First Snorkel Repair: Help!

[Sailor Kenshin]

This was a blue Sheaffer Snorkel (I don't know the model) that arrived here, with an open nib and the body in pretty good shape, but the snorkel stuck out.

Actually, Snorks scare me. So DH did the heavy lifting. He disassembled the pen, cleaned it, and put it back together today using some new parts. But the scary part sticks out a bit. I asked him to frame the questions, so here they are:

"This was my first attempt at a Snorkel repair. This Snorkel has an open nib and it took me a lot of fiddling with the nib and feed position in the collar to get the nib aligned with the longitudinal slit on the end of the Snorkel Tube (as per Richard Binder’s instructions).

The pictures below show the nib and feed with the Snorkel tube fully retracted, It sticks out about 1 mm from the feed.

My questions are:
- Is is normal for a retracted Snorkel Tube to stick out this much?

- Do the nib and feed look properly positioned relative to each other?

- If everything else works, should I just leave well enough alone?




Thanks in advance for your help."

[Chrissy]

Disclaimer: I have only ever had one snorkel, and I sold it, so I'm going on memory.

The tube doesn't look right at all to me. The end that's meant to fit into the hole in the feed should be angled so that it fits the line of the feed and sits flush with it. What does the other end of the tube look like? If both ends are the same then I could be wrong and I hope someone else will come on and help you.

Snorkel Tube pic

Snorkel Tube pics

[Jon Szanto]

The tube doesn't look right at all to me. The end that's meant to fit into the hole in the feed should be angled so that it fits the line of the feed and sits flush with it. What does the other end of the tube look like? If both ends are the same then I could be wrong and I hope someone else will come on and help you.

AFAIK, the tubes for conical nib Snorkels were beveled, and the tubes for the open nib Snorkels were flat (as in the OP's model). I can't at the moment say whether the entire tube should be retracted within the section, though I believe so. There is also a slit in the end of the tube that must be oriented properly. I would suggest another perusal of Richard Binders page on Snorkel repair.

[Chrissy]

Thanks Jon, I see the difference. My only Snorkel had a conical nib.

[FredRydr]

First, make sure the barrel is fully threaded onto the section before your next attempt to screw the snorkel back in. If it is not, you will be unable to turn the knob further even though the snorkel is not fully retracted.

Fred

[PaulS]

would agree with Jon that the conical nib tubes have the bevelled front end - this should mean that you can't go wrong when positioning the slit, but obviously more care needed when positioning the tube on open nibs.

[Sailor Kenshin]

After some adjustment...It works, sorta.



The tines are slightly misaligned, but I am not confident of realigning them. So it writes, but it's somewhat scratchy.

Many thanks, one and all. On to Snork # 2.

[PaulS]

looks a good result. Modern conical/wrap around Sheaffer nibs, in the main, are stiff - some of the open ones offer a little flex. You could try finger nail or feeler guage to make small re-alignment of tines, and books recommend writing on Arkansas stone or similar to help smooth the tip material.
Presumably you've replaced the barrel O-ring seal.

[RayCornett]

The Snorkel is my favorite filling system. The flat ended tube should indeed be flush with the opening, as should the taper tube version. I second Paul's fingernail suggestion only if the previous owner did not glue the tube in place. Another possible cause for a tube not fully retracting is that the plating has worn off of some or all of the threading of the pllunger tube that the blind cap is attached to. I didn't know about this myself until someone more experienced than I mentioned it. If this is the case it is an easy fix which only costs a few bucks for the new part.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Thanks. Clearly, the open nib model needs more work.

This could get to be a habit. We just did the second Snork! This one writes beautifully, but I am confused by the color differences between trim and nib. Is it a Frankenpen, or is the silver/gold commonplace?

[Jon Szanto]

That is a Valiant cap, which should be paired with a two-tone nib (hard to tell in the photo). If the nib is completely silver, it is a PdAg nib, and therefore Frankenpenned (to the best of my knowledge). The nib should be marked at the base of the underside with a code. I think you'll find Binders' Snorkel page handy.

(Mike saved my bacon below, he's got the right ID)

[Chrissy]

looks a good result. Modern conical/wrap around Sheaffer nibs, in the main, are stiff - some of the open ones offer a little flex. You could try finger nail or feeler guage to make small re-alignment of tines, and books recommend writing on Arkansas stone or similar to help smooth the tip material.
Presumably you've replaced the barrel O-ring seal.

I would never write on an Arkansas stone with a nib. I think it would wear nib tipping away really quickly. I only ever use Richard Binders nib smoothing multi side tool or a 12,000 micro mesh pad for smoothing tipping material, and even then not very much. An Arkansas stone is used for grinding nibs to a different profile.

[Sailor Kenshin]

That is a Valiant cap, which should be paired with a two-tone nib (hard to tell in the photo). If the nib is completely silver, it is a PdAg nib, and therefore Frankenpenned (to the best of my knowledge). The nib should be marked at the base of the underside with a code. I think you'll find Binders' Snorkel page handy.

Oooo...the nib is silvertoned and has no markings other than the Sheaffer's on the topside. Peering at the Binder page now.

[mhosea]

That is a Valiant cap, which should be paired with a two-tone nib (hard to tell in the photo). If the nib is completely silver, it is a PdAg nib, and therefore Frankenpenned (to the best of my knowledge). The nib should be marked at the base of the underside with a code. I think you'll find Binders' Snorkel page handy.

Statesman == white dot plastic cap with PdAg Triumph nib.

[Jon Szanto]

That is a Valiant cap, which should be paired with a two-tone nib (hard to tell in the photo). If the nib is completely silver, it is a PdAg nib, and therefore Frankenpenned (to the best of my knowledge). The nib should be marked at the base of the underside with a code. I think you'll find Binders' Snorkel page handy.

Statesman == white dot plastic cap with PdAg Triumph nib.

I believe Mike is right, jumped to a quick conclusion. Thanks, Mike!

[PaulS]

hello Chris - I'd agree that prolonged scribbling on an Arkansas stone would be detrimental to most things, and I was in fact only quoting from the Oldfield & Marshall 'Pen Manual' - have to say that I've not tried this particular stone myself. The authors wording reads.......... "Arkansas natural stone (obtainable from woodcarver's suppliers) is ideal for final smoothing." - page 236.
I have tried some very fine wet and dry paper, but need to practice more, as my results were not very much of an improvement.

[mhosea]

Bottom line on top: A sufficiently fine stone can be used for smoothing, but it's probably the last thing a beginner should consider using.

If we're talking about a circa 1000 grit stone, that, at least, is going to remove material very slowly and could be used for smoothing. What I use a 1000 grit stone for is removing "baby's bottom", not for smoothing. The principal strength of the stone for removing that aberration is also its principal weakness for final smoothing: a stone is flat and unyielding. This magnifies the need for good technique--the tip must be twisted and turned constantly and at different angles and held in contact with the stone without pressing. Otherwise the end result would be a sort of faceted tip, or worse, the big, sad flat spot that is too often seen on pens that at some point met with well-meaning but tragically inexperienced owners. The thing is, once you have done enough nibs to have the requisite technique down, you've probably moved on to using more ideal smoothing materials. A long time ago, I did try to use that same 1000 grit stone for smoothing. Nowadays, I can't imagine wanting to. Note that even with the right technique, you may create a sharp edge at the slit. This "corner" has to be dulled a tiny bit before you are done, else the nib will be toothy side-to-side. Most people probably feel that but don't know what is going on and just keep "smoothing" to no avail.

[KrazyIvan]

I've done initial grinding on a fine stone but my final smoothing is done on mylar micromesh. The stone is just to help in changing the nib geometry as in a stub or italic, final polish to a smoothness I prefer does not come out right with the stone I have.

[Chrissy]

hello Chris - I'd agree that prolonged scribbling on an Arkansas stone would be detrimental to most things, and I was in fact only quoting from the Oldfield & Marshall 'Pen Manual' - have to say that I've not tried this particular stone myself. The authors wording reads.......... "Arkansas natural stone (obtainable from woodcarver's suppliers) is ideal for final smoothing." - page 236.
I have tried some very fine wet and dry paper, but need to practice more, as my results were not very much of an improvement.

I have the book. In that sentence he's referring to nib grinding and changing tip profiles, 'reducing the point to a rounded profile'. His version of a final polish was to 'smear jeweller's rouge on a piece of paper and write over it.'
SK mentioned that his 'tines were slightly misaligned'. I wouldn't use an arkansas stone for that as it would end up making one tine smaller than the other. I would use my fingernails to realign them. My 'final polish' would be on a sponge backed emery board using the grey side that is 12,000 micro mesh

[PaulS]

hello Chris ....... all too easy to lose track of the exact context of discussion in some of these threads, when they become a little protracted, but I think my original reference to the use of Arkansas stone was in reply to Sailor Kenshin's mention of the word 'scratchy'. This made me remember the advice for 'smoothing' in the Pen repair book, If I have confused smoothing with polishing I beg your eternal forgiveness, but in the circumstances I was probably only trying to make a scratchy nib smooth

I wonder if there is a difference of wording depending on whether you have the most recent edition of the book, or perhaps an earlier one. The heading for the sentence I quoted does read....
'The Manual Method for Smoothing' .......... there isn't any reference to grinding in that para.