Please Help - My Parker Duofold International Is Not Well

[LegalAddict]

Dear fellow FPNers

My beloved Parker Duofold International has begun developing issues lately, after years of being the most reliable pen I have ever known. I am not as well versed in fountain pen mechanics as I would wish, and maybe I have done something that hurt it, and I just don't know. I was hoping that someone here with a lot more knowledge than me could help me out?

I read a bit in the forums and thought it might be a feed issue, but I wanted to ask again to make sure I'm not jumping to conclusions.

 

The issues are:

- I first began noticing that ink would dry in if I didn't write with it for 2 days, fair enough, that's normal for a fountain pen. I added water to it a few times and it worked again.

- After doing this 2 times, I decided to give it a thorough clean to make sure no particles of ink or anything are stuck.

I cleaned it with a bulb syringe until water ran clear and let it dry. I also unscrewed the metal part behind the feed and screwed it back on. Its been loose for a while.

- When I filled it with ink today, and after I waited for a few hours to let the feed saturate, it started skipping after a few lines. It would only stop skipping if I really pushed the cartridge again (I only use Quink cartridges), until I guess the feed ran out of ink. I also noticed that the metal part under the feed was loose again, and tightening it helped as well. At times though, it would skip after I tightened it, still. I cleaned it out again, and am now waiting.

 

Does anyone know what might be wrong?
Any help would be super appreciated

 

[Erik Dalton]

Boy, i know the heartache when your favorite pen starts acting up on you. I just pulled out my International. I don’t see any metal parts under the feed that could loosen up. Maybe if you could show us some pics we could help.

You might also consider a good soak with some pen flush. It might be helpful to get stuff that water won’t dissolve..give it a good overnight soak then use your bulb syringe and see if you get anymore ink to come out of it. If it runs clear after an overnight soak, then we can eliminate blockages and will have to look elsewhere for the cause of the problems.

After the pen flush, If you have a converter, you might try a bottle fill and see if that makes any difference.

I’m still troubled by this metal part you say keeps loosening up. Let us see some pics.

[Carguy]

Boy, i know the heartache when your favorite pen starts acting up on you. I just pulled out my International. I don’t see any metal parts under the feed that could loosen up. Maybe if you could show us some pics we could help.

You might also consider a good soak with some pen flush. It might be helpful to get stuff that water won’t dissolve..give it a good overnight soak then use your bulb syringe and see if you get anymore ink to come out of it. If it runs clear after an overnight soak, then we can eliminate blockages and will have to look elsewhere for the cause of the problems.

After the pen flush, If you have a converter, you might try a bottle fill and see if that makes any difference.

I’m still troubled by this metal part you say keeps loosening up. Let us see some pics.

Could he be talking about the metal feed tube that actually connects to the cartridge and the feed being loose?

 

If he is, I would expect it to leak, but maybe if it’s just slightly loose it impacts the way the ink flows.... just a thought.

 

Guess let’s see what piece he is talking about

[Erik Dalton]

Agreed. If the innards of the section are loose and allowing air to enter the capillary feed system, that could well be the cause of the skipping and drying out. ..let’s wait to see some pics

[FarmBoy]

An air leak into the ink reservoir usually causes flooding doesn’t it?

[Erik Dalton]

An air leak into the ink reservoir usually causes flooding doesn’t it?

 

Usually, but there is lots we don’t know right now. You always bring us back to logic when we do one of these think through problems. Good having you around..

[corniche]

Could he be talking about the metal feed tube that actually connects to the cartridge and the feed being loose?

 

If he is, I would expect it to leak, but maybe if its just slightly loose it impacts the way the ink flows.... just a thought.

 

Guess lets see what piece he is talking about

Agreed. If the innards of the section are loose and allowing air to enter the capillary feed system, that could well be the cause of the skipping and drying out. ..lets wait to see some pics

An air leak into the ink reservoir usually causes flooding doesnt it?

Hello Everyone,

 

Perhaps this will help. I think the metal piece that LegalAddict is referring to that keeps unscrewing can be seen here:

 

 

It's the gold fitting behind the section that the converter screws into; NOT the cartridge piercing feed tube.

 

Sean

[FarmBoy]

When did Parker start using screw in converters?

 

The threaded part that holds the barrel on the section is the connector.

[LegalAddict]

Thank you so much for getting back to me! That is so kind!

 

Yes that is exactly the part that keeps unscrewing, the golden connector. I have taken pictures, or rather attempted to. Interesting someone mentioned overflow, there is definitely some ink in the connector, but I'm not sure how long it has been there. I took a photo of that too. The ink is around where the connector meets the feed.

I have taken pictures of how it looks unscrewed all the way, and how it looks when its loose. I am able to screw it in all the way, but every once in a while, it ends up coming loose on its own. I have added the images to an imgur link, because I was not sure how big they would come out posted in here, I hope that is okay: https://imgur.com/a/uXaHjUa
Again, thank you so much for your help. I really appreciate it.

[hari317]

Dear fellow FPNers

My beloved Parker Duofold International has begun developing issues lately, after years of being the most reliable pen I have ever known. I am not as well versed in fountain pen mechanics as I would wish, and maybe I have done something that hurt it, and I just don't know. I was hoping that someone here with a lot more knowledge than me could help me out?

I read a bit in the forums and thought it might be a feed issue, but I wanted to ask again to make sure I'm not jumping to conclusions.

 

The issues are:

- I first began noticing that ink would dry in if I didn't write with it for 2 days, fair enough, that's normal for a fountain pen. I added water to it a few times and it worked again.

- After doing this 2 times, I decided to give it a thorough clean to make sure no particles of ink or anything are stuck.

I cleaned it with a bulb syringe until water ran clear and let it dry. I also unscrewed the metal part behind the feed and screwed it back on. Its been loose for a while.

- When I filled it with ink today, and after I waited for a few hours to let the feed saturate, it started skipping after a few lines. It would only stop skipping if I really pushed the cartridge again (I only use Quink cartridges), until I guess the feed ran out of ink. I also noticed that the metal part under the feed was loose again, and tightening it helped as well. At times though, it would skip after I tightened it, still. I cleaned it out again, and am now waiting.

 

Does anyone know what might be wrong?

Any help would be super appreciated

 

the connector can be prevented from auto unscrewing using a dot of thread locker like the rosin castor paste sold by ron zorn. The benefit is that this thread locker will release under gentle heat in case the section has to be dismantled in the future.

 

You have been using your pen with a cartridge for years. It's possible your feeder has accumulated crud/residue and it needs a good careful gentle cleaning. Using a converter could have alleviated this a bit.

 

This cleaning can be done by removing nib feed from section, soaking the feed in a detergent solution and using a toothbrush to scrub the feeder clean, sometimes a mylar sheet helps clean the air ink channels.

 

If you are not used to removing friction fit nib-feeds from sections, I suggest you send the pen off a competent pen mechanic in your country who will fix the pen for you.

 

Good luck!

Edited February 11, 2020 by hari317

[corniche]

Hi LegalAddict,

 

I thought that's the part you were talking about. 👍 Its a simple repair; just take a daub of orange shellac, (sac cement); evenly apply to the threads, reattach the connector; wipe off the ooze with a warm damp towel and let it cure for a couple of days.

 

Google orange shellac, its readily available.

 

 

Sean

[corniche]

Like Hari says, give it a thorough cleaning and let everything dry completely before you reattach the connector; I forgot to mention that.

 

Sean

[corniche]

Hi LegalAddict,

 

Just to help you out a bit; since I think you're kind of new at this, here's the stuff I'm talking about:

 

https://www.ebay.com/p/1849829745

 

https://www.indy-pen-dance.com/Sac-Cement.html

 

This is an affordable, classic standard in Pendom and it is heat sensitive if you ever wanted to reverse the process. Hope this helps.

 

 

Sean

[LegalAddict]

Thank you so much! This is super helpful!

Indeed I am new to this, so I appreciate the support a lot. I think I want to give it a shot myself. Hopefully I will learn a new skill and feel proud by the end of it.

 

Would it be okay if I ask some more questions?

The way I understand it, I need to remove nib and feed from the unit, its a pull out mechanism and I have seen a forum post specifically about the Parker Duofold, so I will consult that one. I am guessing no real tools required for that.

Then soak and clean - I was wondering, what kind of detergent would be best? I usually just soak in regular water. Would a drop of dishwashing detergent do?

Then put feed and nib back in, and apply shellac as per your instructions and let dry. I understand it does not matter what color shellac I get? Do I apply it towards the shellac towards the little round piece on top of the connector too, or just to the threads?

 

Thank you so much yet again!

[corniche]

The way I understand it, I need to remove nib and feed from the unit, its a pull out mechanism and I have seen a forum post specifically about the Parker Duofold, so I will consult that one. I am guessing no real tools required for that.

 

Hi LegalAddict,

 

On a Duofold, I do NOT recommend pulling out the nib and feed assembly; these pens were not designed to be "user friendly," like a TWSBI or Noodlers pen.

 

Instead, I would buy a bottle of RAPIDO-EZE, it's a professional grade pen flush and when it comes to inks; it'll bust a block of concrete. Leave the section intact and let it soak in the Rapido-eze overnight. Then rinse it off and flush it out with a bulb syringe until the water runs clear.

 

Then wick the nib with a Kleenex or soft paper towel... if you get no color on the cloth, its clean. If you do, repeat the ENTIRE process over again. Repeat until the Kleenex stays white.

 

Part of your problem may be a clog. If you've used Quink Black, it has a spotted reputation of occasionally clogging pens over extended use. Rapido-Eze will bust ANY kind of clog - even India and acrylic inks.

 

 

Then soak and clean - I was wondering, what kind of detergent would be best? I usually just soak in regular water. Would a drop of dishwashing detergent do?

 

Under NORMAL circumstances, you can use a few drops of Dawn and/or 10% CLEAR ammonia, but in THIS case; I recommend the Rapido eze.

 

 

...and apply shellac as per your instructions and let dry. I understand it does not matter what color shellac I get?

 

 

I'd stick with the orange; the white is when you're working on a demonstrator and you don't want it to show, but the orange is what is commonly used.

 

 

Do I apply it towards the shellac towards the little round piece on top of the connector too, or just to the threads?

 

Apply it to the threads on both pieces to get a decent bond. 👍

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

Sean

[LegalAddict]

 

The way I understand it, I need to remove nib and feed from the unit, its a pull out mechanism and I have seen a forum post specifically about the Parker Duofold, so I will consult that one. I am guessing no real tools required for that.

 

Hi LegalAddict,

 

On a Duofold, I do NOT recommend pulling out the nib and feed assembly; these pens were not designed to be "user friendly," like a TWSBI or Noodlers pen.

 

Instead, I would buy a bottle of RAPIDO-EZE, it's a professional grade pen flush and when it comes to inks; it'll bust a block of concrete. Leave the section intact and let it soak in the Rapido-eze overnight. Then rinse it off and flush it out with a bulb syringe until the water runs clear.

 

Then wick the nib with a Kleenex or soft paper towel... if you get no color on the cloth, its clean. If you do, repeat the ENTIRE process over again. Repeat until the Kleenex stays white.

 

Part of your problem may be a clog. If you've used Quink Black, it has a spotted reputation of occasionally clogging pens over extended use. Rapido-Eze will bust ANY kind of clog - even India and acrylic inks.

 

 

Then soak and clean - I was wondering, what kind of detergent would be best? I usually just soak in regular water. Would a drop of dishwashing detergent do?

 

Under NORMAL circumstances, you can use a few drops of Dawn and/or 10% CLEAR ammonia, but in THIS case; I recommend the Rapido eze.

 

 

...and apply shellac as per your instructions and let dry. I understand it does not matter what color shellac I get?

 

 

I'd stick with the orange; the white is when you're working on a demonstrator and you don't want it to show, but the orange is what is commonly used.

 

 

Do I apply it towards the shellac towards the little round piece on top of the connector too, or just to the threads?

 

Apply it to the threads on both pieces to get a decent bond.

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

Sean

 

 

Yes this helps lots and lots! Thank you so much! That is very kind

I ordered Rapido-Eze and Shellac. Waiting on them patiently and thanks to the detailed instructions, kind of excited to attempt repairing my favourite pen myself

 

Best,

Aly

[corniche]

 

Yes this helps lots and lots! Thank you so much! That is very kind

I ordered Rapido-Eze and Shellac. Waiting on them patiently and thanks to the detailed instructions, kind of excited to attempt repairing my favourite pen myself

 

Best,

Aly

Hi Aly,

 

Thank you very much for your very kind words; I'm really glad I was able to help you out. And if you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask. 👍

 

I'm sure you're gonna do just fine with it. 👍

 

 

Please let us know how it works out.

 

 

Sean

[LegalAddict]

Here comes the long promised update:

 

I got rapid-eze. It took two soakings until the was fully clean. The tip to repeat was really helpful!

Applied shellac on the threads, I will admit I was a bit nervous, but it worked out beautifully. The nib has been working as well as ever before ever since I've done that. I feel really proud I managed to do that with all of your help! Thank you so much!

Really happy to have my beloved pen write again.