairly modern feed, not a Waterman original style with a large square slot with two smaller slits along the sides. If it is indeed a Waterman style feed, you can very easily shake ink out -- that's the main drawback of that style feed.

Peter

the feed is like the vac's.

most likely you fitted too large a sac or trimmed it too long and the pressure bar with the button is "compressing" the sac when you hold the pen in your hand and barrel stress and heath transfer becomes an issue.

Thanks for your suggestions.
However, I don't think it's the sac. It fitted on tightly and I think the seal is tight. Neither is the size too large or is the bar pressing on the sac. At least, ink also drops out when I just have the section/nib assembly with the sac attached, without the barrel and pressure bar in place.
Looking at the feed again, it looks different from the other VS and vac feed, in that it has a finer comb. I don't know what the air and ink channels of the original feed look like (they are working fine, so I don't want to remove them). The present feed has one big air channel, with two slits at the bottom for the ink (if that's what the old-style feeds are like, then it's indeed an older feed). So do you think this is just an intrinsic property of tis kind of feed?
So I'll have to look for a replacement nib?

Thanks,

Rob

If it drips ink under gravity, there is an air leak into the sac, either from a bad sac (pinhole), a bad seal with the section, or a crack in the section, bad nib, or improperly fitting feed and nib.

If it were mine, I'd check the seal first by re-installing the sac. You can check the sac for pinholes by filling it with water off the section and squeezing the mouth shut, then applying pressure to the trapped water inside by squeezing -- if any droplets of water appear on the sac, it's got a small hole that will allow air in and prevent ink from leaking out.

If the feed has been removed and re-seated off the original location, there can be a gap large enough for air to leak in between the feed and the depression in the section where the nib used to sit -- that hard rubber "flows" under pressure and will deform around the nib. Other material will also do this, you really have to put the nib back in the same spot it was originally.

Also, if the nib and feed have a different curvature, you may be getting air in there, too.

Waterman feeds don't drip, although it's much easier to shake a drop of ink out of them than it is from newer feeds.

Peter

Thanks Peter,
First, ink doesn't drop only because of gravity, you have to "flick" the pen, but only very slightly. I could not transport this pen in a penroll because the cap would fill with ink.

The sac is OK and the seal is tight. I tested this using a kind of ear syringe. I had filled the sac by squeezing it. Then I put the bulb on the section and applied pressure. The sac actually bulged somewhat, but it did not give.
When I squeeze the sac, air bubbles escape from the breather hole.
I will knock out the nib and feed again and have another look. The reason I knocked out the nib in the first place was because I thought the nib was pushed too far in.
As I bought the pen without sac I cannot be sure it actually wrote.....

Rob

I believe the problem could be caused by improper setting of the nib and feed in the section.

I will repeat, it is VERY easy to flick a drop of ink out of a Waterman feed. There is a huge amount of ink in that slot in comparison to modern feeds, and flicking the pen will through out a goodly drop. This is a characteristic of the pen.

Check the feed to nib clearance -- you may need to set the feed tighter to the nib as a wide space there will make it easier to get free ink out of the nib. You should only be able to slip a thin piece of paper between the nib and feed, ordinary writing paper should be too thick or just barely fit. A bit of aluminum foil, standard thickness, not heavy duty, should also just slip in there.

I'm not familiar with that particular feed and nib, but generally the shoulder of the feed should come out to the shoulder of the nib, maybe a bit more. On my Wearevers with waterman style feeds, it projects to just short of where the feed is the same width as the nib. About 5mm of nib sticks out beyond the feed.

Peter

VS plastics are known to be soft and sometimes brittle. You might do a vacuum test on the section along. Just plug the end where the nib/feed assy should be with a tapered rubber plug and insert a hose connected to a vac pump to the sac's nipple. If there's even the slightest vac drop, then your section has become hairline cracked and it's not sealing no matter what alignment you use on the feed/nib assembly. Sac nipples on VS usually cracks (hairline cracks or more like sort of minute cracks that allows air to get in) and you get this issue. How you're installing the pressure back? thru the back? maybe the pressure bar is "soft" and it's not returning to its original postion hence pressing the sac a little.