Parker 21 dripping onto page

[azkid]

If I am not careful and jar my "21" (even slightly) it will sometimes drop a big blob of ink onto the page.

No other hooded pen I have is as prone to dripping (51, 45, Pilot Elite, MB 221, etc).

Is this normal for a 21??

If not what could the cause be?

[Elim]

Nope, The quick diagnosis is you have air entering the system at some opoint it's not supposed to be.

The source can be one or a combination of several. In no specific order. crack in the hood, poorly sealed hood, sac pin hole. poorly set nib/feed.



Start with is there a crack in the shell/hood? replace it, ebay is your friend.

Speakig of the shell/hood. can you unscrew it with finger pressure? Yes? You shouldn't be able to. Shellac it down and done. (give it a good cleaning while it's off)

pin hole in the sac? how to find out? rubber bulb syringe cut off and placed over the shell/hood air tight like. submerge in water, squeeze. any air bubbles or ink jets?? bobs yer uncle & thereyago.

[Chrissy]

I have only one Parker 51 and it's shell/hood has no shellac sealing it on. In the unusual event that I use the pen, the shell gets removed occasionally so that I can clean out the collector more thoroughly. :)

However, despite having no shellac, it has never dropped a blob of ink on a page whether I have nudged it or knocked it while writing. Nor does it get ink in the cap while it's knocking around in my pen pot or on my table. :(

Therefore, with respect to Elim, I doubt that is the cause of your problem. If you don't want your shell sealed on with shellac, I don't think it's 100% essential. :)

[azkid]

I managed to unscrew the hood and pull the feed and nib. I believe I read that some kind of rosin is used as an adhesive.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181105/52445928e1f0d119cbb0bc8e21d12422.jpg
The sac has been holding a vacuum for several minutes so I don't think that is an issue. But it is filthy so I may yet replace it.

Could the breather tube be an issue? It seems a bit loose-fitting. Could it have shrunk a little in the last 70 years? Perhaps ink is getting into the breather channel resulting in strange behavior?

Side note: looks like the nib dates to 1Q 1952? (I see 3 dots around the 52)

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181105/aa7ef89d676b24920fe9733ceb7e31bd.jpg

[azkid]

Good news! After replacing the original plastic breather with a stainless steel tube and sealing it to the section with shellac, the pen is, so far, behaving normally. It is like a totally different pen.

It was even writing a bit dry with Quink Black, a medium-wet ink. Before, Quink was unusable and even dry flowing Pelikan 4001 Black was flowing too much.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181105/ea39a5a00f11823b4ebddb6e78ba85f2.jpg
Turns out the nib is a fine not a medium or bold :)
And I no longer see pools of ink collecting in the hood around the nib opening even after several minutes of writing.

I will keep testing and keep my fingers crossed.

[KrazyIvan]

Where did you get the replacement breather tube?

[azkid]

I happened to have some 2mm stainless steel tubing I bought for repairing a watch. I had to hand fit it.

I have had a little ink pooling in the hood on one occasion yesterday. It wasn't as bad as before and it went away. The pen continues to write with correct ink flow and I think the accidental blobs of ink are solved. I will keep using and monitoring it.

[Chrissy]

It sounds like a great idea that worked like a charm. :) Good job. :thumb: