Parker 51 Questions

[FPIndian12]

I've ordered a used parker 51 aerometric whose barrel and cap are perfect. ^_^

 

Link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/222527943168

 

Alright! I'm going to receive the pen after a week or so and since it is my first parker 51,I have some questions.

 

1.How do I know if the pen fills fully and the breather tube is there and intact?

 

2.I don't have ammonia so how can I clean my pen?Can it be done only with ultrasonic and filtered water?

 

3.I have no experience on dismantling Parker 51 so should I do it?

 

4.If I manage to remove the hood, how can I remove the collector and after that, how can I remove the nib and feed from it?

 

5.Is cleaning breather tube or replacing it absolutely necessary and if so, how can I remove it from feed without breaking it?

 

6.If the breather tube is broken inside the feed, how can I remove it and what measurement of drill bit in mm is required?

 

7.Can the pliglas sac be cleaned and un-stained by pouring water in it directly from tap?

 

8.How can I use shellac flake to make its solution to apply it on threads?

 

9.How much ml of ink does the pen hold? (this information can be used to find out if the breather tube is fine without opening it)

 

It is going to be my first and the only grail pen (^o^) and I don't want to take any risk so any other caution/warning/advice is also appreciated. (^。^)

Thanks.

Edited May 31, 2017 by FPIndian12

[pajaro]

Before I did all that stuff, I would ink the pen and see if it fills and writes. I think this is a lot of overthink. If you have an issue, then have it restored. It reads like you want the pen in optimum brand new shape. Restoration would be your best bet. I have never been this picky about an aero 51. They have worked. Vac 51s are another matter.

[welch]

1. What Pajaro said. He's right

 

2. Do not try to take your P-51 apart. Parker meant the 51 to be repaired or cleaned or serviced only at a Parker Service Center, where technicians had tools, parts, and experience. The current equivalent person is a pen restorer. Ask the restorer to tune the nib, which probably started its life about 65 years ago.

 

3. Especially do not try to get the hood off. They are usually held by shellac or a similar thread sealant. As Pajaro says, most aerometric 51s will write without much work. Stay away from the sac: the pli-glass sac will not wear out, but you can cut it or rip it. The sac will probably be stained black, but that will not interfere with your writing. How do you know you have enough ink? Just listen as you press the filer bar: at first, you will hear a slurping sucking sound. When you don't, it's full. A P-51 holds a lot of ink, so fill it every day or two -- it won't run dry.

 

4. Enjoy the pen. The 51 is durable. It seems understated compared to current pens, bu the 51 has all the glitz that pen owners expected back when the fountain pen was the personal writing device, the only writing device other than a pencil or a typewriter.

Edited June 1, 2017 by welch

[ac12]

1- Squeeze the pressure bar until you do not see bubbles coming up. Should be 4-6 times, depending on the pen. This should be stamped on the sac guard. "Press 4 times" or some other number.

 

2 - Plain filtered water.

 

Cycle the water;

• fill the pen, then press the bar to eject the water,
• repeat until the water comes out clean.

Soak. This is to dissolve the ink in places that plain flushing does not reach. Also to dissolve more of the dried ink.

• Fill with water, then put the pen nib down into a tall narrow glass.
• Leave to soak for about 8-12 hours, overnight, or all day.
• You will find a cloud of ink in the glass. Empty the glass and eject the water from the pen. Then use a salad spinner to eject more water from the pen.
• Repeat until the water comes out clean.
• WARNING. Depending on the dried ink in the pen, this could take a LONG time. It took me 3 weeks of 2 or 3x a day soaking/flushing to clean two P51s. In my experience, dried RED and PURPLE ink were the worst inks to clean out.

3 - NO, do NOT take the 51 apart !!!

If you do not know what you are doing, you can break the pen.

Even if you know what you are doing, you can still break the pen.

This is why diassembling an old pen is dangerous, and should ONLY be done if it NEEDS to be disassembled for repair.

 

4 - see #3 above

5 - see #3 above

 

6 - have a pen tech do this for you.

 

7 - NO. The ink stain is IN the sac material and cannot be washed out, many people have tried.

Even a NEW replacement sac will stain when used. So give up on the idea of keeping the sac transparent.

 

8 - see #3 above

 

Your final question. I don't want to take any risk so any other caution/warning/advice is also appreciated.

See #3 above.

Edited June 1, 2017 by ac12

[mitto]

You may watch this video:

 

 

[octatonic]

When I got my (first) '51' I found this thread pinned at the top of this board by Bruce to be incredibly helpful...

 

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/223983-youve-got-your-first-found-in-the-wild-parker-51-in-your-hand-now-what/page-1

 

I hope this helps you too!-

 

Octatonic

[FPIndian12]

 

You may watch this video:

https://youtu.be/3YHdzy4RuYg

Thanks! I actually watched this video 4-5 times already along with grandma pen before asking in the forum.Since there isn't any pen restoration shop in my area, I plan on doing the restoration myself but after reading the posts , I came to understand that the pen can be used after simple flushing.

[FPIndian12]

 

When I got my (first) '51' I found this thread pinned at the top of this board by Bruce to be incredibly helpful...

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/223983-youve-got-your-first-found-in-the-wild-parker-51-in-your-hand-now-what/page-1

 

I hope this helps you too!-

 

Octatonic

Thanks! I'll try. Edited June 1, 2017 by FPIndian12

[FPIndian12]

Before I did all that stuff, I would ink the pen and see if it fills and writes. I think this is a lot of overthink. If you have an issue, then have it restored. It reads like you want the pen in optimum brand new shape. Restoration would be your best bet. I have never been this picky about an aero 51. They have worked. Vac 51s are another matter.

There isn't any restorers in my area so I don't know what to do. If I don't hear any wriggling sound after shaking the pen, should I simply flush it with filtered water?

[FPIndian12]

1- Squeeze the pressure bar until you do not see bubbles coming up. Should be 4-6 times, depending on the pen. This should be stamped on the sac guard. "Press 4 times" or some other number.

 

2 - Plain filtered water.

 

Cycle the water;

 

• fill the pen, then press the bar to eject the water,
• repeat until the water comes out clean.

Soak. This is to dissolve the ink in places that plain flushing does not reach. Also to dissolve more of the dried ink.

• Fill with water, then put the pen nib down into a tall narrow glass.
• Leave to soak for about 8-12 hours, overnight, or all day.
• You will find a cloud of ink in the glass. Empty the glass and eject the water from the pen. Then use a salad spinner to eject more water from the pen.
• Repeat until the water comes out clean.
• WARNING. Depending on the dried ink in the pen, this could take a LONG time. It took me 3 weeks of 2 or 3x a day soaking/flushing to clean two P51s. In my experience, dried RED and PURPLE ink were the worst inks to clean out.

3 - NO, do NOT take the 51 apart !!!

If you do not know what you are doing, you can break the pen.

Even if you know what you are doing, you can still break the pen.

This is why diassembling an old pen is dangerous, and should ONLY be done if it NEEDS to be disassembled for repair.

 

4 - see #3 above

5 - see #3 above

 

6 - have a pen tech do this for you.

 

7 - NO. The ink stain is IN the sac material and cannot be washed out, many people have tried.

Even a NEW replacement sac will stain when used. So give up on the idea of keeping the sac transparent.

 

8 - see #3 above

 

Your final question. I don't want to take any risk so any other caution/warning/advice is also appreciated.

See #3 above.

Alright! I'll not take the pen aparte and I don't have a salad spinner nor any type of centrifuge.Should I just put the pen nib down in a glass with tissue?

Edited June 1, 2017 by FPIndian12

[mitto]

The flushing alone method sometimes does work and sometimes doesn't. You may have misaligned nib and feed, misaligned nib tip and hood tip, broken or rotten (sterling silver) breather tube. The nib may need to be worked on. Likewise, there may be a puncured sac in the pen. So, in some cases the restoration is a must. But then there are pros who better do the job for one. But I can understand there are no restorers in our part of the world - the whole of the South Asia, india, pakistan and Bangladesh included.

 

When I started collecting pens back in early 70s I would fiddle and tinker with them and after ruining a few I came to understand things. I would see shops near main gates of schools and colleges where people and especially young students would go for repair on their pens - mostly Parkers and Sheaffers - but I somehow didn't have trust in them and would not believe in their skill levels as I had seen pens they had done so called repairs to them.

 

I remember just once going to such a repair shop with a 1948 forest green aero 51 of mine that needed new sac. And what happened was that the poor guy broke into two pieces the 'press 6 times' threaded sac guard on my pen because he didnt know it was threaded.

 

From that day on I myself started doing all kind of repairs on my pens. And I am still learning. The key is patience. And above all constant reading and research.

Edited June 1, 2017 by mitto

[FPIndian12]

The flushing alone method sometimes does work and sometimes doesn't. You may have misaligned nib and feed, misaligned nib tip and hood tip, broken or rotten (sterling silver) breather tube. The nib may need to be worked on. Likewise, there may be a puncured sac in the pen. So, in some cases the restoration is a must. But then there are pros who better do the job for one. But I can understand there are no restorers in our part of the world - the whole of the South Asia, india, pakistan and Bangladesh included.

 

When I started collecting pens back in early 70s I would fiddle and tinker with them and after ruining a few I came to understand things. I would see shops near main gates of schools and colleges where people and especially young students would go for repair of their pens - mostly Parkers and Sheaffers - but I somehow didn't have trust in them and would not believe in their skill levels as I had seen pens they had done so called repairs to them.

 

I remember just once going to such a repair shop with a 1948 forest green aero 51 of mine that needed new sac. And what happened was that the poor guy broke into two pieces the 'press 6 times' threaded sac guard on my pen because he didnt know it was threded.

 

From that day on I started doing all kind if repairs on my pens. And I am still learning. The key is patience. And above all constant reading and research.

Thanks! I actually read many threads and watched many videos about parker 51 restoration but since I'm new to vintage fountain pens, I don't know if I'll able to do it.

 

I think that putting the hood area in hot water(about 100-120°F) and using rubber grips(used in fingers while using knife) to remove the hood shall be enough to remove it but then again I don't want to break the pen.

 

Btw, is corroded feed common and how can I remove the tube without breaking it like in the video?

Edited June 1, 2017 by FPIndian12

[mitto]

No. The feed is made of hard rubber. So no question of corrosion. It is the S. Silver breather tube in the early production aero pens that is found corroded and often broken into pieces. So that needs to be replaced either with a reproduction steel breather tube or a plastic one.

 

I use dry heat for removing the hood/shell after making sure the aera under the hood has been cleaned of the clogged/dried up ink. I have a 800W Mitsushita Electric Works, Japan made National hairdrier (Model EH6022) with adjustable air intake that I bought in late 70s/early 80s (dont remember exactly) for this purpose. It has a narrow channel-like opening that help directing the heat to the spot that needs to be heated. The recommended heat is the degree that your fingers can tolerate. Alternately, you may also use hot water (140/150F). Tell you one thing I have never ever broken any of my 51 hood while removing it whether I used dry heat or hot water.

 

Wish you the best of luck.

Edited June 1, 2017 by mitto

[FPIndian12]

No. The feed is made of hard rubber. So no question of corrosion. It is the S. Silver breather tube in the early production aero pens that is found corroded and often broken into pieces. So that needs to be replaced either with a reproduction steel breather tube or a plastic one.

I use dry heat for removing the hood/shell after making sure the aera under the hood has been cleaned of the clogged/dried up ink. I have a 800W Mitsushita Electric Works, Japan made National hairdrier (Model EH6022) with adjustable air intake that I bought in late 70s/early 80s (dont remember exactly) for this purpose. It has a narrow channel-like opening that help directing the heat to the spot that needs to be heated. The recommended heat is the degree that your fingers can tolerate. Alternately, you may also use hot water (140/150F). Tell you one thing I have never ever broken any of my 51 hood while removing it whether I used dry heat or hot water.

Wish you the best of luck.

Well thanks and Ramzaan mubarak.Oh and I wrote feed instead of breather tube.

Edited June 1, 2017 by FPIndian12

[FPIndian12]

No. The feed is made of hard rubber. So no question of corrosion. It is the S. Silver breather tube in the early production aero pens that is found corroded and often broken into pieces. So that needs to be replaced either with a reproduction steel breather tube or a plastic one.

I use dry heat for removing the hood/shell after making sure the aera under the hood has been cleaned of the clogged/dried up ink. I have a 800W Mitsushita Electric Works, Japan made National hairdrier (Model EH6022) with adjustable air intake that I bought in late 70s/early 80s (dont remember exactly) for this purpose. It has a narrow channel-like opening that help directing the heat to the spot that needs to be heated. The recommended heat is the degree that your fingers can tolerate. Alternately, you may also use hot water (140/150F). Tell you one thing I have never ever broken any of my 51 hood while removing it whether I used dry heat or hot water.

Wish you the best of luck.

Also how can I remove the breather tube from feed without having the broken piece stuck inside the feed?

[mitto]

Thank you for the Ramzan greeting. Same to you if you would like to.

 

You may watch this video for removal of the broken piece of the SS breather tube stuck in the feed opening. I use a corresponding size long screw that I found with an auto mechanic.

 

[FPIndian12]

I saw that vid as well(I'm really prepared) but instead of removing a broken tube, I would like to remove the whole tube without breaking it.

[mitto]

I saw that vid as well(I'm really prepared) but instead of removing a broken tube, I would like to remove the whole tube without breaking it.

If it is intact ie not broken why would you remove/take it off? (In such a case just clean it both from inside and ouside using a guitar wire for the inside cleaning and some sand paper for the outside cleaning). And, if it is not broken but rotten it would break when trying to remove it.

 

Anyhow, the procedure is the same. Heating and drilling it out. But I would not recomment the open flame heat especially for learners/newbies. Instead, would recommend using either hot water or dry heat.

Edited June 1, 2017 by mitto

[FPIndian12]

If it is intact ie not broken why would you remove/take it off? (In such a case just clean it both from inside and ouside using a guitar wire for the inside cleaning and some sand paper for the outside cleaning). And, if it is not broken but rotten it would break when trying to remove it.

Anyhow, the procedure is the same. Heating and drilling it out. But I would not recomment the open flame heat especially for learners/newbies. Instead, would recommend using either hot water or dry heat.

Well clogged breather tube may cause problems in ink flow due to shredding from what I read in other forums so I want to replace it as fast as possible and thanks!

 

Also, can a copper wire be used?

Edited June 1, 2017 by FPIndian12

[mitto]

Any proper size wire can be used to clean the breather tube from inside.