Sheaffer Vac Rod 

I had been attempting what I expected to be a fairly routine Sheaffer Vac-Fil restoration, but the metal rod was stuck to the turning knob in a way I just couldn’t release. I tried heating the rod end and attempted to unscrew it using rubber grippers with pliers (applying quite a lot of torque and heat), but nothing worked. I put some naphtha in there and let it soak for a while to break down the glue—still nothing. Even WD-40 didn’t help. Here’s how I finally managed to open it...