Sheaffer Snorkel wont fill/suck up water/ink

[Philosophy Student]

Hey there,

 

I have recently been given a snorkel that does not want to fill. Here are the symptoms. I twist the knob to extend the snorkel out of the nib section. I draw back the plunger and it sounds like air is bring drawn into the pen from the nib side of the pen. I then push the plunger in and hold it in the water/ink for 10 seconds and its like nothing happened. The interesting thing is that there seems to be a burst of air come from the plunger side of the pen. No bubbles or no residual ink seem to come from the pen so I think no air is being pushed out of the snorkel. I am not sure what the deal is but it renders the pen useless.

 

Does anyone know what might be the problem from this simply symptom? Also is it easy/cheap to fix?

 

Thanks a lot

[rsilver000]

Needs a complete rebuild. Not too hard to do or send it to a pro for about $30-35.

Rob

[dannzeman]

Contact blopplop here on the boards. He repairs them and could give you a good estimate of what's wrong and what the problem is.

[Philosophy Student]

It seems to suck up a little bit of ink, but not very much. If I push in the piston when the snorkel extension tube is in the ink no bubbles are produced. Also after I suck up some ink, I cannot seem to shoot any ink out of the pen. I would expect after going through the process I would be able to shoot a good ammount of ink out. But nothing actually comes out. I do get a but of ink in the pen, but maybe its only filling the nib feed and not the sac. I am not sure.

 

What is involved in a complete rebuild?

[Ernst Bitterman]

A couple of links to give a sense of the process: Resac and reseal.

[Philosophy Student]

is it a problem if my snorkel does not have that black swirly thing on the inside?

[Ondina]

That's the spring. And without being any expert at pen repairs, I would say is certainly a problem in a Snorkle....you need to look for a replacement.

[Paddler]

The lack of a spring is not the reason the pen won't fill. The spring just holds the snorkel and sac protector assembly in its extended position while you fill. If the snorkel will extend out of the feed far enough to dip into the ink, the fill mechanism should work.

 

Your pen is most likely not filling because the ink sac has hardened with age. It could also be that the seals are leaky. There is a seal that the snorkel tube pushes through and a seal around the plunger tube (also known in these parts as the "Touchdown tube"). They should all be replaced at the same time. If you are handy with little, fiddly tools and parts, you can replace these things yourself. Otherwise, send the pen out.

 

Good luck! Snorkels are usually very good writers.

 

Paddler

[Penturner]

is it a problem if my snorkel does not have that black swirly thing on the inside?

 

Did you look in the body of the pen... sometimes the spring get stuck in the body

[Ron Z]

The spring just holds the snorkel and sac protector assembly in its extended position while you fill. If the snorkel will extend out of the feed far enough to dip into the ink, the fill mechanism should work.

 

The spring also keeps the sac guard from retracting too far back into the barrel and the snorkel tube from getting rotated out of position.

 

If the pen doesn't fill, the most likely cause is a dead sac, point holder gasket, 0-ring or all three - or a crack in the barrel or section.

 

The spring does indeed get stuck in the barrel, especially if it's rusted, which from your description is quite possible.

 

Snorkels, when working, are very reliable. But if it doesn't fill, please quit trying to get it to fill until it has been repaired. A proper restoration/repair includes replacing the sac, point holder gasket and 0-ring. Otherwise the pen won't fill properly, and you could get a leak. IF the leak allows water or ink into the barrel, you'll end up with a rusty mess, and may very well have to replace the spring AND the sac guard, because the spring often rusts itself to the ring on the sac guard.

 

Open the pen the first chance you get, and make sure that the insides are dry. From experience, I can tell you that the spring rusts with startling speed!

[Ondina]

And if you don't find the spring stuck/rusted inside the barrel.....you'll need to get one. Snorkles have one of the most unique architectures out there, and they are great writers. Enjoy the pen!

[meiochi]

I am having a similar problem to our friend Philosophy Student. The difference is that I actually did a resac with the help of a fellow FPN member from Maine, and now the vacuum action does not seem to be working. Before I did the resac the pen would fill just fine (I tried it with water a few times), sucking up liquid and expelling a steady stream when I pressed the filler tube again. But when I would take the pen apart there would be a lot of water inside the pen, so the sac seemed to be leaking. We replaced all of the O-rings and gaskets (except the one inside the blind cap) and replaced the sac, but now the pen won't fill when I go through the process. I can get enough ink up into the feed to fill about a page, but then it runs dry.

Is it possible that I made some sort of mistake replacing the O-ring inside the barrel? Could this be an issue with the sac section and how it fits into the sac protector? We did do a spot of shellac at the base of the snorkel tube where it enters the sac section, but otherwise that part was simply reassembled the way it was before taking it all apart. Any help would be lovely since I got this pen as a xmas gift and have yet to get it writing.

Mine is a snorkel Admiral, btw, in case that makes any difference.

[viclip]

I am having a similar problem to our friend Philosophy Student. The difference is that I actually did a resac with the help of a fellow FPN member from Maine, and now the vacuum action does not seem to be working. Before I did the resac the pen would fill just fine (I tried it with water a few times), sucking up liquid and expelling a steady stream when I pressed the filler tube again. But when I would take the pen apart there would be a lot of water inside the pen, so the sac seemed to be leaking. We replaced all of the O-rings and gaskets (except the one inside the blind cap) and replaced the sac, but now the pen won't fill when I go through the process. I can get enough ink up into the feed to fill about a page, but then it runs dry.

Is it possible that I made some sort of mistake replacing the O-ring inside the barrel? Could this be an issue with the sac section and how it fits into the sac protector? We did do a spot of shellac at the base of the snorkel tube where it enters the sac section, but otherwise that part was simply reassembled the way it was before taking it all apart. Any help would be lovely since I got this pen as a xmas gift and have yet to get it writing.

Mine is a snorkel Admiral, btw, in case that makes any difference.

 

is the little hole near the top of the barrel, clear?

[mhosea]

Is it possible that I made some sort of mistake replacing the O-ring inside the barrel? Could this be an issue with the sac section and how it fits into the sac protector? We did do a spot of shellac at the base of the snorkel tube where it enters the sac section, but otherwise that part was simply reassembled the way it was before taking it all apart.

 

When the pen is empty, do you hear a "pfffsst" as the plunger is depressed and the pressure releases? The principle is simple enough, so we just need to find and fix any air leaks. Aside from cracks in barrel and section, the potential spots are

 

1. Blind cap. (a prime suspect after disassembly--if the blind cap is loose or poorly sealed, the air will just squirt out there, and pressure will not build up).

2. Barrel o-ring. (possible after replacement due to error in placement, but not likely).

3. Section threads. (usually this just reduces the filling amount slightly, but you can use a little beeswax on the threads to make them seal better, assuming you don't have some of Ron Zorn's rosin-based thread sealant handy.)

4. Point seal. (If you replaced it, I don't think it's the problem, but make sure the nib unit is screwed on securely so that the point seal can do its job.)

 

As viclip is getting at, silicone grease should be used sparingly so as not to interfere with air flow through the intended routes. Lower pressure will build up inside the barrel when retracting the piston until the end, so make sure that the air can get in when the Touchdown tube is fully extended and retracted. I've had one Snorkel that was a little reluctant to let the air in at the extremes. If the seals are good and the air doesn't make it in when the tube is all the way out, the filler won't work.

Edited March 17, 2014 by mhosea

[Guest Ray Cornett]

I am having a similar problem to our friend Philosophy Student. The difference is that I actually did a resac with the help of a fellow FPN member from Maine, and now the vacuum action does not seem to be working. Before I did the resac the pen would fill just fine (I tried it with water a few times), sucking up liquid and expelling a steady stream when I pressed the filler tube again. But when I would take the pen apart there would be a lot of water inside the pen, so the sac seemed to be leaking. We replaced all of the O-rings and gaskets (except the one inside the blind cap) and replaced the sac, but now the pen won't fill when I go through the process. I can get enough ink up into the feed to fill about a page, but then it runs dry.

Is it possible that I made some sort of mistake replacing the O-ring inside the barrel? Could this be an issue with the sac section and how it fits into the sac protector? We did do a spot of shellac at the base of the snorkel tube where it enters the sac section, but otherwise that part was simply reassembled the way it was before taking it all apart. Any help would be lovely since I got this pen as a xmas gift and have yet to get it writing.

Mine is a snorkel Admiral, btw, in case that makes any difference.

I would contac Sean at his Facebook page. He will fix you up and have the pen not only working like new but looking like it just came out of the box.

 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Write-on-Time-Vintage-Pens-Watches-Restoration-and-Service/208871225809681