Sheaffer Vac Fill White Washers: Over Or Under?

[eharriett]

I'm attempting my first vac fill repair. Got the two books on pen repair from PenTooling. Watched vids. Now getting my hands dirty.

 

Got the packing unit drilled out (lost the threads for blind cap, unfortunately. Problematic?)

 

Got black washer seated.

 

Only question I can't seem to answer is: before I MEK up the white washer -- what side is it supposed to go in in relation to the black washer? One of the videos I watched implied it goes under the black one -- the side closer to the section. But as I look at it, it seems like it should go on the other side -- the side closest to the blind cap. Which is correct?

 

Thanks.

 

[FarmBoy]

You drill out the old packing from inside the barrel and all you are going through is a thin black plastic washer. The felt and rubber seals can be pulled out with a hook or probe.

[Ron Z]

You went a little too deep if you went in from the front end. Go no farther than needed, 1/4" at most. If you still have felt inside, you can go in with either a 1/4" drill by hand, or use a reamer to clear out the rest.

 

You don't need to glop on the silicone grease either. Use just enough for a thin coating the rod, applied to the rod before you insert it through the 0-ring. Use too much, and it'll get scraped off and left in the barrel - to get into your ink.

 

You want to be able to tighten down the blind cap so that it can't be pulled back accidentally. You can have a real mess on your hands (literally) when that happens. The best thing to do would be to replace the packing unit. If that isn't possible, you need a retaining washer inside and out to hold the 0-ring captive.

[eharriett]

Ah. I may have ruined the pen then

 

Drilled (by hand) all the way through from bottom to top. You may all now facepalm. I shall chalk up to first attempt.

 

That's what I get for watching youtube videos before getting the book.......and then not fully understanding the book.

[Ron Z]

The pen can still be salvaged - the packing unit can be replaced if you find a donor pen. Lots of dead plunger fillers out there that have good packing units.

[eharriett]

Good to know. I still have a couple other tester pens I can try out on. This time, I shall not drill all the way through and try to "pop off" the top.

 

How we learn

[Ron Z]

I do it on a lathe, and can see how far I've gone by the markings on the tail stock. But most people don't have access to a lathe.

 

Drop the drill bit into the pen, centered on the hold. Set the chuck so that it is about, or a bit less than 1/4" from the edge of the barrel to act as a drill stop.

[eharriett]

Well, thanks to your help, I have done it!! First pen, as said before, totally dead. Went all the way through.

 

So I was much much more careful with the second one. Hand turned the drill bit until the turning felt different. Then stopped and stuck my sac scraper in there. The original gasket came right out, and with a little tap, the felt packing came right out after.

 

 

After that a thorough rinsing out, I put in the new washer. Then a little MEK and put in the white washer, and an overnight sitting. Tonight, I stuck the reamer through the gaskets -- a perfect hole. put a new gasket on the plunger. Put the rod back in, screwed on the blind cap, and did a water test.

 

IT WORKED!!!

 

Aside from my little screw up with the first one, this was actually quite easy. Surprisingly easy. Outside of the drilling length, it was easier than a Touchdown repair, and even some lever fillers with some serious issues. I was quite surprised. I was expecting this to be much harder. To be fair, none of these were Triumph nibs.

 

I must thank FPN'er cherylmarie for sending me these pens in need of repair to try and experiment on them (no caps, so they aren't writers at the moment). I feel more confident to try these repairs on the small number of vac fill pens I've collected over the years that need restoration. That means more vintage Sheaffer pens about to return to circulation!

 

[siamackz]

Well done, I too find restoring vacs rather fulfilling!

[cherylmarie]

Congratulations on your success! Maybe when you feel really confident in the procedure, you'll demonstrate it to the Central Ohio Group? I haven't been to a meeting yet, but I wouldn't miss that one!

[eharriett]

Congratulations on your success! Maybe when you feel really confident in the procedure, you'll demonstrate it to the Central Ohio Group? I haven't been to a meeting yet, but I wouldn't miss that one!

Certainly. Although that group does have a couple restoration stars in it, so it will feel really weird with me showing how to do something they can do blindfolded, and with one hand tied behind their back

 

You know, about a year and a half ago, I was in attendance at an attempt to get a Cleveland pen club together. I don't believe they met more than the one time, but we had a really fun time doing it. I wonder if it is time for another attempt?

 

Being in Mansfield, Cleveland is the same distance away as Columbus as it is Akron. From my home, I'm, to almost a mile, equidistant from all three cities. There's a really great opportunity for Ohio to have more regional stuff.

[cherylmarie]

I remember that, I couldn't make it. If a northern Ohio group were to get started, I'd be in.