Snorkel

[penrivers]

The plunger filler tube of my snorkel cant retract completely, what happen?.

[sanesangowdayya]

If your tube is retracting and extending correctly, just not exactly perfectly aligned with the nib, then it may not have been inserted all the way in the sac protector. It's normally not a big deal if your snorkel is filling correctly.

[penrivers]

Thanks Sanesangowdayya, greetings to India, my question is what can I do? I dont want to send it elswhere to a restorer, it will take time and money but perhaps there is no other solution.

[sanesangowdayya]

Is it filling correctly? Or did you buy it unrestored? If you bought it unrestored you will need to replace the sac, the o-ring, and the point seal and then worry about the alignment issues. It is certainly possible to do it yourself, there are plenty of guides online and videos showing the process, but it is more complex than a touchdown repair or simple sac replacement.

[penrivers]

Well Sanesangowdayya, question is I dont want to refill the pen and make a mess with the ink and the half unretracted plunger, tomorrow I will send you a photo, any way thanks for your concern.

[corgicoupe]

If you are in the USA send it to Danny Fudge.

[Mister5]

I had the exact same thing happen to me with a Thin Model Sentinel. When I sent it out for repair, it turned out there was a spring inside that rusted out. That may be the issue with yours but the mechanics of these Snorkels are a bit tricky, and there could be another reason.

Edited December 2, 2017 by Mister5

[penrivers]

Thanks Mister5, and Courgicoupe.

[penrivers]

Bad photos the plunger is exactly in line with the nib but protruding. The knob is rotated to the right totally.

[pajaro]

I just resacked two desk snorkels with silicone sacs. The tubes do not extend or retract. Pen fills. Total satisfaction. These have the two thinnest line widths I have ever seen. You can hardly tell there is ink.

[tetto]

Can you push the tube back slightly? may be the sac is loosen form the protector. sometime it occurs after replacing the sac.

[penrivers]

Thanks tetto, it happens that I am a coward and i dont want to destroy the inside mechanism, can you unscrew and loose the section?, I think there could be the answer.

[3rdlakerobert]

My guess is that either the sac protector or plunger tube is hanging up on the spring. A quick solution is usually to unscrew the section when this happens then screw it back into the barrel. That usually frees the sping at least temporarily.

 

A permanent fix requires unscrewing the section from the barrel and removing the spring and sac protector/section/nib assembly.

 

Remember which end of the spring engages the stop/retaining cup on the protector and either mark it with masking tape or a white wax marker.

 

Examine the way the marked end of the spring turns the stop/cup on the sac protector. If it doesn't turn freely, shoot some graphite into the retaining cup and work it into the metal by turning the spring clockwise and counterclockwise in the cup until it turns smoothly and freely. This is important. If the spring doesn't turn freely, the assembly will hang and you won't be able to move it by rotating the blind cap knob.

 

Also examine the spring to see if it has become bent (leans to one side instead of being nice and straight and parallel to the sac protector). If it's bent a little to the side, bend it back to make it straight and parallel to the sac protector.

 

[I believe the end of the spring opposite from the marked end (that engages the retaining cup) has a little larger diameter so that the plunger tube can go back and forth through it freely, but I've never actually measured. I just always test each end of the spring in the retaining cup on the protector and it always seems one end fits well and the other is a little too large. That why I told you to mark the end that was originally in the retaining cup and keep orienting that end to the cup.]

 

If there's rust in the retaining cup, remove it with a rust removing solution-- buy it or google for a simple formula to make it in the kitchen. The spring must rotate smoothly and freely in that retaining cup, and when the pen is assembled, the plunger tube must move easily into and out of the spring as you turn the blind cap knob.

 

Good luck.

[penrivers]

Thank you very much for your concern Robert and the time you spent in this, I could unscrew the section from the barrel, tomorrow I wlill see it with atention and perhaps I can fix it, thanks again.

[penrivers]

Solved the problem of the needle, but now the tube only opens half or little more in the barrel, ¿ does anybody knows something ?.