Cap Won't Thread Onto Body

[pjsmithe]

I just picked up a 1940 Parker Vacumatic off the Bay. It's a gold, 2 jewel model in pretty nice shape. It will need a new diaphragm and some minor polishing, and it will be in fantastic shape.

 

The problem is, the cap won't thread onto the body. I've tried a number of things, to no avail. I thorooughly cleaned the threads on the body. Then I soaked the cap and cleaned the old, dried ink out of it. Still no go. Checked the cap and body for cracks, and everything is fine.

 

So I grabbed a blue Vacumatic, of the same size. The blue cap screws nicely on the gold body, and the gold cap screws nicely on the blue body. So the threading appears to work fine. But the gold cap won't start threading on the gold body. I'm baffled. I can get it started just a tiny bit, but not enough to keep the cap on.

 

Please help!

[Sam119911]

I had this problem with one of my Sheaffer Balances. I restored a Vac-Fill, but the the cap wouldn't screw on, but it would screw onto to barrel of the Balance, while the cap from the other Balance screwed onto the Vac-Fill's barrel.

It drove me crazy, because I really wanted to use the pen, and I eventually found out that the inner-cap in the cap had slipped down a little bit.

I'm not sure what the inner cap design for a Parker Vacumatic is like, so someone else will have to chime in, but if it's the same problem I had, which it looks like, I think it may be the inner cap.

[Ron Z]

The threads on the cap and barrel wear together, and eventually wear to the point where the threads won't engage. Swapping caps and barrels often works because the parts on the other pen haven't worn as much. If you own two of the same pen, you can often get away with swapping parts and all is well.

 

There are a couple of ways to address this. My preference is to stretch the barrel so that the threads of the barrel engage the cap. Tricky though, and not something that the amateur should try. It's possible to kill the pen if you don't know what you're doing. The other is to trim (shorten) the inner cap so that the barrel penetrates further into the cap so that the barrel engages with threads that are not worn in farther down into the cap. This BTW, is why you can screw the cap onto the barrel with the section removed. Without the section, the barrel reaches farther down into the cap than it does with the section in place.

 

There are risks to this as well. If you have plenty of space between the end of the nib and the end of the inner cap, and there is enough that you'll have space, you can get away with this. BUT, some pens like Parker Vacumatics don't have removable inner caps (they're machined into the cap) and have very little room to spare. Machine the inner cap shorter, and you'll kill the nib when you screw the cap on. Shortening the inner cap can also lead to damage if the next guy removes, then resets the nib and feed going by the usual depth, unaware that the inner cap is shorter.

 

So yes it can be fixed. NO, I don't recommend doing this yourself.

[pjsmithe]

That was not the response I was hoping for, but one that I expected. I guess another alternative is to find another gold Vacumatic with same capband and switch them over. I could switch over the clip and jewel as well.

[Paul Raposo]

That was not the response I was hoping for, but one that I expected. I guess another alternative is to find another gold Vacumatic with same capband and switch them over. I could switch over the clip and jewel as well.

 

Would you be able to return the pen to the eBay seller? I get the impression you really like this pen, but if it's giving you this much grief, maybe let it go?

[eckiethump]

+ 1 to Ron's comments, I do quite a few of these using both methods described, sent to me by people who are very proficient at doing their own pen repairs. For this type of exercise you need to be proficient and knowledgeable as to the heating limits required, or have the lathe equipment (as I use) to turn down the inner cap, being very wary of the nib depth.

et

[pjsmithe]

That was not the response I was hoping for, but one that I expected. I guess another alternative is to find another gold Vacumatic with same capband and switch them over. I could switch over the clip and jewel as well.

 

Would you be able to return the pen to the eBay seller? I get the impression you really like this pen, but if it's giving you this much grief, maybe let it go?

 

 

I'm not particularly interested in sending it back. I believe I paid $34 USD for it, and it's in pretty nice condition. I will likely do as recommended and send it out for repair. Or maybe keep my eyes peeled for another gold Vacumatic...

[grahamtillotson]

I was practicing on this recently -- using almost all of Frank D's tips and tricks -- but no luck. As a short-term fix, I put a couple of strips of metal HVAC tape up into the cap. Not permanent, but the metal tape sticks very well and lets you cut in some temporary threads in the cap.

 

Graham

[Ron Z]

I was practicing on this recently -- using almost all of Frank D's tips and tricks -- but no luck.

 

Not surprised.

 

The repair technique that I use does work, and it's virtually invisible.

[Czechmauseritis]

I had the same problem. I used a simple fix. I took some 5 minute epoxy for plastic and with a q-tip carefully put a fine coat of epoxy over the worn threads in the cap. It dries clear so no issues with looking like a repair. I let it dry for 5-7 minutes so the epoxy would set but still be soft. I then applied silicone grease to the barrel theads as a release and cutting agent and used the barrel threads to cut new threads in the fine epoxy layer. After I cut the threads I let it cure until hard for the requisite 24 hours. Now it threads on tight and is as good as new and nobody unless they look hard will know the difference.

[Ron Z]

I had the same problem. I used a simple fix. I took some 5 minute epoxy for plastic and with a q-tip carefully put a fine coat of epoxy over the worn threads in the cap. It dries clear so no issues with looking like a repair. I let it dry for 5-7 minutes so the epoxy would set but still be soft. I then applied silicone grease to the barrel theads as a release and cutting agent and used the barrel threads to cut new threads in the fine epoxy layer. After I cut the threads I let it cure until hard for the requisite 24 hours. Now it threads on tight and is as good as new and nobody unless they look hard will know the difference.

 

That's a grand way to screw up a pen. I've been asked to clean up and repair pens that had this done to them. The epoxy does not have the strength that plastic/celluloid/hard rubber does. It's not designed to. With regular use the "threads" will break sooner rather than later. With the layer of epoxy inside you now have a mess to clean out of the cap before you can try another method.

[Hooker56]

PJ- If it's a Golden Web and you paid $34 for it, it will be WELL worth the cost of repair as an investment!

 

If it's a double jewel golden pearl it may still be worth the cost of admission. Get a quote from Ron...he's very reasonable.

 

Just my .02...I love those old pens.