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Parker 61 Reassembly


stevenz

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Hello all,

 

Firstly apologies if this has been answered somewhere else but I personally wasn't able to find the answer anywhere on this forum. I'm also new on FPN although I've been lurking for a while.

I have inherited a capillary filling Parker 61 from family but unfortunately in less enlightened times (before I even knew what a Parker 61 was) I pulled the capillary cell off the section. I still kick myself for doing that.

 

The pen does have some sentimental value, coming from family, so i'm not that keen on just selling it off for parts but would love to get it functional again and add a 61 to my 51s and 45s. It even has an intact hood and arrow!

 

Remarkably, I remember that the capillary cell actually came off quite easily initially. I have subsequently removed it again and the "plastic sheet" inside is completely intact (and now clean) so it must not have been glued down very firmly.

I've read that there should be a piece of felt at the top of the capillary cell but this seems to be missing in my pen.

 

To top it off the nib is damaged with the tip of one tine missing and a bit of a bend in it.

 

I rolled the plastic sheet back up and inserted it into the teflon shell, threaded this over the feed and pushed the capillary cell firmly back onto the section and it does seem to take up some water (after dipping it into water I can then blow about 4-5 drops of water back out). I don't really want to try with ink since the nib is still busted anyway and it's such a pain to flush.

 

My questions:

1. Is the bit of felt in the capillary cell important and can it be easily replaced with something? (i.e. without cannibalising another 61)

2. Is there any chance that simply shoving the capillary cell back into the section firmly will result in a functional pen or is the damage such that it needs proper/professional repair with disassembly of the hood? (I'm aware of how fragile it is and would not attempt this myself)

3. Finally is all of that irrelevant, because repairing the nib would require taking it all apart anyway??

 

I'm aware that repairs will probably not be "cost effective" but essentially I'm trying to get an idea of how much damage I have done and trying to decide whether I can justify getting it fixed up or whether to just leave it in my quiver of pens as non-functional.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

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I know that some people really like the 61, but they are down near the bottom of my list of Parker pens, right down there with the Sonnet. I don't like working on them, though I do, and I don't buy them except for parts. Its not one of their better designs

 


1. Is the bit of felt in the capillary cell important and can it be easily replaced with something? (i.e. without cannibalising another 61)

 

No. The capillary cell is designed to shed ink as well as take it up. Nothing else works as well.

 


2. Is there any chance that simply shoving the capillary cell back into the section firmly will result in a functional pen or is the damage such that it needs proper/professional repair with disassembly of the hood? (I'm aware of how fragile it is and would not attempt this myself)

 

You might get away with it, unless you got the cell in backwards. They don't hold as much ink as a 51 of either version. The oil on your fingers or other contamination could cause problems with the cell though. I avoid opening these if at all possible. There are ways to clean the pen well without complete disassembly, but I prefer not to go into that.

 

3. Finally is all of that irrelevant, because repairing the nib would require taking it all apart anyway??

 

You have to take the hood off to change the nib. I know that Parker made a tool to remove 51 nibs without taking the hood off, but I think its a great way to chip the top off of the hood - and a 61 is even more fragile. Even if I had the tool, I wouldn't use it, and I wouldn't try without the tool.

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I'd recommend sending the pen to one of the few people that actually does 61 repairs.

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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Relatively inexpensive 61s can be found with cracked (or personalized) barrels or missing arrows, but they often have intact fillers and good nibs. You've got a nice cap and Flighter barrel as well as an arrow that could be transplanted (even without disassembly and shell swapping), so you might consider buying another pen with complementary defects to create one workable pen.

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Thanks all for the input. I accept that the Parker 61 is a bit of a pain both to maintain and repair but I think the capillary filling system is quite elegant and plan to have one in permanent use and never change what ink is in it!

 

 

With the advice from here and other forum members, I am going to try and find someone in Australia who can replace the nib and the felt pad. I have never seen the felt pad offered anywhere as a spare part so presumably there isn't anything special about the felt that Parker used in the originals!

 

Relatively inexpensive 61s can be found with cracked (or personalized) barrels or missing arrows, but they often have intact fillers and good nibs. You've got a nice cap and Flighter barrel as well as an arrow that could be transplanted (even without disassembly and shell swapping), so you might consider buying another pen with complementary defects to create one workable pen.

 

 

Thanks also for this suggestion. My understanding was it was tricky to transplant the arrow nicely. But I am keeping my eye out for cracked barrelled P61s with a black hood and intact arrow now. So far, I have had one repair price quote and for less than that I can actually just buy an excellent condition Parker 61 (non flighter) off eBay including postage!

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Talk to Oztech.

 

Farmboy

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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