So, I'm going to say this first
thing: You need the right tools for this. If you don't have
the right tools, don't try it-- you'll wreck the filler. I'm
going to mention it again at the right place, but this is the basic
principle of the thing. Most of the other repairs I've got
outlined here you can manage with tools lying around the house,
when tools are needed at all, but this is a case where a specialized
tool if absolutely necessary. I hope I'm clear about this.
Now, on to step one--
Unscrew the bits that unscrew without tools. I'll now admit to
being distracted by the activity of taking pictures, because the one
other bit you should unscrew is the section, ideally before undoing the
blind cap. This actually does take a tool, as you'll frequently
need a hair-dryer to warm the barrel and release some sealant holding
the section in place. Be careful in this, as the bodies of most
pens with this style of filler are made of incendiary celluloid.
If it's too warm for your fingers, it's too warm for the pen, and
this pen announces it's too hot by bursting into flame. The major
exception to this is the
"51", where the sealant is more usually shellac, and that pen doesn't
mind going into a pot of warm water-- the finger rule still applies,
though.
Now, it's time for that specialized tool.
This
doodad is a Vacumatic Wrench. There's a couple of sizes of them,
because the pens come in two different sizes. This screws onto
the filler, and then clamps onto it so the interior portion can be
turned out of the barrel. There is another tool, the Vacumatic
Block, which fits both sizes of filler, and which clamps on not by the
pressure of the user's hand but by tightening of a small screw.
Both work, and both have dangers. The block can be easily
over-tightened, deforming the filler. The wrench (the more
traditional tool), can also be over-tightened, because if you're very
intent on getting the thing loose from the barrel you might clench too
firmly. Deforming the filler is pretty much guaranteed if
you
don't use one or the other of these tools, so if you're entertaining
thoughts of just giving it a try without one, stop now. It's best
to keep your dryer on hand, because sometimes the filler has some sealant applied to it, too
(it shouldn't, but it might).
If you really want to do your own repairs and don't have a Block
or a Wrench, have a look around my links
page for people who sell them.
Once the filler is turned out, release it from the tool. With a
plastic-stemmed filler, be careful with the whole tool thing, as
they're rather fragile.
At this point, the filler will probably still be stuck in the barrel by
its own diaphragm. This is why you wanted to remove the section--
it makes it possible to push a rod of some sort up from the inside to
drive it free-- a wooden dowel is a workable choice, but better is a
metal tube-- either should be nearly the same diameter as the inside of
the barrel, and the idea is to avoid putting pressure on the middle of
the filler mechanism. An alternative is to use a fairly thin
probe, like the blunt end of a bamboo skewer, to press gently many
times around the diaphragm/barrel contact area.
Once the filler is free of the barrel, you can peel off the residue of
the diaphragm. This should be a pretty easy task, as there's not
supposed to be any adhesive involved. This will leave a little
plastic pellet stuck down the inside of the inner end of the filler (in
the pellet cup, of course). This is another point where care is
required, as you need to remove a hard plastic pellet from a soft
plastic cup, the latter of which is not less than 55 years old.
The best thing to do is apply a tiny drill-bit or de-burring tool
in a Dremel Rotary Tool (or similar device) to the pellet, disrupt it,
then use a pin to slip the remains out of the cup. I hope I don't
have to tell you to go carefully in the application of a power tool to
an elderly item of plastic. The new diaphragm will have a pre-installed
pellet.
Next you'll need a new diaphragm, which is never the right size-- they
are made extra long. If you look back at my whimsical
analogy
comparing a Vacumatic diaphragm to a sock, I do leave out the need to
hack away the calf end of the sock. The mechanism of the filler
does not stretch the diaphragm,
but rather just turns it all the way inside out-- resting position has
it turned halfway. So, the length of the diaphragm needs to be the length of
the extended filler stem. Too short, and it will stretch when worked which puts
stress on the filler stem and leads to failure of the diaphragm.
Too long, and it don't take up any more space when extended than
it does at rest, and since the filler's whole function relies on
displacement, it'll fill poorly if it does anything. Apart from
the usual injunction to measure twice before cutting, I'd suggest
erring on the side of too long; you can always remove a little later,
but it's pretty hard to put some back.
We come to another point where a specialized tool is helpful; a
specially-turned rod for pushing the pellet into the cup, which goes by
the sadly unoriginal name of Pellet Pusher. It is possible to
use some kind of improvisational tool for this, but if you've bought a
Wrench or Block (and if you didn't, you've wrecked your filler by now),
getting a purpose-made item with a nice pellet-seating depression in
its end is a pretty minimal extra expense. The Pusher is run up
inside the diaphragm to
press the pellet home, and some care should be taken to keep tool and diaphragm
in line with the filler. I've found that dabbling the end of the
Pusher in talc before applying it helps to get it loose once it's done
its thing. You don't have to push too hard, either.
Put a good coating of talc onto the diaphragm
at this point. It will resist your efforts to turn it, and will
be the very soul of misery without talc keeping it from sticking to
itself. There's an other tool shown above, and for this you can
use whatever's handy and of the right dimension, so long as it's not
sharp. It helps in turning the diaphragm
to have some kind of rod of roughly it's own diameter up inside it.
As you go, you'll probably need to re-talc a couple of times to
get the diaphragm home--
when you're done, you want there to be a coating trapped between the
two layers of diaphragm
to help it move smoothly.
The correct placement of the diaphragm calls for one more picture,
just a close-up of the previous:
The diaphragm is meant
to rest against the rib on the lower part of the filler.
When reinstalled, the rubber is caught between the filler and the
barrel, which keeps it in place and causes it to act as a gasket
preventing leaks. It's not unknown for some shellac to be applied
between the filler and diaphragm,
but this is both unnecessary and leads to trouble for the next person
to do a repair. Also, don't pull the diaphragm
up over that rib in the misguided hope that it will stay in place
better-- all this will do it put stress on the barrel of the pen, which
is how you get a broken barrel.
From here, the only real challenge is to replace the filler in the
barrel. This might be a challenge in as much as the diaphragm
must not twist as the threaded collar is tightened down, and this is
another reason for having the section out-- you can peer up the barrel
to keep an eye on it. This is usually not a big issue, since the
collar can turn freely around the rest of the filler. Once the
collar is tight, pour a little water into the barrel (a syringe of some
sort is the best bet here), put your finger over the mouth of the
barrel, and give it a shake-- this is to rinse our the talc on the
ink-side of the diaphragm,
which might otherwise clog up the feed. Pour out the water and,
all things being equal, the filler is finished.
Before actually finishing up, put the section in place and test the
filler by drawing a barrel-full of water. The first test is that
it will actually do so. Remember that it will take several pushes
to completely fill, although with most pens of this kind, you'll be
able to watch the process through the clear barrel ("51"s are the main
exception, again). Once it's full, take the point out of the
water and wipe it. If there are dribbles, you'll have to
backtrack to figure out where the hole is (sometimes even new diaphragms
can have a hole in them, alas). If there are no dribbles, see if
you can make one. Put the pen in your mouth (mind your teeth!),
filler end first, and blow gently. Ideally, all that will happen
is that the diaphragm
will slightly inflate, forcing a drop or two of water to come out the
point-- also, you won't so much blow as inflate your cheeks.
Next, reverse the pen, putting the point in your mouth and try
again. This time there should be absolutely no leakage. If
there is, something is wrong and it's time to start over.
Expel the water and remove the section-- or just remove the section and
pour out the water. Once everything is dried again, apply a
little sealant to the section (you can get sealant the same place
you got the tools). You'll need to keep things warm while
reinserting the section, and a little wiping will be needed to clear
off the sealant which invariably will squeeze out the joint.
While keeping things warm, don't forget the potential for fiery
disaster when heat and celluloid get together. Once the section
is cleaned up, you're done. Fill with ink, write, and enjoy.
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