I'm wondering if anyone here has ever successfully repaired a Sheaffer Touchdown filling mechanism? I have a near-mint Touchdown Statesman that I picked up a few months ago at a local junk shop, and everything seems to work fine, except it's not sucking up ink. I've opened it up, removed the sac protector, and checked the sac. It's nice and pliable and springy, so I don't think that needs to be replaced. What else would cause it not to fill?
Sheaffer Touchdown Repair Questions
- Thread starter Snargle
- Start date
I agree - if you are sure of the sac, the O-ring is usually the culprit. You need an airtight seal for the system to work; over time the O-ring gets brittle and wears down, and hardens. In some cases it will wear down so that it is practically indistinguishable from the barrel, and it will be tricky to get out (use a dental pick, carefully, if you have one. A sharpened toothpick can do in a pinch).
Also possible: clogged feed (soak, then gently probe with a very fine guitar string), or a leak in the 'connection' where the end knob attaches to the plunger. If you do the repair yourself, be sure to get good silicone grease to lube the plunger before re-assembling.
Good luck! Once they're working, they are fine pens. I have repaired quite a few and they are among my favorites for daily writing. Love them old Sheaffers!
Also possible: clogged feed (soak, then gently probe with a very fine guitar string), or a leak in the 'connection' where the end knob attaches to the plunger. If you do the repair yourself, be sure to get good silicone grease to lube the plunger before re-assembling.
Good luck! Once they're working, they are fine pens. I have repaired quite a few and they are among my favorites for daily writing. Love them old Sheaffers!
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- Thread starter
- #4
Right now I'm leaning towards a clogged feed. When I remove the sac cover and squeeze the sac, no air is expelled. I wasn't sure if that was proper or not. I've got it soaking now and will see if I can bust loose the clog.
can you suck up water by squeezing the sac? That's how I currently fill the Touchdown that InspiringK won in my PIF. Odds are, the O-ring is dried out. Replace that, and it will probably function well. The hard part is getting the old o-ring out.
Sounds like a clogged nib/feed. Last one I had like that someone had used India ink and left it in there. You may need to knock out the feed, be careful not to break off the wick.
You may want to invest in some Rapido-eze at some point, it helps with those stubborn clogs.
You may want to invest in some Rapido-eze at some point, it helps with those stubborn clogs.
- Thread starter
- #8
Follow-up:
It was indeed a clogged feed. I ended up having to remove the sac from the section and knock out the feed and nib. After a good soaking and a little buzzing in an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner, all the petrified ink was removed, a new sac installed, pen reassembled and tested with water. Everything is functioning fine...sucking up and expelling water as expected, so I just filled it with a sample of Sailor Jentle Sky High ink and it's working like a charm!
Thanks for the advice, gentlemen!
It was indeed a clogged feed. I ended up having to remove the sac from the section and knock out the feed and nib. After a good soaking and a little buzzing in an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner, all the petrified ink was removed, a new sac installed, pen reassembled and tested with water. Everything is functioning fine...sucking up and expelling water as expected, so I just filled it with a sample of Sailor Jentle Sky High ink and it's working like a charm!
Thanks for the advice, gentlemen!
