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Sheaffer Connaisseurs


Barry Gabay

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Ron Zorn said:

"You can not trim the back end of the piston converters to fit because the piston travels back the full length of the knob when retracted.  Even if the knob isn't there, the piston will be.  If you trim that short  it won't reach all of the way down to the front end. "You can not trim the back end of the piston converters to fit because the piston travels back the full length of the knob when retracted.  Even if the knob isn't there, the piston will be.  If you trim that short  it won't reach all of the way down to the front end. "

 

I had no idea that the piston shaft went all the way into the twist knob. Good to know.

 

I have no problem with lever fillers, so that's probably why I'm not troubled by the squeeze converter.

Baptiste knew how to make a short job long

For love of it. And yet not waste time either.

Robert Frost

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Teri Morris has a button converter listed on PeytonStreetPens.

 

You'll have to call and ask if it will fit the Connaisseur.

Baptiste knew how to make a short job long

For love of it. And yet not waste time either.

Robert Frost

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I wouldn't try it.  I doubt that it will because the end of the cartridge hits the plug. 

 

A button filler converter came with my first Compact Imperial.  I had the post office box so that I could pick up my pen orders on my way in to work, or on the way back from errands.  I got back to the station, went to my desk, filled the pen, screwed the barrel on....  and promptly got a hand full of ink as the end of the cartridge-only-barrel pressed down on the button of the converter at the last turn or two.  :wallbash:

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Well, I loaded up the squeeze converter with some nice Diamine Oxford Blue, and gave the Connaisseur a spin.

 

Turns out it's a medium italic, not a fine italic. Okay, my everyday nib is generally an EF, so this won't be an everyday writer.

 

But, alas, the inkflow is sporadic. It keeps going dry, like twice per sentence. Very frustrating! Now I know why it's been sitting unused all these years.

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On 3/11/2021 at 6:14 AM, Ron Z said:

 

True, cartridges or refilled cartridges will hold more ink, but you then need to flush the pen on occasion.  When a converter is used, just the filling process flushes the nib unit.

Are you saying that people who use converters don’t need to otherwise flush their pens?

 

 

Edited by cellmatrix
Edited to simplify the question
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12 hours ago, debraji said:

But, alas, the inkflow is sporadic. It keeps going dry, like twice per sentence. Very frustrating! Now I know why it's been sitting unused all these years.

Sheaffer had a bunch of bad feeds in that era.  They missed coating the nibs.  The skipping can be fixed by replacing the feed.  The old hard rubber NN feeds will fit and work great, but be warned that getting nib and feed out, and  back in can be a pain if you are thinking about doing it yourself.  The nib ground if you want it finer.  Sheaffer never marked the nibs themselves....

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On 12/22/2020 at 9:05 PM, evan-houseman said:

Did Sheaffer ever make the 810 with a 14k lifetime nib and a scalloped grip?

In the research I've done the answer is no.

Yet I have one in front of me.

A clever fraud? A frankenpen?

"...and how should I presume?"

Hello evan-houseman,   I believe the answer to your first question is yes. I have seen Connaisseurs with the nib  & section you describe. They have a scalloped section which was first used on the modern Balance series. There were monotone Balance nibs and higher-end Balance pens with two-tone nibs. The all yellow gold Balance nib was marked "Lifetime." Sheaffer could have used Balance sections and nibs on the last of the Connaisseurs. This could account for the Connaisseur you own.  It seems at the end of production, Sheaffer used all available parts for Connaisseurs. I have seen new-in-the-box Grande Connaisseurs with smaller two-tone nibs, Connaisseur size but with Grande Connaisseur platinum chevron. For authority, I rely on the late Dennis Bowden's Pennant Connaisseur-Grande Connaisseur articles. 

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On 3/18/2021 at 2:32 PM, Barry Gabay said:

The all yellow gold Balance nib was marked "Lifetime." Sheaffer could have used Balance sections and nibs on the last of the Connaisseurs. This could account for the Connaisseur you own.

That fills in the missing piece to the puzzle.

Thank you Barry

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  • 3 months later...

I am sharing pictures of the Connaisseurs in my collection: the first image includes differently finished pens in the regular series, each with a matching ballpoint pen (the last two, on the right end, are Grand Connaisseurs.)

The second image shows all six Levengers in the first series, plus one Royal Palladium Levenger, and follows with a Black series I, a Sterling Silver set and concludes with the pewter cousin: the Royal Selangor Bamboo.

My love affair with the Connaisseur is the origin of my collection of pens at large, and I had to exercise quite an amount of self restraint for not indulging in purchasing more specimens (such as those in the sencond series of Levengers.)

A wealth of information and pictures, partly originated in the late Dennis Bowden, is still available in Gary Ellison's site: sheaffertarga.com. Besides, I have a pdf copy of Dennis' articles mentioned above in this thread. I would mail them to anyone interested.

Greetings.

 

 

Connaisseurs 1.jpg

Connaisseurs 2.jpg

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A nice collection of Connaisseurs. The design and the performance of the pens make them good every day writers.😉

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Hello Joso,   

 

What a beautiful collection you have! Your photos are exciting for showing so many of the great Connaisseurs and the several variants of that model.  Thank you for sharing. 

 

Just a moment ago, I was writing with a burgundy Series II Connaisseur fitted with a Grande Connaisseur front end and smooth, wet medium nib.  What a delight.  It's not only beautiful, but  I think the Connaissuer & Grande Connaisseur are among the most comfortable modern fountain pens. 

 

Thank you again for sharing your impressive collection.

Be well.

 

Best wishes, 

Barry

 

 

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  • 2 months later...

Just found my first model black Connaisseur...18k fine nib.  I finally found it hiding after about 5 years among some papers (must have dropped in there). Very glad to have it back. Had to clean it, of course...easy enough to do. I happen to have 5 unopened packages (96320) blue ink, 5 cartridge each. Also a bladder insert cartridge (doesn't hold as much). Are cartridges still available?  

In addition, I have 9 replacement end caps. This pen has a bit of a tendency to loose them, which has happened twice with mine. Came upon a stash of them on eBay and snatched them up.  

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Yes, standard Sheaffer cartridges fit all Connaisseur, Grande Connaisseur, and Sheaffer-Levenger Connaisseur Seas models. 

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Just for the record, Sheaffer sold these as "Connoisseurs", which is archaic French, not Connaisseurs, which is the modern equivalent, from the verb connaitre.  Like françois vs français, or Les Filles du Roy, vs Roi.  The "oi"  would be properly pronounced like "wa".

Just being pedantic.

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Hello Doctox57, 

 

Thank you.  Regardless of its spelling, it is a great model. Right now, I am looking at the outside cardboard sleeve for a pen box.  It is marked "CONNAISSEUR 810-0."  I was once told that in UK, the pens were sold as Connoisseur and in US as Connaisseur. I have purchased the model in both countries, but don't recall seeing the Connoisseur spelling. 

 

Best wishes,

Barry

 

 

IMG_1697.jpg

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Yes,  the modern spelling of the word uses the "o" i.e. Connoisseur.  Sheaffer used the archaic spelling, Connaisseur, as you see on your box.

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6 hours ago, Barry Gabay said:

Hello Doctox57, 

 

Thank you.  Regardless of its spelling, it is a great model. Right now, I am looking at the outside cardboard sleeve for a pen box.  It is marked "CONNAISSEUR 810-0."  I was once told that in UK, the pens were sold as Connoisseur and in US as Connaisseur. I have purchased the model in both countries, but don't recall seeing the Connoisseur spelling. 

 

Best wishes,

Barry

 

 

IMG_1697.jpg

Maybe I got it wrong.  Maybe it was the other way around. Either way, as you say, a heck of a pen.

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  • 1 year later...

I'm enjoying the above past posts about the Connaisseur.  I now own it in Burgundy, plus the Sheaffer-Levenger "seas" versions in Green, Blue, Red, Purple, and Yellow.  All were purchased separately on Ebay.  They write beautifully for me, and I enjoy using them.  I use either Sheaffer cartridges (either original or filled via hypodermic needle from bottled ink) or the included squeeze converter (not fun, but filling is over and done with pretty quickly).

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  • 2 months later...

I'm jealous of the seas versions!  

The Grand Connaisseur is one of my favourite pens.  I have a nice black lacquered pen  BP set from ~1986, and still in fantastic condition.  I like FPs but in practical use, especially when travelling, I lean toward BPs.  The Grand Conn BP is fabulous;  big. solid (i.e. heavyish), and makes a statement.  I use Monnteverde gel refills, which come in Sheaffer BP size, and they make it write very nicely.  

connais in box.jpg

conaiis nib closeup.jpg

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