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Non tipped butterfly nibs. The nib shapes were cut out of the metal sheet with the tip sporting a butterfly wing shape which was later folded downwards along the tines, pressed and heated to form a pseudo tip. These nibs provided a wet, smooth writing experience at the cost of durability due to the lack of hard metal tipping. The life span of a steel butterfly nibs were a max of 6 months and that’s one among the reasons for these nibs selling in box containing multiple nibs. Pre Folding. Tipped Vs Non Tipped. Full view of the two nibs. Side view of the folded nib tip. Clear demonstration of the tipping on the left Vs The Non tipped folded butterfly nib.

Last Sunday afternoon turned to an afternoon of deep cleaning, re-sac and restore a 70 year old Sheaffer Snorkel Crest. An idle and boring afternoon with temperature soaring over 36 degree Celsius and non other place to be, took my thoughts to check on my vintage FP collection. During the casual check ups it was surprising to find the elderly Sheaffer Snorkel crest missing the satisfactory "pffft" of exhaled air during the final phase of the closure of the plunger, and that was the start for one of the most exhilarating and exciting Sunday afternoon in the recent past. After checking and confirming the availability of spares from my beloved workstation, it was time time to dive deep into the process. Disassembly of the Pen - The procedure started with opening the endocarp and extending the plunger and carefully opening the nib section with the extended snorkel. I was fortunate to find the nib section in my pen not glued to the barrel. Nib and feeder removal was a piece of cake as the triumph nib was a screw on on the nib section. After soaking the removed sac protector and the snorkel in lukewarm water for 20 mins, it was easy to remove the sac protector exposing the sac. The Next and final disassembly was the plunger from the end cap. A tiny screw which had been in place for unknown about of time unscrewed with minimal resistance and Thus this elderly 70 year old Sheaffer Snorkel was ready for the overhaul. Problems noticed - Point Gasket, Sac, 'O' ring and the end plate washer were worn out. Mild degree of rust formation was noticed on the spring and end cap nut. Gunk deposits in the cap, plunger tube, barrel and sac protector. Restoration process - The Process started with a deep and through cleaning. All the twelve parts on the pen including the cap was soaked for 45 minutes in lukewarm water with few drops of dish-wash soap. General rub a dab of Colgate tooth paste was applied to all hollow parts excluding the feeder, Nib and the snorkel and was soaked again in lukewarm water for 45 mins. a through run over with an electric toothbrush removed the rust and gunk deposits on the pen parts. All the parts were dried with paper towels. The new Latex Sac was Cut and fitted on the snorkel using shellac and a subsequent wait for 3 hours for the shellac to cure. A gentle coat of silicon grease on the plunger, spring, the sac protector, the threads on the nib section was applied. the final process included the replacement of point gasket, 'O' Ring, and end cap washer. The pen was later reassembled by refitting the plunger to the end cap. Aligning the snorkel along with sac and sac protector, feeder, the triumph nib and the spring and the wedlock between the nib section and barrel. Final Touches - Polishing with turtle wax and chrome polish and the elderly gentle man was back in action good as new. Parts from https://vintagepensacsandparts.com/products/sheaffer-snorkel-tm-sac-repair-kit?_pos=3&_sid=693d85f88&_ss=r

Parker Victory AF Restoration This Parker Victory AF is one among the cherished pens in my vintage collection. I recently noticed the delayed pop on pressing the aluminium filler and that was the indication to replace the old latex sac. Time to get my hands dirty. The process started with removal of the AF filler button on the barrel, a gentle tug and it was out with minimal resistance. The pressure bar was the adamant one and took a while to pull it out with the help of a Victorinox army knife tweezers. After soaking the pen for 45 minutes in lukewarm water the nib section was separated from the barrel. A tap in the knockout block separated the nib and the feeder from the section. With absolutely no clue as to when this pen had a through overhaul in the past, it was time for the long overdue cleaning. A rub a dap of Colgate tooth paste and a gentle run over with my loyal electric tooth brush cleared most of the gunk and dried up ink on the pressure bar, the AF button, the threads and the nib. A gentle wash with running water and further soaking in lukewarm water along with dish-wash soap for an hour cleared the gunk from the rest of the pen. After drying up with some paper towel it was time for reassembly. Owing to the short life span of latex sac, I opted for the silicon sac and the size 15 silicon sacs were a perfect match. After applying shellac and french talc to the sac and letting the shellac cure for a couple of hours. a dab of silicon grease was applies to the threads of the nib section and screwed back into the barrel. Then with due caution the pressure bar was introduced at a 45 degree angle with the flat end of the pressure bar towards the nib section and the narrow end towards the button filler via the rear end of the barrel. A long crochet needle was inserted through the nib section to ensure that the sac is not twisted or squeezed by the pressure bar. The AF button was placed in the AF ring and a gentle push secured it in place. The final step, align the nib with the feed and push it back into the section. After testing the pen for any leaks by immersing it in water and checking for bubbles , A gentle polish with turtle wax and chrome polish for the clip was applied. It was indeed a definite VICTORY. Parts from https://vintagepensacsandparts.com