Targas Prone To Leaking?

[CountryDoc]

I've now owned three Targas, and all three leak ink from around the diamond-shaped inset in the nib. Not gushers, but enough to make inky fingers, and I made very sure I was not touching the any part below the inset. I have three Imperials that have similar style insets and none of those leak around the inset. Anyone else run into this?

[Happy Harry]

It happens, non of my Targas leak but one Imperial does!!. They can be sealed but the feed needs to be removed.

[JonSzanto]

I've got six Targas, one since the 90's, and none have had a single leak. Or any problem, for that matter.

[jar]

There is a product called Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure that if used properly after the feed is pulled is said to work. Some Marine stores might carry it, but it's not something I'd suggest the general user try. If you contact Ron Zorn though I'm sure he could help.

Edited January 2, 2013 by jar

[rogerzilla]

Were these nibs freshly cleaned, as in really thoroughly cleaned? One of mine did this (sweated ink at the corners of the diamond) the first time it was filled after I had left it soaking in ammoniated water for a couple of days - it was one of those fleaBay pens that arrived completely gunged up with old ink. Since that first fill, it's never sweated at all despite "normal" flushing with water every couple of fills. I think in many cases enough ink dries out to plug the leaks, and isn't removed by basic cleaning.

[Flounder]

Yes, both the gold and steel targas that have come my way, one very leaky the others in a minor fashion. A long nib imperial touchdown that had worn its years very lighty was perfect. i guess the thin membrane between the nib and shell gets porous after years of minor flexing. The tolleys stuff is pretty great, I've sometimes wondered about using a tiny amount of silicon sealant where the membrane is exposed, and sanding part of the feed to accomodate it after it has set.

 

I've photos of targa based tinkering on the blog linked to in my sig, if youwant an idea of what's involved.

[Ron Z]

Yes, both the gold and steel targas that have come my way, one very leaky the others in a minor fashion. A long nib imperial touchdown that had worn its years very lighty was perfect. i guess the thin membrane between the nib and shell gets porous after years of minor flexing. The tolleys stuff is pretty great, I've sometimes wondered about using a tiny amount of silicon sealant where the membrane is exposed, and sanding part of the feed to accomodate it after it has set.

 

I've photos of targa based tinkering on the blog linked to in my sig, if youwant an idea of what's involved.

 

Please don't wonder about using the silicone stuff any more, especially sanding the feed. That would be disaster.

 

The leak is where the shell meets the nib, and the ink gets pulled up under the diamond of the nib and then is transferred to your fingers. To seal it you need to open the writing unit and seal inside at that joint as well as sealing around the top side as well. The 0-ring inside should be replaced before reassembly, and thread sealant used to keep the connector from unscrewing as you take the writing unit out of the pen.

[Flounder]

Well, it was just a thought. It would have been nice if they'd been originally built with replacable gaskets, rather than a permanent membrane. My rationale was that the silicon would act as a retrofitted gasket.

 

Here's the direct link to the Tulley's photos I couldn't figure out how to make with my smartphone:

http://flounders-mindthots.blogspot.co.uk/2009/10/servicing-1980s-sheaffer-targa.html

[Ron Z]

I'm not sure what you mean by membrane. There isn't one. The writing unit is a plastic shell with the nib molded into the shell. There are tabs at each corner of the diamond, with two at the back end, to hold it in place.

 

This is an Imperial nib, but the Targa nibs are identical on the under side. The nib is on top, the feed is inserted through the middle and comes out under the nib, bridging the shell and nib. The repair technique is the same for both.

 

http://www.mainstreetpens.com/pix/inlaidnib.jpg

 

You can see where the nib and shell meet - and the tabs that stick through on each corner, anchoring the nib. (Look just inside the shell at the lower left corner of the opening. There's another one hidden on top) Sheaffer used a sealant at this joint. Clean off the old sealant using denatured alcohol, apply Captain Tolleys wherever you see metal and plastic together. It will wick in where there is any kind of gap, and then dry to a clear polymer, sealing the nib. Apply sparingly, and clean up the excess right away.

 

Again, it is best to replace the 0-ring because they are compressed and flatten over time and will not seal as well as they did before being disturbed. Some stick and are damaged when you take the writing unit apart.

 

NOTE - the Legacy nibs look the same, but ARE NOT! Sheaffer used an epoxy to hold the connector threads in place. They are not designed to be taken apart, and your chances of doing so successfully are slim to none. Any sealing has to be done from the outside.

[Flounder]

By permanent membrane, I just mean the stuff in the photo below, between the steel nib and plastic shell. If a replaceable gasket had been used there, with the feed keeping it sandwitched in place, then there wouldn't be any resealing bother when it failed, just a quick swap out.

 

http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy19/flounder2009/post-29904-1251237732.jpg

[Ron Z]

....just a quick swap out.

 

Which would need... sealing. You either provide something to seal like they did, or compress whatever gasket you use which would be difficult with the feed below. You need some space in there to carry the ink to the nib.

 

I think that Sheaffer got it right. The sealant is easy to replace, and to swap out whatever you'd still have to remove the all the internal stuff. The sealant that they put on the joint comes off fairly easily if you need it to, and the Captain Tolleys wicks in between the nib and the shell. I would go so far as to suggest that it's better than what Sheaffer used.

 

Borrowing your picture, I've circled two other points that need to be sealed as well at the forward edge of the shell, in addition to the area right over the feed. In short, you seal everywhere along the transition between the nib and the shell.

 

http://www.mainstreetpens.com/pix/sealpoints.jpg

[crescentfiller]

Here are a few pix of a Targa nib and section. Apologies for the quality--and the fingers!

Here are a few pix of a Targa nib and section:

Edited January 3, 2013 by crescentfiller

[Flounder]

Holy smokes!

 

Here's the feed.

 

 

 

[edit - woops, hopefully attached this time]

Edited January 3, 2013 by Flounder