Leaking Vacumatic

[johnmc2]

I have recently refurbished a Parker Vacumatic which I believe to be a Debutante, with a speedline filler. As it has a personalisation, and has at some stage been fitted with a #10 nib from a 1950s English Duofold Junior, I've been using it rather than storing it.
The problem is that when I uncap it, there is a lot of ink around the section even though it has only been carried upright in my short pocket. The ink never leaks out of the cap.
The vent holes are clear. The inner cap is undamaged. The section has been minutely examined for cracks. I have used a rosin/castor oil sealant for the section threads and the vacumatic filler works fine. The breather tube is unblocked. I haven't knocked out the nib/feed.
I am at a loss. My knowledge of these pens is sketchy at best, so I'm hoping someone will spot something anomalous, or suggest a reason for the leakage.

[tandaina]

My first thought is that being carried in the pocket of your shorts us giving it quite a bumpy ride. Try it in a case in your bag, or your shirt pocket and see if that makes a difference. If I'm rough with my old pens they do leak into the cap. Carried in a case in my bag, they don't.

[mhosea]

Sounds like what is affectionately known as a "burp", in which case there wouldn't be anything wrong with the pen. The pen heats up in your pocket, air expands in the ink chamber to a higher pressure than outside the pen. Ink is pushed up into the feed. If there's enough "storage" area in the fins, you're good, but if not, the ink winds up on the end of the section where it contacts the inner cap. With modern plastic feeds (which have a lot of ink capacity), it is usually sufficient to wick the ink out of the external part of the feed after filling (cradle the feed and nib in the cloth/tissue with the pen pointed upwards). However, I'm not sure the feed on the vac deb can really handle very much ink. Still, it won't hurt to make sure that you haven't left it saturated after filling.

Pretty sure that the vent holes in the cap are a non-issue, clear or not. They should be adjacent to the section, whereas the end of the section should be pressed against the inner cap (which should have no holes).

[johnmc2]

My first thought is that being carried in the pocket of your shorts us giving it quite a bumpy ride. Try it in a case in your bag, or your shirt pocket and see if that makes a difference. If I'm rough with my old pens they do leak into the cap. Carried in a case in my bag, they don't.

Ooops I wrote "short" instead of "shirt". It's Autumn in NZ at the moment, bit cold for shorts! Thanks for the ideas

[johnmc2]

Sounds like what is affectionately known as a "burp", in which case there wouldn't be anything wrong with the pen. The pen heats up in your pocket, air expands in the ink chamber to a higher pressure than outside the pen. Ink is pushed up into the feed. If there's enough "storage" area in the fins, you're good, but if not, the ink winds up on the end of the section where it contacts the inner cap. With modern plastic feeds (which have a lot of ink capacity), it is usually sufficient to wick the ink out of the external part of the feed after filling (cradle the feed and nib in the cloth/tissue with the pen pointed upwards). However, I'm not sure the feed on the vac deb can really handle very much ink. Still, it won't hurt to make sure that you haven't left it saturated after filling.

Pretty sure that the vent holes in the cap are a non-issue, clear or not. They should be adjacent to the section, whereas the end of the section should be pressed against the inner cap (which should have no holes).

That sounds reasonable. I noticed by looking through the barrel that the breather tube sits in the ink when it is held upright. Presumably if I keep it half-full the problem will be reduced. Thanks for the ideas.

[mhosea]

Presumably if I keep it half-full the problem will be reduced. Thanks for the ideas.

Not sure of the strategy. Maybe the less air the better, which argues for keeping it full, rather.

[tnordl]

Need help finding someone in Europe that can repair but the vacumpart and adjust the nib (just slightly bent). Its two old vacumatics that I (my grandfathers). Do anyone know somebody that are good in repairing both the nib and the vacume sack part?

[davidmakey230]

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[DavidEvans]

Leaking issues in a Parker Vacumatic can be tricky, especially when all visible components seem intact. Ink buildup around the section may indicate a hidden seal issue or slight misalignment in the filler system. If you're dealing with persistent leaks, expert water leak repair techniques might offer useful insights for a fix.