Vac Pellet Pocket Help ...

[FarmBoy]

I have replaced the diaphragms in several of my 51 vacs normally.

However in a few of the 51 vacs that I bought on EBay the complete plunger unit was already a write off so I experimented. Prepare to be shocked.......

I simply discarded the filling mechanisms altogether and turned the pens into eye droppers.

All that's necessary is a suitable ink-tight spring-loaded plug that is held in place by the blind cap to keep the pen air-tight.

For a stopper/plug, I use an approx 1.5 cm length of plastic tube with a V shape at the end which is pushed into the aluminium tube where the plunger used to be. Next I place a spring from a discarded ballpoint into the open end of the plastic tube + a drop of epoxy to keep the spring from falling out of the tube. The blind cap compresses the spring and keeps the plug in place and I have never yet had a leak.

A trick in filling the pen - I fit a rubber teat over the nib end and fill the pen with a syringe through the aluminium tube, then put back my plastic stopper and the blind cap. Take off the rubber teat and the job is done.

This way I can quickly fill with at least 2 ml of ink, certainly with a larger volume than using a diaphragm to suck it up. Cleaning out the pen is similar - just put water in the syringe and blow through!

I use my pens for writing, not as collector's items and so I'm not worried about my unorthodox changes to the original filling mechanism. Anyway, as I said, my method of filling is quicker, more efficient and has no moving parts!

Breandan

I'd be willing to take the dead fillers from you for parts. They can usually be rebuilt.

 

PM me if they still exist and are available.

 

Todd