Sheaffer Vfm Cartridges

[alprax]

Hi guys.. I'm a newbie here...

bought a sheaffer VFM for daily use a couple of months back.. am almost thru my first set of blue sheaffer international cartridges. Wanted to try some other colours (sheaffer int'l cartridges apparently come only in black and blue)... Saw a nice set of Schneider ink cartridges online in green ink. But I'm not sure they'll fit the VFM. Does anyone know of any international cartridges in other colours available in any online seller?

or do I have to resort to buying a bottle of that pelican 4001 violet I've had my eye on for a while and load it with a syringe?

[Florida Blue]

The mini Waterman and the regular Pelikan 4001 cartridges should fit in your VFM.

[Nathaniel Harter]

Any short international cartridges will fit, not long ones though. Private Reserve makes some cartridges tha fit, Pendemonium sells them. You can't use a converter with these, as there won't be enough room for one.

[mitto]

The Sheaffer button converter or slim Targa converter can be used with any Sheaffer cartridge only pen.

[alprax]

Thanks guys! I'll try the pelikan 4001 then.. i really like that ink. haven't found a shop/online store with the mini waterman. @mitto I asked the sheaffer guys at williampenn... they said no sheaffer converter will fit the VFM. i haven't heard of the targa.. will try to find out

[mitto]

Thanks guys! I'll try the pelikan 4001 then.. i really like that ink. haven't found a shop/online store with the mini waterman. @mitto I asked the sheaffer guys at williampenn... they said no sheaffer converter will fit the VFM. i haven't heard of the targa.. will try to find out

Here they are:

 

 

 

 

The button converter is on the right and the sheaffer slim targa converter is on the left. Both these would fit perfectly in your pen if you can find them.

[Pincel]

The Sheaffer button converter or slim Targa converter can be used with any Sheaffer cartridge only pen.

 

The Sheaffer Imperial Compact I & II are cartridge only pens. There are no converters that will work with this pen unless you do your surgery to cut it to size.

[mitto]

The Sheaffer Imperial Compact I & II are cartridge only pens. There are no converters that will work with this pen unless you do your surgery to cut it to size.

These two would fit - repeat fit - any cartridge-only sheaffer pen.

Edited July 22, 2015 by mitto

[Pincel]

These two would fit - repeat fit - any cartridge-only sheaffer pen.

 

Okay, say whatever you say, but my Sheaffer Imperial Compact I couldn't be persuaded.

[Ernst Bitterman]

These two would fit - repeat fit - any cartridge-only sheaffer pen.

 

I'd support that statement with this amendment: These two will fit in any Sheaffer pen that takes Sheaffer's standard cartridges, with one exception. I'll agree that even the button converter wouldn't go in one of the old Compacts, because the button makes it too long to fit in the chamber. Neither will fit in Slim Targa, TRX, Sentinel, Fashion 1 and (probably, but I've not had one to test) Lazer because they rely on the Sheaffer Cartridge II, a more slender object than the normal cartridge. They also won't fit the VFM because that one only takes International pattern cartridges for reasons only Sheaffer's mysterious masters know.

 

I've made absolute statements about Sheaffer in the past, too. I try to avoid it now.

[mitto]

I'd support that statement with this amendment: These two will fit in any Sheaffer pen that takes Sheaffer's standard cartridges, with one exception. I'll agree that even the button converter wouldn't go in one of the old Compacts, because the button makes it too long to fit in the chamber. Neither will fit in Slim Targa, TRX, Sentinel, Fashion 1 and (probably, but I've not had one to test) Lazer because they rely on the Sheaffer Cartridge II, a more slender object than the normal cartridge. They also won't fit the VFM because that one only takes International pattern cartridges for reasons only Sheaffer's mysterious masters know.

 

I've made absolute statements about Sheaffer in the past, too. I try to avoid it now.

 

How come you say "neither will fit slim Targa..." when the one on the left in the picture is the slim Targa convevrter itself? Please please read before you post. The slim targa converter will fit almost all the pens you mentioned.

 

And the earlier version of the button converter that I have shown would also fit. This earlier version of the button converter is very short and has a button that is very small in size.

Edited July 23, 2015 by mitto

[mitto]

Okay, say whatever you say, but my Sheaffer Imperial Compact I couldn't be persuaded.

 

Have you ever come across the Targa slim converter? The one I have shown is not the standard Sheaffer squeeze converter. It is Targa slim converter. And , it is so slim it would fit all cartridge-only sheaffer pens. It is to be noted that since the nipple size on all sheaffer C/C and cartridge-only pens is the same , this slim Targa converter would fit almost all cartridge-only sheaffer pens and , hence , no " surgery" , whatsoever, would be needed for it to fit a cartridge-only Sheaffer pen. So is the case with the version of the button converter that I have shown.

Edited July 23, 2015 by mitto

[mitto]

Deleted. Because it was a double post. Sorry.

Edited July 23, 2015 by mitto

[Pincel]

Have you ever come across the Targa slim converter? The one I have shown is not the standard Sheaffer squeeze converter. It is Targa slim converter. And , it is so slim it would fit all cartridge-only sheaffer pens. It is to be noted that since the nipple size on all sheaffer C/C and cartridge-only pens is the same , this slim Targa converter would fit almost all cartridge-only sheaffer pens and , hence , no " surgery" , whatsoever, would be needed for it to fit a cartridge-only Sheaffer pen. So is the case with the version of the button converter that I have shown.

 

So, you're admitting they would NOT fill all cartridge-only sheaffer pens?

 

The Sheaffer Imperial Compacts have barrels just deep enough to accept the Sheaffers standard ink cartridges.

 

If YOUR converters have the same length (2.063") as the standard cartridges, then and only then, they will fit MY Compact I. What are lengths of those two converters you have shown?

[mitto]

So, you're admitting they would NOT fill all cartridge-only sheaffer pens?

 

The Sheaffer Imperial Compacts have barrels just deep enough to accept the Sheaffers standard ink cartridges.

 

If YOUR converters have the same length (2.063") as the standard cartridges, then and only then, they will fit MY Compact I. What are lengths of those two converters you have shown?

Here we go.

 

 

 

 

Both less than 2.050". The button converter is almost 2.010" while the slim Targa one is 2.030". Now tell me would these fit or not?

Edited July 23, 2015 by mitto

[mitto]

Deleted as it got double posted.

Edited July 23, 2015 by mitto

[Ernst Bitterman]

How come you say "neither will fit slim Targa..." when the one on the left in the picture is the slim Targa convevrter itself? Please please read before you post. The slim targa converter will fit almost all the pens you mentioned.

 

And the earlier version of the button converter that I have shown would also fit. This earlier version of the button converter is very short and has a button that is very small in size.

 

I plead guilty of inattention to the text; I took it for the standard squeezer converter. The button converter is definitely not capable of insertion in the slender pens, and I'd still have some concerns about a Slim converter keeping its hold on the nipple in a standard-diameter Sheaffer pen without the support of section collar or barrel. Also, note that the button converter is 2 1/8" long and the slim 2 3/16", which is 2.125" and 2.1875" (5.3975 cm/ 5.556 cm) respectively-- too long for a Compact.

 

I'll try, gently, to get my Slim converter to fit into my VFM, in a spirit of inquiry, but I'm pretty sure that the outer diameter of the International-size nipple will be too big for the hole in the converter, and the outer diameter of the collar of the section will be too small to allow it to seat even if the nipple will fit the hole. The VFM is a serious anomaly, as it wasn't made to accept the Sheaffer proprietary cartridges, neither vintage, slim, nor modern.

Edited July 23, 2015 by Ernst Bitterman

[Pincel]

Here we go.

 

 

20150723_164049_LLS-1.jpg

 

Both less than 2.050". The button converter is almost 2.010" while the slim Targa one is 2.030". Now tell me would these fit or not?

 

Looks like your botton converter (on the left) is closer to 2 & 1/8 inches as measured by your cloth tape measure. This translates to 2.125 inches, same figure given above by Ernst. So, it would NOT fit, "still too long" for the Compact. How did you arrive at the figure of 2.050 inches for the your button converter? You mean it is shorter than 2.063 inches, the length of the Sheaffer standard cartridge? Could you do a reshoot: your botton converter together with a standard cartridge and use a better ruler than a cloth tape measure? Looks like you have introduced a bias in your measurements.

[Ernst Bitterman]

OK, here we go, with really badly lit pictures. I was using a bit of my son's Trackmaster rails to provide a set background; the ties act as reference points. So, let's start with the materials in question:

 

 

So, here lie a VFM, the two converters under consideration, and the sort of short international cartridge this pen is meant to take. Now, let's dismiss the button converter to start.

 

 

It's a little hard to make out in this photo, but the outer diameters of both section and converter are about the same. I didn't document how little of the converter fits in the barrel, because it really won't go into the section. Now, let's give the Slim a close examination

 

 

It also doesn't go down the barrel-- it's in as far as it would go. I meant to get the section and cartridge arranged in their correct positions, so you can see how much too far out of the barrel the converter juts, but I messed up a little. The part of the cartridge which is lined up with the joint of the section should actually be in line with the back of the threads-- the converter sticks out that much more than it should.

 

However, this is also important, because I messed up consistently in the two pictures that follow. I said I'd try sticking the converter in the section, and try I did...

 

 

The outer diameter of the collar is indeed wide enough to admit the converter, but...

 

 

...as I suspected, the nipple grounds out on the face of the converter rather than passing into it. Remember that the cartridge is too far forward, though; the opening should basically align to the joint of the section (which lies right up against the tie that the threads are on). It's not a huge distance that keeps the converter from being seated, but it's enough.

[Bitpusher]

I've found exactly one converter that fits the VFM. It's a squeeze converter for the Kaweco Sport.

JetPens carries it: http://www.jetpens.com/Kaweco-Squeeze-Fountain-Pen-Converter-for-Sport-Series/pd/10586

http://i.imgur.com/GAQM7r1.jpg