Hi Stephen, I really enjoy your videos. I found a Parker 51 at the flea market today, 14k filled gold... 20$! it was not working, so i guess this might be why it was so cheap... I followed carefully your video and clean the baby to its core! took me 2 or 3 hours. it work like a new now! thank you thank you!
I don't own a Parker 51 (sadly 😞), but i do own some Hero 336/343 pens which are Chinese knockoffs that one can buy for incredibly cheap prices, and they disassemble in much the same way. They have no QC done to them, so this video helped a lot in troubleshooting!
I’ve had my grand-father’s pen for 30 years and just now with your video there is hope I can make it work again. My teenage self used improper inks and pierced the ink sac so I still have to find the part for that but... HOPE. Thank you.
Thanks for the great video. Extremely helpful. Just managed to successfully service my late father’s 51 and install a new nib so now able to use it. Will celebrate with haggis.
Thank you very much for making this video, an excellent presentation to the piont and no time-wasting. I have my late father's 51 and the ink flow is flood or famine, so I guess it might be that the air tube is blocked. But I feel quite confident in cleaning it now - Thank you!
Thanks for the video, had a P51 that dried up shortly after receiving it. Took it apart, soaked all the components in water for a while, ran some old 35mm film through the tines, re-assembled, and now it seems to be wokring perfectly. I didn't replace the shellac with anything, hopefully whatever's left in the threads holds a seal!
This is a really useful video. You have enabled me to repair and service a pen that was completely blocked and would not write at all. Thank you very much indeed.
A great video - very clear - and good instructions. Gave me the confidence to pull apart my P51. Worked a treat Thanks for taking the time and trouble Marc
Thank you for posting this video, it helped me restore a 51 pen and it's working perfectly now. I got it for just $5, pretty crazy for such a nice pen!
Excellent video, thank you. Instead of alignment using the possibly imprecise centre of the thumb nail, I prefer to make a black marker dot on the filler sheath and/ or clutch ring which is easily removed following perfect alignment after reassembly. Often, once reassembled, the "51"" needs very fine adjustments to be made between collector, feed, nib and section to obtain perfection in alignment between all of these parts. This ensures optimal nib smoothness of action on the page and appropriate ink flow--along with the visible feed, nib and section actually looking perfectly spaced when viewed from all angles.
Thx for this, I could not disassemble my recently bought mine. It seems to be stuck at the joint of the section and nib unit. I will soak It again for a new try. Too many years of neglect and misuse by the former owner seem to be the problem. I look forward to make some scribbles with a 51. A Pen legend. Thx, very useful video.
I bought a 51 on eBay and then noticed that the seller said they didn't know whether it worked - really? Did they try putting some ink in it? Sure enough it didn't, and the nib and feed was not sitting straight in the hood (evidence of trauma or a bodged repair?). Thanks to your video it does work now, although the ink is flowing a bit too liberally which I imagine might be something to do with the narrow channel to the top or bottom issue (I put the broad one at the top, following the comment not the video). The breather tube was completely blocked, but I cleared it with a long dressmaker's pin (more than half the length of the tube, and a nice big round bit on the end to hold onto) under a running tap. Use the pin to break up the clot which then comes out as ink.
Thanks... Its really a marvellous clip .... To wash and clean parker 51 what kind of water I may use ? warm water or detergent water or normal temperature water ..?
My Parker 51 is my absolute darling, I use it all the time. I like that I got it without any warranty* whatsoever and that it will cause most other pens to run away screaming at the slightest hint of confrontation. *Totally unrelated to your disclaimer ;-)
I don't know whether you can reply to me or not but I really need your help. I have recently been trying to disassemble the parker 51. and everything has been fine but sac guard. no way to do that like in this video. so I have got 2 questions for you to ask. 1. what type of grip mat you are using(if you can tell me where to find it will be good) 2. any tool for removing the sac guard? Many thanks
Thank you for your video. I am going to go ahead and just soak my 'new' 51 overnight then dry it and let it air dry. No point in doing all the dangerous stuff!
I was just going to ask about this. So you haven't re-applied any shellac? I've just disassembled my 51 special and I don't have any shellac on hand. I assume the o-ring will prevent any ink seeping out.
I know this is the video for the 51, but I thought you might be able to make a suggestion. I have a Parker 21 which was in nearly perfect shape until about 2 weeks ago. Somebody (not me, annoyingly) seems to have jammed the cap onto the pen so tightly that it cannot be removed. I am able to spin the pen inside the cap, and while doing that I see the 'jewel' spinning at the same rate. I'm assuming that the pen is wedged into the inner sheath incredibly tightly, metal against metal and there's no good way to pull them apart. Should I try to remove the jewel so that the stuck areas can all be pulled free? Should I try freezing the pen, then running warm water over the cap? Other suggestions so that I don't destroy my beautiful '21' ?
Stephen, is there a way to make it easier for the ink sac protector to come off? I tried heating it with a hairdryer, but to no avail (probably cause it expands the metal)? I bought a pen with a leaking sac and am trying to replace it myself.
Great Video.! But for the life of me I cannot unscrew the front part in the first step of my 51 special. I soaked it in hot water, and used hairdryer, I don’t know if I’m doing this Long enough or correctly but I can’t get that thing to unscrew. Any suggestions will be appreciated.
Stephen, thank you for another greatly informative video. I have a black p51 from around the late 1950's, I think. As with your gold Parker, it is an heirloom. I cleaned it a few days ago and found something rattling inside the ink sac.I thought there could be an agitator but from your video it seems to be the breather tube. I have been unsuccessful in taking the pen apart in any way. It appears the shellac is too strong. Is there anything you can recommend I do further? I have no pen repair facilities in my area (I live in the UK) and I don't really want to risk send it far away. Will it work correctly if the tube is disconnected and will it damage any of the parts for it to be used in this way, without the tube? I know I have a lot of questions, but any advice or thoughts would be greatly helpful. Thanks.
Thank you so much for this informative video. I’m about to purchase the exact same burgundy Parker 51 with the gold nib (that’s in perfect working order) and was wondering how to clean it. It’s quite a little wonder of technique. Question: would you recommend just sucking up cold water once a month or so in order to keep it clean and avoid clotting?
I enjoy watching your videos. I had a "wait...what?" moment with this one though. You align the top of the nib with the thin channel of the collector. Richard Binder and Grandmia Pens align the top top of the nib with the wide channel. Will both ways work?
Thanks, Sbrebrown, really helpful and really appreciated, as I seek to restore a couple of old pens given to me by my mother. Not sure if its a 51, but it looks very close. I'm now gonna give it a drink and see if it plays ball! If it does... guess I've earned some Haggis! Do you give any recipes on your channel? lol.
The Hero 616 and many Wing Sungs are knock offs of this model, so if you want practice, pick up a few. Or if you have one of these pens, the process is very similar.
I got a Parker 51 vacumatic from my grandmother and i would love to get it working. I was wondering if you could restore my Parker 51 for me. (I would pay you if that is the case i would just love to get it working again. The pen means so much to me. If you wold restore it for me it would mean the world to me. (please reply to tell me if you could or not) thank you -Ethan whitmer
Ethan Whitmer I am not an experienced repairman, but don't worry: there are many good pen repair people our there, such as Jeff Powers (Powers Pen Co), Myk Daigle (mad_mercantile on instagram), or Ron Zorn. I hope that helps!
sbrebrown Being a viewer of your channel for quite sometime now, I have witnessed the rise of your channel. Your videos are very in-depth & helpful. Your enthusiasm & my first fountain pen which was a gift from my parents, inspired me to collect fountain pens & use them on a daily basis. I greatly thank you. I have recently purchased a Parker 51. It hasn't arrived yet but I am excited. I have a Hero 616 which being one of my favorite fountain pens, inspired me to get an authentic Parker 51. If only Parker distinguished Parker 51s made at the Hero factory as in the old days before Hero became "Hero". My Parker 51 is said to not write right off the bat. The seller described dried ink, though externally the pen is quite sound. I looked up this video to help me restore my Parker 51. I am probably going to start with flushing the pen out with Speedball pen cleaner then I will strip it down to assess the damage. My favorite fountain pen I own at the Moment is the WingSung 235, which interestingly enough has a Sheaffer Triumph style nib. www.ebay.com/itm/282419264634. Any tips or thoughts?
Cool Cat Yes, I'd take it very slowly, try to draw up water first and/or let the pen soak, and only then attempt disassembly, if it's actually required.
Pen now cleaned, a new collector fitted; it now writes beautifully and is no longer incontinent into the cap. Marvellous, many thanks again.
I'm happy this was useful!
Hi Stephen, I really enjoy your videos. I found a Parker 51 at the flea market today, 14k filled gold... 20$! it was not working, so i guess this might be why it was so cheap... I followed carefully your video and clean the baby to its core! took me 2 or 3 hours. it work like a new now! thank you thank you!
+Loquita Qamar That's great!
I don't own a Parker 51 (sadly 😞), but i do own some Hero 336/343 pens which are Chinese knockoffs that one can buy for incredibly cheap prices, and they disassemble in much the same way.
They have no QC done to them, so this video helped a lot in troubleshooting!
I’ve had my grand-father’s pen for 30 years and just now with your video there is hope I can make it work again. My teenage self used improper inks and pierced the ink sac so I still have to find the part for that but... HOPE. Thank you.
Thanks for the great video. Extremely helpful. Just managed to successfully service my late father’s 51 and install a new nib so now able to use it. Will celebrate with haggis.
Thank you very much for making this video, an excellent presentation to the piont and no time-wasting. I have my late father's 51 and the ink flow is flood or famine, so I guess it might be that the air tube is blocked. But I feel quite confident in cleaning it now - Thank you!
Thanks for the video, had a P51 that dried up shortly after receiving it. Took it apart, soaked all the components in water for a while, ran some old 35mm film through the tines, re-assembled, and now it seems to be wokring perfectly. I didn't replace the shellac with anything, hopefully whatever's left in the threads holds a seal!
This is a really useful video. You have enabled me to repair and service a pen that was completely blocked and would not write at all. Thank you very much indeed.
The accent is what makes this video. I want this nominated for an Oscar.
A great video - very clear - and good instructions. Gave me the confidence to pull apart my P51. Worked a treat
Thanks for taking the time and trouble
Marc
You're very welcome!
Thank you for posting this video, it helped me restore a 51 pen and it's working perfectly now. I got it for just $5, pretty crazy for such a nice pen!
Great video, will watch a few more times and give it a try.
Excellent video, thank you. Instead of alignment using the possibly imprecise centre of the thumb nail, I prefer to make a black marker dot on the filler sheath and/ or clutch ring which is easily removed following perfect alignment after reassembly. Often, once reassembled, the "51"" needs very fine adjustments to be made between collector, feed, nib and section to obtain perfection in alignment between all of these parts. This ensures optimal nib smoothness of action on the page and appropriate ink flow--along with the visible feed, nib and section actually looking perfectly spaced when viewed from all angles.
Very good video. Really useful.
Thanks a lot.
nice video ! there a similar video about ballpen parker 51 ?
Thx for this, I could not disassemble my recently bought mine. It seems to be stuck at the joint of the section and nib unit. I will soak It again for a new try. Too many years of neglect and misuse by the former owner seem to be the problem. I look forward to make some scribbles with a 51. A Pen legend. Thx, very useful video.
Great video, i fixed my parker 51 following your video
Glad this was helpful
I bought a 51 on eBay and then noticed that the seller said they didn't know whether it worked - really? Did they try putting some ink in it? Sure enough it didn't, and the nib and feed was not sitting straight in the hood (evidence of trauma or a bodged repair?). Thanks to your video it does work now, although the ink is flowing a bit too liberally which I imagine might be something to do with the narrow channel to the top or bottom issue (I put the broad one at the top, following the comment not the video). The breather tube was completely blocked, but I cleared it with a long dressmaker's pin (more than half the length of the tube, and a nice big round bit on the end to hold onto) under a running tap. Use the pin to break up the clot which then comes out as ink.
Thanks... Its really a marvellous clip .... To wash and clean parker 51 what kind of water I may use ? warm water or detergent water or normal temperature water ..?
Thank you a lot! Nice video tutorial: you make it clear and easy. Best greetings ;-D
My Parker 51 is my absolute darling, I use it all the time. I like that I got it without any warranty* whatsoever and that it will cause most other pens to run away screaming at the slightest hint of confrontation.
*Totally unrelated to your disclaimer ;-)
Excellent! Excellent! Thank you so much.
Excellent instructions. Kudos.
I'm glad this was useful.
I don't know whether you can reply to me or not but I really need your help. I have recently been trying to disassemble the parker 51. and everything has been fine but sac guard. no way to do that like in this video. so I have got 2 questions for you to ask. 1. what type of grip mat you are using(if you can tell me where to find it will be good) 2. any tool for removing the sac guard? Many thanks
Thank you for your video. I am going to go ahead and just soak my 'new' 51 overnight then dry it and let it air dry. No point in doing all the dangerous stuff!
omg that accent
I was just going to ask about this. So you haven't re-applied any shellac?
I've just disassembled my 51 special and I don't have any shellac on hand. I assume the o-ring will prevent any ink seeping out.
I know this is the video for the 51, but I thought you might be able to make a suggestion.
I have a Parker 21 which was in nearly perfect shape until about 2 weeks ago. Somebody (not me, annoyingly) seems to have jammed the cap onto the pen so tightly that it cannot be removed. I am able to spin the pen inside the cap, and while doing that I see the 'jewel' spinning at the same rate. I'm assuming that the pen is wedged into the inner sheath incredibly tightly, metal against metal and there's no good way to pull them apart.
Should I try to remove the jewel so that the stuck areas can all be pulled free? Should I try freezing the pen, then running warm water over the cap? Other suggestions so that I don't destroy my beautiful '21' ?
I've never used a 21, so I don't its inner workings, sorry.
Stephen, is there a way to make it easier for the ink sac protector to come off? I tried heating it with a hairdryer, but to no avail (probably cause it expands the metal)? I bought a pen with a leaking sac and am trying to replace it myself.
Not that I know of, sorry
I'll try again some other time. Eventually I'll manage. Thanks for the reply.
Great Video.! But for the life of me I cannot unscrew the front part in the first step of my 51 special. I soaked it in hot water, and used hairdryer, I don’t know if I’m doing this Long enough or correctly but I can’t get that thing to unscrew. Any suggestions will be appreciated.
Hi Joel, having the same issue! Did you find any solution?
Stephen, thank you for another greatly informative video.
I have a black p51 from around the late 1950's, I think. As with your gold Parker, it is an heirloom.
I cleaned it a few days ago and found something rattling inside the ink sac.I thought there could be an agitator but from your video it seems to be the breather tube. I have been unsuccessful in taking the pen apart in any way. It appears the shellac is too strong. Is there anything you can recommend I do further? I have no pen repair facilities in my area (I live in the UK) and I don't really want to risk send it far away.
Will it work correctly if the tube is disconnected and will it damage any of the parts for it to be used in this way, without the tube?
I know I have a lot of questions, but any advice or thoughts would be greatly helpful. Thanks.
Thank you so much for this informative video. I’m about to purchase the exact same burgundy Parker 51 with the gold nib (that’s in perfect working order) and was wondering how to clean it. It’s quite a little wonder of technique. Question: would you recommend just sucking up cold water once a month or so in order to keep it clean and avoid clotting?
Yes, you can
Do a disassembly line on the Parker IM please.
I enjoy watching your videos. I had a "wait...what?" moment with this one though. You align the top of the nib with the thin channel of the collector. Richard Binder and Grandmia Pens align the top top of the nib with the wide channel. Will both ways work?
Then I assume I was wrong, although I've had no issues with ink flow.
Thanks. Will you disassemble a 51 vacumatic at any point?
Thanks, Sbrebrown, really helpful and really appreciated, as I seek to restore a couple of old pens given to me by my mother. Not sure if its a 51, but it looks very close. I'm now gonna give it a drink and see if it plays ball! If it does... guess I've earned some Haggis! Do you give any recipes on your channel? lol.
I always use warm R/O
WATER without the need
To dislodge all these parts
Is it Wright? Our insufficient? Thanks
That should be sufficient
man my parker does not have the breather tube what do i do
This is the AEROMATIC SISTEM, not the VACUM MATIC one. Right?
That is correct!
great video mate!
Mine dropped and the nib bent should my local pen shop be able to get and put a new nib in it ???? Please answer
The pen is not in production anymore, so I highly doubt it.
um, Mr. Brown I know your a busy person, but could you please do a disassembly of the jinhao 126? I've been unlucky in trying to find a tutorial :c
Good opening
Parker 51 aerometric sac should not be rubber, it is plexiglass, a PVC plastic. I don't think it needs any powder?
Holly shit that was extreme.
You didn't show how to disassemble the cap; the inside of the cap and the 'diamond'.
The Hero 616 and many Wing Sungs are knock offs of this model, so if you want practice, pick up a few. Or if you have one of these pens, the process is very similar.
Thanks teacher...
Warum, Scotty?
Thanks for this! I'm trying to diagnose a leak, and I was baffled by getting the "nosepiece" off. Didn't want to break anything!
Fred Patton I'm glad this was useful!
please do this in spanish versión...please
I Love You........Thanks Brodie
is that accent fake, i haven't seen it in other videos
Incredibly fake :)
Who's the Scotsman? :))
Thank you!!! Love The accent, haha
I got a Parker 51 vacumatic from my grandmother and i would love to get it working. I was wondering if you could restore my Parker 51 for me. (I would pay you if that is the case i would just love to get it working again. The pen means so much to me.
If you wold restore it for me it would mean the world to me. (please reply to tell me if you could or not)
thank you
-Ethan whitmer
Ethan Whitmer I am not an experienced repairman, but don't worry: there are many good pen repair people our there, such as Jeff Powers (Powers Pen Co), Myk Daigle (mad_mercantile on instagram), or Ron Zorn. I hope that helps!
thanks :)
sbrebrown Being a viewer of your channel for quite sometime now, I have witnessed the rise of your channel. Your videos are very
in-depth & helpful. Your enthusiasm & my first fountain pen which was a gift from my parents, inspired me to collect fountain pens & use them on a daily basis. I greatly thank you. I have recently purchased a Parker 51. It hasn't arrived yet but I am excited. I have a Hero 616 which being one of my favorite fountain pens, inspired me to get an authentic Parker 51. If only Parker distinguished Parker 51s made at the Hero factory as in the old days before Hero became "Hero". My Parker 51 is said to not write right off the bat. The seller described dried ink, though externally the pen is quite sound. I looked up this video to help me restore my Parker 51. I am probably going to start with flushing the pen out with Speedball pen cleaner then I will strip it down to assess the damage. My favorite fountain pen I own at the Moment is the WingSung 235, which interestingly enough has a Sheaffer Triumph style nib. www.ebay.com/itm/282419264634.
Any tips or thoughts?
Cool Cat Yes, I'd take it very slowly, try to draw up water first and/or let the pen soak, and only then attempt disassembly, if it's actually required.
sbrebrown Thanks :).
You sound very Scottish in this video.
Good video
But you handling it very harshly
Ist
great video mate!