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  1. I picked up this Sheaffer mechanical pencil from a junk shop a while back. Trying to determine which model balance it went with. It seems to be between the oversize and standard size models, but I'm having trouble finding measurements for these things. Anyone have a link or something to point me in the right direction?
  2. I have two Platinum Cool pens, which I understand are just the demo versions of the Balance. Ever since I got them one has had no problems (with Asa Gao), the other would not start, unless I used the nib upside down first, for a few words. I got fed up again, and cleaned it with a drop of soap, for the fifth or sixth time; but this time I replaced Vert Empire with Chiku Rin... And lo, no starting problems! Luckily I (think I) managed to recover a Waterman Laureat for Vert Empire. At this point I have stopped trying to understand the physics of it all and I'm just glad something worked. The ink gods have somehow been appeased!
  3. KendallJ

    Sheaffer Balance Ii Cobalt

    Posted in the classifieds. I thought this group might find it interesting. I don't see many of these around any more.
  4. fitz123

    Vintage Sheaffer Balance

    I am looking a purchasing a vintage Sheaffer Balance, grey pearl striated lever fill with a fine nib off the internet. It is not ebay but another pen retailer. I have never bought a vintage pen before and would like to know if $30 is too much to pay for this. The description says the nib says " forever -6 14k fine" It does need a new sac and I know of somewhere where I can get this done. Does this seem like a good deal?
  5. Some might say that anyone with more than ten fountain pens is a collector. If this is true then I might be that. I buy to use rather than to file away in a case or drawer, but in truth I only have ten or so inked at any one time. I've tried to do a purge and find that all I can manage is to offload what I have decided I will never repair or what I truly despise. On the other hand, having so many has been very useful in being able to narrow down what it is I really like and wondered if it is the same for others in the same boat as me. So, I thought I might outline what I like and enjoy through what ownership (of a rather silly amount of pens) has taught me, in the hope you might add your own musings. I feel I should add a disclaimer before I begin that these are 'my' musings and of course you may disagree very strongly with every last one of them! Jinhao: These taught me you can get very decent writers for very little money. For me they make great holiday pens. I like journal keeping while on holiday and won't be too upset if I mislay them, lose or break them. They also taught me that although I like a bit of weight to my pens, I don't like them to feel like they are made of lead or something you would have a gym workout with. Stipula: This taught me that just every once in a while a style over substance (or practical considerations) manufacturer can every now and again produce something truly great that can be missed by so many others based on past experience of other pens in their range. It also taught me that sometimes a pen can look awkward in a photograph (in terms of use, size, etc), but can be a really comfortable and pleasant pen in reality. Lamy: I now know that boring and ugly can sometimes be pleasant. Montblanc: I have been seduced by the wiles of near perfect balance and huge shiny nibs. It was also my first positive experience of feedback and how something like a nib can be distinctive in terms of 'feel'. Curiouser and curiouser! It also taught me that I love writing with fountain pens so much that I will occasionally spend a stupid amount of money on them. I try not to think about it too much. Waterman: I learnt the hard way that Western medium gold nibs that write like a felt tip are really not my thing. Sailor: Those that live in the land of the free, brave and whatever else seem to enjoy the level of feedback on Sailor's nibs. I find them unremarkable to look at and the nibs sail far too close to scratchy for my taste. The lesson was that feedback can sometimes be a very, very bad thing. Pilot: It is possible to come so, so close to absolute perfection - specifically for me in the 823. Balance, a nice glassy nib, perfect wetness of flow, great filling system, nice appearance. I keep twisting in between my fingers and thinking 'Damn, this is close to perfect'. Pelikan: Simplicity can be very, very beautiful. Visconti: Totally in your face and ridiculously over the top designs can also be beautiful and that springy, bouncy dreamtouch nibs can be a dream to use......when the quality control gets it right. Italix: Sometimes a pen everybody seems to love can turn out to be a Jinhao in disguise. I could go on, but I better leave some room for others to add their own thoughts. Overall though, looking at a whole lot of pens together it has taught me that it might be possible to spend just as much on ink, that experiencing a whole load of different pens from cheap to stupidly expensive is generally a good thing (but not for one's bank balance) and that using fountain pens somehow makes me have a truly deep appreciation for the art and miracle of writing.
  6. missuslovett

    Any Help For A Sheaffer Ignoramus..?

    I have what I think is a Canadian Sheaffer Balance. It has a firm 5-30 medium 14k nib and some hard to read bibble about Toronto on the side. I think it's a Balance but should it have a white dot (it doesn't)? What is the significance of the white dot? Why is the sky blue..?? Even though I'm a flex slut and this is firm, it's a lovely pen to hold. Comfortable and well named (if indeed it is so...). Where might I look for flex nibs in Sheaffers? The combination seems drool-worthy. I'm very much a Sheaffer newbie and will happily snaffle any information you can spare.Sorry about the rubbish pictures.
  7. Fountain pens are quite new to me and I still only have one pen, a Lamy AL-star with a fine nib. I like the pen, but I think it writes a bit too broad. I have been looking around quite a bit lately for a pen with a nice fine nib and have now come down to the following pens: Pilot PreraPlatinum Cool/BalanceSailor Procolor 500Sailor 1911 YoungThe problem I have is that these pens are not for sale in Sweden, hence I can't try them. The Prera seems like a really nice writer and is also the cheapest, but I'm a bit worried it is a bit too small (I hate posting pens). I'm worried that the nib of Cool/Balance isn't fine enough for me. Or is it? I can't find many reviews of the Procolor, but it seems to be a bit "more pen" than the other two, but it aslo seem short (like the Prera). The Young seems to be a good choice too, but it's streching my budget a bit too far. Last option is an EF nib for my AL-star, but it would be nice with one more pen for my daily writing. I would like to buy the pen from a retailer within the EU. For some reason the Swedish customs are quite picky when it comes to fountain pens, and I don't feel like paying 3.7% duty, plus 25% VAT. What's your advice?
  8. Hello all. I have limited knowledge about Sheaffer pens, but after a lovely lunch yesterday I found one in a consignment store I thought was worth picking up. It was quite dirty and the sac was obviously toast, but it was the nicest pen I had seen in the wild for a long time so I decided to pick it up. Here are some pictures after a gentle cleaning... It has no white dot above the clip, so it is not a lifetime model. It has the short clip with a hump and full ball, so that should put it in the 1932-34 range and the color was definitely available during that entire time. Then pen measures to me at 5 3/8 inches so I think it is the standard size, full girth model (and not the oversize I was hoping it was). I think this pen was referred to as a 500 (for the price), but it is not marked on the pen. There do not seem to be any cracks in the cap lip or anything. Typical brassing on the cap ring and the top of the clip ball. There is no personalization on the pen and the imprint is decent. I am curious as to why the pen has a monotone lifetime nib, but is not a white dot pen. I am guessing it is a replacement nib. (I would have expected on marked 5 - 30 for the price/warranty term). I would like to ask the more serious collectors, is this a replacement nib, or would this have been a nib original to the pen? Also, I don't trust myself to repair the pen. If it costs me say $40 to get it resacked, any thoughts on the pen's worth after? If it is not worth repairing, I will release it back into the wild for someone who can repair it themselves. Thanks for looking and for helping me figure out the nib.
  9. Hello, Everyone! Some 35 years ago, my great grandfather gave me a fountain pen out of his "junk drawer". I took it home, found some ink somewhere and actually wrote/drew with it. Then, at some point (because my dad told me I should) attempted to clean it with nail polish remover. It softened the celluloid and made it "sticky". It ended up lost or in the garbage. Anyway, My GG was born in 1900, and the pen was a black and green striated celluloid with a gold nib (that much I can remember). Doing a bit of digging around the eBay, i've seen that Sheaffer pens come in that same sort of color, and I have recently gotten the bug to buy one. Right now I have almost all modern fountain pens (Edison, Bexley and Conklin) and a few older "mistakes" that need fixiing/ink sacs (Epenco lever filler, Webster button fill and 4 Arnold lever fillers that all work great, so I guess I can't call them mistakes!). Basically, my experience tends toward modern cartridge & cartridge converter pens. I would like to purchase a Sheaffer pen, because that green and black striped pattern reminds me of the one I destroyed/lost/threw out/whatever. I see lots and lots and lots of Shaeffer pens out there, but I have NO idea of what to look for. Is an older Vac Fill that needs repair better than an older Lever fill that needs repair? How much should I budget? Should I buy a working pen that's been restored? Sooooo many questions. Not the least of which is.....How much should I budget for a working pen? $100.00? More? Less? Any and all advice would be appreciated. Even if you could point me towards a reputable dealer or two. I'd much rather buy from a person/store than eBay, to be honest. --Eric
  10. Okay, I'm at a loss and my newbie inexperience with Sheaffer pens is showing! I need help from all of you, please. My sleuthing has not gotten me very far so I'm turning to the experts here to determine if my free, 'thank you' pen is correct or a couple of parts cobbled together. Bought a great little Waterman Vest pen off the bay and when it arrived, there was a BONUS pen added as a thank you. How cool is that! Here is where it gets interesting...she thought, and I am almost agreeing, that the pen looks married. Either that or the barrel is ambered or stained. I've not done anything to/with it as it's a vacuum filler and I'm clueless on these. I'm pretty clueless on Sheaffers as my stuff is normally the most obscure, cheapest stuff ever made for a one time school class, sold at a drug store and found in the junk drawer!!! Here is the pen I'm wondering about. I know it's a vacuum filler, i know it's Sheaffer White Dot and I know it's a Lifetime nib with a number...but... ...do top and bottom match correctly? I have since discovered it IS ambered and you can see through it when held to the light. Is the nib correct? Is this a Balance or something else. Timeframe for age (I think it's a '35 based soley on the hump clip shown. (Maybe someone changed the clip???) Worth restoring? I am coming to the experts as I R Not 1! Any help is appreciated!! Thank you!! (Update: The pen inks from what I can tell, well, it's still writing, but I don't see ink IN it. Hmmmm.) Attached Images
  11. Does anyone know of a simple and reliable way to increase the forward weight of a Hero 616 Jumbo? Specifically I find the pen a little back heavy when it is posted - it's a light pen already. The balance doesn't feel quite right unposted either. Many thanks.
  12. One of my Ebay wins. Sheaffer Balance, Carmine Red. somewhere around 1939 to the end of the Balance line. After soaking the cap today there was what I assume to be some extremely stubborn ink on the gold cap band. After polishing a bit to get this ink off I noticed a very faint version of what you see highlighted in the picture but it was on the other side of the cap. Is what I noticed under where the ink was but is now gone some matching detail that I have removed that is now only left on one side or is this tarnish that just ended up making it appear that perhaps there was a design there?
  13. Good day to all. I've ran into a rather curious situation - I can not ink up my newly bought Diplomat Balance B pen. First of all, I do have some experience with fountain pens (I own 4 other pens actually). Now, I've got this Diplomat Balance B pen and I can not figure out how to put a cartridge or a converter inside of it, assuming it is a cartridge/converter pen (it actually comes with two Diplomat cartriges). If you google the images of this pen, then you can clearly see 2 parts of the pen which could be "logically" the points for unscrewing it, but neither will bughe, even when a sufficient force is applied to it. Of course, I am also afraid to break or damage the pen by applying too much force to it, as I have not knowledge of where is “should” be unscrewed in the first place. I was not able to find on the internet any pictures or instructions of how it should be done either. So, if there are any owners of Diplomat Balance out here (it seems, it is not a popular brand outside of Germany, and unfortunately I do not speak German myself), I would appreciate if you could share with me the knowlage of how I can open up this pen! Thanks.
  14. sr1sws

    Bad Balance - What To Do?

    I recently obtained this poor Balance that's been fitted with a Mabie Todd SWAIN 14k nib. The barrel end looks like it had a close encounter with a heat source. Any suggestions on rehabilitating the pen? Should I just use it for parts/scrap celluloid? How about the nib? Any particular value there? Thanks for any input! Steve
  15. Obviously, I cannot be the first to have observed this, and as a relative noob, I pray you'll indulge my moment of "Ahhhhh." I recently acquired a Bexley Corona cartridge filler in Blueberry and Cream. The pattern and color reminded me of a pocket knife my grandfather owned. It is the second largest pen in my modest collection. Although I don't have extremely large hands, I find that larger pens with thick sections are more comfortable for my chunky fingers to grip and control. Alas and alack, most of the popular and readily available pens in that category are beyond my means. Finding the Bexley was like finding Santa at the North Pole. I was immediately struck by how light it was - it contained, of course, no brass piston-filler. I inked it with a standard international cartridge to give a go. It took a while to get comfortable with the pen. I seem to be most comfortable with it unposted. It's posted form seems extremely long and a little top heavy. To me, this change in balance makes controlling the tip difficult. It feels skittish. And thus, the inspiration for my observation. I was struck by the way the typical fountain pen presents three profiles: Capped, Uncapped, and Posted. In the Bexley these are strikingly different. I had paid little attention to these differences before - pens were either capped or posted. How else could a person with ADD be expected to keep up the cap!? Capped, the Bexley is imposing, elegant, but not too ostentatious. Uncapped,it is simple and understated but still well dressed by the section and endcap - only it's nib giving it away. Posted, the change is like a peacock in full display. It is long, imposing, the Blueberry & Cream resin layered between the black and gold of section, endcaps and furniture. Wow. Is this effect an intentional goal of the design? Is there a formal name to describe the transition from one form to another? As an aside, jealous of the capacious write out of piston-filler owners, I moded this pen to accept a Waterman (long international) cartridge by boring out the endcap. This also allows carrying an extra standard international if being used instead of the Waterman style. This is just a confession of my own misdeeds - I cannot endorse the proceedure in any way. v/rBuckshot
  16. Hi everyone! I got lucky on ebay chasing a wahl-eversharp desk pen and I wound up with a lot that contained a sheaffer's phone dialer pen. At first, I thought it was some buggered and broken deskpen/franken pen, but after some research, I discovered it was a phone dialer! From what I have read, it says these were in production around the 1930's. However, the patent dates on mine say Aug.25.08, Dec 10.12-Jun.27-Oct.20 Nov.24.14. Were phone dialers even in production at this time? Were there even telephones in production at this time? This is probably the most obscure pen I've come across, and if this is a whole pen with the correct dates, then it is also the oldest. I can't believe this thing I have has seen the start and finish of both world wars and the great depression. Just amazing. The cap, as you can see, is totally separated from it's lip. I currently have a replacement balance cap for it, but it is also in not-so-great shape. The 'S' on the clip has been completely rubbed of. I'd love to restore this pen so if anyone has a lead on a cap that is in better shape, please let me know! http://thefirstpancake.smugmug.com/photos/i-J3LSVN9/0/M/i-J3LSVN9-M.jpg http://thefirstpancake.smugmug.com/photos/i-jcGvgQ6/0/M/i-jcGvgQ6-M.jpg http://thefirstpancake.smugmug.com/photos/i-Wx2vQMK/0/M/i-Wx2vQMK-M.jpg http://thefirstpancake.smugmug.com/photos/i-g3bD2fm/0/M/i-g3bD2fm-M.jpg





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