Cleaning Vacuum Filled Pens?

[shinryu]

So I've got myself a vacuum filler recently (a Penbbs 456) and it's generally been fun. Nice design, fun to see ink sloshing in the barrel etc.

 

A problem so far, though, has been cleaning. So supposedly cleaning a vacuum filler is not unlike cleaning a piston filler, you just draw up water and push it out repeatedly. However, due to the 'vacuum' mechanism it's quite difficult to pull the plunger back up when there's a substantial amount of ink/water inside the pen. The fluid gets trapped behind the plunger, keeping it from moving any further backwards.

 

Now if I repeatedly move the plunger back and forth in small strokes I can get the water out from behind the plunger but it just feels like you're compromising the longevity of the filling system, more so since vacuum fillers take quite a few flushes to clear the barrel of ink. Strange thing is, when I look at videos on Youtube other folks seem to have no problems pulling the plunger back and manage to do it in a single smooth action without getting ink/water caught behind it. What am I doing wrong?

[tonybelding]

I don't have experience with that model. However. . . In all the vacuum filling pens I've used, the plunger is supposed to act like a one-way valve. Ink should not get trapped behind the plunger! It shouldn't be difficult to pull out the plunger when there is ink or water in the reservoir.

Edited May 11, 2019 by tonybelding

[Honeybadgers]

fill the pen by pressing down in water. keep the piston down and shake the pen back and forth several times.

 

Or, just use a crescent wrench on the flat spot in the rear threads and remove the piston completely for flushing. I personally like unscrewing the section and using a syringe to squirt water in the barrel with the piston all the way down.

 

vac fillers are not great pens for using with multiple inks. You really want to just stick with one ink color tyle for a long time in them.

[Ron Z]

I am not in favor of disassembling a pen to clean them. Normal cycling of the filler should be enough. Opening a pen carries risks with it...

 

Sheaffer plunger/vacuum fillers, and Wahl vacuum fillers can certainly handle cycling many times to flush them. The Visconti Skeleton I had could as well. Yes, there is some resistance, but no, repeated cycling does not shorten the life of the pen. The rubber materials we use to restore the Sheaffers and Wahls are synthetic rubber, both chemical and wear resistant, and the pen can handle the pressure against the back end. Rapid, repeated cycling is how I test the pens to make sure that they are restored properly.

 

Don't ask me about TWSBI though. No data to go by, and there are some reports of cracking.

[peroride]

grease?

 

I have 2 vac fillers and initially had difficulty stroking the piston when new.

 

It better now and I'm not sure if the little silicone grease i dabbed on the metal piston or the honeymoon break in period had anything to do with it.

[Honeybadgers]

I am not in favor of disassembling a pen to clean them. Normal cycling of the filler should be enough. Opening a pen carries risks with it...

 

Sheaffer plunger/vacuum fillers, and Wahl vacuum fillers can certainly handle cycling many times to flush them. The Visconti Skeleton I had could as well. Yes, there is some resistance, but no, repeated cycling does not shorten the life of the pen. The rubber materials we use to restore the Sheaffers and Wahls are synthetic rubber, both chemical and wear resistant, and the pen can handle the pressure against the back end. Rapid, repeated cycling is how I test the pens to make sure that they are restored properly.

 

Don't ask me about TWSBI though. No data to go by, and there are some reports of cracking.

 

 

If a TWSBI's gonna crack, it isn't because of disassembly. They just crack when they feel like it. The plastic itself is the problem, and how it hardens in a stressed manner.

 

The easiest way to clean a 456 is to unscrew the section. This is a double sealed part, uses O rings, and is essentially the same as filling an opus 88. Just unscrew the section and use a syringe to flush the barrel. But that said, you should still try to stick with one general color of ink in them, especially if you got a clear one.

 

Also, I would recommend disassembling it once when you get it and lubing the whole thing up nicely. none of my 456's have been super well lubed from the factory.

Edited May 12, 2019 by Honeybadgers

[shinryu]

I'm pretty sure it's not a lubrication problem as the plunger moves fine when there's no ink or water in the barrel. I've realized that pushing in the plunger ever so slightly dislodged the two rubber parts of the plunger a bit to let some water through. If I don't do this the water simply can't get out from behind the plunger head strangely enough. My pen's not a one-way vacuum it seems. I wonder if this is a general characteristic of the 456?

[Honeybadgers]

No. Perhaps give us a few pictures to show us the problem

[shinryu]

So I was trying to just pull the plunger back using force, ended up dislodging the rubber heads from the shaft

I'll need to buy a rubber wrench or something for a proper disassembly I guess.

[Honeybadgers]

use a crescent wrench to unscrew the piston assembly from the barrel (there are two flats on the threads for a wrench)

 

And then unscrew the section from the barrel to push the dislodged rubber seal out the front.

[Mannyonpil]

I just cleaned out my Pilot 823. I filled and emptied and filled and emptied it with water several times until the water ran clear. It was a little tedious but certainly not rocket surgery.

[Runnin_Ute]

I just cleaned out my Pilot 823. I filled and emptied and filled and emptied it with water several times until the water ran clear. It was a little tedious but certainly not rocket surgery.

Sounds like what happens when I flush my Parker 51 Demi Vacumatic. Although the process is slightly different.

[by_a_Lady]

Vacuum (à la PenBBS 456) and auto-draw fillers (à la Wing Sung 601) are generally unsuited for frequent ink changes - I do it anyway.

 

I think it's usually enough to flush out as much ink as will go, then let dry fully before filling again so that the potential for coss-contamination is minimised. If I'm planning on using inks that are known to have cross-reactions with other inks (like Sailor Nano Sei-Boku), I disassemble the pen completely and do a thorough cleaning before greasing it up and letting it dry (the same when I change back to normal inks, and actually even more throughly then).

Just as a side note, though, Sailor Nano Sei-Boku didn't play well with the metal rod in the ink chamber and would "stick" to it even as I pulled it through the seal at the end of the pen, so I wouldn't recommend using that particular combo.

 

 

Dominique

[wags]

I've got a pretty good sized pile of vac-fillers. Pilot 823, TWSBI 700R, several old Sheaffers. None of them are difficult to clean. Just cycle the piston over and over. I never take them apart to clean them.

 

If you're having trouble working the piston on the BBS pen when it's got water in it, I would guess that it's the pen and not you.

 

Vac-fillers are my favorite filling system, followed by lever-fillers, then piston. More and more, I find that cartridge converters are just too unreliable and finicky. I've pretty much reached the point where I would rather fill an empty cartridge with a syringe than fool with a converter.

[tonybelding]

Vac-fillers are my favorite filling system, followed by lever-fillers, then piston. More and more, I find that cartridge converters are just too unreliable and finicky. I've pretty much reached the point where I would rather fill an empty cartridge with a syringe than fool with a converter.

 

Converter pens are easy to troubleshoot and repair (often by replacing the semi-disposable converter unit), which is good because they need a lot of troubleshooting. "Finicky" is a good word for them, yes.

 

I went through a phase of infatuation with vac-fillers, including a number of vintage Sheaffer Triumphs. The TWSBI Vac 700 almost became my favorite pen in the world, the one that checks off every box on my wish list, my daily driver — if only they didn't keep breaking. I can't tolerate pens that break, especially pens that break after a relatively short time when I feel like I've been babying them. The filling mechanism, though, I do love that. It fills fast and easy, holds lots of ink, is easy to flush and change inks.

 

I regret that the Gate City Belmont pen is no longer available. It was more expensive and a bit homely-looking, but its syringe-filling system offered all the advantages of a vac-filler in an even simpler and more robust mechanism. As far as I know, there's not a single syringe-filling pen on the market anymore. (EDIT: unless you count the Conid bulk-filler, which is a sort of variant on the syringe-filler) I regret that I didn't buy at least one more Belmont when they were available new. I thought of it several times, but kept putting it off.

 

The new Opus 88 pens, combined with those nifty hummingbird syringes that Goulet now sell, have opened my eyes to the possibilities of eyedropper pens. For me, the Opus 88 Koloro is checking several of the same boxes that the TWSBIs did. Assuming it doesn't break, it could be a real workhorse.

Edited May 22, 2019 by tonybelding

[zaddick]

You can easily pull out the nib and feed of a 456 and then flush with water. Easier than taking the pen apart.

[Honeybadgers]

You can easily pull out the nib and feed of a 456 and then flush with water. Easier than taking the pen apart.

 

Even easier to just unscrew the section!

[georges zaslavsky]

fill the pen by pressing down in water. keep the piston down and shake the pen back and forth several times.

 

Or, just use a crescent wrench on the flat spot in the rear threads and remove the piston completely for flushing. I personally like unscrewing the section and using a syringe to squirt water in the barrel with the piston all the way down.

 

vac fillers are not great pens for using with multiple inks. You really want to just stick with one ink color tyle for a long time in them.

Never use Noodlers nor Quick in a vac filled pen. I often use Private Reserve or Montblanc inks in my vac filled pens.I use the same PR Daphne Blue ink in my Conklin Nozac Demo with zero troubles since 4 years in a row. All depends of the quality of inks you use. I avoid Noodlers, Parker as well as some Waterman inks.

[tonybelding]

Never use Noodlers nor Quick in a vac filled pen.

 

Strange advice. I can't think of any reason why Noodler's would be a problem, and isn't Quink one of those old-fashioned staple inks that's supposed to be safe in anything?

 

I often use Private Reserve or Montblanc inks in my vac filled pens.

Well, Private Reserve is the only brand of ink that's on my black list — I won't buy it anymore, or use it in any pen of any type. I've had more problems with PR than with all other brands of ink put together.

[gyasko]

 

isn't Quink one of those old-fashioned staple inks that's supposed to be safe in anything?

 

Absolutely. It's a safe ink.

 

However there is a lot of misinformation circulating around the internet about Quink. Some people confuse Quink with Superchrome and some mistakenly believe it contains alcohol as Superchrome did. It's essentially the same as Waterman ink these days, and no one has a problem with Waterman ink.