Sheaffer Balance Ii

[ANM]

I have four of these pens and all of them has ink flow problems. The skip after a paragraph or two.

 

That's odd from a Sheaffer. Are you using waterproof/archive inks? Have you tried cleaning the feed and the nib? Of course there can always be a manufacture error...

 

I used mostly Pelikan black and Scrip blue inks. I have lots of experience in making pens write better by working on the feed channel, cleaning, and adjusting the nibs. These are among the most difficult I have ever had to keep a good ink flow. After three with the same problem, I am more inclined to think it is a design problem than a individual manufacture error.

 

I have lots of vintage Sheaffer pens. All of them write very well. These were the last Sheaffer pens I bought new.

Edited August 20, 2012 by ANM

[ljwahl]

Has anyone experienced these cracking problems with the Millennium edition?

 

Yes-- my barrel cracked in two, was replaced by Sheaffer under warranty with a Cobalt Glow (no Millennium models left!)-- and the cap of the Cobalt has a crack by the clip. I don't know that I've ever put the pen in my pocket!

 

I also have a Crimson Glow, however, that was, and still is perfect.

 

I'd very much like to replace that Millennium edition someday...

[JeanManuel]

I have four of these pens and all of them has ink flow problems. The skip after a paragraph or two.

 

That's odd from a Sheaffer. Are you using waterproof/archive inks? Have you tried cleaning the feed and the nib? Of course there can always be a manufacture error...

 

I used mostly Pelikan black and Scrip blue inks. I have lots of experience in making pens write better by working on the feed channel, cleaning, and adjusting the nibs. These are among the most difficult I have ever had to keep a good ink flow. After three with the same problem, I am more inclined to think it is a design problem than a individual manufacture error.

 

I have lots of vintage Sheaffer pens. All of them write very well. These were the last Sheaffer pens I bought new.

 

Understood. I stopped using Pelikan Brilliant Black with fountain pens because it was causing a reduced flow.

My balance II does not have this problem.

Well. It's sad that the ones you bought don't work well.

The last suggestion I would have, is to try the ink Diamine Oxblood. It's the best flowing ink I've tried so far. Maybe the quality of the ink could cope with the issues of the feed/nib.

 

P.S.: I don't recommend you a black or blue ink because I don't know any as well flowing as Diamine Oxblood. But maybe there is.

Edited August 21, 2012 by JeanManuel

[andyk]

Has anyone experienced these cracking problems with the Millennium edition?

 

Hi,

 

I sent one back a several years back they had run out of parts and sent me a Crimson Glow as a replacement (which remains uninked and last time I looked crack free) they also sent back the original which I still use, but doesn't seem to have got worse.

 

I have another uninked Millenium that is still crack free. At the same time as I returned the FP I also sent back a plain blue BP with similar cracks which they replaced.

 

Nice pens shame about the material.

 

Andy

Edited August 21, 2012 by andyk

[ANM]

I believe Scrip is a good flowing ink. I have not had problems with either ink and I have been using Pelikan for around 40 years.

[JeanManuel]

It seems that the threading of the Sheaffer Balance II is the same as in the Sheaffer No Nonsense, would someone be able to tell the specifications of that threading?

 

Once we know that, we could order new caps and bodies, because the nibs and grips are pretty good.

 

edit:grammar

 

The section thread is the same in a No Nonsense (including the Old Timers and it's cousins), Balance II, and Connoisseur - except for the Grand Connoisseur which uses the sections with metal threads. You can use them in the Bamboo as well.

 

By specifications, I meant the series of numbers that specify a "thread tap" model, to drill the same threads. I'll ask in the crafting/turning section.

[Bill Wood]

Has anyone experienced these cracking problems with the Millennium edition?

 

I think that all of the marbled pens are vulnerable because they were made out of a compressed acrylic.

 

Ron is absolutely right. I've got two. One cap is cracked; and the other has a hair line. Blue Marble and the 'Autumn' one I believe. Really too bad because they are great posted and love writing with them. One is going to Ron for a tuning.

[Ron Z]

By specifications, I meant the series of numbers that specify a "thread tap" model, to drill the same threads. I'll ask in the crafting/turning section.

 

 

Frizza, razza, razza, rizza..... I was ignoring that. I had to go and measure, and cut, and drill, and tap to test.

 

Nothing available is precisely right. A 10 X 0.8 mm would be best, if you could buy the tap, but it's not readily available... i.e. it would be a special order. The 0.8 mm thread gauge fits nicely. A 10 X 0.75 will work with a bit of help - it's snug for the first couple of passes. Not precisely correct, but close enough for the 1/4" or so of thread. I didn't find an NF or fractional thread that would match or was even close.

[dst207]

I've had mine (a marbled Amber Glow with broad nib) for over 15 years and still love it - writes beautfully and still looks very very nice. Not sure what people are doing with theirs that would cause them to think them "fragile".

As someone who's had three Sheaffer Balance II pens to crack, I'll tell you what I did to cause the problem: NOTHING. Each one cracked while it sat unused in a tray (out of the light, mind you, and in a controlled atmosphere). So if you haven't had a Jade or Tiger's Eye to crack, consider yourself lucky. But if you read the threads about these pens, you'll find quite a few testimonies from owners who've taken care of their pens, but they cracked anyway. If you want more proof, talk to some of the repair folks like Ron Zorn and Richard Binder. I love those pens, but the material in some of them is indeed prone to crack and is unstable.

Interesting. Sorry if touched a raw nerve. I wonder what the experience is with the Amber Glow. I haven't taken any special precautions regarding storage, other than a nice pen case. I guess it is an issue with the resin drying out (or something?).

The problem is with the material itself. When Sheaffer produced these pens, they knew the material was unstable, but they produced the pens anyway. How's that for pulling a fast one on the unsuspecting pen community who's certainly attracted to some of these more colorful pens? Not much the owner of the unstable materials can do, alas. Of course you can have the cracks repaired and hope that it won't happen again . . .

 

Wow, I had no idea. I guess I have just been extremely lucky (that's unusual for me )

[bullfighter]

I just that neon green one and the red one with the cap removed. Neither are cracked as yet, fingers crossed.

 

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j95/glenn-sc/SheafferBalanceIIs.jpg

 

You have to love those colors!

[kpyeoman]

I have a Balance II with a factory stub. I quite enjoy the width of the nib (seems to be in the sweet spot between a 1.1 and a 1.5), but the corners are more sharp than I'd like. I'm hesitant to try grinding them myself, though. Has anyone sent one of the factory stubs for this type of adjustment, and if so, who did you send it to? Thx!

Edited April 4, 2013 by kpyeoman

[Pincel]

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j95/glenn-sc/SheafferBalanceIIs.jpg

You have to love those colors!

Can you spot the Balance II "Junior" in the above picture? I have one just like it. The barrel is about 3mm shorter than my other Balance IIs. Closer inspection of the "Junior" reveals the absence of an inner brass tubing in the barrel, making it considerably (3.3 g) lighter than the standard size. Overall, it approximates the weight of the standard NoNonsense. Does the lighter weight cheapen my "Junior"? I say not, I like it much and it's now my go-to pen. There's something peculiar about it. My 2 tone 18k Grand Connaisseur Extra Fine nib, the one with the metal sleeve protecting the nipple, threads into it! Try that with your regular size Balance IIs.

 

Ben

 

PS: Would you consider the Limited Edition, the one at very top in the picture, as the Oversize version compared to the rest? I don't have one, but it appears fatter than the others.

[Garageboy]

I personally like the pens a lot.

No frills, good writers (except for the stubs...), classic looks

Put a monotone nib on a Jade green pen and it's 1929 all over again (sorta...)

 

If I rip the spring out of a RB, can I put a FP section and screw converter on one?

[Pincel]

I personally like the pens a lot.

No frills, good writers (except for the stubs...), classic looks

Put a monotone nib on a Jade green pen and it's 1929 all over again (sorta...)

 

If I rip the spring out of a RB, can I put a FP section and screw converter on one?

I have all 3 Balance II Classic Solid Colors (Black, Navy and Hunter Green) and they were all roller balls. I didn't bother removing the springs out. I replaced the RB sections and I could use not only all my Balance II Feather Touch nibs but as well all my NoNonsense and Connaisseur nibs. No problem fitting them with squeeze converter. The current Sheaffer piston converter wouldn't fit unless you pluck the springs out, but I still retain the option of using them as roller balls.

 

Ben R

[DrPJM1]

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w139/DrPJM1/IMG011.jpg The Balance II LE is actually shorter than the others and is the only one lever-filled but is most fragile on the body threads where it is thinnest. Shape-wise the regular line (except LE) resemble the earliest Balance pens but have a later model clip, solid-color pens and the LE have the correct single cap band. Solid-color pens have a single-tone gold nib marked Lifetime, the LE has a platinum-masked nib also marked Lifetime, but all the others are platinum-masked and marked FeatherTouch even though they all have white dots proudly displayed on their caps. All have a gold ring on their nib section, not found on the original pens. Other versions were an LE Demonstrator, Special Edition Aspen, Millenium, and black Disney and Shakespeare. I have never experienced nib problems, but the stub nib is really an italic nib with sharp shoulders that dig into paper if you do not maintain the proper grip and nib to paper relationship. I like the Balance II pens but feel that they could have stayed faithful to their original pens.

Edited May 7, 2013 by DrPJM1

[johntdavis]

I have one of these in the amber/tortoise shell pattern. I got it new back in the 1990s, and after about a year of use it unfortunately set for about 10 years with ink in the feed. I just recently found it again and cleaned it and it seems to be working great after a thorough cleaning. It's without question one of my most striking pens, and though I think I could get a good price for it if I tried to sell it, I can't see myself parting with it, especially since Sheaffer's selection of new pens has ... shrunk ... so much lately.

 

Within the first year of use, the cap ring did snap cleanly off. At the time I thought I'd simply overtightened it. I've always thought the cap was particularly thin. Interesting to hear that this was probably a design flaw/resin flaw. At any rate, I'm very careful with it now.

 

It's also the only pen I own with an 18k gold nib. All my other gold nibs are 14k. I didn't know a thing about flex 10 years ago, but now I understand that 18k nibs are a bit springier/softer than 14k nibs, and I've seen enough demos of people getting slight line variation out of regular gold nibs that I thought I'd give it a try--light handed of course.

 

Imagine my surprise when I got a pretty sizable bit of line variation out of the nib. It rivals my semi-flex Wahl-Eversharp Skyliner 50--though that one gets a more, it's actually designed to flex, so I push it harder. I was impressed, though I certainly won't be making a habit of this. Are the Balance II nibs classified as semi-flex, or just springy?

[elysee]

I have the Tiger Eye fountain pen and ballpoint pen. The finish/coloring is lovely and I like the feel of both the ballpoint pen and the fountain pen. The nib has a nice solid feel when I write.

 

My only "wish" or regret related to my Sheaffer Balance II set is that I wish that both the fountain pen and the ballpoint pen were heavier. Since I have the Sheaffer Grand Connaisseur -- lacquer on brass not the plastic/resin -- fountain pen and ballpoint pen set (in tortoise and black) as well as other heavy pens by other pen makers, I have grown accustomed to heavier pens. So, I keep my Sheaffer Balance II set at home since they feel a bit more delicate than my other pens.

[marchbrown]

I've had mine (a marbled Amber Glow with broad nib) for over 15 years and still love it - writes beautfully and still looks very very nice. Not sure what people are doing with theirs that would cause them to think them "fragile".

 

 

I have a Balance 11 set of pen and ballpoint in Amber Glow which I bought new many years ago. I have just checked it over with a loupe and can't see any signs of cracking ... The pen has the lovely stub nib and has only been used once, just to try it out ... I wrote the Xmas cards one year and then cleaned the pen and put it away ... I normally use my Pelikan 400 pen with the OB nib as my everyday pen.

 

I have the original box and the swing tags plus the original two cartridges for the Sheaffer set.

 

Does anyone know how much these Sheaffer pens would be worth in the UK, as I am reducing my small pen collection.

 

Many Thankls

.

[johntdavis]

I had an Amber glow, bought new and used heavily about 20 years ago (when they were new and in production. The bottom of the cap below the cap rings snapped off one day, and luckily was replaced by PenWright (a wonderful store in Dallas that no longer exists) at no charge.

 

After that I was very careful with tightening it, as I thought I'd done something wrong. I only found out much later that the material was especially fragile. The material on the cap below the rings is especially thin. Having collected many more pens since then I would say it is worryingly thin.

 

I sold my Balance II either last year or in 2014 because it was in perfect condition and I had read enough reports of them spontaneously cracking to feel like it was only a matter of time before mine fell prey to cracking gremlins. I eBayed it for an excellent price and it made it to its new owner, a major Sheaffer collector, safely.

 

If you're interested in selling one, check eBay for the value. Make sure you look at one with your finish. Due to rarity some are much more valuable than others. I nearly got full retail for my Amber Glow. I was most pleased.

[marchbrown]

I had an Amber glow, bought new and used heavily about 20 years ago (when they were new and in production. The bottom of the cap below the cap rings snapped off one day, and luckily was replaced by PenWright (a wonderful store in Dallas that no longer exists) at no charge.

 

After that I was very careful with tightening it, as I thought I'd done something wrong. I only found out much later that the material was especially fragile. The material on the cap below the rings is especially thin. Having collected many more pens since then I would say it is worryingly thin.

 

I sold my Balance II either last year or in 2014 because it was in perfect condition and I had read enough reports of them spontaneously cracking to feel like it was only a matter of time before mine fell prey to cracking gremlins. I eBayed it for an excellent price and it made it to its new owner, a major Sheaffer collector, safely.

 

If you're interested in selling one, check eBay for the value. Make sure you look at one with your finish. Due to rarity some are much more valuable than others. I nearly got full retail for my Amber Glow. I was most pleased.

 

 

Thank you for the information, I will look on eBay to see if there is a similar set for sale ... I did find that the pen seemed just a bit too wide for me to grip comfortably ... I prefer my Pelikan 400 to the Balance II because of this.

.