Parker 45 Ink Collector Out Of Its Shell

[hood]

I know this has happened to a few people now and again, but I recently had the collector pop out with the converter from a "New Slimfold", the business end of which is the same as the Parker 45, and I decided to photographically document its rare appearance for posterity. So if you've never seen one of these collectors in person, this is what they look like, and all those fins are why it takes days of soaking the section for the water to finally stop colouring!

 

 

 

 

Here's inside the section - not a lot going on in there with its inhabitant away from home.

 

 

[OcalaFlGuy]

Now.

 

Can't you just see Ancient Copper mutating to some new life form inside that collector?

 

Soak, Rinse. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat

 

Nicely picced Hood.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl-yikes seeing Hood with the Union Jack startled me

[Dr_P]

I've never seen one of this before. Thanks for the pics.

 

Claudio

[JKelly]

Wow. Can't you just imagine the difficulty/cost in fabricating one of those in stainless?

[welch]

Thanks for the break-out pictures. I've used a P-45 since 1961 (yep...the first release). Never knew what was on the inside of the grip, as I called it. Later, after I'd learned more about fountain pens, didn;t have the nerve (and skill) to take a 45 section apart.

 

Can we assume that the original Parker 75 section was similar?

[benbot517]

Thanks for the picture! It's so good to know there's a reason these things take so long to clean! Is the pen broken, or does the collector fit back in? If it does, being able to take it out would be incredibly helpful for cleaning.

[hood]

Can we assume that the original Parker 75 section was similar?

 

I imagine it would be similar given that it was produced in the same era, but I've never seen one so I'm only guessing.

 

 

Is the pen broken, or does the collector fit back in? If it does, being able to take it out would be incredibly helpful for cleaning.

 

No it's not broken, the collector pops back in and you can screw it into place using the converter - it's threaded at the converter end. I had to press the converter in fairly hard so that it gripped enough to tighten it (it's only gripping by the friction of two smooth surfaces) and I turned the converter at least twice the number of revolutions that would be ordinarily needed as you can't see if the collector is turning or just the converter. I imagine I could get it out again if I tried using the reverse method, but I haven't tried - once I'd captured it on camera, I just wanted to get it back in securely!

[benbot517]

 

I imagine it would be similar given that it was produced in the same era, but I've never seen one so I'm only guessing.

 

 

 

No it's not broken, the collector pops back in and you can screw it into place using the converter - it's threaded at the converter end. I had to press the converter in fairly hard so that it gripped enough to tighten it (it's only gripping by the friction of two smooth surfaces) and I turned the converter at least twice the number of revolutions that would be ordinarily needed as you can't see if the collector is turning or just the converter. I imagine I could get it out again if I tried using the reverse method, but I haven't tried - once I'd captured it on camera, I just wanted to get it back in securely!

 

Nice! This has the potential to make cleaning these so much easier and more complete!

[Tweel]

Thanks for the photos! I have wondered what exactly the collector looks like.

 

I seem to recall a couple of slots down in the cartridge end of the section for a spanner, so one might fabricate a tool for to remove and install it.

[OcalaFlGuy]

Edit

Edited March 20, 2015 by OcalaFlGuy

[azbobcat]

Pray tell HOW did you get this "collector" OUT?!? And HOW did you get it back IN?!?

 

I have 4 other Parker 45's and have cleaned them all, but this was the ONLY one that required 6.5 hours and multiple changes of soapy water to get clean. That there seemed to be dried ink throughout the pen seems like a given as I got ink coming out of the cap, the lower section, the nib assembly, the converter, the... Dawn did a wonderful job of re-saturating that old dried up ink so that it could come out....

 

Thanks for the WONDERFUL PICTURES.

[mitto]

 

Can we assume that the original Parker 75 section was similar?

Here you can see the original P45 (two versions) as well P75 collectors.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/314018-first-generation-thin-feed-p75-collector/?do=findComment&comment=3730249

Edited December 14, 2018 by mitto

[whych]

@hood

Thanks for the pictures.

Like others, I have owned and used a P45 since the 60s and this is the first time I have learnt about what the collector looks like!

No wonder why they take so long to clean.

[djmaher]

 

I imagine it would be similar given that it was produced in the same era, but I've never seen one so I'm only guessing.

 

 

 

No it's not broken, the collector pops back in and you can screw it into place using the converter - it's threaded at the converter end. I had to press the converter in fairly hard so that it gripped enough to tighten it (it's only gripping by the friction of two smooth surfaces) and I turned the converter at least twice the number of revolutions that would be ordinarily needed as you can't see if the collector is turning or just the converter. I imagine I could get it out again if I tried using the reverse method, but I haven't tried - once I'd captured it on camera, I just wanted to get it back in securely!

 

 

 

I tried the converter trick, but, I was afraid of pushing too hard or breaking something off. I may try again just because I'm curious, and I have a handful of 45s

 

Any other further tips, other than patience and perseverance? I have on of the old style aluminium aero converters.

[mitto]

There are two versions of the collector. One is threaded while the other is friction fit and glued. Both versions can be seen in the linked FPN thread.

[hood]

Pray tell HOW did you get this "collector" OUT?!? And HOW did you get it back IN?!?

 

This one was actually an accident - I tend to screw converters in and out rather than just push and pull, and on this occasion the converter seemed to be taking its time, but I kept twisting, and the next thing was the converter came free with the collector on the end and my face displayed wonderment. The section had been well flushed beforehand, so was clean and dry; I don't imagine you could do this if there was dried ink in the collector. I've had it happen with one or two others, although I was again not trying to get the collector out at the time.

 

Getting it back in was just a case of pushing the converter back onto the nipple of the collector, sliding the section over the collector until it seated at the threads, and then screwing it back into place, pushing down on the converter to maintain enough friction between the collector and converter to keep the collector turning.

 

 

I tried the converter trick, but, I was afraid of pushing too hard or breaking something off. I may try again just because I'm curious, and I have a handful of 45s

 

Any other further tips, other than patience and perseverance? I have on of the old style aluminium aero converters.

 

I'd say the section has to be well cleaned and flushed but that probably goes without saying. Also dry, as if there was moisture around the nipple then the converter would be less likely to grip enough. It would need a converter that fits tightly to the nipple, so maybe try several. I'm not sure which type of converters I've used when I've got one out, I remember it was a fat squeeze converter on two occasions (the pictures above being one of them), though that's not to say these are more likely to work.

 

I'm not sure you could break anything as long as the force you apply is only directed along the axis of the converter and collector, so just be careful that you keep it all aligned when you push. You wouldn't need to twist fast, so just take it slow and steady, keep the force applied straight in line with the section, and you shouldn't do any damage, the collector will either move or not. As you say, patience and perseverance!

 

Also bear in mind that some of these (most?) may not come out, it may be that the friction between the collector and the section (both along the length of the collector and at the threads) is greater than can be achieved between the nipple and any converter - perhaps only a small percentage happen to fall at the higher end of the tolerance scale for the nipple thickness and at the same time the lower end of the tolerance scale for the collector and thread width, these being the ones with the combination of physical dimensions that allow this removal. Let's face it, using a converter as a screwdriver isn't the pinnacle of mechanical design!

 

[FLZapped]

Ultra Sonic cleaners make cleaning a much easier job! If you do get one out, though, you can use a soft tooth brush on the collector with a little cleaning solution.

[Lodzermensch]

Has anybody managed pulling out the collector glued in P45 section? Any verified in practice suggestions?

After many days of soaking and a long fight I managed to "make it turn". So it is no more fixed. It moves a little. But it turns 360 degrees inside the section shell moves up and down about 2 mm and does not go outside. Looks like a glue makes a collar/an edge keeping it inside? Or maybe there is still a screw thread that needs to be forced throught???

Edited December 3, 2019 by Lodzermensch

[FarmBoy]

The 45 collector was not designed to be removed. Parker considered the front end of the pen a single part.

 

Why are you trying to remove the collector?

[Jerome Tarshis]

Well, we have the possibly apocryphal answer George Mallory is said to have given to the question of why one would want to climb Mount Everest: "Because it's there."

 

If there is a practical reason, FarmBoy might be of help.