Re: Sheaffer Tuckaway Conversion
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Sailor Kenshin
A long time ago, Penwash posted some info on a Sheaffer's Tuckaway conversion from vac to bulb-filler. I thought it was a great idea, as we have accumulated a handful of Triumph-nib pens, and I really wanted to try it. This winter, we FINALLY got around to it, with a five-dollar beater that has a badly cracked cap, figuring what was there to lose....
Let's hear from 'Mr. Sailor,' who did most of the work:
"I removed the blind cap from the plunger rod and then removed the section from the barrel.
I cut the inner plastic cylinder (where the plunger rides) about in half, “discarding” the plunger-rod assembly.
I fit a sac (#17 or #18) that just fit inside the remaining cylinder, leaving about 1” of the sac outside of the cylinder (and 3/8” inside the cylinder) & tested it with water. I also verified that the barrel fit properly (making sure that the sac wasn’t too long).
I shellacked the sac in place & let it dry vertically, with the nib facing up (so shellac won’t drip into the feed).
I put a small amount of silicone grease on the threads that secure the barrel to the section (so it will be easy to open it up to refill the pen by squeezing the sac.)"
It writes well! Here's the disassembled pen, the finalized version, and some scribbles:
I'm now 'fixing' the cracked cap with...nail polish. So thanks, Penwash. This was fun.
I love it. Thanks. :) In the past, I've successfully fixed a couple of cracked caps with 2 part epoxy resin...
Re: Sheaffer Tuckaway Conversion
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Sailor Kenshin
A long time ago, Penwash posted some info on a Sheaffer's Tuckaway conversion from vac to bulb-filler. I thought it was a great idea, as we have accumulated a handful of Triumph-nib pens, and I really wanted to try it. This winter, we FINALLY got around to it, with a five-dollar beater that has a badly cracked cap, figuring what was there to lose....
...
I'm now 'fixing' the cracked cap with...nail polish. So thanks, Penwash. This was fun.
You are very welcome! Gosh, I still have the converted Tucky (actually two). And from time to time I had to lube the one I restored "properly", while the converted one just chugs along refill after refill. :)
2 Attachment(s)
Re: Sheaffer Tuckaway Conversion
I stumbled across this thread last week, right after I had bought this old Tuckaway on Ebay for next to nothing. It arrived missing the entire touchdown system, so with this thread as inspiration, I simply shellac'd the sac in place and have been using it as a bulb filler, and it is great! Thanks so much for this idea!Attachment 46735Attachment 46736
Re: Sheaffer Tuckaway Conversion
Since this thread has been resurrected, I'll chime in.
1 - Golden Spade: That 1949 Tucky of yours, Sailor Kenshin, is a Statesman with what my friend Paul likes to call a Golden Spade. It's a nib the same size as the #6 nibs used in the Sheaffer Balance Premiers. I love the way it looks on a little Tuckaway. To my mind, though perfectly workable as you have it, that one is worth finding a Touchdown tube and sac protector.
2 - Cleaning: Harkening back to the origins of this thread, I restore Sheaffer Vacuum-fil pens so I'm about as purist as they come. Though I don't begrudge Will's ghetto solution to restoring his Vac with a sac.
What I do bristle at is the assertion that any sac filling pen is easier to clean than a vacuum filler. If the vac is properly restored, I believe the only easier pen to clean is an eye dropper that you can swab out. Fill and flush a good working vacuum-fil pen a few times with clear water and you're good to go. No endless cycling of a lever trying to get all the air bubbles out of the sac. Or worse, tilting and finagling the air out of bulb filler. Gah. Don't even get me started on cleaning a Vacumatic or a piston.
End rant. Back to your regularly scheduled distractions.
[edit: grammar]
Re: Sheaffer Tuckaway Conversion
Mine cost $5, had a San Andreas Fault in the cap, and lots of brassing, so we thought, "Why not convert it?"