Restoring a small Parker Vacumatic

[Chrissy]

If I might just ask what might sound like a silly question though? When your knock out block is almost 4" long do the nibs and feeds always drop straight through and out of the bottom or can they get stuck in the middle somewhere?

[Farmboy]

Farmboy, could you possibly expand on this (I'm learning much here). To my eye Filler B's threads look kaput - is that what you mean? And typical rot for Filler A? Would that be the damage to the lockdown notches? Or what appears to be the split just beneath the brass cap? Or both?

It's easy for us old hands at d.i.y., with workshops full of kit, but there are folk here who will not be so fortunate - attached is one of two I've made recently - not particularly posh, but solid and adequate, and I always face the top with metal. This one is about 3.3/4" tall.

It's going to pain me all day that your workshop full of kit doesn't include either round head screws or a countersink, Paul!

The lockdown fillers suffer from split tubes resulting in the crowns flying off due to spring tension. They suffer from damage to the notch resulting in fillers that don't stay locked--often due to twisting. You want to push down slightly then twist to release so the blade doesn't ride on the catch and wear it down. Removal in the down position may also play a role. Then there is the pitting and the rot. The corrosive ink ate the aluminum. Often they will be eaten when you open them up.


The threads on the B jam nut look fine. The issue is the tube. Notice how it is stuck partly depressed. Often the tube on these gets crushed and will not slide freely or they get corroded and fused to the nut. I've seen these get crushed during removal by well intended repair efforts.

On getting the stuck filler out. Lots of things to try. Pulling is not one of them. The filler tubes are think and fragile. Remember Parker had an infinite supply of them so they just got ripped out and replaced, I'm not so lucky. The dried sac will hold the ferrule to the barrel. You don't want to simply pound on the inside with a rod because that will damage the end of the filler where pellet goes and damage the slot where the retainer shim is. You want a tube that presses on the ferrule. Water isn't a great idea, some springs are carbon steel and rust, there is or should be a fiber washer inside the tube at the end and it will swell when it gets wet and can damage the tube. Try lighter fluid to loosen things. Pen Potion unstick also works.

Todd

[Farmboy]

If I might just ask what might sound like a silly question though? When your knock out block is almost 4" long do the nibs and feeds always drop straight through and out of the bottom or can they get stuck in the middle somewhere?

Size matters...

[PaulS]

Assuming it's only the nib and feed that are being removed, then something around three inches in height is adequate for a block - no idea now why I made this one taller - but the answer is that the extra height won't impede the feed/nib, but could be useful if there was a section with a fixed breather tube. I forget now, but assume these Vacs. have removable tubes.
I notice that 'The Pen Practice' sell knocking blocks with a wooden top only - having a metal plate on top makes for more accurate holes, perhaps - and the cavity below is often a tad wider than the top hole anyway - so no problem - but the 'tunnels' must be true and straight of course.

Drilling holes into hardwood isn't difficult, but the block needs to be captive whilst this is done, and obviously the end result is more accurate if a pillar drill is used, rather than freehand.

[grainweevil]

Farmboy, could you possibly expand on this (I'm learning much here). To my eye Filler B's threads look kaput - is that what you mean? And typical rot for Filler A? Would that be the damage to the lockdown notches? Or what appears to be the split just beneath the brass cap? Or both?

It's easy for us old hands at d.i.y., with workshops full of kit, but there are folk here who will not be so fortunate - attached is one of two I've made recently - not particularly posh, but solid and adequate, and I always face the top with metal. This one is about 3.3/4" tall.

It's going to pain me all day that your workshop full of kit doesn't include either round head screws or a countersink, Paul!

The lockdown fillers suffer from split tubes resulting in the crowns flying off due to spring tension. They suffer from damage to the notch resulting in fillers that don't stay locked--often due to twisting. You want to push down slightly then twist to release so the blade doesn't ride on the catch and wear it down. Removal in the down position may also play a role. Then there is the pitting and the rot. The corrosive ink ate the aluminum. Often they will be eaten when you open them up.

The threads on the B jam nut look fine. The issue is the tube. Notice how it is stuck partly depressed. Often the tube on these gets crushed and will not slide freely or they get corroded and fused to the nut. I've seen these get crushed during removal by well intended repair efforts.

On getting the stuck filler out. Lots of things to try. Pulling is not one of them. The filler tubes are think and fragile. Remember Parker had an infinite supply of them so they just got ripped out and replaced, I'm not so lucky. The dried sac will hold the ferrule to the barrel. You don't want to simply pound on the inside with a rod because that will damage the end of the filler where pellet goes and damage the slot where the retainer shim is. You want a tube that presses on the ferrule. Water isn't a great idea, some springs are carbon steel and rust, there is or should be a fiber washer inside the tube at the end and it will swell when it gets wet and can damage the tube. Try lighter fluid to loosen things. Pen Potion unstick also works.

Todd

Todd, thank you so much for sharing that knowledge; I'm very much obliged. Not sure I'd have caught the partially depressed tube in a million years.

[Chrissy]

The lockdown fillers suffer from split tubes resulting in the crowns flying off due to spring tension. They suffer from damage to the notch resulting in fillers that don't stay locked--often due to twisting. You want to push down slightly then twist to release so the blade doesn't ride on the catch and wear it down. Removal in the down position may also play a role. Then there is the pitting and the rot. The corrosive ink ate the aluminum. Often they will be eaten when you open them up.


The threads on the B jam nut look fine. The issue is the tube. Notice how it is stuck partly depressed. Often the tube on these gets crushed and will not slide freely or they get corroded and fused to the nut. I've seen these get crushed during removal by well intended repair efforts.

On getting the stuck filler out. Lots of things to try. Pulling is not one of them. The filler tubes are think and fragile. Remember Parker had an infinite supply of them so they just got ripped out and replaced, I'm not so lucky. The dried sac will hold the ferrule to the barrel. You don't want to simply pound on the inside with a rod because that will damage the end of the filler where pellet goes and damage the slot where the retainer shim is. You want a tube that presses on the ferrule. Water isn't a great idea, some springs are carbon steel and rust, there is or should be a fiber washer inside the tube at the end and it will swell when it gets wet and can damage the tube. Try lighter fluid to loosen things. Pen Potion unstick also works.

Todd

Thanks Todd. I'm beginning to think I won't bother attempting it.

[PaulS]

this particular nib block was made for a regular member of the pen forums (fora just doesn't sound right), but it's apparently not now required - so if anyone cares to pay me the postage they're welcome to have it, although I will have to restrict to a U.K. destination. Trouble is how do I make it fair if more than one person wants it?? Suggestions please.

[Chrissy]

this particular nib block was made for a regular member of the pen forums (fora just doesn't sound right), but it's apparently not now required - so if anyone cares to pay me the postage they're welcome to have it, although I will have to restrict to a U.K. destination. Trouble is how do I make it fair if more than one person wants it?? Suggestions please.

You should advertise it in the sales forum as something you want to sell for the value of it's postage.

[migo984]

this particular nib block was made for a regular member of the pen forums (fora just doesn't sound right), but it's apparently not now required - so if anyone cares to pay me the postage they're welcome to have it, although I will have to restrict to a U.K. destination. Trouble is how do I make it fair if more than one person wants it?? Suggestions please.

Perhaps offer it in the Pay It Foward section here on FPG, and if more than one person wants it you could select the "winning" recipient's name at random, using whatever is your preferred method.

[Hawk]

nope - he's gone out to the workshop to sulk - he feels abused - persecuted - and in no way appreciated............... and anyway if people didn't keep picking on him he wouldn't be paranoid. only joking folks.

looking again at that particular block those screws do have countersunk heads.......... my mistake was to forget to countersink the steel plate - probably rushing as usual, and not doing the job properly. So, for the more picky members of the audience............... see attached...
This is possibly the sort of thing the op might be able to use.

Much better....

[PaulS]

thanks for the suggestions regarding disposal - I shall cogitate over the coming days

[grainweevil]

Trouble is how do I make it fair if more than one person wants it?? Suggestions please.

Surely a gentleman such as yourself has a hat?

[PaulS]

In my earlier reference to the nib blocks sold by Laurence Oldfield (The Pen Practice), I should have added that the price for those is only £15, which is remarkably good value when you consider two drifts are included - one hollow for breather tube use, and the other solid. Admittedly this is really only of interest to folk in the U.K., but having made one or two blocks I'm aware of the time and effort required, which makes this price all the more remarkable. Mr. Oldfield describes his piece of kit as a 'Nib Section Knock Block' - not perhaps a mouthful you'd want to say after a few sherbets. Think I prefer 'nib block'.

quote from grainweevil ......... "Surely a gentleman such as yourself has a hat?" .... in fact I don't, although assume you are implying the age old method of 'drawing from a hat'.

In fact I'm still hoping to resolve this matter in its original form, but am struggling to find a way to do this - I'm at a loss, and need some help, please.

[Chrissy]

In my earlier reference to the nib blocks sold by Laurence Oldfield (The Pen Practice), I should have added that the price for those is only £15, which is remarkably good value when you consider two drifts are included - one hollow for breather tube use, and the other solid. Admittedly this is really only of interest to folk in the U.K., but having made one or two blocks I'm aware of the time and effort required, which makes this price all the more remarkable. Mr. Oldfield describes his piece of kit as a 'Nib Section Knock Block' - not perhaps a mouthful you'd want to say after a few sherbets. Think I prefer 'nib block'.

quote from grainweevil ......... "Surely a gentleman such as yourself has a hat?" .... in fact I don't, although assume you are implying the age old method of 'drawing from a hat'.

In fact I'm still hoping to resolve this matter in its original form, but am struggling to find a way to do this - I'm at a loss, and need some help, please.

Thank you for the tip about The Pen Practice 'Nib Section Knock Block.' You are right, it does sound like a very reasonable price, and I wouldn't mind paying that price for one which included the two drifts that you mention. I will investigate further

In order to be fair to everyone, since you're asking to be paid for the postage, you should resolve your sale in the For Sale forum, where everyone can see it. Alternatively, you could give it away in the PIF forum, where 'PIFers' often use a random number generator to pick a number. Those are your two outlet possibilities. Not this thread. Not everyone who potentially wants a nib knock out block will be reading this thread.

[PaulS]

gosh - these alternatives sound complicated - more so for an old pensioner like me. I mentioned it here since this was where my images were posted and I had hoped to resolve the matter differently. My mention of the postage was really only because I assumed some folk might prefer to make a contribution toward the item rather than have a total freebie - but that was my opinion only.
In view of the larger size of this block I will probably keep for the time being in case I find a pen with an extra long feed.
Alternatively, perhaps I should start up my own block making business, and go into competition with The Pen Practice, and undercut Laurence by 10%

[ac12]

Chrissy,

Do not use a dowel. The wood will absorb some of the impact from the hammer, and require you to hit harder. I tried a wood dowel once, it did not work. Then I switched to metal punches.

For the knockout block. I prefer a piece of hard wood about 3/4 inch thick supported on 2 ends, like a tiny table. That way there is nothing to snag the nib on, it just falls free.
Although, I have had a couple times where the feed was knocked out, but the nib was still in the section. With the feed out, it was relatively easy to wiggle the nib out of the section.

To remove the filler. I used dry heat on the pens where I could not unscrew the filler. With heat, I was able to unscrew all but 1 of the stuck fillers.

As for removing a stuck filler, I made 2 of the tools that Richard Binder recommends. I went to the local hobby store and bought the brass tubes of the specified diameter. Then at home cut them to length. And they do work. But to use them, you need to
1) unscrew the filler, then
2) remove the section, then
3) remove the remnants of the diaphram as best as you can
4) select the correct tool for the model of Vac that you are working on
5) insert and position the tube, then push the inner tube.

gud luk

[Chrissy]

Chrissy,

Do not use a dowel. The wood will absorb some of the impact from the hammer, and require you to hit harder. I tried a wood dowel once, it did not work. Then I switched to metal punches.

For the knockout block. I prefer a piece of hard wood about 3/4 inch thick supported on 2 ends, like a tiny table. That way there is nothing to snag the nib on, it just falls free.
Although, I have had a couple times where the feed was knocked out, but the nib was still in the section. With the feed out, it was relatively easy to wiggle the nib out of the section.

To remove the filler. I used dry heat on the pens where I could not unscrew the filler. With heat, I was able to unscrew all but 1 of the stuck fillers.

As for removing a stuck filler, I made 2 of the tools that Richard Binder recommends. I went to the local hobby store and bought the brass tubes of the specified diameter. Then at home cut them to length. And they do work. But to use them, you need to
1) unscrew the filler, then
2) remove the section, then
3) remove the remnants of the diaphram as best as you can
4) select the correct tool for the model of Vac that you are working on
5) insert and position the tube, then push the inner tube.

gud luk

Thank you for your great advice. I already have a simple filler screw tool for the 51 vacumatic, when I restored one, and I'm not sure if it will fit this small vacumatic. The screw thread looked quite small at first glance. If it won't fit then I think I may as well pay to get the pen restored, because buying the additional tools I might need to fix it would cost more.

I'm happy to get a knock out block, because I'm sure I will use it. I saw the small one that fits on top of some sort of a cup, and it looked like that simple idea might work quite well. I'm sure that even I could manage to get the right sized drill bit and drill a hole in a piece of wood. However, it now looks like the nib and feed of this vacumatic might not necessarily need removing. Instead, I might need something additional to remove the filler unit, that I didn't need last time.

I'm not in the US where there are hobby stores that might sell these tubes, although I will be soon. If they are available in Hobby Lobby, and they aren't expensive, I will consider that possibility when I get there.

I didn't realise my friend hadn't bought the pen yet from the original owner. I'm waiting for her to come back to me with it.