Parker 51 aerometric shell crack
MatthewK
only been filled two or three times since I've had it and I've
been pretty gentle with it. This last time I after filling it I
notice a few days later ink all over my fingers...I looked for
the problem and found the shell was loose. On further
inspection it is cracked.
It looks like I can purchase a replacement for $10 dollars
and/or try to fix the crack with glue or nail polish.
Do new shells need to be heat-set or can I avoid that?
matthew
Tom Pike
Not sure exactly what you intended to mean by "heat set", but
generally a replacement hood is the right way to go for hood cracks.
At $10, they're hard to beat. Seal the threads with a rosin-based
sealant or shellac if you know how to use heat to get it back apart
again.
If you decide to go the glue route, Tenax-7R is the right stuff for
tight hairlines in that kind of plastic. Just get the crack really
clean and dry first. Sometimes, a coat of thin epoxy applied inside
the hood will help keep things stable. This is quite an investment
compared to a $10 replacement hood that's really a better fix.
Hope this helps!
Cheers,
Tom
MatthewK
> On Jul 2, 8:26 pm, MatthewK <Matth...@letterboxes.xx.org> wrote:
>> My 51 developed a cracked shell and I'm not sure how. It has
>> only been filled two or three times since I've had it and I've
>> been pretty gentle with it. This last time I after filling it I
>> notice a few days later ink all over my fingers...I looked for
>> the problem and found the shell was loose. On further
>> inspection it is cracked.
>>
>> It looks like I can purchase a replacement for $10 dollars
>> and/or try to fix the crack with glue or nail polish.
>>
>> Do new shells need to be heat-set or can I avoid that?
>>
>
> generally a replacement hood is the right way to go for hood cracks.
> At $10, they're hard to beat. Seal the threads with a rosin-based
> sealant or shellac if you know how to use heat to get it back apart
> again.
Thanks, I'm only vaguely familar with heat setting but it
allows a tighter fit. I think I will just buy the replacement;
I posted here for a second opinion.
>
> If you decide to go the glue route, Tenax-7R is the right stuff for
> tight hairlines in that kind of plastic. Just get the crack really
> clean and dry first. Sometimes, a coat of thin epoxy applied inside
> the hood will help keep things stable. This is quite an investment
> compared to a $10 replacement hood that's really a better fix.
>
I was thinking of super-glue in applied and then vaccum
pressure the whole thing. I think I still have my brake bleeder
around.
thanks,
matthew
Brian Ketterling
MatthewK <Matt...@letterboxes.xx.org> wrote:
> On 2008-07-03, Tom Pike <lead...@comcast.net> wrote:
>>
>> If you decide to go the glue route, Tenax-7R is the right stuff for
>> tight hairlines in that kind of plastic. Just get the crack really
>> clean and dry first...
>>
>
> I was thinking of super-glue in applied and then vaccum
> pressure the whole thing. I think I still have my brake bleeder
> around.
Tenax-7R, or another solvent cement for acrylic, would be the right thing to
use -- it'll fuse the material back together. Super glue gradually falls
apart when wet.
BTW, along with cleaning, make sure you have good ventilation! Methylene
chloride is very effective at fusing acrylic, but it's also nasty stuff.
Brian
--
MatthewK
Okey, thanks for that. You saved me a lot of trouble.
matthew
Vincent Fatica
wrote:
>> Not sure exactly what you intended to mean by "heat set", but
>> generally a replacement hood is the right way to go for hood cracks.
>> At $10, they're hard to beat. Seal the threads with a rosin-based
>> sealant or shellac if you know how to use heat to get it back apart
>> again.
>
>Thanks, I'm only vaguely familar with heat setting but it
>allows a tighter fit. I think I will just buy the replacement;
>I posted here for a second opinion.
Replacement or not, the threads where the shell meets the filler unit need to be
sealed. Parker used a mixture of rosin and castor oil applied hot with a bent
paper clip (I use the torn end of a book match) ... stays soft for quite a
while, later softens with gentle heat. Parker used dance-floor rosin (comes
almost powdered) which may be hard to find these days. Violin bow rosin is
easier to come by but smashing it up into pieces small enough for a 1 cc bottle
can be messy.
Vincent Fatica
wrote:
>> Not sure exactly what you intended to mean by "heat set", but
>> generally a replacement hood is the right way to go for hood cracks.
>> At $10, they're hard to beat. Seal the threads with a rosin-based
>> sealant or shellac if you know how to use heat to get it back apart
>> again.
>
>Thanks, I'm only vaguely familar with heat setting but it
>allows a tighter fit. I think I will just buy the replacement;
>I posted here for a second opinion.
Replacement or not, the threads where the shell meets the filler unit need to be
Vincent Fatica
wrote:
>> Not sure exactly what you intended to mean by "heat set", but
>> generally a replacement hood is the right way to go for hood cracks.
>> At $10, they're hard to beat. Seal the threads with a rosin-based
>> sealant or shellac if you know how to use heat to get it back apart
>> again.
>
>Thanks, I'm only vaguely familar with heat setting but it
>allows a tighter fit. I think I will just buy the replacement;
>I posted here for a second opinion.
Replacement or not, the threads where the shell meets the filler unit need to be
MatthewK
What about cutlers resin which is a pine pitch derived product?
Vincent Fatica
wrote:
>> Replacement or not, the threads where the shell meets the filler unit need to be
>> sealed. Parker used a mixture of rosin and castor oil applied hot with a bent
>> paper clip (I use the torn end of a book match) ... stays soft for quite a
>> while, later softens with gentle heat. Parker used dance-floor rosin (comes
>> almost powdered) which may be hard to find these days. Violin bow rosin is
>> easier to come by but smashing it up into pieces small enough for a 1 cc bottle
>> can be messy.
>
>What about cutlers resin which is a pine pitch derived product?
After reading Wiki's description (below) of cutler's resin, I wouldn't try it.
From Wiki: "a synthetic resin made of pine pitch, beeswax and sawdust or
carnauba wax"
Brian Ketterling
Vincent Fatica <ab...@localhost.com> wrote:
> On Sat, 05 Jul 2008 14:55:51 +0000, MatthewK <Matt...@letterboxes.xx.org>
> wrote:
>
[Tom Pike wrote:]
>>> Seal the threads with a rosin-based
>>> sealant or shellac if you know how to use heat to get it back apart
>>> again.
>>
>> Thanks, I'm only vaguely familar with heat setting but it
>> allows a tighter fit. I think I will just buy the replacement;
>> I posted here for a second opinion.
>
> Replacement or not, the threads where the shell meets the filler unit need
> to be sealed. Parker used a mixture of rosin and castor oil applied hot
> with a bent paper clip (I use the torn end of a book match) ... stays soft
> for quite a while, later softens with gentle heat. Parker used
dance-floor
> rosin (comes almost powdered) which may be hard to find these days.
Violin
> bow rosin is easier to come by but smashing it up into pieces small enough
> for a 1 cc bottle can be messy.
Hi Vincent -- This thread crossed my mind this afternoon, along with my
appreciation for your "Pen Page". You may have left the last trace in this
Internet age of that Parker technique. Thanks!
Giovanni Abrati ("Tryphon Enterprises") sells a non-hardening section
sealant, which many people prefer to shellac for installing "51" hoods, and
I wouldn't be surprised if he based it, with some experimentation, on your
recipe.
I checked, and sure enough, art suppliers like Dick Blick sell pre-powdered
rosin for aquatinting intaglio plates. That could save some trouble with a
hammer and mortar & pestle!
BTW, years ago when she was in college, my sister worked at the local
country club. She always knew the old folks were /really/ getting down to
their big-band faves when they yelled for her to bring the dance wax.
Whooooo!!
Brian
--
Vincent Fatica
<twee...@no-potted-meat-products-peoplepc.com> wrote:
>Giovanni Abrati ("Tryphon Enterprises") sells a non-hardening section
>sealant, which many people prefer to shellac for installing "51" hoods, and
>I wouldn't be surprised if he based it, with some experimentation, on your
>recipe.
I use shellac for sacs. I'd worry about getting a 51 shell off after it had
been sealed with shellac. That stuff gets as hard overnight as the rosin/castor
oil mixture does in years. And I wonder if heat has any effect on hardened
shellac.
>I checked, and sure enough, art suppliers like Dick Blick sell pre-powdered
>rosin for aquatinting intaglio plates. That could save some trouble with a
>hammer and mortar & pestle!
My rosin is from the early 80s (maybe even late 70s). I put a block of violin
rosin (about 3x1.5x1) in a sock and smashed it up with a hammer. I probably
threw away half of it stuck to the sock but I'm confident that what's left will
last the rest of my life. It only needs to be in sufficiently small pieces to
get into a vial of castor oil; it dissolves readily when heated and doesn't
later separate.
Barutan Seijin
> BTW, along with cleaning, make sure you have good ventilation!
> Methylene chloride is very effective at fusing acrylic, but it's
> also nasty stuff.
I'd use acetone. It's easier to work with, and for my purposes, it
has worked just fine.
MatthewK
> In article <slrng6v2rt....@e310.home>,
> MatthewK <Matt...@letterboxes.xx.org> wrote:
>
>> Thanks, I'm only vaguely familar with heat setting but it
>> allows a tighter fit. I think I will just buy the replacement;
>> I posted here for a second opinion.
>
> medical advice; These statements have not been approved by the FDA; Do
> not try this at home; This is neither an offer to sell nor a
> solicitation to buy; Closed course, professional driver, do not attempt.
>
> Anyway, on page 49 of Da Book (for those in Loma Linda, that would be
> the late Frank Dubiel's fountain pen repair book) Frank says:
>
> ----------
>
> "THE FOLLOWING STEPS MAY BE UNNECESSARY.
>
> "The tip of the shell must lie tightly against the gold nib. To
> accomplish this, heat the tip of the shell by passing it through an
> alcohol flame several times. Do not hold the tip in the flame. Move it
> from side to side or it will burn. A little heat will suffice to soften
> the tip of the shell. Now rub it against the palm of your hand so that
> the shell tip will lie tightly against the prongs of the nib.
>
> "Allow the shell to cool in the air. Do not dip it in water to cool as
> this may cause the shell to crack."
>
> ----------
Thanks for all the help gents. :)
Juan
I use shellac; I prefer to use the flake variety because I don't need
a large bottle or tin of the stuff, and also because you can decide
how thick you want the stuff when you dilute it with alcohol.
You just need a thin coat to seal the hood, so you should be able to
remove the hood with a hairblower or something similar.
Juan in Andalucía