Sheaffer VacFill - removing end 'capsule'

[MarcoA63]

Hello all, I've started repairing a Vac-Fil. I managed to, almost, take it all apart. I have to remove the end 'capsule' that completes the sealing mechanism. The pen has been soaking in soapy water for a couple of days. So far this has allowed me to remove all the dried ink that was staining the inside of the barrel, it is coming clean slowly. How do I punch out the 'capsule'? Do I need a vise and some additional wooden object so that I can clamp the pen and then knock out the 'capsule' from the inside or are there alternative methods?  Heat and knock? I do not want to break the barrel, obviously. I've read the chapter in Marshall / Oldfield book too and am still confused. Thank you

[joss]

I have no experience yet of carrying out this repair but I have been reading about it and understand that punching & knocking is not an option here, you have to drill the packing unit out. In addition to the Marshall-Oldfield book, the following explanations are very helpful:

https://www.richardspens.com/ref/repair/plunger.htm

https://www.vintagepens.com/FAQrepair/plunger_filler_repair.shtml

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/348913-questions-about-sheaffer-vac-fill-repair/

[MarcoA63]

@joss thank you for your links.

I read about punching the capsule out to 'rebuild' it. How do you fix it in place so that it doesn't come off? Epoxy, solvents, shellac? From what I read they are a bit hit and miss. So I can manually drill out the old pieces and put in a 'chubby' o-ring like the ones I've seen in the articles but then I need to block such o-ring from going everywhere. I don't know.

So far I had to order a new rod, mine was rusted, the gasket that goes between the hard washer and the cap-nut.

[joss]

From what I have read, I understand that either the packing unit can be easily removed (and then rebuilt), or it cannot be removed and must be drilled out.

David Nishimura writes "using a drill bit to pierce the original closure washer and a flat-ended scraping tool (a sharpened screwdriver will do) to clear away the remnants of rubber and felt inside".

Richard Binder writes "The flange that remains from drilling out the packing retainer will hold the O-ring securely in place."

 

From these explanations, I understand that you drill out the bottom washer from the packing unit, subsequently dill/scrape the felt packing away but leave the top of the unit intact because that prevents the new packing from dropping out from the top of the barrel. According to Richard, the new packing (i.e. O-ring) stays fixed in the packing cavity without cement, whereas David N. talks about cementing the new packing in place.

 

Apart from the replacement parts, I believe it is crucial to have the appropriate fine tools for this repair. 

 

 

[MarcoA63]

Tools that I don't have. This said how on earth does the 'chubby' o-ring remain in place with the rod going up and down if it isn't constrained in the 'box'?

[Ron Z]

I've repaired several hundred of these over the last 19 years.  Based on experience....

 

You do not remove the packing unit.  Some come loose by themselves, but in general they are very difficult to remove without damaging the pen.   Sheaffer's instructions were to drill out the old packing unit and replace it.  Sheaffer had bins with a lot of them when Richard Binder and I visited the Sheaffer service center in Feb. 2008.   We don't have the luxury of replacement parts.

 

SO, the best and most reliable method of repair is to take the nib or section out and drill out the packing material, and then replace it with an 0-ring and a retaining washer.  David Nishimura (vintagepens.com) and Dale Beebe (pentooling,com) sell kits.  The Viton  0-rings work very well, are inexpensive,  and have been very reliable.  I have yet to have one come back because of failed parts.  

 

I sell head gaskets made with high grade buna-N (nitrile) rubber that is within a thousandth of the thickness of the rubber that Sheaffer used.  Dale also sells two tools that are very helpful when restoring the pen.  One is a tool that I came up with very early on that makes it easy to insert the 0-ring and then retaining washer at the end of the barrel.  The other is a guide that centers a drill bit and keeps it from damaging the threads in the barrel.  Note that you should  drill down 1/4" or less to remove the packing material.  He also sells a special tool for removing the Triumph nibs that was developed by Francis Goosins, Fountainbel here on FPN.  With the tool your chances of removing the nib without damage are close to 100%.  Without it, 50% at best.  I don't try to remove the nib without one.

 

Sheaffer never intended that the packing units  be removed for repair, so I have no problem making fixing them in place permanently.   If the packing unit does come loose, secure it in the barrel with a good grade of epoxy.  Careful cleanup is advised, make sure that the blind cap will screw down completely before the epoxy hardens.  Solvent welding and shellac do not work very well if at all.

[MarcoA63]

Ron, thank you for the explanation. I have removed the section and the rod already. I'll look at David's and Dale's tools.

Today the new rod + seals arrive.

The blind's cap retainer hole where the rod screws in, is it metal or brass or some other material?

Before soaking it to remove the old ink and gunk under it I want to be sure 🙂

Do the rod seals have to be smothered in silicone grease or not prior to the insertion in the barrel? Thank you

[Ron Z]

Go light on the silicone grease.  I apply a thin layer on the rod before inserting, and a little bit on the outside once it's in place.  You don't need much.  Maybe a little on the inside of the barrel.  Just touch a cotton swab on the silicone grease.  If you can see a blob you have too much.  With that part up insert into the barrel, touch to the barrel wall and rotate the barrel.  That very little bit of silicone grease goes a long way.

[MarcoA63]

Than you Ron. Although I might have a bigger problem now. I put the section in the US bath for a few cycles. I then, as I do with all the section I clean, tried blowing in it. No air passes through it. I disassembled the section and checked that the feed was clear, it was. Reassembled the section and tried again blowing water through it, nothing. Nothing flows through the section. Ideas?

The new seals and the rod move properly in the barrel and,  I think, that the packing unit 'holds' after the soak in soapy water for the past few days. Am going to replace the seals anyway.

The disturbing fact is the section and nib assembly not being free 😞

[Ron Z]

I would replace the packing unit.  This is one of the things where I disagree with Marshall and Oldfield.  The rubber washers provided the seal, the felt was impregnated with grease to lubricate the rod. That grease evaporated long ago.  Soaking may let it work for a while, but you are better off replacing it with a Viton 0-ring, which is by the way, both chemical and wear resistant.

 

This is a case where you will need to knock out the nib and feed.  You sometimes get a dried blockage of ink down in the middle of the feed where liquid can't quite reach.  This is one of those cases where yeh, you do need to knock out nib and feed to clean the ink out.

[MarcoA63]

I did knock out nib and feed. Nothing of note 😞

[Ron Z]

Did you run the corner of a razor blade, or  a piece of shim stock down the slits?   Have you looked in the back end of the section to make sure it's all clear?  Use a desoldering bulb to flush the assembled nib and feed.  You pull out the teflon tip and slide the bulb over the end of the sac nipple.  They stretch....  Not sure where you'll find one in the UK, but they're quite common. 

[MarcoA63]

I use an empty squeezable honey container filled with water. It has a silicone insert and I put the assembled section in it and squeeze. Nothing comes out. I passed the point of a dental pick in the slits too. I used a loupe to see if there were any obstructions, none. I'm stuck 😞

[MarcoA63]

This a photo of the feed. The 'tail' that sticks out at the back of the feed is integral to the feed or it is inserted inside the feed and needs tweaking? The channels on the tail and the feed align but how does the ink pass from one to the other?

I used a shimm in the channels but they are clean

Thank you

[Ron Z]

You have a clogged feed.  The ink flows down through the insert, and then up through the slit farther down.   It also pushes the plunger rod a bit to the side making sure that ink can flow between the barrel and head gasket.  You need a very fine wire to work down the slit like a roto-rooter.  A very fine wire from a hobby shop or better yet, guitar string.  Once you're all of the way down, another cycle through an ultrasonic, and then flush with a bulb.

 

Whatever you do, do not try to remove the insert.  I can pretty much guarantee that it will snap off if you try. 

 

 

[MarcoA63]

Ron, thank you very much for the insight. So the tail has another hole that needs to be cleaned at the end where it is inserted in the big barrel, to simplify things?

Not going to remove it! 🙂

Is it like there is a duct inside the feed that goes between the two segments I've drawn?

[Ron Z]

The hole that the insert fits into runs most of the length of the feed, and the insert fits all of the way in.  The cut/ink channel  in the insert carries the ink all of the way down.  The clog likely is between the open end and where the slit and collector fins begin. But the slit could be clogged to.  So you have to find a wire that will go down the ink channel down the length of the feed.  I would also use a piece of shim stock to chase the slit down to the insert.

[Boiling Black Coffee]

There are many ways to repair a Vac-fil. You don't necessarily need to remove the packing unit at the tail. Usually, I will directly stick a piece of silicone sheet into the barrel to achieve sealing.

[MarcoA63]

Ron, I'll have to find the insertion hole for the guitar wire. For now I've not been able to see it 😞

I have put the feed to soak in a solution of water and rapido-eze to see if something begins to move.

[Ron Z]

2 hours ago, Boiling Black Coffee said:

There are many ways to repair a Vac-fil. You don't necessarily need to remove the packing unit at the tail. Usually, I will directly stick a piece of silicone sheet into the barrel to achieve sealing.

 

You are correct that you don't have to remove the packing unit, but the 0-ring and retaining washer is the repair to use.  But the sheet/rubber plug?  No.  Really.  No.  That was the method used in the 90s that really never worked.  I tried it, and decided that wasn't the way go go.    I've removed MANY rubber plugs stuffed in the end of barrels because they really didn't work.