Sheaffer Pens And What To Look For?

[TitoThePencilPimp]

Mainly a Pelikan and Sailor user here. Recently ventured into Kaweco and have a fireblue liliput, skyline, and perkeo. All are lovely pens.

 

Wanted to own a Sheaffer, but was unsure of what models to at and what's worth owning without breaking the bank. I have no knowledge of pen restoration, so I would not be able to restore vintage models.

[alexander_k]

Targas could be a starting point for you. Lots of them around, most in good condition, requiring just a thorough cleaning. Good writers, too. Touchdown models are trickier but still feasible for a beginner restorer. Snorkels add to the complexity.

[silverlifter]

It is hard to go wrong with a vintage Sheaffer (assuming it has been properly restored). They made so many great pens.

 

Have a look at Peyton Street Pens Sheaffer section, and see which models appeal to you aesthetically. You can be guaranteed that whichever one you alight on, it will be a terrific writer.

 

Some of my favourites include the Vacuum Fillers, Snorkels (especially the PFM), and anything with a Triumph nib.

Edited February 1, 2020 by silverlifter

[TitoThePencilPimp]

It is hard to go wrong with a vintage Sheaffer (assuming it has been properly restored). They made so many great pens.

 

Have a look at Peyton Street Pens Sheaffer section, and see which models appeal to you aesthetically. You can be guaranteed that whichever one you alight on, it will be a terrific writer.

 

Some of my favourites include the Vacuum Fillers, Snorkels (especially the PFM), and anything with a Triumph nib.

 

Wow. Thank you. The lady Shaeffer in Satin Tulle is lovely. May purchase it.

[Ron Z]

Its hard to narrow it down. Sheaffer was a leading pen manufacturer, with innovative designs that forced their competitors to follow. That means that they made a lot of great pens over the decades. Sheaffer came up with the first lever filler, was the first manufacturer to use celluloid, introduced the streamlined Balance pens that others had to follow. The first to make a conical nib in the Triumph line, the first manufacturer to make an inlaid nib. They introduced the plunger filler, which is still copied today.

 

The Balance pens are great pens. Have a professional restore a plunger filler pen using the new materials, and you have a pen that will last years with little more than a bit of silicone grease on the plunger rod. The striped Sheaffer, and black celluloids are very stable.

 

The most problematic are the snorkels. Not the PFM, but snorkels, because the spring inside is carbon steel, not stainless. The Intrigue runs a close second. A cartridge/converter Imperial, like the Targa is a great pen too. Though I like the look of the Balance II pens, the marbled colors with the two tone nibs are notorious for cracking because the plastic is a compressed acrylic.

[Parker51]

I suggest you get an Imperial, cartridge fill, with a convertor.

It will be easy to clean, easy to refil and very reasonably priced.

Or, if you want to spend a bit more, get a Targa, a truely great and underpriced pen.

[pajaro]

I suggest you get an Imperial, cartridge fill, with a convertor.

It will be easy to clean, easy to refil and very reasonably priced.

Or, if you want to spend a bit more, get a Targa, a truely great and underpriced pen.

 

Great suggestion. The slim Targas have an issue in that the converters are no longer made, and the piston converter is too big to fit them. Some people resac the slim converters, though. The slim Targa squeeze converters do work in some other Sheaffer cartridge pens that will not take the normal size squeeze or piston converters. I have one I will resac with a PVC converter, if I live long enough for the latex sac to expire.

[Ron Z]

 

Great suggestion. The slim Targas have an issue in that the converters are no longer made, and the piston converter is too big to fit them. Some people resac the slim converters, though. The slim Targa squeeze converters do work in some other Sheaffer cartridge pens that will not take the normal size squeeze or piston converters. I have one I will resac with a PVC converter, if I live long enough for the latex sac to expire.

The Monteverde mini converter, or one of the Kaweco mini converters will work in the slim Sheaffers. The Monteverde is what Sheaffer was supplying as a replacement before the service center closed.

[TitoThePencilPimp]

Its hard to narrow it down. Sheaffer was a leading pen manufacturer, with innovative designs that forced their competitors to follow. That means that they made a lot of great pens over the decades. Sheaffer came up with the first lever filler, was the first manufacturer to use celluloid, introduced the streamlined Balance pens that others had to follow. The first to make a conical nib in the Triumph line, the first manufacturer to make an inlaid nib. They introduced the plunger filler, which is still copied today.

 

The Balance pens are great pens. Have a professional restore a plunger filler pen using the new materials, and you have a pen that will last years with little more than a bit of silicone grease on the plunger rod. The striped Sheaffer, and black celluloids are very stable.

 

The most problematic are the snorkels. Not the PFM, but snorkels, because the spring inside is carbon steel, not stainless. The Intrigue runs a close second. A cartridge/converter Imperial, like the Targa is a great pen too. Though I like the look of the Balance II pens, the marbled colors with the two tone nibs are notorious for cracking because the plastic is a compressed acrylic.

 

On average, what is the average cost of restorations for these pens? Assuming the sac etc have gone to hell. About $200?

[silverlifter]

 

On average, what is the average cost of restorations for these pens? Assuming the sac etc have gone to hell. About $200?

 

A lot less than that...

[pajaro]

 

On average, what is the average cost of restorations for these pens? Assuming the sac etc have gone to hell. About $200?

 

You could expect $30 to $50 for most of them. Some take more time than others. Some restorers have websites and post typical restoration costs for various models of pens.

[terim]

The Monteverde mini converter, or one of the Kaweco mini converters will work in the slim Sheaffers. The Monteverde is what Sheaffer was supplying as a replacement before the service center closed.

 

We do have the slim Sheaffer converters in stock at this time.

[Ray-Vigo]

My recommendation is a lever fill Balance, Touchdown, or TM Touchdown. To get started. If you want to go more modern, one of the inlaid nib Imperial pens (Touchdown or cartridge - your preference).

[pajaro]

My recommendation is a lever fill Balance, Touchdown, or TM Touchdown. To get started. If you want to go more modern, one of the inlaid nib Imperial pens (Touchdown or cartridge - your preference).

I second this recommendation strongly. I think these pens stand with the best writers you can buy.

[FredRydr]

...I would not be able to restore vintage models.

 

 

My recommendation is a lever fill Balance, Touchdown, or TM Touchdown. To get started. If you want to go more modern, one of the inlaid nib Imperial pens (Touchdown or cartridge - your preference).

Since the OP will not be doing his own restoration, a restored Vac-Fill plunger should be considered due to long life from simplicity and robust parts. Buy from one of the renowned plunger dealers who install fresh neoprene parts (not old Sheaffer "N.O.S.").

[Ray-Vigo]

Yeah - when they're properly restored, the vac fills are also very good, especially if you need extra ink capacity. The bigger vac fill pens hold a lot of ink.

[pajaro]

I have a touchdown inlaid nib Imperial restored by Ron Zorn with a PVC sac. It's tuned nicely and rivals Parker 51s for writing quality and expected durability. I put a cap of a 1996 Christmas pen on it. One of my most often used pens. These pens are not hard to restore, but I had trouble with one pen's O-ring in the barrel. I bought a new barrel.

Edited March 4, 2020 by pajaro

[praxim]

They introduced the plunger filler, which is still copied today.

Ron, searching for information about my wife's Lady Sheaffer (which has been unseen for 40-odd years) I came across this comment. Was not the plunge filler introduced by Onoto in 1905, or are you talking about a conceptually different mechanism? I am unfamiliar with Sheaffers in general.

 

edit: Checked in Pen Repair 4th Ed. Sheaffer used the "plunge fill" or vacuum fill concept introduced by Onoto thirty years earlier, in 1905. Differences are minor, related to the seal constructions, and more significantly to the effort required to repair.

Edited June 21, 2020 by praxim

[praxim]

Further to the previous, this being as good a place as any, I cleaned up her Lady Sheaffer. The PVC sac (Aerometric filler) seems still to be in good shape. It has been cleaned and is now filled with a standard royal blue (Waterman's Serenity). The F nib writes very well. It is a nice pen, not in the least dinky.

 

It appears the Lady Sheaffer was introduced in 1958 ("introduced the sex pen wars" say Marshall & Oldfield, though I think not). Based on a single web site after some searching, this example in all-chrome finish (barrel and cap, not section) is said to be Australian manufacture, not elsewhere.

 

Now comes the deep confession: she stopped using it after I gave her a nice Inoxcrom ballpoint.

 

Order may yet be restored to the universe.

 

edit: fixed one item of punctuation

Edited June 19, 2020 by praxim