Sheaffer Snorkel Fill Question

[Jaywalker]

I'd like some advice as to whether I damaged my Sheaffer Snorkel, please.

 

After Main Street Pens overhauled it and replaced the sac with a PVC sac, I was having a little trouble filling it. I reverted to pumping it twice with the snorkel still "under ink." Afterwards, it occurred to me that doing it twice while submerged might be a bad idea to let ink in where air wants to be. It seems to write well now.

 

Raassurances? Condemnations? Thanks.

[drumley]

I wouldn't think so. The way it works is when you pump it you displace the air in the sac and it draws up the ink from the bottle to replace the air. The second pump would displace the ink already in the sac and just draw up ink to replace what was displaced with the second pump.

[BaronWulfraed]

Or, in more nit-picking details...

 

When shoving the tail-piece in, the air trapped in the outer barrel compresses the sac (which pushes air out the snorkel). At the end of the stroke, a port opens letting the compressed air in the barrel out, and the sac returns to natural shape, drawing in ink.

 

A second stroke, as mentioned, will be pushing out some of that ink instead of air (I say some as the ink may not flow as rapidly -- instead creating a slightly higher pressure on the compressed air before the port opens).

[Honeybadgers]

the snorkel itself only needs to be submerged up to that vertical slit in the top of the tube. The whole nib does not need to be submerged.

 

Snorkels fill slowly compared to other pens. I pump mine twice as well to get the last bit of air possible, but you need to leave the snorkel in the ink for 5-10 seconds per pump to fill. It's a tiny hole and a relatively big sac on those pens.

 

And if it's a new fill with a new ink, you can dip just the tip of the nib to get it writing immediately.

 

Snorkels are insanely reliable. They just behave a little differently when you fill them.

Edited June 1, 2019 by Honeybadgers

[Jaywalker]

drumley, thank you. I appreciate it.

 

Honeybadgers, Main Street Pens advised that I needed to allow five seconds or so to fill as the PVC sac needed it. Yes, I did dip the nib on it - apparently, the first few times that's all the ink it had in it and so ran dry quickly. Thus, the two pumps. Thanks.

 

BaronWulfraed, those are good points. Thanks.

Edited June 1, 2019 by Jaywalker

[Paul80]

To check that it's filling properly a simple test is go through the filling process, then extend the plunger and lift the snorkel tube from the ink, but keep it in the bottle held above the ink, the push the plunger down, if it's working correctly you should get a jet of ink squirt from the snorkel, this was what led to them being band from some schools, they made good ink pistols.

[Honeybadgers]

Or just fill it with water. It should be able to shoot the water 3-5 feet no problem.

[Jaywalker]

To check that it's filling properly a simple test is go through the filling process, then extend the plunger and lift the snorkel tube from the ink, but keep it in the bottle held above the ink, the push the plunger down, if it's working correctly you should get a jet of ink squirt from the snorkel, this was what led to them being band from some schools, they made good ink pistols.

I saw some with a lever being used like that, but don't remember the effectiveness.