Parker 51... poor flow
Paul
The ring just above the nib has a ring of gold. All in all it looks
beautiful. It's a plinger-filler.. ie. the end of the pen unscrews and a
plunger/button tool provides the manner for filling the pen. (I could be
wrong on the terminology here).
Anyway. I have always had trouble with this pen. Never a good flow of ink.
So I soaked it in water for 36 hours or so, and scrubbed the nib with a
"soft" toothbrush thinking I could release any hard particles that had built
up. Filled the pen again, and still have the flow problem.
I then unscrewed the "nib cover" portion of the pen and it revealed the nib
itself, and the lower barrel mechanisms. It continued to rinse the pen with
this cover off, and presently am soaking it again.
I did notice that as I was flushing it, I noticed water (with faint ink)
seaping through what seemed like a crack (actually hairline) all the way up
the inner barrel (this barrel has a spline). I'm not sure if this is
actually broken. I'm fairly confident that this pen was never taken apart
before, and can't understand how this part could have such a flaw or even
get damaged.
Does this sound like a broken componet or is it normal?
Thanks in advance,
=Paul
--
(Hire U.S. IT Professionals - no communication problems... eh..)
fdu...@aol.com
I have no idea what you mean by an inner barrel. Collector I guess. At
any rate I don't know if you call an ink channel a crack or not. I
doubt it would effect flow in a 51 which is almost entirely controled by
the fit of the hood and the tine spacing. Both easy adjustments
explained in Da Book which also show how things should look inside. You
probably did far more harm than good by dismantling the pen as both
adjustments do not require anything to be taken apart. Full details in
Da Book, naturally. People all over the net seem to have this absurd
idea of cleaning and soaking pens forever until they are clean enough
for open heart surgery. Totally unecessary and in as I said, virtually
all cases accomplish nothing and can do some to great harm. At any
rate, if you didn't damage anything and put thing back together properly
and THEN adjust tines and hood the pen should flow as you want it to.
Frank
Giovanni Abrate
pens when it is not necessary. I cringe to think how many pens must be
damaged, perhaps irreversably by this practice.
The other topic that makes me cringe is the number of people who "sand" or
"grind" nibs that only need a slight tine adjustment to write smoothly.
Leave nib smoothing to the pros! I get to see so many pens that are returned
because of scratchiness, especially Pelikans, that show clear evidence of
poorly executed nib grinding....
Giovanni
<fdu...@aol.com> wrote in message news:3EBC2C...@aol.com...
People all over the net seem to have this absurd
> idea of cleaning and soaking pens forever until they are clean enough
> for open heart surgery. Totally unecessary and in as I said, virtually
> all cases accomplish nothing and can do some to great harm.
> Frank
fdu...@aol.com
>
> I am in total agreement with Frank: why do people insist on disassembling
> pens when it is not necessary. I cringe to think how many pens must be
> damaged, perhaps irreversably by this practice.
> The other topic that makes me cringe is the number of people who "sand" or
> "grind" nibs that only need a slight tine adjustment to write smoothly.
> Leave nib smoothing to the pros! I get to see so many pens that are returned
> because of scratchiness, especially Pelikans, that show clear evidence of
> poorly executed nib grinding....
Agreed. As I've pointed out before I use NOTHING but tap water to clean
pens and have not restorted to any other chemical or cleaner in the last
5000 or so pens I've worked on. (One obvious exception being flushing
some new feeds or converters with dertergent to "wet" them. But that
has to be done only once.)
So called nib "smoothing" is very seldom needed nor usually very
effective. Even the pros seldom do it. I don't "smooth" one nib out of
50 I get. On the other hand I do adjust the tines in 3 out of 4 nibs I
get. Virtually all scratchy vs smmoth effect is in tine alignment--not
grinding, sanding and other destructive measuers. Yes they are
destructive measuers in that ANY attempt to alter, sand or grind removes
forever part of the nib and that can never be replaced. Even a retipped
nib is an altered and renewed nib and in no way original to either the
company that made it or the pen it came with. The first rule should
always be "Do no harm." Tine alignment/adjustment done right harms
nothing and will improve 3 out of 4 pens and in perhaps half of them
makes a HUGE difference in performance. Smoothing, even when it does
work great obviously is harmful to a nib in that it removing perhaps
years to decades worth of iridium that could be used for writing. Frank
Alex Zipperer
make simple tine adjustments and, as Frank and Giovanni point out,
this makes a world of difference in being able to really enjoy writing
with a vintage pen. But this technique, just using my fingers, is
successful with only maybe 2 out of 5 pens. I'm wondering if there's a
tool available somewhere, like small padded pliers maybe, that would
help?? Or should I just grow my fingernails longer?
Giovanni Abrate
I have a severely damaged nib.
Tine adjustments are best done with your fingers. If your success rate is
low, you may not be adjusting them in all axes. Keep in mind also the
importance of having good ink flow, as ink acts as a lubricant between nib
and paper. Most nibs come from the factory with the tines spring-loaded to
touch each other. This usually results in insufficient flow.
Most of all it takes a little practice (on cheap nibs). Also, keep in mind
that steel nibs are more forgiving than gold nibs, when you adjust them, and
gold nibs usually need less pressure to adjust.
Giovanni
"Alex Zipperer" <ale...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:6f0ea22f.03051...@posting.google.com...
fdu...@aol.com
The best tool on earth is experienced fingers. Any other tool usually
does more harm than good. Spending money on "tools" is both a waste of
money in the vast majority of cases and (excuse me for being blunt--but
its the best way to make the point) a way to think a "tool" can make up
for lack of experience. It cannot. There are no shortcuts. 90% of the
"tools" out there are useless and will do more harm than good as people
use them thinking the tool will think for them or somehow have
experience the person lacks. A tool can't and it won't. The only
exceptions I have found are in Da Book such as using a blade to space
tines, but only with experience. I also occasionally use round nose
pliers to bend tines upward to space them further apart for flow
increase.. This assumes he nib has enough flex to spring back down
where it originally was. Practice! Gain experience! Thats the only
way. Frank
Tim McNamara
ale...@aol.com (Alex Zipperer) wrote:
The thing about fingers is their sensitivity. We can feel very small
stimuli quite accurately and some of that accuracy is sacrificed when
we use tools. When using tools to adjust a nib, you should be working
under a magnifying glass to provide high-resolution visual information
so that you do as little damage as possible. In the stories about
Nagahara (from Sailor) coming to US pen shows and offering nib
adjustments, it sounds like he only uses his fingers tor adjusting
nibs. I get the same impression from Frank's notes as well as a
number of others.
Jewelry makers and hobbyists often use round-nosed needle nose pliers
without gripping flats, so there is no edge to leave a mark.
Something like that might be what you're looking for.
Garglemonster
Tim> In the stories about Nagahara (from Sailor) coming to US pen
Tim> shows and offering nib adjustments, it sounds like he only
Tim> uses his fingers tor adjusting nibs. I get the same
Tim> impression from Frank's notes as well as a number of others.
Kawaguchi Akihiro (also of Sailor) looked at a couple of my balky pens
on Friday. He had a few tools, a grinder for instance, but to fix the
balky nibs on mine, he just used his fingers and some abrasive paper
of some sort. His job is to mend people's pens day in and day out. I
figure that he'd use tools if that would make his work easier or
better.
"These never were right" he said as he adjusted the nibs "and
especially not for you." (He had had me show him how I write --
"incredibly fast" it turns out) You could, if you wish, score another
anecdote for the "they don't have QC like they used to" school. I
will note, however, that after this personalised, aftermarket service
from a 3rd party, the nibs write wonderfully. I'm more than happy
with them, but why did I have to rely on Sailor's generosity? More
pen firms ought to do this sort of thing.
Teach peace.
Tony Stanford
>So called nib "smoothing" is very seldom needed nor usually very
>effective.
One exception to this is italic nibs. The line variation diminishes
after a few years as the nib blunts, and you need to sharpen the nib by
squaring it off, so to speak.
This just means holding the pen vertically on fine wet 'n' dry and
taking a small amount of material off to retrieve the 'thin' part of the
characteristic 'thick/thin' italic stroke.
Of course, this depends on how hard the tipping material is. Until
recently, I've used only cheap fp italic nibs that needed sharpening
regularly. It's only in the last two years that I've started using
Parker 51 italics, and I rotate the pens I use. It may be that these
harder tips will never blunt. And I don't write as much as I used to.
Regards
Tony
--
*******************************************************
* Tony Stanford *
* Freelance Technical & Consumer Copywriter *
* Bedford, UK *
*******************************************************
fdu...@aol.com
>
> One exception to this is italic nibs. The line variation diminishes
> after a few years as the nib blunts, and you need to sharpen the nib by
> squaring it off, so to speak.
>
> This just means holding the pen vertically on fine wet 'n' dry and
> taking a small amount of material off to retrieve the 'thin' part of the
> characteristic 'thick/thin' italic stroke.
>
> Of course, this depends on how hard the tipping material is. Until
> recently, I've used only cheap fp italic nibs that needed sharpening
> regularly. It's only in the last two years that I've started using
> Parker 51 italics, and I rotate the pens I use. It may be that these
> harder tips will never blunt. And I don't write as much as I used to.
Well this is true because as has been pointed out many times most (not
all) italic nibs do not have any tipping material at all so can wear
faster. Nor are most (not all) such nibs generally designed for
everyday writing. A few higher quality italics designed for normal
writing do have good tip material and as you said, should virtually
never need sharpening. Cheaper italics designed for calligraphy or
artists and such are outside the scope of normal everyday writing pens
IMHO although I suppose some people may use them daily. Frank
Tim McNamara
Garglemonster <gargle...@my-deja.com> wrote:
> >>>>> On Sat, 10 May 2003 09:35:58 -0500, Tim McNamara
> >>>>> <tim...@bitstream.net> said:
>
> > In the stories about Nagahara (from Sailor) coming to US pen
> > shows and offering nib adjustments, it sounds like he only uses
> > his fingers tor adjusting nibs. I get the same impression from
> > Frank's notes as well as a number of others.
>
> Kawaguchi Akihiro (also of Sailor) looked at a couple of my balky
> pens on Friday. He had a few tools, a grinder for instance, but to
> fix the balky nibs on mine, he just used his fingers and some
> abrasive paper of some sort. His job is to mend people's pens day
> in and day out. I figure that he'd use tools if that would make
> his work easier or better.
I think that's an excellent observation, and exactly right. We use
tools if and when they work better, but often the best tool is the
ones we're naturally equipped with. Not always, of course- I've never
been able to get a lug nut off with just my fingers- but in situations
where leverage is not needed, hands and fingers often work best.
> "These never were right" he said as he adjusted the nibs "and
> especially not for you." (He had had me show him how I write --
> "incredibly fast" it turns out) You could, if you wish, score
> another anecdote for the "they don't have QC like they used to"
> school. I will note, however, that after this personalised,
> aftermarket service from a 3rd party, the nibs write wonderfully.
> I'm more than happy with them, but why did I have to rely on
> Sailor's generosity? More pen firms ought to do this sort of
> thing.
Well, I don't know how pen companies could really personalize nibs to
each customer's writing style. But certainly more attention could be
paid to making sure that the pens are properly operational in the
first place. With two exceptions (my Pelikan M400 and my Aurora
Ipsilon Deluxe) my best-writing pens are all 45-50 years old.
L Levy
in a small plastic holder, called a "mini glass scraper". Available at
hardware stores, etc, and exceedingly cheap! Use a magnifying glass and
plenty of good light, and be gentle. I've never had reason to do the
reverse procedure, but would say that FD and the others are
correct...experienced fingers.
Good luck!
LL
fdu...@aol.com
>
> For spreading tines, I have successfully used a single edged razor blade
> in a small plastic holder, called a "mini glass scraper". Available at
> hardware stores, etc, and exceedingly cheap! Use a magnifying glass and
> plenty of good light, and be gentle. I've never had reason to do the
> reverse procedure, but would say that FD and the others are
> correct...experienced fingers.
>
muse be careful to avoid scratching the nib and some people use a spark
plug gap blade set to help avoid scratches since the thin metal strips
are not sharp.
The bottom line is buying excessive and expensive tools will not help
one bit in pen repair in most cases. You cannot usually solve problems
by throwing money at it. No more than someone spending a big money on
automotive tools will by just owning the tools ever become a good
mechanic. Nor can anyone become a good doctor just by buying medical
equpiment and medical books.
With pens its so much easier because even the most complex pen is a snap
compared to a car or a living body. There is no tool over 5 bucks
needed, beyond a cap puller and Vac wrench if one wants to work on clips
and inner caps or Vacs. In fact sometimes just about all the tools you
need can be found in a good "dollar" store. Others like a knock out
block you can buy, or make for a few cents from scrap wood.
Of course I'm talking about basic repairs not complex ones which may
require a lathe and so forth. Frank
Alex Zipperer
Frank is right that what I was really hoping to find was a short-cut
method, a tool that would take the tediousness out of the job. So,
it's back to practice... practice... practice. I remember Giovanni
adjusting a nib for me at a pen show. It took him maybe two seconds
and it was writing exactly the way I like-- and still is. Maybe I'll
get there eventually.
Stephen Epstein
"Tim McNamara" <tim...@bitstream.net> wrote in message
news:timmcn-304AEF....@gemini.visi.com...
[big snip]
>With two exceptions (my Pelikan M400 and my Aurora
> Ipsilon Deluxe) my best-writing pens are all 45-50 years old.
In a fit of frustration with an un-named new pen that would not fill or
write, I did a quick analysis of my new and vintage pens for their initial
performance. Admittedly a small sample, but of 16 moderns, only half worked
when first inked. Of 8 vintage, they all worked first try. Sure, some of
the vintage were tweaked before I got them, but others were "in the wild."
Guess even the high bucks pen companies shave costs wherever they can, and
Quality gets hit early because it doesn't immediately improve shipment
volume. Too bad they don't subscribe to the belief that quality will always
sell more over the long run.
SteveE
Paul
nib adjustment. I just tried it on another of my pens and unfortunately
***hoarked it up *** !!
Sounds like Frank's book is the way to go !
=Paul
("You can lead a horse to water, but remember what a wet horse smells like
!)
(Visiting out-of-town IT people - "they couldn't poor pee out of a boot with
the instructions printed on the heel")
"Paul" <p...@paulkuczynski.com> wrote in message
news:mNUua.110368$My6.1...@twister.tampabay.rr.com...
Robert Cummings
> In a fit of frustration with an un-named new pen that would not fill or
> write, I did a quick analysis of my new and vintage pens for their initial
> performance. Admittedly a small sample, but of 16 moderns, only half
worked
> when first inked.
Yet the least expensive modern pen that I know of - the Pilot Varsity -
starts first time, every time, and does not skip.
What is wrong with this picture?
--
bc
Wherever you go - there you are.
Paul
for them here in FL, but never see them on the shelves.
=Paul
((There's more ways to kill a cat than just choakin' it to death"))
"Robert Cummings" <bcu...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:vTcwa.49209$5M.26...@twister.southeast.rr.com...