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Parker 51 Nib Not Aligned With Feed ...

BrianDiPalma

By BrianDiPalma
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BrianDiPalma Mint

BrianDiPalma

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I just got my Parker 51 back from having the hood replaced and a finer nib installed. After opening the package, I immediately noticed that the nib isn't centered over the feed. It isn't too off-center (maybe a millimeter), but it is definitely noticeable to the eye. As I'm new to fountain pens, I don't know if this will be an issue. Will it? Should I contact the repair person to see about fixing it? If it would be helpful, I can try to post some photos later. Just let me know if that would be helpful and I can try to do that.

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Glenn-SC Donor Pen

Glenn-SC

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As I'm new to fountain pens, I don't know if this will be an issue. Will it?

No, having a "51" nib misaligned that much should not effect its writing ability.

 

Should I contact the repair person to see about fixing it?

Yes!

It was not intended to be and shouldn't be like that.

It just indicates that your Repair Person didn't really care that much about doing a good job. Or rushed the work. Or both?

Regardless it should go back, for free!

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psfred Antique

psfred

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I have found that the slanted cut on the end of the feed doesn't always align with the slit, in fact it usually does not. I put the feed in with the slit in the feed lined up with the slit in the nib, regardless of where slant ends up. I feel that better flow is more important than the visual alignment.

 

Peter

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toymachine Near Mint

toymachine

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So my Parker 51 is writing super dry, it's a black Vacumatic like this one, It's very clean. Is it possible that the nib is pushed into the feed too far? I was aligning it as per above but now it barely writes. Thank you.

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Erik Dalton Collectors Item

Erik Dalton

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Posted

I just got my Parker 51 back from having the hood replaced and a finer nib installed. After opening the package, I immediately noticed that the nib isn't centered over the feed. It isn't too off-center (maybe a millimeter), but it is definitely noticeable to the eye. As I'm new to fountain pens, I don't know if this will be an issue. Will it? Should I contact the repair person to see about fixing it? If it would be helpful, I can try to post some photos later. Just let me know if that would be helpful and I can try to do that.

 

Yes, ask to have it adjusted.

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Erik Dalton Collectors Item

Erik Dalton

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So my Parker 51 is writing super dry, it's a black Vacumatic like this one, It's very clean. Is it possible that the nib is pushed into the feed too far? I was aligning it as per above but now it barely writes. Thank you.

Wow, so many possibilities. Its hard to say. I’ve never been able to push the nib in too far. Are all the Air and ink channels in the proper position? Breather tube clear? Air hole on feed lined up with air channel on collector?

If all that is good, then the nib could be too close to the hood, or too far away. I’m not being funny, just went through this with another vac. Until i got it right ink flow was bad. If all that is good, then you can turn to the nib itself. Look for misaligned tines. Some times I use brass shims to spread the tines just a fraction and get better ink flow if nothing else works.

I know it’s frustrating, take your time with it.

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toymachine Near Mint

toymachine

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Wow, so many possibilities. Its hard to say. I’ve never been able to push the nib in too far. Are all the Air and ink channels in the proper position? Breather tube clear? Air hole on feed lined up with air channel on collector?

If all that is good, then the nib could be too close to the hood, or too far away. I’m not being funny, just went through this with another vac. Until i got it right ink flow was bad. If all that is good, then you can turn to the nib itself. Look for misaligned tines. Some times I use brass shims to spread the tines just a fraction and get better ink flow if nothing else works.

I know it’s frustrating, take your time with it.

>>nib could be too close to the hood, or too far away

 

I think this is it. How would that be fixed though?

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Erik Dalton Collectors Item

Erik Dalton

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>>nib could be too close to the hood, or too far away

 

I think this is it. How would that be fixed though?

Too close or too far? If you have checked everything else and you have ink flowing from the reservoir, into the collector and up under the hood, then its just not able to find its way down the slit to the tines and point. If the nib is hard up against the hood, I’ve used brass shims successfully to increase the gap. You don't need a lot of space. Just enough to free u the ink that is clinging to the inner hood.

you might also use your brass shims to spread the tines just a bit. 3-4 pieces of shim material inserted and left to relax for at least an hour. Be very careful and dont rush. If you over spread the tines, they won’t go back. Tuning a p-51 is fine tuning compared to other pens. A little bit goes a long way.

there are threads in our archives on heating the hoodAnd getting it closed to the nib, some have scraped material from the inside of the hood, which i don’t recommend at all. There really isn’t enough material in the hood to allow for any mistakes.

Keep playing with it, get back if you run into any brick walls. You can also pm me. Good luck

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mitto Museum Piece

mitto

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Using dry heat on the hood tip and then placing the underside of it on your thumb nail and putting a little pressure on it for say about 30 or so seconds would solve the problem of the hood and nib tips being too close. I always do that.

Khan M. Ilyas

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