Sheaffer Imperial Lifetime converter question

[Mangrove Jack]

Presume this is a Sheaffer Imperial. It has "Sheaffer's Lifetime" imprinted on the cap and barrel, and "Lifetime" imprinted on it's clip. "Imperial" is not stamped anywhere.

The Sheaffer squeeze converter (the one that fits my Targa) does not fit as it is too long for the barrel.

 

I understand that Sheaffer at some point of time made a smaller pushbutton converter but on reading through PenHero's excellent site I believe that this particular pen was made as a "cartridge only" pen.

 

Your replies, advice and opinions on the possibility of using a converter with this pen is greatly appreciated. 

 

 

[Ron Z]

There are some that have ribs in the end of the barrel and held the cartridge in place while you screwed the section into the pen to pierce the cartridge.  The tapered end of the squeeze converter can not fit into the end because of the ribs.  Not all of the Imperials have them.  A button converter might work, and there are still some around, though they aren't cheap.  A Kaweco mini converter made for the sport will fit, and are better made than the Monteverdi converters that Sheaffer was offering as replacements for the slim Targa converters.

[Mangrove Jack]

Thank you Ron. That is good information 👍

[terim]

You'll never see them marked "Imperial." We recently had some Imperial Lifetime pens, models 1250 and 2000, and they accepted the button converter. 

 

We still have some button converters on the website ....

https://www.peytonstreetpens.com/sheaffer-button-converter-1960s-hard-to-find-new-old-stock-tested-working-well.html

 

If you get one, you should test it with water as sometimes these converters APPEAR to fit, in that the barrel screws on all the way, but the final turns end up depressing the button with, er, depressing results.

[Ron Z]

f you get one, you should test it with water as sometimes these converters APPEAR to fit, in that the barrel screws on all the way, but the final turns end up depressing the button with, er, depressing results.

 

Years ago I bought a compact Imperial with one of the button converters in it.  It screwed together with the converter in, and I figured it worked.  So I filled the converter, screwed the barrel on, and got a handful of ink.

[Mangrove Jack]

Thank you terim and Ron. I'll give the Kaweco mini converter a try. 

 

How long would one be able to use a cartridge if you kept filling it with ink using a syringe ? I would guess that every time you detached it from the section and reattached it the resultant wear in the hole in the cartridge would increase the possibility of a leak. Or would it not ?

[terim]

11 hours ago, Mangrove Jack said:

Thank you terim and Ron. I'll give the Kaweco mini converter a try. 

 

How long would one be able to use a cartridge if you kept filling it with ink using a syringe ? I would guess that every time you detached it from the section and reattached it the resultant wear in the hole in the cartridge would increase the possibility of a leak. Or would it not ?

Yes, that's the trouble with the cartridges, the hole eventually starts to wear our.

 

I think only the Kaweco squeeze converter will work. The mini piston converters were a problem, if I recall.

[Mangrove Jack]

Thank you Teri, your advice was timely indeed.  I was about to order the piston converter. 

[Mangrove Jack]

On 5/29/2023 at 12:37 AM, terim said:

 

I think only the Kaweco squeeze converter will work. The mini piston converters were a problem, if I recall.

The Kaweco Sport "squeeze" converters don't seem to be available anywhere. Have they been discontinued ? 

[Ron Z]

7/8/23 Two hits at the top of the page on Amazon, and a bunch of hits on Ebay.   Average price about $7, which is reasonable.

[Mangrove Jack]

On 7/8/2023 at 3:54 PM, Ron Z said:

7/8/23 Two hits at the top of the page on Amazon, and a bunch of hits on Ebay.   Average price about $7, which is reasonable.

Ron, Thank you. The Kaweco Sport (mini) converters on Amazon and Ebay are all Piston Converters, not Squeeze Converters. 

[Mangrove Jack]

In conclusion. I got myself a Kaweco Sport mini converter - the piston type and it worked perfectly.

Thank you all for the information and advice.