Sheaffer's Balance pencil

[sheafferkid]

Hi everyone! I have a ca. 1930 Sheaffer's balance pencil. I put a newer Sheaffer type B eraser in it which said it was made for "older Sheaffer white dot pencils." Well I dont know if it is the eraser or the pencil, but when I put the eraser in and put the cap back on, there is quite a large gap (most likely caused by the eraser's size) between the cap and the rest of the pencil. Is this the way the pencil was made? Could something be wrong with the pencil? I will include a pic on what I am talking about. Thanks!

[sheafferkid]

Here is another with the cap on without the eraser in:

[sheafferkid]

And here's the "problem", the pencil with the eraser.

[sheafferkid]

So, if anyone can help me with my eraser dilema, I would be most appreciative! Thanks!

[sheafferkid]

Ahh, and also, I think that this eraser is the wrong diameter because it wobbles when i put it in. If anyone has erasers made for these pencils, I would be interested in some. Thanks!

[Maja]

I believe that celluloid pencils can shrink a bit causing a gap between the top part of a vintage pencil and the bottom part....I have a vintage Sheaffer with this problem, but it's a smaller gap than that on your pencil....Maybe someone with more vintage celluloid mechanical pencil experience can chime in...

[DWL]

silly question, but did you possibly check the inside of the cap to see if there was any of the old eraser stuck in there?

 

Dennis

[sheafferkid]

I did, and all I see is some metal down there. I dont think it could an old eraser holder that got stuck down there, but theres no hole in the bottom like on the eraser holders now. I think the metal I see is part of the pencil. Thanks!

[sheafferkid]

Can anyone help?

[sheafferkid]

ANYONE...? This does not seem to be a common problem. Well anyways, I still need help.

[OldGriz]

ANYONE...? This does not seem to be a common problem. Well anyways, I still need help.

Calm down... I am sure you will get an answer...

Remember this is the weekend of the Philadelphia Pen Show... a lot of the members are there this weekend.

[sheafferkid]

Yes, you are right, Tom. I forgot about the pen show. Thanks!

[sheafferkid]

Anyone know about Sheaffer's pencils? I know there must be an expert out there!

[jirish1957]

If the cap fits without the eraser and doesn't with it in (particularly with that much of a gap) I would tend to agree with Dennis that there is something (probably the old erasure and metal holder) stuck in the inside if the cap. You may need to use a piece of wire or a thin screwdriver to get it out. As a worse case, you may need to carefully drill through the metal holder to get a purchase with a screwdriver to dislodge it. The celuloid shrinking problem has more to do with barrel shrinkage rather than cap shrinkage so that doesn't sound like the problem. Good luck! Jeff

[sheafferkid]

Thanks Jeff, I'll try that!

 

Evan

[sheafferkid]

Ok I tried to get some good shots of the inside of the cap; its not the easiest thing to do. But hopefully someone can compare my inside of the pencil with theirs and see if mine has something in it. For some reason when I was finished with this post and tried to upload a picture in the same format I always have, it said "the following error(s) were found: You cannot upload this type of file" Well anyways, I'll try again.

 

Evam

[sheafferkid]

Well, I can't upload pictures...I dont know why, but I'll work on it. By the way, my name is Evan not Evam like the last post said! Hahaha! Anyways, could someone get a macro shot of the inside of what a Balance pencil should look like? Thanks!

 

Evan (not Evam, hehehe)

[Johnny Appleseed]

Well, the eraser you have was not made to go in that pencil. It was made for "White dot pencils", which started with the touchdown pencil in 1949. That doesn't mean it won't fit - just that it was made for designs about 15-20 years later than your pencil. You probably can't get original erasers for the 1930s pencils.

 

That is one of my favorite balance patterns, BTW.

 

I have both styles of pencils at home and will take a look and see what the differences are. Have you tried to trim the eraser and see what happens?

 

John

[sheafferkid]

Yes, even when I trim the eraser, I have to get it impossibly small for it to even slightly fit better. Hopefully I can make my own correct size eraser by cutting some of my machine erasers made for drafting which appear to be the right diameter. THanks!

 

Evan

[Johnny Appleseed]

I think something is probably amiss inside your pen - maybe something jammed in the end. I took the eraser from a Snorkel pencil, which is pretty much the same as your replacement, and put it in a Grey Pearl balance pencil I have (pretty much the same pencil you have). The Snorkel eraser fit perfectly in the balance, so I would look for something stuck in the cap.

 

John