11 replies to this topic

[Rocco P]

Have you ever found it difficult to install a new o-ring at the end of a snorkel or touchdown barrel? Well, I certainly did.

Mr. Binder suggests using a specially fabricated tool (or a wooden dowel of the right diameter) to help. 

Lacking either tools, I've adopted a humble solution to the same problem, one requiring only the use of a few paperclips.

I've found that it's very easy to push a length of a few millimeters of the o-ring into its groove. Once it's there, keep it there with a slightly sprung paperclip, push another piece of the o-ring into its recess and clamp it there with another paperclip. You'll find now that it's very easy to finish the job.

 

I've done two pens today with this method, a snorkel and a touchdown, with ease, while in the past it always took me a lot of trial and error to succeed.

 

Now I only need to find an easy method of removing an old, stubborn, petrified sac from its metal guard 

 

 

[Roger W.]

The O-ring is rarely trouble.  To get out a petrified sac a lot of us use the proper sized drill bit which you just twist by hand to take out the rest of the sac.

 

Roger W.

[Paul-H]

Hi

Good tip, thanks

I ended up making a tool similar to the Richard described and find it works well, most of the time. You will always get the odd one that won't play ball, and it's normally the last one if you are doing a few of them.

Paul

[Rocco P]

Thanks for the suggestion regarding the use of a properly sized drill bit. I'll try this afternoon.

[AeRoberto]

Actually the best tool is a reamer, but I don't remember the right diameter, I should search. Obviously a hand driven drill bit will do a good job, but the reamer is better. Obviously in my humble opinion .

[Rocco P]

The drill bit worked very well, with a bit of patience.

[Paul-H]

Hi all

 

What's the correct size drill to use.

 

Paul

[David Nishimura]

Don't recall off the top of my head, but it's an English (fraction of an inch) size, not metric. So if you have a drill bit set, you'll figure it out easily enough.

[Mike Hosea]

Snorkel: 7/32" (From David's web site: http://www.vintagepe...FM_repair.shtml )

Touchdown TM: 15/64" (so my drill bits tell me)

[Rocco P]

I just used the one, in my drill set, that fit barely.

[Michael Quitt]

I just use the tip of a very small screwdriver to push the "o" ring into place.

[Jim B]

Not to make anyone drool, but how about a set of original Sheaffer Factory tools used for this very purpose!!