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Result first: the nibs of Imperial II Deluxe are probably not PdAg nibs, at least some of them are confirmed to be stainless steel nibs. The components of Sheaffer Snorkel PdAg nibs are about 50% silver, 30% palladium, 10% gold and 10% copper, in mass (maybe?), analyzed by a handheld alloy analyzer by a predecessor in a Chinese forum 10 years ago. However, the components of the nib of Imperial II Deluxe are still not clear and debatable. Authoritative Sheaffertarga declares it to be a PdAg nib, not only Imperial II Deluxe, but also normal Imperial II, while some others claim it to be a stainless steel nib. I bought three Imperial II Deluxes last year, so let me make an end of the argument. Not touchdown Imperial II Deluxe, but cartridge edition, defined by the chalk mark "C" on the barrels and boxes. Deluxe is not marked, maybe the caps are not original, but three NOS-level pens are the same, so no "Deluxe" mark might be a common phenomenon. Anyway, no matter what my pens are, the result of stainless steel nib is contrary to the statement of Sheaffertarga, the provided information on PdAg nib could be wrong. Screwed off the nibs and pasted them onto sample stage, and used an energy disperse spectroscopy installed Tescan Vega 3 scanning microscope to analyze the components. It is worth noting that EDS is qualitative and semi-quantitive, the content of elements is not very accurate. Three areas on each nib were detected, and the results are similar, typical one is presented above without any processing. The Chinese in the table are elements, atomicity, line, value, mass, normalized mass and atom, from left to right. The nibs are mainly made of iron, chromium and nickel, typically elements of stainless steel, no palladium, no silver at all, so definitely not PdAg nibs. Maybe part of Imperial II Deluxes installed with PdAg nibs, but at least not all of them are PdAg nibs, and probably all of them are stainless steel nibs, in my opinion. Certainly, the sample size is rather limited, more samples are welcomed. However, I am in China, so just saying. I will examine some other nibs in the future, tell me if you are interested in any nib (Sheaffer only), maybe I have one. BTW, the tips of nibs are made of ruthenium, tungsten and cobalt.

The cap is German from Imperial Pen company. But they never made lever fillers. The barrel labeled Rikkers and Eton is most likely Dutch made by one of those companies. I have no details as to the association of Rikkers or Eton. Anyone that knows something about these companies would love to hear more. I am reposting this in the European forum. So Myk Daigle sent this to me as a practice repair pen. The plating on the clip was gone, covered in verdigris as was the lever. It used to have a metal band on the cap lip, but that is long gone. It looked like it had gone through a war and on careful examination we found writing on the cap and the barrel. The cap reads "Imperial" 1943. The barrel end reads "Rikker" Eton Fountain Pen. The nib reads: "Warranted" Ptes IRIDIUM INOXYDABLE. Inoxydable is French for Stainless. It has a nice feed, a very corroded nib on the back side, but the tipping is still good and it flexes very nicely. (Nib most likely stainless steel plated with gold) Anyone familiar with these pen companies, I would love to hear details. Repair consisted of a thorough cleaning, polishing with micromesh and some metal de-corroder to clean up the clip and lever. Comments please.

Further research and consulting have let me know this is a Frankenpen. The cap is German from Imperial Pen company. But they never made lever fillers. The barrel labeled Rikkers and Eton is most likely Dutch made by one of those companies. I have no details as to the association of Rikkers or Eton. Anyone that knows something about these companies would love to hear more. I am reposting this in the European forum. So Myk Daigle sent this to me as a practice repair pen. The plating on the clip was gone, covered in verdigris as was the lever. It used to have a metal band on the cap lip, but that is long gone. It looked like it had gone through a war and on careful examination we found writing on the cap and the barrel. The cap reads "Imperial" 1943. The barrel end reads "Rikker" Eton Fountain Pen. The nib reads: "Warranted" Ptes IRIDIUM INOXYDABLE. Inoxydable is French for Stainless. I can see that there are a couple of posts regarding The Imperial Pen and Pencil company here on the site, but I am not familiar with it at all. Any idea about the markings 1943 (year made?), and "Rikker" Eton Fountain Pen would be appreciated. It has a nice feed, a very corroded nib on the back side, but the tipping is still good and it flexes very nicely. (Nib most likely stainless steel plated with gold) Anyone familiar with this pen company, I would love to hear details. Repair consisted of a thorough cleaning, polishing with micromesh and some metal de-corroder to clean up the clip and lever. This pen will never look like new, but it is a lovely writer and I am glad to have it to play with. Comments please.

Just gifted myself this beautiful set of Imperial VIII fountain pen and pencil, complete with original box. Found them for sale in an old Mom & Pop stationary store that also happens to sell old ballpoints, pencils and fountain pens in varying states of conservation. Both are in excellent cosmetic and mechanical condition, but the pen needs a new sac. Not sure about the nib width, but looks like a Medium. The best, I got them for just $35! I always thought these Imperials were a bit thicker than all the other Sheaffer pens I own, but this pen seems to be the exact same width and length as my Imperial II TD with the short Triumph (Skripsert) nib. Anyone has any idea of what kind of sacs do I need for both, the Imperial VIII and the Imperial II? Also, is the PFM thicker than this one?

A friend of mine has a nice Parker Duofold mechanical pencil, made around 1950. He is about to run out of leads. My calipers measure the existing leads at 1/20 inch, 0.05 inch. Does anyone know where Imperial leads are available? The 1.18 mm metrical gauge will work at a pinch, but the real thing would be preferable. Thanks! Peter

Just won this and was wondering if anyone knows their history . Have read that they were Dutch made but the nib is marked Brussels .

Hi, I picked this up recently in amongst a load of other pens - having difficulty in tying down the model/date. In style (nib, barrel and cap) it appears a good match with the Imperial II Touchdowns of ca.1962. However its a cartridge filler and i haven't found any reference to Sheaffer marketing such a pen. Is there anyone out there who can enlighten me? With the conical nib it makes for a fine writer (even finer with the nib reversed). Thanks PS. I did find a reference to the Imperial models being reintroduced in 1969 with a cartridge filler option, but these had a new style cap with a white dot - I suppose its possible that over the years simply an old style cap has been paired up with a 1969 Imperial CT model.

I have a pen which looks like a Sheaffer Imperial Triumph, however as you can see in the pictures, the pen is tagged VIII. I've always thought that VIII was a top of the line of the plastic barrel Imperials which came in different colors; But this one is gold plated. So does anyone know what model is this and when it was manufactured?

Hi all, Recently I've been looking into getting myself a vintage Sheaffer imperial IV with a fine or XF nib, but the prices seem rather high on some products and I'm not sure if they are worth it / reasonable, it seems I could invest that money elsewhere, but I am rather new to Sheaffer vintage pens so I'm not sure what boundaries I'm working with. This is purely so I can decide to wait on a better offer to come up or to get something relatively soon with existing offers. These are what I found so far: NOS with fine nib, guaranteed working $95USD (+$15 Intl' shipping)Used with fine nib, "seems working" according to seller, with a crack in the barrel (from grip section and a few cm up, looks like a white line) £48 (Auction price, not sure if this will hold)Used with XF nib, most likely working, tiny crack just before blind cap on the barrel. I don't know if this will affect the touchdown mechanism? £86 As I said, I'm not sure if these prices are reasonable or not, there seems to be an awfully big range, and I don't want to spend more than I need to if that money could be spent on something better instead. The first offer is from a website selling vintage pens, the other two are on eBay. If anyone have any other recommendations on where I might find a good deal, please send them my way (or maybe you want to sell me a pen ), many thanks!

Hi guys, I need a little help with choosing which vintage Sheaffer Imperial to buy! Recently I've been looking on eBay and am quite intrigued by the vintage Sheaffer pens with the inlaid nibs, they're absolutely gorgeous! Anyway, I've spotted three good deals and am having trouble deciding which is more worth it. I would like to hear your opinions! 1) Sheaffer Imperial 330 NOS, Black, Fine steel nib. £59 (Also comes with ballpoint pen) The price is attractive to me especially as there is both a fountain pen and ballpoint included, and they are both new old stock.However I have been told the weight of the pen is not ideal as it is cheap (?) plastic, can anyone weigh in on this?Comes with converter. 2) Sheaffer Imperial 444 Flighter, Chrome, Fine steel nib. £70 The price is higher for this one and I'm not sure if it's worth it, but the metal body does look good and it should weight better.Converter is not included.The description says the pen is "unused" and there is still a sticker on the barrel, but there is no box, and also an "imperfection" on the barrel.In working condition. 3) Sheaffer Imperial Touchdown VI (I believe), Gray, Fine 14k nib. £? (Auction, I'm aiming for lower than £50) 14k gold nib is a steal if I can win at a low bid.Filling mechanism is interesting, can anyone vouch for how good / bad it is?Used. Has a few scratches that are not very noticeable but there none-the-less.In working condition. So those are the three I'm looking at, can anyone give any advice? Thanks!

Hi Sheaffer Fans! I've got a pretty simple question here: Are the earlier Imperial (IV,VI,VIII, etc) caps compatible with the later style (440,550,777,etc) pens? Are the metal caps the same as the plastic ones internally? Thanks!

I saw a review in korean community and saw a really beautiful imperial. White colored cap, barrel. Inlaid nib. Is there anyone who has information about it?

I have a large collection of ink, but only one purple must be remedied! . The purple I have is waterman, can anyone recommend something with a touch more red? Has anyone used diamine imperial or MB violet? If so do you think these might fit the bill. Any suggestions welcome I'm in the UK so noodlers and PR are harder to procure. Thank ye all

Due to the placement of the white dot on the clip, I'm sure that's it's a post PFM pen at the very least. It seems thin enough to be an imperial, either I or II by my guess due to the nib style. What really throws me is the gold embellished band. I would really appreciate any assistance I could get in finding the model of the pen.

Hi, i have a stuck Sheaffer Imperial Touchdown nib unit. The reason why I want to take apart the section is because I have found ink to be leaking through the threads that hold the nib unit to the whole pen. I have tried to remove it with some heat but it wouldn't budge (maybe due to my hairdryer not being able to reach the release temperature of the sealant). I have managed to remove my friend's one but mine wouldn't move at all. I also can't find any rubber sheets nearby which maybe why I can't unscrew it. Any suggestions? I have posted 2 photos below.

I want to start my vintage pen collection and I've been eyeing several Sheaffer Imperial 727 pens that are within my budget. However, I would like your advice on what will be best to get, what should I look for and if these particular pen is worth going after. I've got 3 different offerings: First one is for a gold plated pen with matching 14k nib and it's "suction" converter for about $25 in working order, with no apparent dents but seems to have been in use frequently; The second is for the full set of ballpoint, mechanical pencil and fountain pen (gold plated) in the original box for about $40, this pen looks nicer and less used. The last offering I've got is for a pen that looks similar to the 727 but it's an stainless steel version and the asking price is again $40, this last offering is from a collector unloading some of his pens, so I assume it will be well taken care of. I've never been a fan of bling pens -particularly dislike gold things, but I really want to try those inlaid nibs and suction converters and the cheaper one is exerting a powerful force of attraction on me! The set is appealing in the sense that it comes with original box but I really got no use for the ballpoint or mechanical pencil. One thing that worries me about buying a vintage pen is that am a leftie and I can easily assume these pens will come from right-handers. Will these be an issue mid-or-long term for the nib? Do I risk damaging it? Are these Imperials good writers? Are these recommended for daily use?

I am relatively new to sheaffers and pen restoration in general. I have restored my friend's Sheaffer Imperial, but somehow when I got one for myself, the screw was either sealed in and rusted or just rusted in, but i could not even get a grip on it with a screwdriver as the screw had corroded and was stripped. I have limited tools and I don't plan on buying any online. I have also searched online but the suggestions require tools I don't posses or are too risky and I don't want to try. Any suggestions? Sorry I could not get a clear photo of the screw.

Like many of you I see pens on auction websites. To me it's very hard to tell the difference between a PFM and an Imperial. Any advice?? PFM: http://0101.nccdn.net/1_5/15e/0a8/179/1260137681290949.JPG Imperial: http://0101.nccdn.net/1_5/37d/330/12d/skgi_4021232_5421.JPG

Hi Everyone, I've recently got a hold of a Sheaffer Snorkel from the bay. Upon receiving it, I noticed a crack at the plunger end, usually a far too common and unfortunately fatal issue in snorkels. As it's in the UK, parts are notoriously difficult to find, let alone for a justifiable price. I actually noticed the issue after winning, but having already paid, the seller just played dumb and completely denied it, even though it was blatantly obvious. Since I got it for a good price, however, it isn't worth much in returning. The crack itself is perhaps about 3/8 of an inch, roughly the same distance away from the breather hole. Internally - the pen is sound and fixable, just that little crack can cause issues. I've looked around and and I've seen Tenax 7R advertised wholeheartedly by Ron Z, however it's nearly impossible to find in the UK. (and for a good price) My question is if there's any alternatives I can find cheaply in the UK, something trustworthy as I have little option for failure. I'm confident in my ability to fix pens and have a steady hand (should have been a surgeon but chemistry wasn't my strong point hehe). Also, provided a picture of the crack. Excuse the horrible quality, I needed to MSPaint some things of help. Thanks in advance.

I just received this pen via an online auction and I'm trying to pin down the identity. It's a Sheaffer, cartridge/squeeze converter, "Gold Electroplated", "Sheaffer Made in U.S.A.", nib is inlaid 585 14K gold. I think I have it narrowed down to either an Imperial 727 or 777. The differences between the two models isn't clear to me. Any help would be appreciated.

I recently got a NOS Sheaffer Imperial Touchdown, gold plated. It has a superb wet nib and fills just fine, but the metal blind cap has come loose from the black plastic underneath it. What's the best way to reattach the cap? There's still barely enough friction to turn the filling mechanism.

My son has some problems with his handwriting. Wonder where he got that from... Anyhow, it is a nice excuse to take a look at the school writing tools he's given here in the Netherlands. So I made a handfull of writing examples with his schoolpen and some others laying around. Ample reason to share the result here. And to beg you all for proper advise. First on the line is my daily writer: Sheaffer Imperial IV TD. It is of sentimental value to me, but apart from that: nothing I have touched comes even close to its performance. Never dry, easy filler, no hassle nibcleaning, smooth, balanced, medium nib, wet but not very wet line. No flex in the nib (but hey - t's been designed to use on carboncopy paper). Second is a 'Hoover de Luxe', read its story elswhere. A compact and light pen, not half as smooth as the Sheaffer, but I like it very much for its look and feel. To me it has an air of being exotic about it. In terms of writing it has a nice flex nib, because of its small size you use it posted, it is a buttonfiller. Third is a Jinhao X450 I recently got. (€4,00 or there about...). Amazing! The nib needed a bit of tinkering, but it is a perfect writer. Like most Chines pens I've seen, the cap is heavy (the whole pen is heavy), the 'click' it closes with is loud and far from effortless. But then again: It has beautifull details, a large and somewhat springy nib, and is a stable, smooth writer. Unbelievable value. More then a bit inspired on Mont Blanc Meisterstück. International cartridge / convertor included. Then the first Bruynzeel. On the plus side: colourfull, affordable (€7,19 in a webshop), rubber grip, ink window. But then... My children keep bringing them home because they leak or clutter. But man - is that scratchy! One needs a lot of pressure to get any line at all. I said: I have to be carefull not to rip up the paper! My son says: Yes, that happens to me occasionally - but the teacher praises me because I am the only one who doesn't demolish the pen in te process! So I cleansed it out, polished the nib with a nail-polisher, and adjusted the nib to make it a bit less dry (the washed out colour on this picture is a result of the cleansing, combined with the fact that it doesn't exept the Jinhao convertor for some reason). Now it actually writes more or less, and you don't have to squeeze the ink out. But it is about as comfortable as writing with a pair of scissors (hey, they have some capillar activity, and a pointy bit as well!). Maybe part of the problem is the nibsize, which is Fine. The nib is extremely rigid. O, I have two of these laying around, and they 'perform' identical. How on earth can you teach children to write with something as bad as this!?!?! The last pen is another Bruynzeel, and another pen received at school. But one generation ago. This one is my wife's, but I had a similar one. This one is even a XF nib, and fine it is as you can see. Of course it needed some TLC - and it received that. It is not a nice writer. Any XF is vulnerable to scratchiness, but this is just bad. There is hardly any tip-matrial to tinker with. I got it in writing state. A very narrow line. I like that. But the feel is appalling. The metal cap sits so losely on the pen you might think it is from another brand. There is no clip. To avoid rolling of there is kind of a ridge on the barrel, perfectly lined out to be a pain in the ehhh... finger while writing. Now for the question: I would like to give my son a proper FP. His writing is cramped and full of pressure, so I look for a pen with an ergonomic, distressing grip, a fluid, smooth writing experience, and of course an international C/C, because of reinking at school. It 'd better be cheap, because first graders eat pens for breakfast, or use them for purposes I'd never dream of. Any suggestions?

Hey everyone, I have the Sheaffer Imperial touchdown in sterling silver. I've noticed that there's very little discussion or information about this pen online, so I was hoping we could start our own discussion about this pen and perhaps help answer some questions I have along the way. Some questions: -Is the 14k gold inlaid nib and clip plated? In certain lights and angles, it looks almost silver, but I don't know whether to attribute it to age. -Was it made exclusively in 1970-71? -Which model of Imperial is this pen? Am I incorrect to believe it's the Imperial IV? -How many of you have/have had experience with this pen? How do you like it? I personally love this pen--I would almost say it's my grail pen. It was my very first exposure to fountain pens and thus has a special place in my heart. I got it from an important old family friend who tells me that he's written quite a few books with this pen. He gave it to me broken and over the past few weeks, I managed to blunder my way into fixing it.

What the heck is this thing? My word. I have tried to figure out precisely what this pen is and you can go by the nib shape, cap and placement of the imprint and the type of filling system and usually get to a precise model. But I can not for the life of me find another pen with this exact same set of characteristics. It is an Imperial with a regular long V inlaid nib (not the short V or dolphin) but the nib (not the clip) actually says Sheaffer’s LIFETIME on it. It is a 14k nib and one of the ones with the USA on the lower part of V at the bottom of the section. It has the three prong cap grabby thing. Confusingly the imprint is not right at the top of the barrel but down about a half a centimeter from where the section and barrel meet. It is a touchdown filler. The cap has a white dot but no “LIFETIME” on the clip and is gold plated. & here is the most baffling of all. The clip has grouped lines but not the usual thin five line groups. This has fatter three line groups. I never never seen an Imperial that combines all these characteristics. I have googled endlessly. I am not sure why I care but I oddly want to know what the heck this pen is. SHEAFFER IMPERIAL LIFETIME TOUCHDOWN HAMBERGER BALANCE SENTINAL DELUXE JR XXXVII (The most confusing product line naming scheme in the history of capitalism, they might as well have individually named each pen as it came of the line) The good news is that it is a super pen. Writes as well as my Targa but without the gaudy over the top 70s porno-tastic finishes, is maybe a tad thicker in the section (Targas are thicker than you think) and is kind of a PFM jr. Less girth, clean design, and no mosquito but also not a C/C pen. In a weird way a kind of a nice convergence of the pfm-imperial-targa axis. But what this is, I have no idea. As I said, I have never seen one that combines these specific characteristics.

Hi Guys I have purchased the pen below, while i wait for the pen to arrive i have been doing some googling and belive the pen to be a 1976 Sheaffer Imperial. However the confusing part for me is that all of my googling has only found 14k pens where this one is 18k even on ebay i can only find 14k models. Just wondering if i have correctly idenfied the pen? I am intrested to know anything you can tell me about my newest pen. Thanks