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Hello FPNers, I recently bought an ebonite flattop Duofold Senior (see attached photo). The blind cap is a bit darker than the rest of the pen, indicating that it probably isn't the one that originally came with the pen. Is it possible that the blind cap is made of Permanite rather than ebonite? How can I tell the difference? If it is made of ebonite, what's the best way to make it fade so that it matches the rest of the pen? I look forward to your feedback. Thanks. Best, John

Hello FPNers, I recently bought an ebonite flattop Duofold Senior (see attached photo). The blind cap is a bit darker than the rest of the pen, indicating that it probably isn't the one that originally came with the pen. Is it possible that the blind cap is made of Permanite rather than ebonite? How can I tell the difference? If it is made of ebonite, what's the best way to make it fade so that it matches the rest of the pen? I look forward to your feedback. Thanks. Best, John

Dear friends I have not yet found a spare for my Montblanc Meisterstück 144. I am looking for the blind cap for my pen. The blind cap (Pakman helped me with the exact word) has now a crack and it disturbs me and it can go to parts some day, although i can very well write with it. Is this blind cap on the bottom end of the pen ,something which has thread? Do you think i will be able to change it myself. (I am not a handyman!). Is it very easy or should there be a specialist for the work.?Do we have in Europe spares somewhere- do you know? I did not find in ebay. this spare. Must I buy a whole vintage pen? Has someone instructions how this part is changed? Thank you in advance for your help. br Mustekyna

Hi All, The crown of my collection, a 1930s Osmia Supra 76 EF, is having some trouble and I could use your help. It worked perfectly when I bought it, but it had the originally cork on it so I filled it with distilled water and put it away for a couple months just in case the cork needed some reviving. I just took it out to use it and to my horror the blind cap won't unscrew. When I try to do so it turns the now incredibly stiff piston a little until both are totally stuck. If I try to unscrew the blind cap even more the piston makes a clicking sound but the cap just keeps turning without unscrewing. Also the water I had filled it with has vanished. Did I oversoak the cork or something? Any help would be greatly appreciated. This is my favorite pen and an amazing writer. Thanks!

I recently scavenged myself a Dunn eyedropper with a rather nice nib. It would probably be functional, but the blind cap (which were characteristically red) is missing. I call upon the the collective wisdom of the network to suggest a source for a replacement piece - not necessarily the right piece, either - or give it up and salvage the nib? I await your suggestions.

Has anybody tried to fabricate, with or without a 3d printer, any parts? especially Parker 51 vacumatic blind cap parts? esp on the Mark 1? I have a Blue 51 Mark 1 (vacumatic with the plastic plunger and all-plastic blind cap) that I think is a a demi because it was short, but the diameter is the same so i don't think it matters. I do not care if the color is the same (not like pink or a bad looking color though) or if it is even the same shape since it isn't a very intriguing or necessary shape anyways. The bottom lip has a chip that is about 90-120 degrees around the bottom but not deep, so it doesn't affect usability but is clearly visible by as breaking the continuity/seam and as a kinda "hole" in the side. I'm thinking it might be hard to 3d print usable threads, but I think the following things could be done. 1. Print something that vaguely resembles the cap and have an inset with the threads in another material like homemade casein (milk protein plastic), modeling clay, sugru (moldable silicone that stays set once cured), or a Thermoplastic like InstaMorph (plastic that can be reshaped as well as finished in several ways) 2. Have the whole thing one of the materials listed and hand shape it or even better make a mold of the current cap. 3. Have it 3d printed or one of the materials listed and fugure out a way to have it attached another way than threading. I haver some ideas but not really sure of the best way. I am thinking like some sort of small locking or snap mechanism or like locking friction threads. If anything I could have like a friction-fit end cap with "arms" that run down the pen a little, and if the whole thing or at least the "arms" are made of the silicone sugru it would almost definitely grip if it is what I imagine and double as a roll-stop as I don't usually post even when the pen is short. As long as it works, and doesn't cost much more than an actual blind cap or I can sell another to offset the cost I am probably going to make my own blind cap for at least the experience/fun/challenge/new techniques so if you are interested contact me.

I did not see this mentioned anywhere in the Sheaffer forums and wanted to share and get more experienced views. While working on a vac-fill the black nut used to attach the blind cap was quite tight with shellac and time so I applied heat and gripped it with a pair of small pliers. That was a mistake as the nut was softened by the heat and was immediately pressed out of shape. I was surprised that it would melt at all and now I know. Nonetheless the heat did loosen the nut and I was able to remove it. However, it no longer held the blind cap and slipped through the collar. I had no replacement and thought I could salvage the nut with some epoxy. The result was a somewhat imperfect nut for the blind cap attachment fittings. It fits quite well and took a bit of time to file and check the fit along the way. I'm hoping the epoxy will hold and there was enough material to stick to so perhaps it will. Anyone have any experience recreating this nut?

Hi Folks, I bought a sheaffer snorkel from ebay. It has all the snorkel parts alright. I bought a repair kit, and I replaced the sac and the o-ring. I also replaced the seal that comes in the nib section. yet, the pen does not suck ink. I followed the advice in another post here and tested the barrel by submerging in water; I found that the end of barrel has a macro crack. So, I went on and used a tap to seal the crack just for testing purposes. Then, I found the blind cap also has air leak. I found a plastic glue in the hardware store to fix the crack. My problem now is how to fix the blind cap leak. I disassembled the blind cap and it has a rubber that does not seem to be bad. Is there a way to fix the blind cap seal? maybe by applying adhesive or replacing it with any rubber piece. and how? Thanks.

Hi! Perhaps a noob question, but I couldn't find anything in the forums that addresses this particular issue. I have a circa 1940 Sheaffer Balance Vacuum-Fil that works great, with one exception. Every time I unscrew the blind cap to pull out the plunger rod, the cap unscrews not just from the body of the pen, but also from the end of the rod. I'm afraid that if this happen repeatedly, the screw will be stripped. What is the best way to safely secure the cap without causing damage or doing something irreversible? I could just super-glue the thing, but that seems like a terrible idea. What is the best practices for this situation?

I recently got a NOS Sheaffer Imperial Touchdown, gold plated. It has a superb wet nib and fills just fine, but the metal blind cap has come loose from the black plastic underneath it. What's the best way to reattach the cap? There's still barely enough friction to turn the filling mechanism.