Jump to content

Ink leak in the section/feed/nib interface only with cap on (strange, right?)


mresimulator

Recommended Posts

Hi my hobby friends!

 

A few months ago I finished the restoration of a Sheaffer Balance Oversize in black and pearl like this one.

After resacking, full cleaning and so on I filled it with ink (Edelstain Pelikan Garnet and Pelikan 4001 black&Blue in other occasion).

When I opened the cap at the next day I noticed that the top of the section was fulled of wet ink. It's important to say that after filled the pen, I drop out a few drops of inks and clean the excess of ink in the feed, as always do. This problem is consistent: that happened a few times already.

Other things to consider are :

1) The leaking doesn't occur when I have the pen in my hand (but sometimes í note an excessive' ink flow) >>>> so I didn't suspect of a 'too big sac' issue. I let you a picture below, just to be sure.

2) I suspect that the leak occurs in the section/feed/nib interface because often I see this zones a little flooded of ink (see photos below)

3) I made a little experiment removing the section and the cap (that is: leaving just the section with the sac, nib and feed) and replacing the cap with a clear plastic small flask (getting sure that the flask inner walls doesn't touch the nib) >>>> in this condition (with the sac filled of ink, obviously) I didn't see any ink leak for several days.

4) After a few measurements I'm sure that the inner cap inner walls doesn't touch the nib surface.

5) During restorations I removed the feed and nib for a deep deep cleaning and polishing (yeah... I know that this practice is not recommended). I made sure to leave the feed and nib in the same position they were originally

6) This leak or 'burp' problem occurs with the pen upside or even in horizontal position.

7) Sometimes a few days passed without any burp but then.... happen.

 

So, I'm disoriented here... have you any recommendation or suggestion? What do you recommend to fix this technical issue? You're my last hope, hahaha.

 

BTW: In the last picture I  saw that with the system upside down, the ink doesn't fall to the feed. It is a surface tension issue between the silicone sac and the ink? How can that be fixed?

 

Best regards!!

image.thumb.png.a70c6296671aa825c3395fa0fc64925a.png

 

image.png.f35976bc4d7d74b90acddc686a4eda9d.png

 

image.png.6c5c62d4cf1f3e4376e6f99ce92f1068.png 

 

image.thumb.png.91c0bc1efa0b4938596e7650dfafbde7.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 4
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • mresimulator

    3

  • Ron Z

    2

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

Silicone sacs are gas permeable, i.e. ink/water can not get through, but air/gasses can.   The oozing  problem is one of the issues with using them, the other being that you have to use silicone cement to secure them to the sac nipple.  Because gases can pass through the sac wall, the balance of air/ink is upset, and the pens ooze if not stored nib up.  The answer is to replace the sac with a regular latex sac or PVC.  Any of the sacs available come with their own issues.  Take a look at this article for more details.

spacer.png
Visit Main Street Pens
A full service pen shop providing professional, thoughtful vintage pen repair...

Please use email, not a PM for repair and pen purchase inquiries.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Ron! Your explanation was very clear to me. Very nice article. I read it years ago, but I didn't remember all the info.

Like I wrote in the item number 6, the oozing problem in my situation occur also in the 'nib up' position. Anyway, I'll replace the silicone sac with a 'regular' latex sac and see if that fix the issue. What do you think?

Regards! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Just an update: like Ron suggested, I change the silicone sac for a traditional black latex sack. My pen dont leak anymore :).

 

Thanks again Ron!!

 

regard, 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yea!  Glad that took care of it.  Thanks for the follow up post.

 

 

spacer.png
Visit Main Street Pens
A full service pen shop providing professional, thoughtful vintage pen repair...

Please use email, not a PM for repair and pen purchase inquiries.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33494
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26624
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...