Shellac - To use or not to use ?

[Marco63]

Good afternoon everybody.
I read about using shellac to close, seal, lock pen parts, why ?
Of all the vintage pens I have, none had shellac or any residue of it on the sections.
Some sacs had been fixed with shellac, but only a few. If the sac size is correct you do not need it, IMO

Shellac makes disassembly of pens hard when it comes to replacing a worn sac.
I can understand using it for pieces that do not need to be removed frequently but for the rest I think it can be left out in most pen repairs.
I sent my two 'new' vintage Parker Victories to get the nibs repaired and kindly asked the repair person to avoid using shellac on the sections as they fit perfectly tight on the barrels. Hope he obeys

 

[nemo]

Use shellac to seal the sacs. Always. Apply to the nipple only. Don't use glue or nail polish and don't be sloppy.

Don't think you can get away without shellac on the sac unless you want ink in your shirt pocket.

If you do need to build up the diameter of a loose section you can put even and thin coats to make it tighter but you must allow it to dry thoroughly before reassembly. Like a day or two before refitting.

I hate it when amateurs glue pens together with shellac. But it does melt a few degrees before the pen does!

Some parts should be sealed with a rosin-based thread sealant, but threaded joints only.

 

[tankerjohn]

Ooo, yeah. I’m with @nemo. Sacs = yes shellac. Everything else = no shellac.

 

[penned]

I have always used shellac to attach the rubber sac and never had a problem.

 

[Nobeard]

ditto, I always use it for sealing the sac to the pen
I like the idea of using it to slowly build up an area that could be a bit larger to fit. I'll remember that