[派克相關] The failure of the Parker VS

When I first saw the Parker VS on eBay, I did not realize that this is a collector's item.  The price tags for a VS are about US$125 to $200 if you look into those VS's buy-it-now price.

So I had studied this particular pen and decided to get one.  Soon I managed to win a bid for this color Rust VS with a rather fair price. It is a used one, the shape of the barrel is quite resemblance the Parker 51.  When it is capped, without noting the clip, you might not distinguish which one is VS or 51.  OK, the color of the barrel might give you a hint. Because the color chart, black, blue, grey, rust, and burgundy of VS are quite different from the color chart of the 51s. There are two extra color, green and brown, from European VS production after US discontinued the VS line.  I like my fountain pens collection with different color.  So a green barrel VS would be one on my most-wanted list.  

When I received my rust VS, I noticed that the front end of the section is stained by the ink.  If the pen  is in blue ore black color, that might be less impact visually. But hey! That's a rust pen, the ink just mar the complete color theme of the pen!  A unpleasant feeling just came out of my mind.  I don't like this pen!

How can Parker built this pen barrel without using Lucite?  It is so successful on the 51s.  Why not extent to the VS line? The section of the VS obviously is  made by plastic, and plastic can be contaminated! Period!

Take out the blind cap, there is a aluminum button for the filling system. But the thread for the blind cap is part of the barrel, also made by plastic. The button can be pressed but I don't know if it is working.

I tried to find a way to take out the filling system but since the rear end of the barrel is closed, no way to open it on this side. Had to open it from the section.

Then I took apart the section and barrel. I found that the sac is totally ruined inside the barrel.   I took out the sac which curled like a cabbage. Then I found this -a piece metal, stays inside the barrel.  I have no idea what's all about, so I dare not to take it out.  Being afraid of breaking something, I just leave it there.

Then I managed myself a quick knowledge surfing. Aha! The metal is a push bar of the filling system, connected to the button. When pressing the button, the push bar will push the sac next to it. Then the air inside the sac will be discharged. Then releasing the button, the push bar will go back to normal position, yield the room for rubber sac to restitution. The vacuum sac will then suck in ink during restitution. That's quite a simple mechanism.

I soon ordered a replaced sac for the VS.  Many documents say #16 will do the job, but the seller insisted that #18 or #20 should be the right size for VS. It is because that he also had the same doubt about the correct size of the sac, so he took apart his NOS VS to get the answer.

I stuck the sac to the end of the section and wait about 10 minutes to let the glue dry out.  Then I found that if I put the sac inside the barrel and start to screw the barrel with the section, the rubber sac inside the barrel will get twisted.  

It is because that there is a God Damn push bar inside the barrel！

There is no way to avoid the bar when you screw in the barrel along the thread end of the section.  No wonder why experts said got to use #14 or #16 slender sac.  I know that the button filling system is rather brilliant design for many Parker Duofold pens.  The manual said that put the sac first and then insert the push bar from the rear end.  Many Duofold pen can open the rear end, but the VS does NOT! 

My VS is a Mark II version which the blind cap thread is integrated with the barrel, as I already stated in the previously section.  So after a few trials, I found that the rubber is too sticky.  So sticky that when it rotating, it will grab the push bar next to it. After a few thread, the sac will twist complete out of order and become a cabbage sac.

So I put some soap water on the rubber sac and hope that push bar metal won't get rusty in the long run. Then with some patient, I finally placed that sac into the barrel without mix up with the push bar. So there you go, the Parker VS.

I tested the volume of the sac and found that the sac can suck in about 1 ml (1 cc) ink .  Compare to the converter of modern pen, about 0.75ml, the VS ink volume is quite acceptable.  

Parker Vacumatic and Parker VS (Vacumatic Successor?)

But due to the stupid design of the barrel and the wrong material, I now can see why the Parker VS line did not make it.  And so as to became a collector 's favor pen.