What is on your bench?

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

I am very confused, I have spent the past 30 minutes trying to get a decent picture but this is the best I could get. This is with the bar "down" as it would be when the bar/coin is used: 

 

 

And this is my master diagram of what it looks like at the very bottom when the bar would be if it was against the hole (i.e, if there was a sac propping it up). I couldn't take a picture because I couldn't get enough light inside.

 

 

 

The little nubbins that extend into the barrel along the z axis you can kind of see in the first photo. The bar appears to be solid? I don't see a spring or two parts to it unless it rusted together.

 

Very confused.

 

Edit: The "nubbins are actually a fairly long C shape with the protrusions going into the barrel. For the life of me I can't see how it's holding the bar in the barrel. I do see a hole towards the back of the bar that looks like it might be the same as this hole in David's pictures:

 

 

Edit 2: Also, every example of a PSF I can find has a depression or oval shape for the end of the globe lever. This does not. Are you sure this is not a coin filler? I'm probably going to put this away for now, my eyes are starting to hurt from trying to see into the barrel with the limited light from my phone's flashlight.

[VacNut]

A coin filler is different. The pens in your photos use a lever box. I am looking at a Waterman 412 PSF Coin Filler and one can see the difference between the two “slots” in the barrel - very difficult to photograph. Ron is correct in his assessment.

[VacNut]

The 412 PSF I am looking at has the oval depression in the middle of the slot. It is also a larger oval than would be needed for the “globe” of the lever box.  Not clear to me if this is typical or just on this pen.

[GlenV]

9 hours ago, VacNut said:

Brown Vacumatic Update after a fruitful pen show trip.

 

I was lucky and found a Brown Diamond Medal “Vacumatic” with a button filler made by Parker for retail stores. The pen also comes in green and silver/grey. It is a little longer than the Brown Vacumatics with 3-bands, instead of two. There are also Italian Pens with the same celluloid. The best is red, IMHO.

 

I also found bits and pieces of Brown Vacs at a pen show. None were complete, but they could be restored with the correct parts. 
 

There was also a Black Vertical Line Vacumatic. The striations on this pen are vertical, but not radial. Depending on your angle of view, the barrel is translucent or solid. I needed to breakdown the filler completely as it was corroded and frozen in place. I didn’t have to use the toaster oven method, but that is another story.

There are also two early Green Marbled Vacumatics in nickel and gold trim. 
 

A good pen buying trip.

Very cool !

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

35 minutes ago, VacNut said:

A coin filler is different. The pens in your photos use a lever box. I am looking at a Waterman 412 PSF Coin Filler and one can see the difference between the two “slots” in the barrel - very difficult to photograph. Ron is correct in his assessment.

 

Do you have an example? The problem is that I cannot find a PSF with a lever that does not have a depression for the globe. The earliest ones where oval and much bigger, the later ones look like the more "modern" Waterman 52 ones. There's a picture of the two varieties at the end of this blog post: https://vintagepensblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-very-early-waterman-lever-filler.html I spent like an hour looking and I cannot find a single PSF with a lever without at least some kind of divot for the globe.

 

I also found this listing for a coin filler that has a slot that looks somewhat similar to mine but I can't be sure it's legitimate: https://www.ebay.com/itm/126377047045 I don't think that's the right cap, for example. My understanding was that they started putting Waterman's on the clip in the 1920's so either it's a replacement clip or the entire cap is a later one.

[FarmBoy]

3 hours ago, cat74 said:

yeah... @VacNut, @Ron Z...you are probably right that it will jut be easier to purchase J bars.....I'll have to go through my 'to repair' group - mostly Esterbrook but a few, Parker (VS) and miscellaneous Waterman and Mabie Todd needing J/pressure bars (then a few tip-dip/touchdown Sheaffer needing sacs etc)....not to be too political but currently I am not supporting businesses from certain countries and parts from overseas get a bit pricey with shipping - I might have to put together a complete repair requirement list for one large order to justify the added expense!

I have no idea where overseas is for you but pen sacs from the Pen Sac Company are made in the US of A and will continue to be. The address has changed but the sacs and equipment have not. 

[VacNut]

24 minutes ago, FarmBoy said:

I have no idea where overseas is for you but pen sacs from the Pen Sac Company are made in the US of A and will continue to be. The address has changed but the sacs and equipment have not. 

PSC in the USA? ASAP or PDQ  on shipping? 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

I was going to give it a break but I'm still trying to figure out this Waterman. I see what you guys are saying in regards to the open "slot" being a little different. I see it in this video, https://youtu.be/5Km6e94KIfI?t=553 - the slot bulges out a little and it does not in mine. The recesses at the ends are also little flatter while they curve in on mine.

 

That being said, I still cannot find a single example of a 12PSF (or 12VPSF like mine) that does not have an indent at the end of the lever area for the globe on the lever bar. And the fact that it does not have a sprung pressure bar, nor a two-piece one that's connected at the middle, makes me think that it is indeed a coin filler.

 

Unless the bar is an old replacement or fix which is totally possible, but that doesn't explain the lack of space for the lever on the outside of the pen.

 

Edit Another neat oddity, although not related to it being a coin filler or not - it doesn't look like the sac was ever shellacked on this pen. The sac fragments broke off when I took the section out and the sac nipple is perfectly smooth no remnants of any kind of shellac or other glue/sealant. Looks basically mint. I guess it was just friction fit?

[VacNut]

Maybe the PSC can also scrounge up a few j-bars or pressure bars?

[VacNut]

11 minutes ago, LoveBigPensAndCannotLie said:

I was going to give it a break but I'm still trying to figure out this Waterman. I see what you guys are saying in regards to the open "slot" being a little different. I see it in this video, https://youtu.be/5Km6e94KIfI?t=553 - the slot bulges out a little and it does not in mine. The recesses at the ends are also little flatter while they curve in on mine.

 

That being said, I still cannot find a single example of a 12PSF (or 12VPSF like mine) that does not have an indent at the end of the lever area for the globe on the lever bar. And the fact that it does not have a sprung pressure bar, nor a two-piece one that's connected at the middle, makes me think that it is indeed a coin filler.

 

Unless the bar is an old replacement or fix which is totally possible, but that doesn't explain the lack of space for the lever on the outside of the pen.

 

Edit Another neat oddity, although not related to it being a coin filler or not - it doesn't look like the sac was ever shellacked on this pen. The sac fragments broke off when I took the section out and the sac nipple is perfectly smooth no remnants of any kind of shellac or other glue/sealant. Looks basically mint. I guess it was just friction fit?

Could it be that the pressure bar has been modified since the lever box was no longer functional? If they removed the lever box, maybe the pressure bar was also modified to work without a lever box? A pseudo coin filler? BTW there are matchstick fillers that are also interesting.

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

8 minutes ago, VacNut said:

Could it be that the pressure bar has been modified since the lever box was no longer functional? If they removed the lever box, maybe the pressure bar was also modified to work without a lever box? A pseudo coin filler? BTW there are matchstick fillers that are also interesting.

 

Maybe, but the lever "box" doesn't look right for a lever filler either. Maybe this was a transitional model when they swapped over to the tooling they used for the lever PSFs but needed to run through the old bars. I really don't think this was a lever filler. I'll try to post a thread in the Waterman subforums with better pics in a few days.

 

I do have some matchstick fillers made by Aikin Lambert (probably when they were owned by Waterman). Interesting concept, they had an accommodation-esque clip with a bulbous tip that sat pretty far down on the cap, the intended use was taking the cap off and using the tip of the clip to stick through the hole in the barrel to depress the bar.

 

Unfortunately all of mine came without their original clips so I can't say how well that worked. I usually just stick a small blunt rod in there to fill it.

[es9]

I always assumed this was a coin filler… Diamond Point. 

 

It doesn’t look at all like the ones of theirs I have that are lever fillers. 

 

[gweimer1]

On 3/17/2025 at 10:45 PM, cat74 said:

I seem to have run out of Jbars and my supplier is also out!....Thinking I could make my own??

Maybe some thin metal like roof flashing? (just had some work done around the house hence why it is top of mind). Thin enough to easily cut and shape??

I could even go crazy and get a mini spot welder to make a 2 part J-Bar??

 

Anyone have experience making their own?

 

 

Ask, and ye shall receive.

 

Midnight Pens - J bar replacement

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

9 hours ago, es9 said:

I always assumed this was a coin filler… Diamond Point. 

 

It doesn’t look at all like the ones of theirs I have that are lever fillers. 

 

 

Yeah, this looks a lot like my Waterman. I am pretty sure it is a coin filler. In pretty horrible condition but it is a coin filler. 

[Ron Z]

I'm not convinced.  The ends of the slot on all of the Waterman lever fillers are beveled. 

[es9]

2 hours ago, Ron Z said:

I'm not convinced.  The ends of the slot on all of the Waterman lever fillers are beveled. 

My diamond point too? I’m not rooting for one way or another… the pen came with another pen I was after. Mostly just curious. 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

3 hours ago, Ron Z said:

I'm not convinced.  The ends of the slot on all of the Waterman lever fillers are beveled. 

 

I see what you mean, but what do you think about the lack of the "scalloped" cut out for the globe end of the lever? I don't see it on this pen and I cannot find a single PSF online that doesn't have it. Even the earliest ones have it, on those it's even bigger (a larger oval) than on the later 52 style levers. It is definitely a Waterman pen and not some other sort of contemporary lever filler, it has the appropriate imprint on the other side and "12VPSF" on the bottom.

 

I'll try to take some clearer pictures tomorrow. I think it's a strange pen either way. It doesn't help that the coin fillers are so difficult to find pictures of online. I suppose they're rare pens but it makes identifying one very difficult.

 

Edit: There's a FB post from a few months ago with a mint 14 PSF and the slot looks very similar to the on mine. Not sure if we're allowed to share Facebook links but if you google "waterman 14 psf coin-filler" it should be one of the first results. Could also not be legitimate though...

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

I posted some more pics here if you wanna see @Ron Z 

 

 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

So unsurprisingly, because everything in my life is a problem - I received the replacement filler for that Junior Vacumatic with the lockdown filler. It does not work. I can't tell if it is the filler or the pen. 

 

The pen has good transparency so I can see what is happening. It seems like there is no "stop" for the thing that is around the pellet holder to stop. When I press the filler down, the entire thing moves all the way down the barrel without expanding the sac.

 

Is the barrel donzo or is it a problem with the filler? If it is a problem with the filler I can probably get my money back. The money for the pen is long gone unfortunately.

 

[VacNut]

The diaphragm may be too long. Is the filler an original Parker filler?