Greetings all I have been lurking for a while but this is my first post. I am relatively new to the fountain pen arena. My first was a Diplomat that I got for a couple of bucks back when I was in high school, then I picked up a Pelikan m200 and a Waterman Charleston. I also aquired a couple of older fountain pens, one in particular has me a little confused. It is a Shaeffer - Snorkel maybe? I have attached a photo. My question is basically, how do I fill the silly thing. When I turn the bottom a tube comes out of the nib - and then the bottom part extends al the way out. It appears to fill as I pull the bottom out, but when I try to push the bottom back into the pen it emptys out.

http://www.penhero.com/PenGallery/Sheaffer...norkelGuide.htm

The pen doesn't work like a syringe. Extend the plunger. Dip the snorkel in ink. Then depress the plunger quickly. Count to 10. Screw in the end. See link above for picture filling instructions.

Dave,

Welcome!

Kendall has given you everything you need. No muss, no fuss. Looks like you may have a black or burgundy Valiant or Statesman Snorkel from the fifties made in good old Ft. Madison Iowa. The Statesman has an all silver nib and the Valiant has a 14k gold and silver nib.

Enjoy it...

Great, thanks for the help! I'll give it a try as soon as I get home, now I wish I had logged on before I left for work!

The pen does have an all silver nib, and the body is all black. I have no idea how old it might be. I found it in my parents house, I would imagine my mom picked it up at a garage sale, or in a lot at an auction of some sort. I figure its got to be worth a fill, maybe this will be the pen I carry when I don't wear a suit.

Dave,

My best guess is that it is a Sheaffer Statesman Snorkel, with a PdAg (Palladium Silver Alloy) Triumph nib. Pen was made in Fort Madison Iowa in, probably in the fifties.

philm

If it is a Statesman, it will have a white dot above the clip. Don't be alarmed if the nib is slightly bent upward--it's supposed to be that way and generally delivers a smooth, fine line. Sounds like yours would fill--but if there's a problem, it's well worth the money to get it restored. You'll have a wonderful pen that will last a long, long time. The quality of these vintage Sheaffers is really exceptional.

Wahoo - it is takes ink and writes great!

This is the first pen I have used that does not give any indication of how full/ empty it is. Can anyone give me an idea of how much ink this pen holds, compared to, say a waterman converter, or a Pelikan m200?

By the way, the pen does have a white dot on the cap and it says that its a Shaeffer made in Fort Madison, Iowa on the barrel.

The received wisdom is that Snorkels don't hold as much ink as typical pens of their era, but are very efficient in their use of that ink, so they end up writing about the same amount. Probably the best way to avoid running out of ink would be to routinely refill the pen at the end of any day when you've done much writing -- that's the way it used to be.

BTW, not sure why you'd use this pen when not wearing a suit. It was most distinctly an "executive" pen, back in the day when that was the code word for snob appeal. But also a very elegant simple piece, and a splendid writer. Enjoy it, whatever you're wearing.

Best

Michael

Great pen you've got there, and glad you were able to get it working. I agree totally that this is suit worthy!

Thanks guys. I didn't mean that I wouldn't carry this particular pen when I was wearing a suit, its just that I tend not to carry my nicer pens unless I am wearing a suit, and can safely tuck them away in my inside jacket pocket. This pen seems "experienced" enough that I won't mind it banging around in my pants pocket with my car keys and what not.

Yeah, that's right, it's a working pen, too.

Carry it in good health

Michael