Flea Market Find

[Paddler]

I bought a pen with a strange moniker this morning. The barrel has the words: Wasp Addipoint Ft. Madison, IA, USA. The nib is stainless steel with the imprint: Wasp 340 X-Fine Made in USA.

 

It appears to be a third or fourth tier pen. The plastic is very soft: the lever ring made an annular bulge and the J-bar spring made a bulge in the back of the barrel (first time I've seen that).

 

So what is with the Ft. Madison address? Is this a sub-brand of Sheaffer or a spin-off company or . . .?

 

I soaked the section out, re-sacced it, and tweaked the nib. It is a smooth writer with just a hint of tooth and writes a nice thin line. It will make a great pen to toss into the waterproof journal bag for canoe trips.

 

Paddler

 

[Johnny Appleseed]

I bought a pen with a strange moniker this morning. The barrel has the words: Wasp Addipoint Ft. Madison, IA, USA. The nib is stainless steel with the imprint: Wasp 340 X-Fine Made in USA.

 

It appears to be a third or fourth tier pen. The plastic is very soft: the lever ring made an annular bulge and the J-bar spring made a bulge in the back of the barrel (first time I've seen that).

 

So what is with the Ft. Madison address? Is this a sub-brand of Sheaffer or a spin-off company or . . .?

 

I soaked the section out, re-sacced it, and tweaked the nib. It is a smooth writer with just a hint of tooth and writes a nice thin line. It will make a great pen to toss into the waterproof journal bag for canoe trips.

 

Paddler

 

Sub - brand of Sheaffer. W.A.S.P = Walter A Sheaffer Pen

 

The Addipoint was the lowest end of the WASP spectrum. Some of the better WASPs, with 10K nibs, etc. are really, really nice. There is an Ebonized Pearl WASP that is really something.

 

John

Edited September 8, 2008 by Johnny Appleseed

[sumgaikid]

I may be wrong,but IIRC,the Addipoint was just as its name implies. Like Esterbrook,one could switch out nibs.

 

John

[Paddler]

Thanks for the info. I wasn't aware this product line existed.

 

Paddler

 

[philm]

The Pen Hero Website, an excellent reference point for vintage pens, has a section on these:

 

http://www.penhero.com/PenGallery/Sheaffer...spAddipoint.htm

 

Walter Sheaffer was an interesting chap....

 

Happy canoeing.

 

 

Phil

 

[Paddler]

The Pen Hero Website, an excellent reference point for vintage pens, has a section on these:

 

http://www.penhero.com/PenGallery/Sheaffer...spAddipoint.htm

 

Walter Sheaffer was an interesting chap....

 

Happy canoeing.

 

 

Phil

 

Thanks for the link, Phil. I looked at the Penhero site and missed the article. Duh! That is the pen I have, alright. Mine is the larger size. Good writer. There is some flex to the X-Fine nib.

 

Paddler