Need Help For A Parker 51

[Uncial]

I have a vintage Parker 51 that is button filled (there is no sac, just a little tube that the ink rides up when you press the button repeatedly under the blind cap) and it has decided to act up all of a sudden. This pen has never caused me any issues and has always been a somewhat dry writer. Yesterday I inked it up and the ink ran straight out through the nib - literally ran out of it. I checked under the screw off grip to see if the nib housing had any cracks but there are none. The nib housing is a reasonably tight fit and no ink comes out at the seam. The ink is flowing out from the nib. I can't figure out what is causing it. Has anyone any ideas or, if they have a come across this before, a possible fix?

[joss]

Hi,

 

Are you familiar with the vacumatic filling system? If not, check the picture halfway this page:

www.richardspens.com/?page=ref/repair/vac_diaphragm.htm

 

The vacumatic plunger is connected to a rubber sac. Most likely that sack is perished and has to be replaced.

 

Hope this helps

[welch]

Yes. Agree with Joss. The Parker 51 Vacumatic has no obvious sac, but it has a "rubber" diaphragm that needs to be replaced about every twenty years. "Common wisdom" says twenty years, or has, but one of the repair experts -- maybe Ron Zorn -- suggested that the "latest and greatest" inks stress the diaphragm enough that ten years might be a safer interval.

 

Either way, you describe symptoms of a diaphragm that is beginning to break up. I have a a 51 with the same problem. Ink rides up the plunger.

 

Uncial, you are in Ireland, right? I know repair people in the US, but don't trust my limited knowledge of Ireland, UK, or Northern Europe.

 

It's a routine fix for a professional; probably not something you'd want to do yourself.

[ac12]

Remove the blind cap.

Put the pen over the sink, to catch ink splatter.

Put your mouth over the back of the pen, and BLOW.

 

IF you can blow any air forward, the diaphram has a hole in it and needs to be replaced.

[FarmBoy]

Remove the blind cap.

Put the pen over the sink, to catch ink splatter.

Put your mouth over the back of the pen, and BLOW.

 

IF you can blow any air forward, the diaphram has a hole in it and needs to be replaced.

Who in their right mind would teach you such a thing...

[Uncial]

Thank you for your help. I only had this restored about four or five years ago. If the diaphragm is damaged would it also fail to fill? At the moment it fills ok.

[mitto]

Thank you for your help. I only had this restored about four or five years ago. If the diaphragm is damaged would it also fail to fill? At the moment it fills ok.

But it does not retain the ink. Rather, it spells it out. Meaning the diaphragm has to be replaced.

[kirchh]

If you removed the hood, it should be reinstalled using proper technique, which involves a sealant; you shouldn't simply screw it back on. You run the risk of leakage at the joint.

 

--Daniel

[welch]

Thank you for your help. I only had this restored about four or five years ago. If the diaphragm is damaged would it also fail to fill? At the moment it fills ok.

 

A failing diaphragm might still pull in some ink, but you should never see ink on the plunger.

 

- Jim Marshall and Laurence Oldfield have written several of the standard pen repair books. Laurence Oldfield might repair pens, but I don't know if Marshall does. See Pen Practice: http://www.penpractice.com/

 

- Peter Twydle repairs pens; his father, Arthur, was one of the great repair experts. See: http://www.penmuseum.co.uk/repairs.htm

 

- Battersea Pen Home repairs P-51's. See: http://www.penhome.co.uk/pen-repairs.html#cost