Sheaffer Deluxe Calligraphy Set

[domino]

Hi all, being this my first review and calligraphy attempt, here it goes...

 

I was in the spending mood and while strolling at Barnes & Noble, saw several calligraphy sets. This little number

caught my eye and bought it along with some material on calligraphy.

 

http://www.cultpens.com/acatalog/sheaffer-deluxe-calligraphy.jpg

 

First Impressions

One of the things that I've concerns about is presentation and ease of use. This set comes in a tin can

with form fitting inlays. Included in the kit are 3 pen bodies with caps, 3 pen nibs a converter, 6

cartridges of ink in several colors and a book on general calligraphy. The can is kind of nice and helps

to store in a neat safe manner.

 

Appearance

One of the things that attracted me to this set is the smart appearance of the packaging. Everything is

laid out and easily accessible. The pens are labeled on the cap as F, M and B with millimeter numbering.

What is not easily seen is the color of the ink being used unless you open the pen and look.

 

Design

I like the design being that it resemble a quill pen. This does not mean that it is. The finishing of the pen is in shinny black

sort of plastic. I can't tell which type without a chemistry lab. It is a heavy enough pen but not too heavy with a

comfortable body width. The nib appears to be stainless steel and the body of the pen has a metal silver colored ring.

The cap gives a solid click and is thoroughly sealed (no leaks). There is no clip.

 

Nib

This is what I really like, The feed mechanism is the same as a regular fountain pen, with the ink holding ribs

with the exception of the nib being for calligraphy. The nib unit has a soft rubber part that helps to hold the pen

with ease and without slipping.

 

Filling System

The filling system is via cartridges, In assuming all Sheaffer cartridges will fit, or via a converter. This is really nice since

now you can use your favorite pen ink from a bottle. Ink flow is guaranteed so long as there is ink.

 

Cost and Value

This pens sells for around $35 US. A more thorough search online may yield a better price. I bought it using my wife's

25% teacher discount. That brought it down to $26 US. Not bad.

 

Conclusion

I bought this with the intention to learn calligraphy. I also think that learning on bad equipment only discourages the

student. This is a fair set for the value and for learning. The pen looks good and feels good. Ink flow is adequate, although

a bit wet. That's OK since calligraphy letters need to look full. There is another Deluxe set that uses a more conventional

looking pen and on this one you can see through the barrel the ink color. I'm sure there are better and worst sets than this one,

however, this is a nice one to get started on.

 

http://www.cultpens.com/acatalog/sheaffer-viewpoint.jpg

[jd50ae]

You really can't beat the price. I have been using the more "conventional" set for a couple of years and I am very impressed with how well they work.

[Maja]

Thanks very much for the review, domino!

I've noticed how some pen companies are trying to draw people back into the fountain pen world with calligraphy stuff. Many friends and acquaintances think that I *only* use my fountain pens for calligraphy...

[Shangas]

I haven't seen a cartridge of Sheaffer Skrip in ages. Aaaaaah, brings back memories of my schooldays....

[FrankB]

Thanks for the review, domino.

 

I am interested in your reaction to the quality of the product on paper. I have some older Sheaffer calligraphy pens that I have used successfully for years and I have been happy with them. Christmas 2005 I bought several individual Sheaffer calligraphy pens as gifts. I broke one out of the blister pack just to try it and I was stunned and disappointed at the poor quality of the pen to paper experience. The nibs wrote like sloppy stubs rather than formal italic nibs, and the ink gushed out in torrents. I returned all the pens and gave restaurant gift certificates instead. I am curious if Sheaffer, or whoever owns the company today, has addressed that quality issue.

[domino]

Thanks all, I've always liked calligraphy. I did try the set out on some calligraphy paper using

Noodlers Black. The amount of ink placed by the nib I would characterize as abundant. Some

would call it wet. It is a wet medium. I'm gonna get some real calligraphy paper soon. Maybe I'll

post a postmortem on pen performance.

 

I've been raking my poor little noodle as to what I should commit to paper. Sonnets have a draw

for me. Maybe I'll start writing Love poems to the ol'wifie. She'll like that.

 

Frankb wrote: "I am interested in your reaction to the quality of the product on paper"

 

This is how I would measure the above.

 

Performance expectations: I would expect ink flow to be smooth and consistent. I would also

expect the ink to flow as wide as the nib width and not have any skips. Calligraphy being an

art requires more thought than just writing. It generally goes slow. This speed may characterize

the wet aspects of the performance.

 

Intrinsic Expectations: This is where the quality of the paper and type of ink used come into being.

I'm sure there's a type of paper out there for avery type of ink. I only have Noodlers Black, thus the

reason for picking this pen set. I do have some dip pen inks that I consider watery. The dip pens are

very scratchy and always seem to lay it heavy, thus massive bleed through the paper. I would not put

that ink in the pen set as components of it would clog the pens really bad. I would want a paper

that does not feather the ink or suck it out before a pen touches it. I would like it to sort of dry on top,

thus guaranteeing edge sharpness. Since I don't have other types of ink to compare to, I can't say

much other than the ink does behave as expected above.

 

Artistic Expectations: This is purely subjective. I would expect the pen to not hinder the creative

qualities of the writing. In fact, it should almost be invisible to the user.