Parker Vacumatic Restoration Questions

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

So... I finally felt ready to restore the pen I mentioned in the thread below and I am having some... difficulties.

 

First, after getting the vacumatic plunger unit out, it separated from the threaded collar. Is this normal? I have only seen them come out in one piece in videos I've seen and descriptions of restorations I've read.

 

 

Second, after opening it, I wanted to see what the translucency of the barrel was like (since I heard these vary) and initially I thought it was incredibly dirty, but after looking at it under a loupe, all the clear parts look microfractured. Is this barrel FUBAR or will it be okay?

 

 

 

 

The entire barrel is like this, not just a single area. Appreciate any help. Really hope this isn't beyond repair...

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

Okay, so I think the first issue isn't an issue, I was able to screw it back in. Unlike the plastic plunger, there's nothing that really keeps the threaded section connected to the plunger except for pressure.

 

Have another question... I accidentally cut the large OS diaphragm too short and I only had a deb size one. I put the deb size one and it seems to fill, albeit takes a few strokes to do so. Is there any harm in leaving in the smaller diaphragm or should I get another proper sized one?

[FarmBoy]

Filler is normal. Takes a standard size diaphragm. 
 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

Is there any harm in using the smaller size (for the debutant size) diaphragm? That's what I have in there right now because I cut the other one too short. I can get a standard size one and switch it out again but it will probably a take a week or so to get it, not sure if I should use it until then if I need to switch it.

 

Also, is the microfracturing an issue? It looks like the fractures are on the inside, not on the outside, if that makes sense. 

[VacNut]

In the words of others “ that pen is 85. It will outlive us”. 

If you are concerned I would be glad to add it to my max collection. No need to worry about the diaphragm. 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

18 minutes ago, VacNut said:

In the words of others “ that pen is 85. It will outlive us”. 

If you are concerned I would be glad to add it to my max collection. No need to worry about the diaphragm. 

 

Do you have microfracturing like this on any of your pens? This is my only "traditional" vac, my other two are a shadowwave and a duovac both with somewhat limited translucency, so I don't really have any other pens to compare this with.

 

I'll probably still use it either way, but I actually bring my vintage pens to work and on the go, so I might keep this at home for use as "desk pen" to be careful with if it's an issue.

[es9]

Are you sure it’s “fracturing” and not just unevenness on the inside of the barrel? In my personal experience, vac barrels are not always smooth inside. 
 

Re Maxima vs. Senior Maxima: I am sure folks on here who know tons about vacs can correct me, but I’m not sure there’s a significant difference beyond naming convention. I think what was a Maxima one year was called a Senior Maxima another year, or vice versa. It’s true that some Maximas have a larger pump unit and, therefore, require a larger wrench and an oversized diaphragm. But others have the standard bushing and take a standard diaphragm. 

[FarmBoy]

An Oversize pen takes an Oversize diaphragm. That is it. 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

4 hours ago, es9 said:

Are you sure it’s “fracturing” and not just unevenness on the inside of the barrel? In my personal experience, vac barrels are not always smooth inside. 
 

Re Maxima vs. Senior Maxima: I am sure folks on here who know tons about vacs can correct me, but I’m not sure there’s a significant difference beyond naming convention. I think what was a Maxima one year was called a Senior Maxima another year, or vice versa. It’s true that some Maximas have a larger pump unit and, therefore, require a larger wrench and an oversized diaphragm. But others have the standard bushing and take a standard diaphragm. 

 

I posted a pic above, it looks like little cracks all throughout the interior of the pen. You can kind of even see it with the naked eye if you hold a light source behind the pen (translucency of this barrel isn't great). It looks all crackled in the clear bits. The cracks aren't on the exterior, the exterior is completely smooth, so I guess you are right that it may just be rough on the inside. 

 

I was hoping someone could either confirm if they have another Vac that looks similar.

 

1 hour ago, FarmBoy said:

An Oversize pen takes an Oversize diaphragm. That is it. 

 

That's not what I am asking. I know this barrel should take the standard size diaphragm and I've known that since I tried the large opening on my vac wrench and it didn't fit. 

 

I put the small ("debutante") size diaphragm in the barrel, my question is if this will cause any issues. I didn't have any other, I only had the small and the large (the large was meant for this pen because I thought it was a senior maxima per the other thread and the small was meant for another pen I haven't started on yet).

 

I can buy another that is the "normal" size (I know this is the correct size, not the debutante), it's not an issue, but I'd rather avoid opening up the pen and redoing the diaphragm if it's not completely necessary.

[Paul-in-SF]

1 hour ago, LoveBigPensAndCannotLie said:

I can buy another that is the "normal" size (I know this is the correct size, not the debutante), it's not an issue, but I'd rather avoid opening up the pen and redoing the diaphragm if it's not completely necessary.

 

I can only give you one data point, which is that I have done precisely that once, and the pen has not caused me any problems since then, to date. Whether there is any less ink stored, or whether it takes more strokes to get a full fill, I cannot say. 

[VacNut]

There is a reason why diaphragms are made in 3 sizes. You are not likely to damage any mechanical parts of the pen, but likely to shorten the life of the diaphragm since you are stressing it more in two directions with every pump. You may as well leave it as is, since you cannot salvage the diaphragm. Just plan on replacing it sooner than later. 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

3 minutes ago, VacNut said:

There is a reason why diaphragms are made in 3 sizes. You are not likely to damage any mechanical parts of the pen, but likely to shorten the life of the diaphragm since you are stressing it more in two directions with every pump. You may as well leave it as is, since you cannot salvage the diaphragm. Just plan on replacing it sooner than later. 

 

Ah, I figured it'd be something like this. It wasn't intentional, I just didn't have any other because it didn't turn out to be the type of filler I was expecting. I'll just leave it in there for now and when I have to replace it due to wear, I'll go ahead and do that. Thanks for letting me know and thanks @Paul-in-SF for letting me know your experience as well.

[FarmBoy]

I think if you look at a bunch of Vacs you will see that type of crazing on many pens. 
 

I would have installed the correct diaphragm but the one you installed will probably be fine.   You will quickly run into issues when you install a diaphragm that is to large. 
 

I’m a bit surprised that it folded over onto the sleeve, it would be a tight fit. 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

12 minutes ago, FarmBoy said:

I think if you look at a bunch of Vacs you will see that type of crazing on many pens. 
 

I would have installed the correct diaphragm but the one you installed will probably be fine.   You will quickly run into issues when you install a diaphragm that is to large. 
 

I’m a bit surprised that it folded over onto the sleeve, it would be a tight fit. 

 

Thanks for confirming about the crazing, I never knew it was a thing with these pens. This is my first one so haven't looked at any this closely before.

 

For the diaphragm, it was actually even a little loose which confuses me... after the first time I installed it and tried cycling some water through it, it worked for a few tries and then stopped. I took it back out and saw that the diaphragm slipped right off the metal bit. I put it back and it seems okay now.

 

I used a tiny bit of soapy (nonscented plain dish soap, low concentration) water as lubricant instead of Vacumatic "lubricant" - on the outside of the diaphragm (at the points recommended in Richard Binder's instructions - not the inside, I know that's a no-no), as recommended to prevent twisting when reinserting it - and I am assuming some of it got in between the diaphragm and the sleeve the first time and caused it to slip off.

[es9]

11 hours ago, FarmBoy said:

 

I think if you look at a bunch of Vacs you will see that type of crazing on many pens. 

 

Celluloid decay?

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

I took a look at some backlit pictures from a shop that sells a lot of vintage pens online and a lot of their vacumatics seem to have the same crackling I see on mine. Well, I can't see very close up, but it looks similar to mine without a loupe. 

 

I guess the pen is sturdy enough that the crackling doesn't really matter? I have heard of these spontaneously breaking along one of the striations but overall my impression is that they're very sturdy hardy pens.

[VacNut]

“For the diaphragm, it was actually even a little loose which confuses me... after the first time I installed it and tried cycling some water through it, it worked for a few tries and then stopped. I took it back out and saw that the diaphragm slipped right off the metal bit. I put it back and it seems okay now.”

 

Does this mean the diaphragm is not sealed to the filler with shellac? It is just sandwiched between the collar and the barrel taper?

 

[Ron Z]

You should not use shellac to secure the diaphragm to the cone.  It makes it difficult to get the filler out of the pen the next time.  Parker did not do it either.  The Parker manual says to tighten the thread bushing down "with firm pressure."  No torque reference, but just snug, not tight.  That is enough to hold the diaphragm in position between the barrel ring and the cone of the filler

 

The pellet and diaphragm tend to pop out of the pellet cup on lockdown and Speedline fillers.  I take my pellet pusher and push down on the fiber disc inside with a good bump to dislodge it a bit.  Then insert the diaphragm, and pull up on the cone to seat the fiber washer so that it's fully forward again. While you can pull the diaphragm out again if you pull hard enough it shouldn't come out with a gentle tug, so it won't come loose on it's own.

 

Inside of the diaphragm gets talc, outside water based "personal" lubricant.  If it's safe for other rubber products, it's safe in your pen.

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

39 minutes ago, VacNut said:

“For the diaphragm, it was actually even a little loose which confuses me... after the first time I installed it and tried cycling some water through it, it worked for a few tries and then stopped. I took it back out and saw that the diaphragm slipped right off the metal bit. I put it back and it seems okay now.”

 

Does this mean the diaphragm is not sealed to the filler with shellac? It is just sandwiched between the collar and the barrel taper?

 

 

I believe this is the way it's supposed to be, I didn't put any shellac anywhere. In general I try to avoid using unnecessary shellac, only for sac nipples. Or for sections that are very loose, and even then, I use the shellac to build up the section instead of using it as "glue."

 

30 minutes ago, Ron Z said:

Inside of the diaphragm gets talc, outside water based "personal" lubricant.  If it's safe for other rubber products, it's safe in your pen.

 

Alas my love life is not as active as my pen collecting one, so I was lacking in "personal" lubricant. Is there any harm in using a tiny tiny bit of soapy water instead?

 

To be honest I'm not planning to restore a lot of these. They're gorgeous pens but I'm not really a fan of the "vacumatic" filling system. Takes too long to fill and it's too hard to clean out. The first time I used a vacumatic (not one I restored) I thought I was doing something wrong because it would take like a dozen pumps to actually get any decent amount of ink in it.

 

Then I googled it and say that this was "normal." So... eh, maybe not for me.

[VacNut]

1 hour ago, Ron Z said:

You should not use shellac to secure the diaphragm to the cone.  It makes it difficult to get the filler out of the pen the next time.  Parker did not do it either.  The Parker manual says to tighten the thread bushing down "with firm pressure."  No torque reference, but just snug, not tight.  That is enough to hold the diaphragm in position between the barrel ring and the cone of the filler

 

The pellet and diaphragm tend to pop out of the pellet cup on lockdown and Speedline fillers.  I take my pellet pusher and push down on the fiber disc inside with a good bump to dislodge it a bit.  Then insert the diaphragm, and pull up on the cone to seat the fiber washer so that it's fully forward again. While you can pull the diaphragm out again if you pull hard enough it shouldn't come out with a gentle tug, so it won't come loose on it's own.

 

Inside of the diaphragm gets talc, outside water based "personal" lubricant.  If it's safe for other rubber products, it's safe in your pen.

Ron

Thanks for the reply. It must have been a common practice as I scrape alot of shellac from the fillers. It is not a issue for me as I don’t bother replacing the diaphragms since they are only good for a few years and like many collectors, I have more pens than I can use.