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Sealing A Parker 51 Hood: Is Shellac Really Needed?


ItchyPirate

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I'm working on a Parker 51 Aerometric, and after several days of struggle, I finally "popped the hood" (and possible heat-warped the ink collector - whoops). That's a struggle I want to save myself from in the future.

 

I've come across a few references to shellac being applied to the threads as a sealant, but considering it's an adhesive (and caused me nearly a week's frustration already), I'd like to avoid it.

 

My question as a novice pen restorer is: is shellac really necessary here, or can I substitute silicone grease? I know I'll need to reapply the silicone grease if I need to open it up again, but I really don't want to deal with the heat-treatment or risk another ink collector (heck, I've already ruined the nice, shiny black of the hood :blush: ).

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As I recall, every time this question is asked we get the same three answers.

 

 

Parker sealed the hoods with an undefined material.

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IIRC in one of the old Parker books they recommended rubber cement, but my memory is not what it once was so await a reply from more knowlegable people.

 

If you do find you need a sealant, get a pot of Ron Zorn's Rosin based sealant.

 

To be honest having done quite s few 51's over the years, I have never had a issue not using a sealant, just make sure it's done up tight enough to not accidently unscrew when you unscrew the barrel for filling. I sometimes suspect the hood was sealed in place to aid nib alignment, it's easier to back the hood of slightly and hold it in place with a sealer than it is to keep tweaking the nib/feed to match a tightly screwed hood.

 

Someone will be along soon to point out any errors in my thinking.

 

Paul

Edited by Paul80
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Ignore the rubber cement comment, I found the book I thought it was mentioned in and they were talking about sealing the pump unit on their Vacumatics, and that's not recommended either nowadays.

 

Paul

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My question as a novice pen restorer is: is shellac really necessary here, or can I substitute silicone grease? I know I'll need to reapply the silicone grease if I need to open it up again, but I really don't want to deal with the heat-treatment or risk another ink collector (heck, I've already ruined the nice, shiny black of the hood :blush: ).

 

I would go with shellac. As for dry heat, keep you fingers in the air stream and if it it gets too hot for your fingers then it's too hot for your pen. Check regularly to see if the hood will unscrew rather than potentially continue with unnecessary prolonged heat.

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Pen mechanics use shellac as much to discourage the owner from opening the pen and screwing things up as to seal the threads. Having said that, I use shellac on my personal 51s. Thread sealant works, I've seen evidence in NOS, mint pens that suggests that Parker used a rosin based thread sealant. Rubber cement was suggested by Frank Dubiel, one of many things in his books with which I disagree. I did try it, and it doesn't work.

 

If you tighten the shell enough that it doesn't leak, you are also tightening the shell enough to induce stress cracks in the edge of the shell. The best thing to do is to use shellac or thread sealant, and let them do the work of holding things in place. Snug and lined up is enough.

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I have restored a number of 51s for my personal use and collection. At first, I did not use a hood sealant and did not experience any problems. At some point I realized exactly what Ron Zorn has said - in my efforts to align the nib and hood, it was possibly over-stressing the shell. I now use a light amount of shellac to hold the shell in proper alignment with the nib without over tightening.

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The thing I've found with sealing 51s is that the brush one generally uses to apply shellac to the end of a section awaiting a sac is MUCH too coarse a tool to use; shellac galore, shellac going places one wishes it wouldn't. I've had multi-day wrestles opening 51s, too, and I try to save future grief by applying as small a drop as the shellac's surface tension will allow, usually gathered by running a pin against the brush. It stops leaks, but it also lets go when asked politely and given a little heat.

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I usually apply minimal amounts of shellac on the bottom thread with a toothpick. Enough to act as a seal, but easily opened with bare fingers.

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I should really look in the shop manuals, I recall seeing a description of the sealant that indicated it was indeed rubber or gum based. Frank may not have been far off. I know several restorers that use rubber cement with no apparent problems I am privy to, I do not, I almost always use shellac unless the pen will just be sitting around then I use nothing.

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I havent had any issues with 51s leaking at the hood without sealing, but I want to get into them whenever I would like since are my own pens. The rubber o-ring of aerometric pens likely helps and would replace one if damaged. I dont use rubber cement at all. A touch of rosin based sealant could be used if ever leaked.

Regards, Glen

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I should really look in the shop manuals, I recall seeing a description of the sealant that indicated it was indeed rubber or gum based. Frank may not have been far off. I know several restorers that use rubber cement with no apparent problems I am privy to, I do not, I almost always use shellac unless the pen will just be sitting around then I use nothing.

 

I haven't seen any clues in the Parker service manuals that indicate what was in the sealant.

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I haven't seen any clues in the Parker service manuals that indicate what was in the sealant.

I wound up with a service manual with supplements that I don't think we have ever seen. It came from a factory rep. Just not sure which place it is hiding and I need to look.

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I wound up with a service manual with supplements that I don't think we have ever seen. It came from a factory rep. Just not sure which place it is hiding and I need to look.

 

Hurry up. The suspense is killing me.

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As I understand it, if you use shellac with a light touch, even if you need to undo your refurb for some reason, at worst, you would need just a moderate amount of heat to soften it a bit, to facilitate removal. Just barely enough to soften the shellac. Dipping in warmish to barely hot water seems to work for me. I've never had trouble softening new shellac, with a new refurb, if I feel like I've made a mistake during that process. Or, if I decide to modify or change a part out, after the fact.

 

I think some shellac in older pens just hardens to cement. Probably the bane of pen restorers. But, I think we are talking decades. I admit I have limited experience, but, I imagine any sealant/adhesive, over an extended period of time, could and does evoke nightmares.

 

Probably using a light touch, with both the shellac and tightening, is probably a pretty reasonable thing to do, without too much fear. I also do know know that shellac was not used in all cases to seal pens. Probably model-dependent.

 

I would imagine knowing the pen's manufacturing history is maybe your best guide, and FPN is a pretty decent place to get some of that information.

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I also do know know that shellac was not used in all cases to seal pens. Probably model-dependent.

 

I would imagine knowing the pen's manufacturing history is maybe your best guide, and FPN is a pretty decent place to get some of that information.

 

Shellac is not used when sealing celluloid pens i.e. Vacumatis or Sheaffer plunger fillers. Lucite can handle the higher heat needed to release shellac much better than celluloid.

 

The original repair techniques are not always the best guide to how to repair a pen today. We don't use the same materials to restore Sheaffer plunger fillers. What we do use works better, and will last a heck of a lot longer. We have heat guns instead of open flame and boiling water, we don't whack pens against the edge of the bench to loosen stuck sections.... I could go on. With the better materials and techniques, we can repair pens that might be damaged if we used the same techniques of decades past on pens that have become vulnerable in the interval.

 

I think I said it elsewhere in this thread, if not here, certainly of FPN. I don't insist that one use shellac, though I prefer to. I have seen evidence in NOS Vac 51s that suggest that Parker used a rosin based thread sealant to seal the shells, and certainly did on the Vacumatics. I'm also certain, based on observation, that Parker used the thread sealant as a thread locking compound to secure jewels. Modern Parkers use what they describe as "white glue" (though I don't think that they mean Elmers glue) to secure parts. Better than epoxy or some of the tougher Loctite products, but I prefer thread sealant since it loosens more easily, even if it is sticky.

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I've had the hoods off plenty of P51s in my amateur way and I've always used shellac. Never had more than moderate difficulty removing hoods with the application of gentle heat and the use of large rubber bands or inner tube pieces for good grip.

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I like to discourage the use of hot water to do anything with pens. Dry heat is much safer.

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Thanks for the responses - I'll probably be sticking with shellac (I need it anyway for a few other pens).

 

I havent had any issues with 51s leaking at the hood without sealing, but I want to get into them whenever I would like since are my own pens. The rubber o-ring of aerometric pens likely helps and would replace one if damaged. I dont use rubber cement at all. A touch of rosin based sealant could be used if ever leaked.

 

Is there supposed to be an o-ring in the aerometric? I don't remember seeing one when I took mine apart. (then again, it appears to be a bit of a frankenpen - it has the aerometric filler from a "regular" i.e. "non-Special" 51, a silicone sac, the feed + ink collector + nib from a 51 Special, and some sort of flexible plastic or glass feeder tube. I get the feeling I wasn't the first to work on my pen...)

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