Sheaffer's Lifetime Senior Repair/restoration

[Devonlich]

I just recently found what appears to be a Sheaffer's Lifetime Senior pen, with a jade color and characteristic white dot on the cap. I have limited pen repair experience (replacing a few sacks, smoothing nibs, etc) and usually am helped by some basic pen information. The internet fails me with this pen-or at least my google searches come up short. Can anyone give me some basic information about this, in particular the questions below, before I try to get to work? Thank you!

 

1.) What material is in this pen? (Don't want to melt/dissolve it.)

 

2.) Is the pen held by friction or a screw (right or left handed thread) to open?

 

3.) What size sack would be in this pen? (I have a variety on hand, but might as well order some before starting if needed!)

 

4.) Any tips or tricks I should know for this pen that is not already covered by well written articles like this?

 

Thank you for your help! Some pictures are below, in case you can't see, there is "Sheaffer's" on the clip, and the lettering on the nib reads "Sheaffer's /LIFETIME / Reg. U.S. Pat. Off / Made in USA / 4502630" Lever fill. If my identification is off, feel free to correct it!

[teej47]

This pen should be a pretty straight forward sac change. The only place there are threads are on the front of the barrel and inside the cap - the section is friction fit as is the nib and feed. The body material is celluloid. Use a little heat (not hot water; a hair dryer or my personal favorite, a hot air popcorn popper, work well) to facilitate pulling the section from the barrel. A good overnight soak in water for the section/feed/nib (never the barrel!) will loosen and free much of the old dried ink and make driving out the nib and section easier (and therefore safer). Drive the nib/feed out from the back end of the section. Trying to pull them from the front will most likely result in a bent nib and broken feed. You may not need to knock out the nib and feed, but it's something I always do.

 

Don't know offhand what size sac it will need... somewhere between 17 and 20 I think. Measure the diameter of the nipple in 64ths and choose accordingly.

 

Be very, very patient. 80 year old things are easy to break. There are several good step by steps that can be found here, read 'em all a few times first and you should be fine. This should make an excellent daily writer.

 

Enjoy!

 

Tim

[Devonlich]

Thanks! This is exactly what I was looking to learn. Appreciate the help. I am looking forward to getting it ready to go.

[teej47]

Thanks! This is exactly what I was looking to learn. Appreciate the help. I am looking forward to getting it ready to go.

 

Awesome! Glad I could help.

 

Tim

[Kelly G]

To be a bit more precise on the heat: Celluloid of this age can be quite flammable. It is advisable to use a thermometer (I use a dial meat thermometer)to get a reading on the temperature of your heat source. Measure the air temp. at the distance you plan to hold the pen. You should not go over 145 degrees F with this material and that is plenty of temperature to relax the plastic and soften any shellac that might have been used to seal the barrel. If your source is too hot, move the pen further away, but DO NOT get it too hot or it will likely burst into flame. This stuff burns violently and very fast so have a pan of water handy just in case.

 

One more thought: I don't remove the nib and feed from the section unless there is a reason to; no need to risk trouble with these old pens if there is no problem. Do the soak and flush of the section and see if that is sufficient (fills and writes well).

 

My apologies if this seems elementary but I would hate to see you torch your pen - I've melted a couple and it is not a good experience!

 

Good luck and have fun.

Edited December 17, 2010 by Kelly G

[Devonlich]

Thank you as well for your advice. It would be quite disappointing to allow it to burst into flame so shortly after discovering it!

[kirchh]

A good overnight soak in water for the section/feed/nib (never the barrel!) will loosen and free much of the old dried ink and make driving out the nib and section easier (and therefore safer).Tim

An overnight soak won't harm a celluloid barrel; just be sure to dry the inside thoroughly so any metal parts do not corrode.

 

--Daniel

[Vintagepens]

I'd caution against getting water into a celluloid barrel unless you know that it won't do harm. Most lever-fillers have their levers held in place by a C-shaped piece of spring wire that will in most cases quickly rust if exposed to water, even if that water is promptly blotted away (it is virtually impossible to remove all the water without complete disassembly).

[kirchh]

I'd caution against getting water into a celluloid barrel unless you know that it won't do harm. Most lever-fillers have their levers held in place by a C-shaped piece of spring wire that will in most cases quickly rust if exposed to water, even if that water is promptly blotted away (it is virtually impossible to remove all the water without complete disassembly).

David makes a valid point. I blot and run a swab around the C-ring, then blow warm air into the barrel for a bit. I should check some of the items I've soaked to see the condition of their internal bits.

 

--Daniel

[Devonlich]

Thank you for all the great advice! I'm looking forward to getting it all cleaned up this season.

[Ray-Vigo]

I'd caution against getting water into a celluloid barrel unless you know that it won't do harm. Most lever-fillers have their levers held in place by a C-shaped piece of spring wire that will in most cases quickly rust if exposed to water, even if that water is promptly blotted away (it is virtually impossible to remove all the water without complete disassembly).

 

I don't soak generally for the reason you mentioned. Further, it might be exacerbated if there is dead/dried ink in the barrel that could be reactivated by water getting in there. It's all the more important to get it dry then, if following this route. I just don't trust myself enough to get every bit.