Snorkel air leak fixed

[FredRydr]

I have a Snorkel that was no longer drawing much ink, so I replaced the section seal, the barrel o-ring and a sac that looked recent. The seal and the o-ring looked original, despite the seller claiming the pen was "restored" (just by replacing the sac!). When I reassembled and lubed, the pen could hardly push out a bubble or draw a drop. My new sac was not at fault. Silicon grease was in place on the section/snorkel seal and the o-ring, but the barrel was not airtight. I removed the knob, applied a lick of grease on the top square part of the tube and replaced the knob. Now the pneumatic filler works. I wonder if part of servicing Sheaffer used to apply something to that area of the tube.

[Chrissy]

I know it's not the same pen, but I have applied a little silicone grease to the tube inside my Sheaffer Legacy mark 1.

[controlsfreak]

Original Snorkels have a rubber washer on the screw securing the knob to the touchdown tube for this very reason. The washer goes in the knob prior to assembly to make a seal with the top of the tube.

[FredRydr]

Chrissy, the tube was lubed behind the section seal to avoid getting any in the ink passage.

Stacy, that washer is in place and I never gave it much thought. I wonder if those 65-year-old rubber washers should be replaced routinely with the other three rubber parts.

[Chrissy]

That washer is in place and I never gave it much thought. I wonder if those 65-year-old rubber washers should be replaced routinely with the other three rubber parts.
I think that The Pendragons include that washer in their Touchdown and Snorkel repair kits. When I bought a kit for a Touchdown I'm sure I replaced it. :)

[Ron Z]

Sometimes the blind cap seal doesn't work as well as it should, so needs to be replaced. If you have a punch, you can make a nice looking one from a piece of a trimmed sac. Sometimes I find that I need to stack two of the washers.

Some of the earlier TD pens had the rubber washer inside the TD tube, and a lock ring between tube and blind cap. I change that, tossing the locking ring and putting the rubber washer between TD tube and blind cap as Sheaffer did with Imperials, TM TD pens and snorkels. It works better.