Desk Set Confusion

[Wandering Man]

It is a long story, how I ended up with four mis-matched sets of Wahl Eversharp desk sets. I'm trying to stop the madness, and would like some confirmation on what I think I've discovered.

 

I've shone a light down the deep dark hole of the desk holders, and I've had the tops of two different sized fluted holders in my hands. Looking really closely at two of the WE desk sets, the only difference between the large size and the smaller one was the diameter of the opening in the top flute. I could not see a ridge at the bottom of the holder for the pen to rest on.

 

I've discovered that a 410 shotgun shell is the right size to serve as a sleeve. The pen fits snugly inside the empty hull, and the hull is just wide enough to not slide up or down in the holder. The fit seems to be air tight. I was able to leave my desk pen in the holder for a week and a half without the nib drying out.

 

 

 

 

 

What am I missing? Is the shot shell going to be a permanent solution? Or will I eventually have a problem?

 

Thanks.