Vac-fil Repair

[ashbridg]

Glad my movie was of some use! Can't wait to see your next pen.

 

This one's got a Triumph nib, which means it has the "designed in hell" inner section with two sets of threads and a flaired mouth. (If the section is designed in hell, does that mean the rest of the pen is not? You could have fooled me).

Ashby

[watch_art]

Do you want me to send you my nib tool? Remember, you'll need lots of heat to soften the sealant in the barrel. And just be careful.

 

But I'd like to see if my tool was a fluke or if it would work in the hands of somebody else.

[ashbridg]

Do you want me to send you my nib tool? Remember, you'll need lots of heat to soften the sealant in the barrel. And just be careful.

 

But I'd like to see if my tool was a fluke or if it would work in the hands of somebody else.

 

Yes, I'd like to try it. Is it like the one Francis Goossens makes? If you think it'll work on a Vac-Fil, I'm interested.

Ashby

[watch_art]

Actually, it's the clothespin that I carved to fit the nib end of the pen. Put the clothespin on it, then grab that with some pliers, heat it up, and twist it off. Mine came off easily, but I did heat the mess out of it.

[ashbridg]

My new Vac-Fil arrived yesterday. Its a mess. The pen has no suction. It wont fill, and dried ink is caked everywhere. After a day of repeated heating and soaking sessions the nib assembly finally comes loose.

 

The tool I used is watch_arts precision nib puller (a whittled clothespin--thanks, Shawn, for that).

 

One problem is a cracked feed. Here is the nib:

 

http://ashbridg.com/vacfil/triumph/triumph_sm.jpg

 

And heres the back view

 

http://ashbridg.com/vacfil/triumph/triumph_sm_bac.jpg

 

A closer view

http://ashbridg.com/vacfil/triumph/crack_500.jpg

 

Can I glue it? The part thats cracked is the extended section of the feed block. (This extension guides the plunger-rods point gasket over to the side wall of the barrel, its purpose is to make the opening larger so ink flow will increase during filling).

 

This pen has the worst case of ink creeping over a nib face I have ever seen. I think the crack is acting as an ink channel. Capillary action causes ink to gush through the breather hole like a fire hose. This is a guess, and I appreciate any comments you may have. I believe the feed is too tight in the inner sleeve, and thats what caused it to crack. Please tell me if Im wrong.

 

Thanks,

Ashby

Edited December 2, 2010 by ashbridg

[watch_art]

Wow that's awesome!!! Great job with that. My feed isn't cracked so far as I can tell, but it does have awfully bad nib creep as well. With all inks I've put through it, too. I've had ink up past the nib and onto the section a little bit. I just thought it was the design of the pen that caused this.

 

You ought to get the parts from Francis and get it all back together. It might work beautifully and the crack might not be a problem in the end at all. I'm not sure, but I think it'd be worth a try.

 

Man I'm just stoked that it worked so well for you as well!

Edited December 2, 2010 by watch_art

[Ron Z]

That is not a crack. It is a slit that has been cut in the tail of the feed to help carry ink to the nib. Don't glue it. You're getting a flood of ink because air is getting into the pen when/where it shouldn't... like the packing unit.

Edited December 2, 2010 by Ron Z

[ashbridg]

That is not a crack. It is a slit that has been cut in the tail of the feed to help carry ink to the nib. Don't glue it. You're getting a flood of ink because air is getting into the pen when/where it shouldn't... like the packing unit.

 

Thanks Ron. I wonder if air is getting in through the section threads. That's one place it's leaking. I got the dried ink out of the pen now. It came out in layers, first green, then blue, then black. Like scraping paint off an old wall. Also, the head gasket softened up and the plunger rod builds pressure. It makes a loud pop and inhales a healthy dose of ink. Who knows how long it will continue to fill. The packing unit doesn't seem to be leaking at the moment.

 

This pen is different from my other one in that the barrel is the ink chamber. It has no cartridge like the one I took apart earlier does. So the packing unit in this pen needs to be drilled out from the section end, unless I'm mistaken. There is no access that I can find from the blind cap end. But now that the pen is filling nicely, I think I'll try some thread sealant on the section. If I can stop the leaks, I wouldn't mind just enjoying the pen for a while. It's nice to have one that's not in pieces and actually works.

 

Ashby

[watch_art]

Could you try silicone grease on the threads? That's what I use and I've not had any problems. Also makes disassembly a snap. No leaks, either. Just crazy nib creep.

[Ron Z]

When you say section threads, do you mean the threads that the nib assembly screws into, or do you mean around/near the metal barrel threads?

[watch_art]

uh, the red threads in the picture. i guess section was the wrong term...

[Ron Z]

uh, the red threads in the picture. i guess section was the wrong term..

 

I was asking Ashby.

[ashbridg]

When you say section threads, do you mean the threads that the nib assembly screws into, or do you mean around/near the metal barrel threads?

I mean the threads that the nib assembly screws into. That was confusing, sorry. I tried putting teflon tape on the threaded red cylinder. Bad idea. Ink turns teflon to mush.

 

My other Vac-Fil, in the earlier photos, never leaked there, even though it is friction fitted and unthreaded. Does hand heat play a role in leakage? The open-nibbed pen has a cartridge inside the barrel that holds the ink, which may provide insulation. But with the Triumph, the barrel is the ink chamber. It's like an eye dropper. So is silicone thread sealant the way to go?

 

Thanks,

Ashby

[Ron Z]

Silicone is not the way to go. Silicone simply repels the ink. The rosin based thread sealant fills the gap in the threads, and also seals between the back end of the nib and the front edge of the section. I know that in theory, and in a perfect world, the threads should tighten against each other and seal. They don't, which is why a sealant is needed. Sheaffer used a rosin based thread sealant on the threads, and still had it in the service center when it closed a couple of years ago.

 

It's possible that air could be getting in past these threads. But I think that the more likely explanation is that air is getting in somewhere else. You just haven't found it yet. But the place to start would be the nib assembly threads, using the proper sealant to make sure that it is both air and ink tight.

[watch_art]

Ron, what if any sealant should be used on the point thingy on the metal rod that goes against the feed? My pen stopped suckin ink because that had loosened a bit and it wasn't creating vacuum. I took it apart and torqued it down a bit, but I was wondering if it should be sealed on.

 

Thanks!

[Ron Z]

I use thread sealant there too. Shellac will loosen and fail, thread sealant will help to keep the nut in place. Remove the excess with a bit of alcohol on a paper towel.

 

One of the properties of the thread sealant, because it is largely rosin, is that it remains tacky even when it turns liquid. So not only can it be used as a sealant for section threads and nib assembly threads, but it can also be used as a sort of thread lock compound.

 

I am convinced that Parker used it to hold the clip screws and jewels in place on Vacumatics and 51s. The reason for this is two fold. First, what you get when the material used to cut the rosin evaporates out of the sealant is rosin dust, which anyone who has used a stringed instrument would recognize, and it's what you often see on jewels and clip screws when they are removed. Second, you remove excess thread sealant with either lighter fluid (naphtha) or mineral spirits, which is what Sheaffer used. The same thinners (not used to make thread sealant BTW) will loosen the stuff holding jewels and clip screws in place. It doesn't touch shellac, but will release this stuff.

 

So, use thread sealant to hold the head gasket nut in place on the rod. A dab of softened sealant on the end of the rod, and tighten the nut down.

[watch_art]

Excellent! Thanks for that info. I'll just have to mosey on down to the rosin gettin place and buy some. I'll check your website later.

 

Thanks!

[eckiethump]

Excellent! Thanks for that info. I'll just have to mosey on down to the rosin gettin place and buy some. I'll check your website later.

 

Thanks!

 

This is one of those things you would be better just buying it from Ron, a little goes a very, very long way. It is a bit messy to mix it yourself,

my 2 cents worth

 

et

[watch_art]

Excellent! Thanks for that info. I'll just have to mosey on down to the rosin gettin place and buy some. I'll check your website later.

 

Thanks!

 

This is one of those things you would be better just buying it from Ron, a little goes a very, very long way. It is a bit messy to mix it yourself,

my 2 cents worth

 

et

 

that's what i meant in my post above. i just really wanted to say "mosey on down" because I haven't said it in a while.

[ashbridg]

It's possible that air could be getting in past these threads. But I think that the more likely explanation is that air is getting in somewhere else. You just haven't found it yet. But the place to start would be the nib assembly threads, using the proper sealant to make sure that it is both air and ink tight.

 

Thank you Ron. I think you're right. There's too much ink for it to be leaking through just the nib-assembly threads. I will start there using proper sealant and see what happens.

 

Ashby