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Parker 51 Parts


tooloose-letrek

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My Parker 51 is missing some parts that hold the nib in place.  Maybe a clutch ring?  See the attached photo.  It will be any parts that fit between the two sections shown.  The nib is fine.  Where can I find this part? 

Parker51nib.jpg

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Do you have a pic showing the top of the collector (where it joins the barrel)?  This picture doesn't show the area where the clutch ring would sit.

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Is the hood ring available?  Do any repair people work on pens of this period?  I hate to admit this but here goes - I had not used this pen in a few years, inked it up and love the way it writes.  I went to clean it and like a very stupid person that I like to think I'm not - I took it apart in a sink, not knowing that one very tiny part fell down the drain.  I didn't have the tools to take the sink trap apart.  I want to start writing with that pen again.  I saw a diagram of assembling the pen and if it is at all tricky, I probably should not attempt it.  I'm searching for my options on getting it inked up and writing again.

 

Thanks!

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2 hours ago, tooloose-letrek said:

Is the hood ring available?  Do any repair people work on pens of this period?  I hate to admit this but here goes - I had not used this pen in a few years, inked it up and love the way it writes.  I went to clean it and like a very stupid person that I like to think I'm not - I took it apart in a sink, not knowing that one very tiny part fell down the drain.  I didn't have the tools to take the sink trap apart.  I want to start writing with that pen again.  I saw a diagram of assembling the pen and if it is at all tricky, I probably should not attempt it.  I'm searching for my options on getting it inked up and writing again.

 

Is the pen leaking ink?

 

As the other replies already pointed out, the picture that you provided does not show a missing part. Are you referring to an rubber O-ring that may have been seated between the section top and the clutch ring? The section of your pen does not look like the type of section that had an O-ring. So you need to be more specific as to which tiny part may have disappeared in the drain. Anyway, assembling the pen should be less tricky than disassembling the sink drain.

 

 

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22 hours ago, tooloose-letrek said:

Is the hood ring available?  Do any repair people work on pens of this period?  I hate to admit this but here goes - I had not used this pen in a few years, inked it up and love the way it writes.  I went to clean it and like a very stupid person that I like to think I'm not - I took it apart in a sink, not knowing that one very tiny part fell down the drain.  I didn't have the tools to take the sink trap apart.  I want to start writing with that pen again.  I saw a diagram of assembling the pen and if it is at all tricky, I probably should not attempt it.  I'm searching for my options on getting it inked up and writing again.

 

Thanks!

 

As others have said, I'm not entirely clear on what you're missing.

With that said, the Parker 51 is one of the most popular fountain pens of all time. When it was introduced, it was THE pen at least in the US, and there were also a fair few made and sold in England and I think other places. I typically carry two pens-one with a fine nib and a more sedate ink, and one with a broader nib and more interesting ink. There is virtually always at least one 51 in my pocket, often in the former role but I have a few that will fill the latter role. Even 50+ years after the end of production(and most of my are nearing if not past 70 years old) they are durable and reliable workhorse pens.

 

They are a marvel of engineering, but the basic repair of them is simple and straight forward. The early ones use a filling system adapted from the earlier Parker Vacumatic, and since the filler parts are 100% interchangeable with later Vacumatics(in fact I've used parts-box Vacs to repair 51s, and parts box 51s to repair Vacs) those parts are easy to find. The later Aeromatic ones essentially have one part prone to failure that is available as a better than new reproduction, and a second part known to occasionally fail.

 

There are a lot of damaged pens out there that can be used as parts donors, and some parts have been reproduced. In fact, one of my writers with a BB nib was sold to me as a parts-bin special with a translucent recent reproduction hood. I'm GUESSING you may have dropped/be missing the clutch ring, which separates the hood from the barrel and is also the attachment point for the cap. These are available.

 

Here is one of mine(actually the one in my pocket now) with the clutch ring clearly visible

 

IMG_0701.thumb.jpeg.2a2e76b8ffed9a70dac10b35be09a3eb.jpeg

Most of the major repair guys can work on 51s, and most will have a stash of new or reproduction parts. I use Ron Zorn for most of my repairs. He is a member here and also a miracle worker. With that said, he's certainly not the only one.

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Contact repairs@parker51.com

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Thanks.  I am responding to all three of the latest posts here. 

 

All my other pens do not have any tiny detachable tiny parts when I remove the pens and I hadn't used this pen in years - it was a shock when I saw that something small went down into the drain.  I'm pretty certain the part I need (is the hood ring the same as the clutch ring?) is the only part that would be loose when removing the main pen core from the barrel.  The core part looks intact.  I'm not certain what exactly I need to photograph?  One question - if I have ID-d the part correctly, has Parker changed its design in any way?  This pen is O-L-D...over 40 years old.  I did not realize the pen is still in production.  There has to be many new/used available today.  I'd like to find the part itself (which I'm hoping is inexpensive), cheaper than shipping and the cost of the part from sending it in to Parker.

 

Thanks.

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11 hours ago, tooloose-letrek said:

Thanks.  I am responding to all three of the latest posts here. 

 

All my other pens do not have any tiny detachable tiny parts when I remove the pens and I hadn't used this pen in years - it was a shock when I saw that something small went down into the drain.  I'm pretty certain the part I need (is the hood ring the same as the clutch ring?) is the only part that would be loose when removing the main pen core from the barrel.  The core part looks intact.  I'm not certain what exactly I need to photograph?  One question - if I have ID-d the part correctly, has Parker changed its design in any way?  This pen is O-L-D...over 40 years old.  I did not realize the pen is still in production.  There has to be many new/used available today.  I'd like to find the part itself (which I'm hoping is inexpensive), cheaper than shipping and the cost of the part from sending it in to Parker.

 

Thanks.

 

Quite literally the ONLY metal part that would conceivably fall off the barrel is the clutch ring, and AFAIK this is universal across all vintage Parker 51 production. 

 

The pen you have is not still in production. Parker quit making them in the 60s, although they made a bunch over the better than 20 years they were in production. The 51 was quite literally THE pen for a lot of the 40s and 50s.

 

The pen currently in production bearing that name has only come out in the past few months and has done so to a bit of a mixed reception. Its only real similarity is the size and shape. I've not examined one in hand, but I believe the nib comes from a different current Parker product(the Sonnet). Most importantly, though, for your purposes the clutch ring CAN NOT interchange with the modern pen because the modern 51 does not use one-it's a screw cap and not a slip cap.

 

I doubt Parker would even touch your pen. At best they might offer you a discount on a new 51, which to me would be a downgrade.

 

I checked a couple of common sources I use for parts and didn't see standard size clutch rings at any of them(5 Star Pens has Demi sized ones, but that won't work for you) but they are out there. It might not hurt to look on Ebay.

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1567302795_IMG_07372.thumb.jpeg.84dad3a64b7e9d88e0e38a11997f1f2b.jpegTo follow up a bit, when I wrote the above the post I was getting ready to assemble a Dove Grey 51 Vac. I figured I'd show the parts of it. The Aeromatics are a bit different, AFAIK not so much around the hood.

 

As can be seen, the hood screws onto the body with nothing between it but the clutch ring. It's been a little while since I've taken an Aeromatic apart so I don't remember exactly how it goes together above the section, but the same hood/clutch ring principle applies.

 

BTW, for one thing, don't take apart 51s unless you have a reason to. This one needed a new diaphragm, and had been used with some nasty ink so I took the whole thing apart to deal with both of those(plus I don't think the filler would have out easily without removing the section...).

 

Also, it can save you a lot of work if you(temporarily)mark the location of the nib/collector relative to the barrel before you pull them out. I did but they disappeared in somewhere along the way. Getting the hood on snug with the nib correctly aligned in it can be trial and error. Also, the repair guys I trust say to get the hood snug but don't wrench it down(which gives you a bit of leeway to get the nib alignment slightly better) AND use a bit of shellac or thread sealant on the hood threads to make it ink-tight.

 

This one was a pleasure to reassemble as it's a nice juicy M nib :)

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