Just receiver a restored 1944 Vacumatic. Just one question there is no breather tube in the pen. My other vacumatic, a 1937 major, has a breather tube you can see in the barrel. I want to check and confirm that this wasn't changed when they went to the wartime model.

I am sure the restorer will fix it, but I hate to send it back and wait.

Thanks

Jim

There should be a breather tube no matter when it was made. I've seen suggestions for makeshift tubes, including the little tube from a can of WD40, or one of those little straw like coffee stirers. One thing I learned the hard way is that the breather tubes came in a variety of sizes and you need to find one that fits well.

Yeah, they need to be there, I just put a different feed in one of my older Vac's that was from a different maker. It fits just fine, but does not have a breather tube hole.

The pen will fill but I have to tip the nib up to let the air out when I depress the plunger, and then dip it back into the ink and release the plunger.

Long story short, you need a breather tube.

BTW, that vac you sent me hasn't shown up yet. When did you send it off to me?

Cheers,
SMG

I use a tiny drill to modify feeds. I drill a hole from the nib breather hole upwards to about the middle of the feed and then another hole from the top of the feed (where the breather tube will be inserted) down vertically until it connects with the almost horizontal hole (the first one, from the nib breather hole to the center of the feed). Complicated??
Sounds awful, but it is very easy to do. Just use a very tiny drill like the one in the picture.