Can a modern converter work in a "Vintage Sheaffer Imperial Sterling Silver"?

[NightFox]

I'd like to get a "Vintage Sheaffer Imperial Sterling Silver" at some point, but I'm not sure if modern converters will work in it. I dont want to get one if I can't readily get a new converter without being reamed for something used. 

Anyone know if a modern converter will work and what ones would be compatible?

[Mercian]

Hi,

apologies for the delay in replying to your thread, but I have been away from the site for a while.

 

In answer to your question, I enclose some photos of my 1970s Sheaffer Imperial in Sterling Silver, and of two types of Sheaffer converter that I know will fit into, and work in, it.

 

My first photo...
 

 

...shows:

• my (1970s) Sheaffer Imperial in Sterling Silver;
• a modern Sheaffer twist converter that I bought brand new in the UK in 2024;
• the 'vintage' Sheaffer squeeze converter that came with this pen originally [I also have another one of these, which came to me with a 1980s Sheaffer 'Triumph' (model no. 444) that I bought in 2024];
• a ruler, in order to give you an idea of the two converters' lengths, and the difference between them.

 

BOTH converters work in this pen.

The key detail that you need to look for on any pen that you might buy is shown in my second photo...

 

...that key detail is the long metal sleeve that is on the rear of my pen's grip-section, behind the threads onto which the pen's body screws closed.

The converters seat/sit very deeply into this sleeve; deeply enough that the piston-turning knob of the converter (which, as you can see from the photo, makes the modern twist-converter rather longer than the vintage squeeze converter) still has room to fit inside the barrel of this pen.

If you look at this ↓ post  (et seq.) from a 2015 thread about Sheaffer Imperials and converters...
 

...you will see that, on Sheaffer pens that don't have the metal sleeve on the rear of the grip-section, but only a short plastic part that has the barrel's threads moulded-on to it, the twist converter (and, indeed, the squeeze converter that I have) does not seat deeply in to the grip-section, and the pen's barrel can not be closed over the converter!

 

So, if the Sheaffer pen that you are thinking of buying doesn't have that metal sleeve on the rear of its grip-section, neither of the converters that I have is likely to fit in to that pen!

For extra information, I am including some more photos; the first one ↓ ...

...shows the front of the point-of-sale packaging in which my twist-converter was shipped to me.

The second photo ↓ ...

 

 

...shows the rear of that point-of-sale packaging, so that you can see the EAN of the converter underneath the barcode (and the year - 2022 - of its manufacture).

 

Oh, also, don't worry so much about the exact shape of the 'diamond'/'kite' shape inside the rear of the inlaid nib.
If you look at this ↓ photo...

 

...you can see my 1980s Sheaffer Triumph 444 (and the same two types of converter).

Note that the shape of the 'diamond'/'kite' inside the rear of its inlaid nib is different to the shape of the one on my 1970s Imperial.
Over the decades, Sheaffer produced nibs with several slightly-different 'diamond'/'kite' shapes in the rear of their inlaid nibs. Some of them look (to my eye) a bit like a 'fattened-up'  and 'curvy' 'smile'-shaped version of the letter 'V'.

 

Now, I don't know whether any of the Sterling Silver Imperials were ever made with the 'short-diamond', 'kite', or 'curvy-V' inlaid-nibs - but the noteworthy thing about the photo of my 1980s Triumph 444 is that the pen's grip-section has the same metal sleeve on its rear end that my 1970s Imperial's grip-section has got.

I hope that this (lengthy) post is useful.
 

Slàinte,
M.

[PAKMAN]

Thanks Mercian, great explanation. It should also be noted that the past and current Sheaffer flat top, flat bottom cartridges will work in these pens also.  I have the Sterling version and the 14k gf version. 

[jchch1950]

Sheaffer has kept the same configuration of cartridges and converters, so they can easily be used in any of their pens without any problem. The exception, that I know, is the Intrigue models that have a converter that can be operated from the back of the pen, and the converter has a special end to engage with this external movable end. It was a very expensive way to be used in a cartridge/converter pen, but it was a reminiscence of self-filling pens. The Intrigue had different designs and colour combinations, some of them very nice ones. 

[Mercian]

5 hours ago, jchch1950 said:

Sheaffer has kept the same configuration of cartridges and converters

 

Didn't they previously make a 'button-fill converter', and a push-converter for the Sheaffer 'Pop' pen, that both had different dimensions to the converters in my photos?
I don't mean the geometry of the open end of the cartridge/converter, the bit that attaches to the pens' feed-nipple - AFAIK that has always remained the same - but rather the dimensions of the ink chamber/body/piston handle of each specific converter.

 

I'd also thought that Sheaffer had briefly made a different type of cartridge for some of their pens (perhaps during the company's ownership by Cross?) - but I didn't own any Sheaffers back then, so I could well be mis-remembering/completely wrong 🤷

 

Having only recently discovered the existence of the model, I'm now rather interested to try to buy a 'Legacy Heritage' with one of the removable 'Touchdown' converters, which can be swapped for a cartridge, or for the squeeze-converter or twist-converter shown in my photos.
The sliding part of the 'Touchdown' mechanism in the barrel adds to the pen's weight, but the versatility of that model now attracts me.

Why must it always be that I keep on seeing more models of pen that make me think 'Ooh, that looks nice... I wants it!'? 
I think that I blame FPN!