Parker 51 Feed Very Tight In Collector

[MightyEighth]

I am in the process of reassembling a Parker 51 Aerometric (1948 marked nib and barrel, no O-ring) after replacing the breather tube and sac. I had really no problem getting all the parts disassembled but I am now concerned with how tight the feed is getting it back into the collector. It feels much tighter going in than it felt coming out. And it seems like I can't get it as far in as it needs to be because one, it's so tight that I can't even feel the feed hitting a stop point and, two, when I then put the nib in as far as it can go the tip of the feed is too far forward compared to the tip of the nib.

 

I managed to get the feed back out of the collector to start over, but I'm stopping here for some advice. Would it help if the parts were wet maybe? I'm guessing silicone grease would be a bad idea :-) My browsing hasn't yet come across this issue for any insight.

 

Thanks,

Marc

 

 

[FarmBoy]

Make sure there is not a whiteish film of Superchrome residue on either part.

[MightyEighth]

Make sure there is not a whiteish film of Superchrome residue on either part.

Thanks. Except for staining of the collector, both parts are very clean.

 

Marc

[Erik Dalton]

This is curious. I’m interested to see how this shakes out.

I don’t know if this is relevant, one time i found that parts were too squeaky clean and did not slide together easily. I wonder if a little ink as a lubricant might help things slide together easier? Messy i know, but just a thought..

[MightyEighth]

I wonder if a little ink as a lubricant might help things slide together easier? Messy i know, but just a thought..

Interesting idea. Thanks!

[Ron Z]

This is curious. I’m interested to see how this shakes out.

I don’t know if this is relevant, one time i found that parts were too squeaky clean and did not slide together easily. I wonder if a little ink as a lubricant might help things slide together easier? Messy i know, but just a thought..

 

...or water.

[MightyEighth]

I ended up using some pen flush, figuring the surfactant might act as a lubricant. It wasn't much better than water, but I used some extra force and managed to get the feed all the way back without breaking it :-) I sure hope it never has to come out again.

 

Thanks for the suggestions.

[Erik Dalton]

good job. I’m glad it turned out ok for you.

[MightyEighth]

good job. Im glad it turned out ok for you.

Thanks. My finger tips are very sore. But its all together now and all the parts are properly aligned. Its a 1948 full-size Plum Aerometric and it feels good to have done the restoration myself.

[mitto]

Use of a little dry heat on the collector always solves this problem for me.

[MightyEighth]

Use of a little dry heat on the collector always solves this problem for me.

I’ll keep that in mind for next time. Thanks!

 

Marc