Sheaffer PFM IV section seal

February 8, 2006

Hello all.

First of all, this will be my first post in this forum, I find it most interesting (but that is not new to any of the members

I have been using a PFM IV for quite a long time, this was permanently" borrowed from my father and after some years in the drawer I thought it was time to put it again into service, it was a smooth and most pleasing writer. All the jobs needed were already done (other seal, sac, cleaning, hand polishing.. ) but I got stuck just when trying to change the section seal. Yes, I can see it, just below what seems a metal washer (looking from the body part) but how can I disassemble the section in order to do the replacement?

Thanks

Jose (Tenerife, Canary Islands ... Yes we have inky fingers here too )

February 8, 2006

Hello Jose,

I've never had one of the PFM's apart but you could check out www.richardspens.com as he has a great article in lots of detail. I often use his site as a good reference. I hope this helps in lieu of other replies.

Gary

February 8, 2006

Thanks Gary, I paid already a lot of visits to Richardspens site as well as to many others, including this forum but I did not find the answer to this particular. I will try to post a picture of the 'offending' part but it may a bit difficult to get light and camera lens "inside" at the same time (I have no ring flash to help) :ph34r:

February 8, 2006

I just attached a picture in which the section can be seen from the barrel side. It shows the metallic washer which holds the rubber gasket with a red arrow, on the other view it seems that this washer is held by a threaded joiner that should be unscrewed but seems very hard to turn (in fact, it seems reluctant to be moved). Is this one perhaps shellacked or glued to the section?... Heat? torque? Huh! sounds not to inviting...

February 9, 2006

Don't remove it!

You can damage this valuable pen! INstead, use a universal point gasket that you add to the existing seal. It is easy, safe and works very well. You can get three for a dollar from the Tryphon catalog.

Tryphon pen care and repair supplies

February 9, 2006

I see... yes I was suposing something similar should happen, that's because I have been very cautious with the reasonable forces applied just in order to NOT hurt this pen. The threaded section seems to be glued in some manner to the tip section. Good advise, thanks a lot indeed...

By the way, in my web searches I've found a lot of valuable info about touchdowns, other snorkels but not about this particular part of PFM, this is what made me decide to ask all of you pengurus, and thanks for this kindness and for sharing all that information. I think everybody must have sometimes a start and this is mine in trying to do my best in maintaining my own pens in good shape...

Edited February 9, 2006 by Jopen

February 9, 2006

Hi Jopen,

That's what we are here for, guidance and help in anyway.

It's great to be able to repair your own pens.

Regards

Gary

February 10, 2006

I'm not sure I understand what Giovanni is saying by telling you not to remove the Point Holder Gasket (the seal). The adjunct seals he sells are very good, but to install one you need to remove the existing Point Holder Gasket so that you can fit the adjunct in place between the existing seal and the back face of the feed.

To do this, you need to unscrew the threaded connector (a "nipple" in plumbers' lingo). This is not an easy task for an inexperienced person, and it is potentially disastrous because the connector is sealed in place with an adhesive and because the plastic used for the PFM is brittle and prone to cracking under stress. My honest recommendation is that you find a repairer you feel you can trust, and send the pen to that person for refurbishment. It's too valuable a pen to risk destroying. As it happens (donning commercial hat here), I specialize in restoring Snorkels (including the PFM), and I'd be happy to work on your pen. If my three-month backlog is too long for you to wait, I recommend you contact Ron Zorn (pens@ronzorn.com); I would trust Ron with my own pens.

Edited February 10, 2006 by Richard

February 10, 2006

Richard is correct about the need for disassembly. I might also add that the material of the hood is also tricky to heat: as with many injection-molded plastic pen parts, it will deform at a temperature perilously close to that required to loosen the sealant.

This is not a good pen to practice on, especially with repair costs so reasonable. If you wish to learn this particular technique, best to seek out a PFM hood assembly that is already damaged on which to practice.

February 10, 2006

Thanks again...

Now I'm a bit midway between David's and Richard's solution and on the other hand the more conservative and safe but not original solution proposed by Govanni(?). At this time I will do the easyest solution which will be to substitute only the barrel seal and try the pen for airtightness in order to see how behaves the section seal which seems much in better shape than the one on the barrel. Probably this will be enough to get it working near 100%. Lets wait the replacements to arrive and I'll give you an update on the progress (hope not a regression... ) ... salomonic decission...