Parker vacumatic junior questions

[Linkinyeah]

I picked this up recently. I believe it is a green marble junior model. My questions are about the barrel color. Is it just me or does it look like it doesn't match the cap and blind cap? I put it next to a thrift time button filler to compare it to gray pen. Could it just be discolored from ink or light, compared to the caps?

One of the reasons I question the barrel is because the blind cap fits flush on one side, but not on the other. I tried to show this in the picture. Is this normal for this style of pen?

Also, the nib is torn in the middle. Any chance it can be repaired? I know it sounds like a silly question, but I wanted to make sure. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171125/68c4b7979cc0d8a8f064d800b720830a.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171125/835a9037d4aa25601e10759d64f17d0f.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171125/5ed76a6943a2c8e2ec19fdafafaa8858.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171125/37ec9c08b28c1cdb755720d5c7149e0a.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171125/323df0c6dd65f32dd958eaec7822d9cf.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171125/76fd65b1e824cea98b7f9da39b0f4b40.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171125/4e8a1f40d8889142118e387d2851a603.jpg

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[Marsilius]

Two things, amateur opinions.
1. The body could get discolored from ink, maybe, so not out question they are from some pen. Better eyes might disagree.
2. O good nib repairperson could fix that nib, I bet.

[Linkinyeah]

Two things, amateur opinions.
1. The body could get discolored from ink, maybe, so not out question they are from some pen. Better eyes might disagree.
2. O good nib repairperson could fix that nib, I bet.How would it be repaired if there is a crack in it?

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[Marsilius]

If the body is cracked, above my pay grade.
Nib, also, but I know they can work miracles. Anytime someone good starts to explain how, I get lost. But that nib looks salvageable.
And on closer look, it is suspiciously not lined up. But I have a few of those issues on some old pens.
Anyway, others smarter will soon pipe in, and I will follow with interest.

[Linkinyeah]

Any thoughts on my original post?

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[penwash]

Regarding the discoloration:

I have seen pens where the barrel is discolored because of the gas coming out of the ink sac. These won't affect the cap and blind cap because they don't come in contact with the sac. So your pen could fall under the "normal considering the age" category.

Regarding the blind cap not lining up:

Now this one is more suspicious. Usually the blind cap lines up perfectly. Unless the barrel celluoid has shrunk a bit, that can cause the thread to be slightly skewed. So in this regard, your pen may have a non-matching barrel to begin with. "May" being a keyword here without a true confirmation from previous owner(s).

Regarding the nib:

There is a crack going down from the breather hole to the section. This kind of crack is not uncommon on heavily used nibs, and I've seen a lot on especially Parker nibs. It also usually means that the nib is a goner.
The cost to properly repair the crack would exceed the value of the nib itself (plus the pen, really). And without the crack being repaired, no matter how good the tines could be lined up, if you use the pen to write often and in long session, the crack will grow to the point where the tines would be too spread out to lay down ink on paper. To continue using the pen, you have to find a suitable replacement for the nib.

[amk]

The way to repair a nib crack is shown in the Marhsall & Oldfield repair book (https://www.fountainpenhospital.com/Index_Showcase.asp?BOD=/books/books.asp). You need gold solder. Basically you melt the gold solder to fill the crack. Dodgy, because you have to heat the nib just enough for the solder to spread while not heating it so much you melt it...

Now the really bad news. I bought a piece of gold solder about 5cm long and 1 cm wide, a few years ago. It cost well over £50. I haven't actually got round to fixing anything with it. For the price of the solder, you can get a new nib, I reckon.

But don't chuck the nib or have it melted; send it here! :-)

[Linkinyeah]

In case anyone was interested, this Parker Junior is now for sale as parts in the For Sale section.

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