Parker 51 vacumatic ink capacity

[Bananabender]

For the last three days I have been using the vacumatic with Waterman intense black and have found it an absolute
delight. No burps ,writes immediately with a continuous even flow even after the cap being left off for extended periods.
I would class the nib as F or even EF and stiff. The diameter is perfect for my hand.
However I was surprised at how little it seemed to hold compared to say a size 17 ink sack pen let alone a piston pen
OR am I not filling it correctly. I press the plunger down about five times .
I should mention that it never actually ran out whilst using however when I pressed the plunger to empty nothing came out. When cleaning with fresh water the volume coming out was less than above. I read somewhere that the
ink stores in the ‘collector’ would this hold back ink/water when emptying?
For the amount of writing I do these days its not an issue but as I have a new sack on the way would it make a difference.
Thanks
Edit:
Just came across below which says ,for black band hold plunger DOWN on tenth stroke BEFORE lifing out of ink.
I’ll give it a try.57108

[guyy]

I press down maybe 20 times. Just to be sure.

The 51 is great, the vac filler is not.

[Bananabender]

Thanks guyy, now I know.

[RobJohnson]

One expert pen repairer used to say that anything more than 6 drops of ink from a fulll Vac was just a bonus.

[Bananabender]

One expert pen repairer used to say that anything more than 6 drops of ink from a fulll Vac was just a bonus.

I get the idea. Thanks

[proteus]

I believe that you will find that the reasons your P51 Vac will not fill is one of too things or both.

The collector / feed is blocked ( remove the hood and clean out the old solidified ink from the collector and feed )

Or the filler / sac are not functioning correctly ( If your filler has spring and works correctly, replace the sac )

Most correctly functioning P51 vac should hold at very least the equivalent of a modern Parker mini ( 1/2 size ) cartridge.

If it were my pen I would start with removing the hood as above.

Good luck.


nb - I did not know that bananas grew straight and had to be bend before they could be sold...........

[Bananabender]

I believe that you will find that the reasons your P51 Vac will not fill is one of too things or both.

The collector / feed is blocked ( remove the hood and clean out the old solidified ink from the collector and feed )

Or the filler / sac are not functioning correctly ( If your filler has spring and works correctly, replace the sac )

Most correctly functioning P51 vac should hold at very least the equivalent of a modern Parker mini ( 1/2 size ) cartridge.

If it were my pen I would start with removing the hood as above.

Good luck.


nb - I did not know that bananas grew straight and had to be bend before they could be sold...........
Hi proteus,Prior to filling I had totally stripped the hood, nib , feed ,collector, breather and thoroughly cleaned . The spring works fine. So its a new sack.
One other question. In reassembling I used a small amount of shellac in attaching the hood but not when attaching the barrel. Is that correct?
Ah yes, bending a banana to the correct angle whilst up a ladder is a dying art.

[azkid]

I was told to use rosin thread sealant for fountain pens when assembling my Vacumatic section and barrel.

[Farmboy]

No goop of any kind on the filler threads.

I’m not clear on this; did you replace the diaphragm?

[Bananabender]

No goop of any kind on the filler threads.

I’m not clear on this; did you replace the diaphragm?

No. I have not attempted to take out the pump as the new diaphragm is yet to arrive from the UK.
However after cleaning ,ultrasonic, the existing one seems ok .Probably not though after reading above.
I re stripped and re cleaned feed ,collector . It was a worthy exercise as I worked out how the ink is actually sucked up through the breather. Had a eureka moment when I saw what I thought was dried ink in groove only to discover once dislodged it is a rubber grommet to expand section once in barrel. See photo. Funny I have not seen such in all the photos , utubes I have watched. Promptly lost it so fashioned another. I have not used any glue in reassembly. I refilled with Parker Quink and best I could get was 8/9 drops
57130

[proteus]

Personally I would recommend using shellac to seal the collector to the barrel and the hood to the barrel screw section.
Very very small amounts to both.

I found two two videos on Youtube about replacing P51Vac diaphragms, I would highly recommend both of them.

Both by Glenn Atkins ( www.triumphvintagepens.com )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9OknxjkEYA&feature=emb_rel_pause

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PY25R-XhsQ

There also a number of his other videos that are worth watching before tackling restoration jobs.

[proteus]

An addendum to the above reply.

I saw this net image of some very tired ones

It would appear they do not last very well..........

[Bananabender]

Excellent videos and advice proteus thank you.
Seems the piston might be a challenge . How does that Latin quote go again “you will never know unless you have a go” ha.
Not sure how but they also led me to this site https://www.penpractice.com/index.html.
regarding tools.

[jar]

To see how much ink your pen might hold, weigh it empty and again filled. the difference in weight in grams = the volume in cc. 1g ink = 1cc of ink.

[Farmboy]

I’ve not heard anything indicating shellac should be used on the collector to secure it in the barrel.

[Farmboy]

Parker made a test gauge for determining a 51 fully filled. It seems to hold between 1.4 and 1.6 ml based on my conversion from Parker units. Some certainly fill more and some a little less.

Parker indicated that the pen should be spun empty and filled and ink take up not spit out was to be measured via the fill gauge which looks like a little graduated vial.

[proteus]

Mr Bananabender

Now I am rather impressed

non scire nisi vos have a ire

( you will never know unless you have a go )

Perhaps - si non probas numquam succeed


As always my thanks to Farmboy for the comments and information

' Parker made a test gauge for determining a 51 fully filled. It seems to hold between 1.4 and 1.6 ml based on my conversion from Parker units.'

[Bananabender]

Ha, I’m a bit of a tragic even though I have forgotten most .
For a laugh ,bit naughty.
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