Gadget To Adapt A "51" For A Cartridge Converter

[ek-hornbeck]

There is a guy on eBay -- clearly an engineer who is a Parker pen freak -- who is selling a little adapter that lets you use a cartridge converter in your "51." Here's the link:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Parker-51-Aeromtric-Pen-Converter-Adaptor-/182258056773

 

I've read over the long description on the eBay page and looked at the photos. Note that you can't operate the piston on the cartridge converter while it's in the pen, because the breathing tube of the "51" extends up into the converter!

 

You may be asking: why would someone want to do this? After all, I would expect modern international cartridge converters have pretty tiny capacity compared to a stock, unmodified aerometric "51". True, but the big win as far as I can see is that it makes it much easier to clean the pen. You can pop out the c/c, and then flush the pen aggressively with a bulb syringe. This one thing would make it possible to use a "51" with difficult inks. I like to use permanent inks, such as nano-pigment or Noodler's bulletproof inks, in my pens, so this is important to me -- it makes the pen useable in my workflow.

 

Does anyone know any more about this adapter? E.g., how well it works? What do people think of it?

 

In case the eBay page ages out, I'm attaching the photos from the page and will append the text from the ad that explains how the thing works.

 

Something which is not that clear from the photos is that the adapter is two pieces of machined bronze, but (from what I can tell from reading everything over a couple of times) these smaller "piercing tube" part is permanently installed inside the larger sleeve by means of a hydraulic press before you get the adapter. So it is essentially a single thing, that does not come apart into two pieces.

 

EKH

 

From the ad:

--------------------------------------------------

 

The Adapter, that I came up is having two parts.
1) The Sleeve.
2) The Piercing Tube.

Both the parts are built from solid Brass, for Durability. Aluminium is another metal which is affordable and Machinable. But, it has its own disadvantages, like getting oxidized due to Atmospheric oxygen and has less durability. On the other hand, Brass is much stable metal and harder than Aluminium and has high durability. More over, Brass is highly compatible with Celluloid than Steel and Stainless Steel. The total Weight of Pen increases Marginally by 3.5 grams. It may vary with different models, but will not go More than 4.5 grams. Pen will not loose its Critical Balance, as the increase Of 3.5 grams will fall on the Anterior Portion of the Pen. Even, after Posting the cap, the Pen Exhibits stability and sits in the fingers with a good Posture.

The Sleeve: Sleeve is a cylindrical part, which Anchors the P-51 Collectors tail, with sufficient tightness at the Front End (smaller opening). Then the Sleeve accommodates the Clutch ring and the “O”Ring. Hooded Section (Shell) of the pen can be screwed on the Sleeve. The Sleeve takes the twist converter at the Rear End(Large Opening). Then the barrel of the Pen can be screwed into the position.

Note: This component is manufactured with a tolerance of ± 15 Microns (µ), to its Original Dimensions of the Pen.

(1 Millimeter =1000 Microns).

Piercing Tube: Piercing tube also made of Brass, for Extra Durability. It is the most delicate part of the Converter Adapter. It is Hand Turned, Hand Polished and Finished to the Precession of Parker 51 Orignal Piercing tube. It seats inside the aperture of the Sleeve, shown in the Picture-3. It takes the opening of the Twist Converter.

Note: This component is manufactured with a tolerance of ± 10 Microns (µ), to its Original Dimensions of the Parkers Piercing Tube.

How to use the Converter Adapter?

Its very simple.The converter Adapter comes to you with Pre-Assembled Piercing tube. Let the Breather tube Pass through the aperture of the Piercing Tube, from the Front End of the Adapter (Smaller Opening). You can see that in the 4th Picture. Continue to Insert the tail of the Collector into the smaller opening of the Adapter Sleeve. It fits tightly, without any gap, between the walls. Then place the Clutch Ring in Position, slide the “O” Ring, Beneath the Clutch ring. Now, Screw on the Hooded section (Shell) of the Pen.

First, Fill the Twist Converter with Ink. Slide the Breather Tube of the Collector, into the Converter, then Press the converter gently into the opening of the Sleeve until the Sleeve reaches the Notches on the Twist Converter (see Pic-5). One or two drops of inks may come out of the Nib. Don’t get Panic. Its due to the air Pressure, Present in the converter, which escapes through the Breather Tube. Gently wipe off the excessive Ink and you are ready to go.

Note: Don’t use any Sharp or Blunt rods for Cleaning the Adapter. They can Damage the delicate Piercing tube Irreversibly and cause malfunctioning. The Piercing tube is Placed in its Possition by the help of Hydralic Press. Hence, its alignment is very important to Prevent leaking.

Basically, this converter Adapter is used to increase the convenience of filling System to the Legendary Parker-51. Parker itself had done the same Job and I am doing the Job in Brass. Please see the Pictures 8 & 9. We can clearly observe that P-51 has NO Breather tube for its latest versions. (Refer “Parker51.com”, for more info.)

Breather tube is used to counteract the Wetting Phenomenon, caused by inks, with the help of Capillary Raise Mechanism. Wetting Phenomenon and the Capillary Rise are two Physical Properties of all Liquids. Wetting Phenomenon is the nature of adhesion of the liquid to the walls of its container to wet it. On the other hand, Capillary Raise mechanism Raises the fluids against the gravity and Hence, Counteracts the Wetting Phenomenon. Wetting Phenomenon is very less (or) Negligible with modern days Converters and Cartridges. Hence, Breather tube is not Required. However, you can choose the options between, "Having the Breather Tube (or) Removing the Breather tube". I tested My Pen without removing the Breather Tube and its writing Flawless, from three Months. I had submitted the writing sample in 7th Picture.

Warranty: This Converter Adapter Comes with One Year Warranty for any Manufacturing Defects. If the Converter Adapter develops any Manufacturing defects in One year, we will Replace the Unit with a New Unit, or return 9.75 USD. We are not responsible for any Damages caused due to Miss-handling the Unit. After proper Verification of the Manufacturing Defect, we will take the Needed action. Please, keep the Ebay invoice and the date of Purchase, without fail.

Converter Adapter, does not interfere with the ink flow mechanism of the pen. It just, holds the Collector and the Twist Converter in Position, and accommodates Pens Section and Barrel, similar to that of the Aerometric System. This Adapter cannot be used with the Demi size or the Lady Parker-51. The Pen displayed here is not for sale.

Advantages:
1) Easy to refill the Pen with the ink of your Choice.

2) It can take the cartridges, but the Breather tube should be cut by 2.7 Cm, so that, remaining small length of the Breather tube remains Inside the piercing tube.

3) Converter takes more ink, than an Aerometric System.

4) Remaining Ink is clearly visible, through the converter.

5) Problem of replacing the silicon Sacs will not be there.

We are a division of "Ramakrishna Engineering", We are also Selling Good Quality Viton Polymer Made “O” Rings for P-51 in this website, at very reasonable Price. We had to list our "O" Rings in our different account, due to some technical problem. We do combine Shipping, just mail me before you buy both. We are also coming up with Mandrels for Polishing the P-51 Aerometric and P-51 Vaccumatic, Barrels, Section and the Blind Cap.

Thanks for looking at this Small and sensible work. If you have any questions, please mail us rkpw.77ap at gmail. I again want to remember my favorite wordings.

Parker-51, Let the Legend Live Long

 

[pajaro]

Considering how far superior the Parker 51 squeeze filler is to any C/C pen I have used, my first reaction to this is s*** for brains.

 

As far as enabling the frequent disassembly of the pen for uber cleaning, my reaction is the same.

[Flounder]

Hmmm. He's obviously an enthusiast, but there's limited use here. The sac is swapped out for a cartridge*. A piston converter or slide converter would be non-functioning, as they foul on the breather tube - which also has to be irrepairably cut down so the converter will seat.

 

The primary function of the breather tube is to help achieve a full fill, surprised by the convoluted wetting description.

 

* assuming the breather tube is removed

Edited September 6, 2016 by Flounder

[KLscribbler]

Parker themselves made a cartridge-converter filling "51" for a couple years in the early 60s. Wasn't a success and got discontinued after a couple years of production.

 

If having C/C filling on a "51" is important to you, you could try searching for one such vintage C/C "51" on the market. They can be hard to find since they were unpopular back in the day, and had a short production run. But it should be possible.

 

 

EDIT: A useful reference on C/C "51"s: http://parker51.com/index.php/51s/cartridge-51/

Edited September 6, 2016 by KLscribbler

[Ernst Bitterman]

I'd have concerns about the brass piercing tube, too-- not something I see lasting for ages when in perpetual contact with ink.

 

To give him credit, though: he's done the first thing that a success effort in marketing calls for. That is definitely a solution to a problem which did not hitherto exist.

Edited September 6, 2016 by Ernst Bitterman

[Ron Z]

Custom Pen Parts in the UK uses brass for replacement thread bushings for the Parker 65 and 61. They also sell a conversion kit to convert a 61 to a C/C pen with a brass bushing. But the piercing tubes that they use and sell are stainless steel.

 

This might work, but I think that a long breather tube is not needed. I think that they misunderstand the purpose of the breather tube.

 

While I think that converting a 61 to a cartridge/converter filler makes perfect sense because the capillary filler is so trouble prone, there is no point in changing an aerometric 51 pen to C/C.

[ek-hornbeck]

A piston converter or slide converter would be non-functioning, as they foul on the breather tube - which also has to be irrepairably cut down so the converter will seat.

 

My reading of the instructions is that you aren't supposed to try and fill the converter while it is in the pen. You remove it, fill it, then reinsert it into the pen. The piston has full travel while it's out of the pen, of course.

 

I'd have concerns about the brass piercing tube, too-- not something I see lasting for ages when in perpetual contact with ink.

 

Are you saying that there is no brass in the ink path of the stock "51"?

 

If having C/C filling on a "51" is important to you

 

It's not important to me, in some sense. It's just a means to an end, the actual goal being: figuring out how I can use something as lovely as a "51" for daily writing when I employ nano-pigmented inks.

 

The chain of dependency goes like this: The primary desiderata for a pen (for me, that is) is that what you write with it be permanent. When I want reversible writing, I use a pencil. So a pen that can't manage to make permanent marks on paper is not of utility to me. Permanence means nano-pigmented inks (or other, equally difficult inks), and these inks come with a certain commitment to cleaning. Montblanc, for example, says exactly this on the instruction pamphlet they include with their current nano-pigment Permanent Blue ink. (As does everyone else who makes ISO 1257-2 & 14145-2 inks.)

 

There are pens whose design well accommodates the kind of cleaning regimen you need to use permanent inks. Piston-filler pens such as the TWSBIs, MB Meisterstucks, Pelikan Souverans and the bulkfiller Conids are some examples of modern pens that can be completely disassembled. Some are clearly designed to be disassembled easily. Thus, you can drop the feed & collector into an ultrasonic cleaner, completely exposed, if that's what you want to do -- you don't have to, e.g., use a heat gun to soften shellac-glued parts.

 

But these pens are not the "51," which is a cool, beautiful pen in its own right. OK, so the question is: is it possible to hack a "51" in such a manner so as to enable enough cleaning ability to be able to use permanent inks? You don't have to hack it so severely that you can easily pop the nib and collector in and out; I'd say that the minimum needed would be the ability to hook a bulb syringe up to it, so you can vigorously flush it with pen cleaner.

 

The Parker "51" is a nice pen. I'd love to figure out how to make it work in my life. Which leads me to the reasoning above.

 

A useful reference on C/C "51"s: http://parker51.com/...s/cartridge-51/

 

Hah -- of course there's a page on parker51.com! Thanks for the pointer.

 

EKH

 

[pajaro]

Parker themselves made a cartridge-converter filling "51" for a couple years in the early 60s. Wasn't a success and got discontinued after a couple years of production.

 

If having C/C filling on a "51" is important to you, you could try searching for one such vintage C/C "51" on the market. They can be hard to find since they were unpopular back in the day, and had a short production run. But it should be possible.

 

 

EDIT: A useful reference on C/C "51"s: http://parker51.com/index.php/51s/cartridge-51/

 

I say that if having cartridge/converter filling is important to you, why not buy a pen that was made to function as a C/C pen?

 

The modern Parkers use this method. The C/C 51 didn't apparently work out well. Modern Parkers use it. Many other decent pens use it. I think you should consider that the question is more like do you want a 51 that works, or do you want a pen hobbled by a modern C/C filling system used by many manufacturers because if is less expensive to replace and warrant than a squeeze filler? C/C is cheaper to mass produce. There are threads here where people wish to add little balls or springs to the converter to reduce issues with surface tension ink to converter walls.

 

The rationale in the ebay add of removing the putative issue of 51 ink sac failure, presented as a serious issue, is in fact non-existent in my experience with many pens, including forty-five years use of my first new 51. Forty-five years use of a pen without a resac. Compare this to any other sac pen. Compare it to converter life span. A victory for the Parker 51, a serendipitous design where Parker lucked out in the best imaginable way.

 

This device is apparently precisely manufactured of the best materials, but it is a solution to a problem of sac failure I have never experienced as far as I can remember. I should have stayed away from the Vacs, because they have been a problem, but the aerometric fillers are seemingly invulnerable, and I am wondering how many lifetimes they will last.

[Flounder]

I'd have concerns about the brass piercing tube, too-- not something I see lasting for ages when in perpetual contact with ink.

 

To give him credit, though: he's done the first thing that a success effort in marketing calls for. That is definitely a solution to a problem which did not hitherto exist.

 

Just out of interest, here's the stainless piercer from my 65 prior to a connector swap. There's not enough decay to cause a problem, but just goes to show. I wonder what kind of ink caused this?

 

http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy19/flounder2009/Parker%2065%20fountain%20pen%20repair/Parker%2065%20Piercing%20Tube%20006.jpg

[aucheukyan]

I dont mind a 2nd connector that uses the converter. The whole process is reversible just by disassembling it and pop back the original connector with the sac nipple on it.

 

Yeah, the breather tube is only necessary in a bulb/aerometric filler for the full fill and doesnt need to be cut down, just removed from the whole equation in his mod.

Edited September 7, 2016 by aucheukyan

[Jobesmirage]

 

I say that if having cartridge/converter filling is important to you, why not buy a pen that was made to function as a C/C pen?

 

The modern Parkers use this method. The C/C 51 didn't apparently work out well. Modern Parkers use it. Many other decent pens use it. I think you should consider that the question is more like do you want a 51 that works, or do you want a pen hobbled by a modern C/C filling system used by many manufacturers because if is less expensive to replace and warrant than a squeeze filler? C/C is cheaper to mass produce. There are threads here where people wish to add little balls or springs to the converter to reduce issues with surface tension ink to converter walls.

 

The rationale in the ebay add of removing the putative issue of 51 ink sac failure, presented as a serious issue, is in fact non-existent in my experience with many pens, including forty-five years use of my first new 51. Forty-five years use of a pen without a resac. Compare this to any other sac pen. Compare it to converter life span. A victory for the Parker 51, a serendipitous design where Parker lucked out in the best imaginable way.

 

This device is apparently precisely manufactured of the best materials, but it is a solution to a problem of sac failure I have never experienced as far as I can remember. I should have stayed away from the Vacs, because they have been a problem, but the aerometric fillers are seemingly invulnerable, and I am wondering how many lifetimes they will last.

IVe heard that the c/c didnt sell well because they changed the feed mechanism and that it was worse than the traditional 51s... is that not the case?

[parban]

Those who prefer C/C could go for a Parker 100 I think rather than converting a 51. I have no idea about the durabilty or material of 100 though.

[Parker51]

This idea suggests another one; to convert a Tesla Roadster from purely electric to petrol-electric by adding a small reliable petrol generator and getting rid of some of those pesky batteries which wear out and need plug in recharging from a stationary power source. Just think, instead of being limited to the range the batteries will charge you could drive an hour and then refill the necessarily small fuel tank, but you could do so I definitely and thus have a greater continuous range.

An interesting engineering problem, but rather pointless when you could just buy a Porsche that wouldn't need converted for a fraction of the cost of th Tesla and any conversion.

[pajaro]

IVe heard that the c/c didnt sell well because they changed the feed mechanism and that it was worse than the traditional 51s... is that not the case?

 

Old Griz, a dearly departed expert in Parkers, wrote in an old thread that the C/C version of the 51 was not as good as the regular 51. He had had one.

 

If you wanted to try this new device you might be able to do it reversibly.

 

I am not curious enough to waste the time, even though I am retired and have little enough to do now beyond watching soap operas. The time would be better spent watching The Young and The Restless.

[Barry Gabay]

Years ago, Howard Levy (founder-owner of Bexley Pens and a widely recognized Parker 51 authority) produced a conversion kit for turning a 51 aerometric into a c/c filler. I was lucky enough to find one at a pen show long after Howard's supply was exhausted. The connector and piercing tube closely resembled the original c/c Parker 51 which was briefly produced in late 50s-very early 60s. At least, it resembled the visible portion of the original Parker 51 c/c, two of which I have seen in the flesh. Roger Cromwell of Penopoly did the surgery on a cocoa aerometric I sent him. Although I use it infrequently, I writes great with a very clean and wet flow of its F nib. I generally use it with a cartridge, although once or twice I have filled it with an older squeeze Parker converter.

[mitto]

An aerometric 51 converted to a C/C is not a genuine 51. Why would one accept this degradation of the 51? It is simply beyond comprehension.

 

The 51 originally made by Parker in the C/C version did not sell and, hence, discontinued.

Edited September 8, 2016 by mitto

[Jobesmirage]

Years ago, Howard Levy (founder-owner of Bexley Pens and a widely recognized Parker 51 authority) produced a conversion kit for turning a 51 aerometric into a c/c filler. I was lucky enough to find one at a pen show long after Howard's supply was exhausted. The connector and piercing tube closely resembled the original c/c Parker 51 which was briefly produced in late 50s-very early 60s. At least, it resembled the visible portion of the original Parker 51 c/c, two of which I have seen in the flesh. Roger Cromwell of Penopoly did the surgery on a cocoa aerometric I sent him. Although I use it infrequently, I writes great with a very clean and wet flow of its F nib. I generally use it with a cartridge, although once or twice I have filled it with an older squeeze Parker converter.

Thats very interesting, I would love to one day get my hand on one of these

[ek-hornbeck]

This idea suggests another one; to convert a Tesla Roadster from purely electric to petrol-electric by adding a small reliable petrol generator and getting rid of some of those pesky batteries which wear out and need plug in recharging from a stationary power source. Just think, instead of being limited to the range the batteries will charge you could drive an hour and then refill the necessarily small fuel tank, but you could do so I definitely and thus have a greater continuous range.

 

Great idea!

 

But let's get this problem with the 51 straightened out, first.

 

EKH

[pajaro]

 

Great idea!

 

But let's get this problem with the 51 straightened out, first.

 

EKH

 

The best way to straighten this out is to ignore it and move on.

[aucheukyan]

"Normal people... believe that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Engineers believe that if it ain't broke, it doesn't have enough features yet." - Scott Adams

Honestly, I would want to see someone making a custom piston knob for the vacumatic barrel using the threads for the vacuum plunger for a piston filled p51.