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Parker Vacumatic Restoration


The Anachronist

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Today I stopped at one of many produce/antique malls in Central and Eastern Washington in the hopes of finding something great. I did find a few pens and razors, but only one I felt was worth picking up, a Parker Vacumatic.

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I apologize for the grainy cell phone shots and poor lighting. Yet again I wish I had an actual camera.

I've dated the pen from the first quarter of 1945. The pen has no cracks, just minor wear from use, and some brassing on the clip and such. I attempted to see if it would pick up some water, and unfortunately it wouldn't. The warm water instantly released a copious amount of vibrant green ink so I tried it out. The nib looks great, almost new, and writes very smoothly. Shaking the pen, I can hear some bits rattling around the inside, but am unsure how to remove the nib and feed, as well as the plunger assembly to clean it out. From what I can see through the barrel, I believe it to just be flakes of dried ink. The view slits are surprisingly clear, and can be seen through as is if held to light. My guess is that it needs a new diaphragm, at least. I have never restored a pen (I would like to try, especially since I have several vintage pens that are in dire need), so I don't know if this is something that's easily done or best left to experienced hands. I did find an informative guide depicting the restoration of one, but didn't detail disassembly.

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I'm not sure if I over paid on the pen but I feel, based on the condition of the pen other than the plunger mechanics, that it should easily be refurbished and serve me well. I'm very eager to use it.

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What do you all think? Should I be able to refurbish this fairly easily, or would it be safer and more cost effective to have someone else do it? How much to replacement parts usually run? How should I go about it?

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if it's a vac, have a pro do it (danny fudge will do it well and quickly for $20 plus shipping). you need special tools to get the filler out and replace the diaphragm. just not worth it for the newbie, as the risk of damage will be pretty high.

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Thanks for the advice. Is Danny a member of FPN or can you pm me contact info? If anyone else can recommend any other restorers, or offer up info on these pens in general, it would be greatly appreciated.

<img src="http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww296/messiah_FPN/Badges/SnailBadge.png" alt="Posted Image" class="bbc_img"> http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qVJOiluU9_4/THp4f_4pakI/AAAAAAAAA14/_d-MITGtqvY/s320/InkDropLogoFPN2.jpg

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^yes, danny's a longtime FPN member (www.thewritepen.net), among many other restorers here, including old griz (tom mullane). danny's done about two dozen vacs for me these past four or five years.

Check out my blog and my pens

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just to add some info on the pen, the "flakes" you're discerning on the inside of the pen are not dried ink, but fragments of the old rubber diaphragm, now hardened. and the way into this pen isn't through the section, but from the other end. the filler unit has to be unscrewed from the barrel using a special tool (and maybe even some heating to soften the ossified parts); the insides and the dried-up residue and gunk have to be cleaned out, the new diaphragm put in place (not always an easy thing, requiring trimming to the right length, folding back, lubricating, etc.), and the fit between the barrel and blind cap secured exactly right. i do it now and then myself for more common vacs i can afford to practice on and even make mistakes with, but when you add it all up, paying someone else $20 for parts and labor is a steal ;)

Check out my blog and my pens

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Well when you put it like that...think I'll definitely find another pen with which to venture into restoration!

<img src="http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww296/messiah_FPN/Badges/SnailBadge.png" alt="Posted Image" class="bbc_img"> http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qVJOiluU9_4/THp4f_4pakI/AAAAAAAAA14/_d-MITGtqvY/s320/InkDropLogoFPN2.jpg

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  • 4 years later...

When you have a filler unit bought with the diaphragm attached, and the diaphragm is pulled out to full extension off of the filler unit, is there a trick for rolling the diaphragm back onto the filler unit?

"Don't hurry, don't worry. It's better to be late at the Golden Gate than to arrive in Hell on time."
--Sign in a bar and grill, Ormond Beach, Florida, 1960.

 

 

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When you have a filler unit bought with the diaphragm attached, and the diaphragm is pulled out to full extension off of the filler unit, is there a trick for rolling the diaphragm back onto the filler unit?

I talc the outside of the diaphragm, then insert a tapered center punch into the ID of the diaphragm until the diaphragm just starts to be stretched out by the punch (dumb luck that I had a punch the right diameter/taper). I am then able to roll the diaphragm back onto itself.

 

Tricky otherwise, isn't it?

 

Brian

One test is worth a thousand expert opinions.

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I talc the outside of the diaphragm, then insert a tapered center punch into the ID of the diaphragm until the diaphragm just starts to be stretched out by the punch (dumb luck that I had a punch the right diameter/taper). I am then able to roll the diaphragm back onto itself.

 

Tricky otherwise, isn't it?

 

Brian

 

Tricky, indeed. I finally used a Parker 45 barrel, since it has a narrow end and tapers. Getting the filler far enough into the barrel of the Vacumatic for the filler's threads to catch on the barrel threads was tricky also. It works now. At one point the filler unit came apart, so now I know how that works too. This was harder to do than a 51 Vac.

"Don't hurry, don't worry. It's better to be late at the Golden Gate than to arrive in Hell on time."
--Sign in a bar and grill, Ormond Beach, Florida, 1960.

 

 

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Getting the filler far enough into the barrel of the Vacumatic for the filler's threads to catch on the barrel threads was tricky also. It works now. At one point the filler unit came apart, so now I know how that works too. This was harder to do than a 51 Vac.

 

 

It should not be difficult to screw in the filler pump. If it is, there is something that you are not doing.

And if you can't screw in the filler by hand, you need to clean the threads of gunk/dirt/old selant/etc. Do this when you do a dry fit of the filler, before you install the new diaphram.

San Francisco Pen Show - August 28-30, 2020 - Redwood City, California

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When I did a 51 Vac and asked how to seal the threads, I was told that sealant isn't used on these fillers, that the filler unit is designed to seat and seal. There wasn't any sealant, old diaphragm remnant or anything else in the pen. The old diaphragm had come apart at the pellet cup attachment, and it wouldn't quite work properly, even though it would take in some ink. Actually, after lubing the diaphragm as shown in Richard Binder's pages it went easier. Apparently that was an important step. At any rate, this was a major pain learning experience, and I'm not doing any more of these. I liked the brass fillers I have used on a couple of pens. They are very well made. When the filler unit discomposed itself and shot about the room, it was fairly obvious how the parts went together again.

"Don't hurry, don't worry. It's better to be late at the Golden Gate than to arrive in Hell on time."
--Sign in a bar and grill, Ormond Beach, Florida, 1960.

 

 

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Some people sealed the filler in when they put the filler back in. I don't know why, because as you said, the seal is done at the diaphram. The only reason that I can think of, to seal the filler, is to prevent someone from easily removing the filler.

 

Dirt, powdered diaphram particles and dried ink residue can collect in the threads as you remove the filler and disintegrated diaphram. I had 2 that were stiff to screw in, cleaned the threads and they went in easily with my fingers.

 

It was a difficult learning experience for me as well. But now I have the vac bug, and I enjoy working on the vacs. Well except for one vac that does not want to let go of the filler. Yes, I did have to buy the vac tool to remove the filler pump, so I better restore enough vacs to make buying that tool worth it.

Edited by ac12

San Francisco Pen Show - August 28-30, 2020 - Redwood City, California

www.SFPenShow.com

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... except for one vac that does not want to let go of the filler. ...

Damn all plastic fillers. (trade secret can be found in the Parker forum...)

San Francisco International Pen Show - The next “Funnest Pen Show” is on schedule for August 23-24-25, 2024.  Watch the show website for registration details. 
 

My PM box is usually full. Just email me: my last name at the google mail address.

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