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I am looking at a Sheaffer Snorkel catalog from the mid '50s (sorry, I can't remember which thread this came from), and I am having trouble distinguishing the Saratoga from the Admiral. The colors and descriptions in the catalog don't help. What's the difference between the two?

I have a Sheaffer Admiral Lever-Fill with a Wire Band cap. The wire band has come detached from the cap. It came off cleanly, no chips or cracks in the cap. Were these bands originally affixed by adhesive or simply pressure fit? What would be my best choice of re-securing? Thanks.

Hello Everybody! i would be very thankful if you would advise. i have 3 snorkels: Snorkel Sentinel Black, Snorkel Admiral Pastel Green, Snorkel Admiral Burgundy. These need to be restored, but i am not sure what exactly the restoration with include. I am only sure that the inside mechanism needs to be fixed as the filling mechanism works but doesnt fill. The pen body will need to be polished. I am not sure whether it is a good idea, and how much the restoration could cost? probably it would be easier to sell the unrestored ones and buy already restored? Plus i am not 100% sure i will leave these in my collection. Would be thankful for any of your advices!

I'm somewhat new to non-student fountain pens, so I had done a bit of research before hand before picking a 'vintage' pen to go with, and as per the recommendation of two friends of mine (one of which being the one that restored mine) I went with a Sheaffer Snorkel. It's a nice American made pen that's older than either of my parents. The one I got here is a Sheaffer Snorkel Admiral (circa 1953 based on some of the insides), won it for $41 when there was only a minute left and I was already annoyed at being out bidded for all the other snorkels (I wanted to get something like the burgundy red or forest green body, but this is nice ), and then I had it restored by Sean (Write on Time) to like-new condition. I was pleasantly surprised by the result, a nice lightweight pen that's easy to feel, writes smoothly and just feels classy. http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/intro/sheaffer_snorkel_close.jpghttp://static.karlblessing.com/pens/intro/sheaffer_snorkel_full.jpghttp://static.karlblessing.com/pens/intro/sheaffer_snorkel_extend.jpg I love it, I keep it with me most of the time when I go out, just wish I could find a nice single-pen case that I can slip it into for some more protection.

This is my first real new pen since embarking on this little journey, so I thought I'd do a little review of my new Bexley Admiral. The little details: Capped length is 5.00" (that's what I call precise) Posted length is 5.36" Jowo fine nib Loaded with Sheaffer black Brief review: Since my only real experience, and that's limited, is with the vintage pens I've come across, I hope Bexley doesn't mind a few comparisons. It may be that some of what was done in the past made its way to this pen, and I'm pretty fond of it. The pen cap has some similarities to what Parker did on the Duofold - clip ring that can be replaced fairly easily if damaged or aged. I love the ball end on the clip, as well, making it an easier slide into my pocket. The basic overall look of the pen reminded me of the Sheaffer Balance Jr - full size cap, with a smaller barrel. You'll note how little difference there is in the capped and posted length. The barrel fits snugly and precisely deep into the cap. As with any new pen, as I've been reading, I did a quick flush and clean of the pen to sort of prime it up for use. After a few minutes of getting it started, the pen started to come alive. It's a very comfortable, smooth pen. It fits nicely in my hand, and the fact that it's not overly long means that it's not top heavy. You'll need to be careful where you position the cap and clip, because they sit right on your thumb, otherwise. I prefer a smaller barrel, and matched with the full size cap, this pen has the best of both features when using it. After a few minutes, and a couple taps on some micro-paper, the Admiral opened up and was smooth and fluid across paper. This was an impulse buy for me, and it was well worth it. I've always wanted to try a Bexley, and I'm now happy to own one. The added bonus was a quick tour of his facility.

I have an older Admiral (actually, it's two now) that I have replaced the sac, gasket and ring on, but I am getting no vacuum. Everything seems to right, but I have noticed one little detail. The very first snorkel I repaired was an early one, where all the metal ribs were the same width, as was the feeder and nib assembly. They lined up and fit perfectly. I've noticed on the two pens I have that the grooves in the feed seem to be the newer models (maybe I have the ages reversed) where there is a single groove/rib that is larger than the other three. The sac protectors on both pens are all the same size. That leads me to think that I'm not getting vacuum because I actually have mismatched parts. I did a water test, and found a little water inside the barrel of one. Thoughts? Should I be on the look-out for the correct sac protector?

Hi everyone, I have a beatiful black sheaffer snorkel admiral that I havent treated as well as it deserve. The other day I soaked it in wate during to much time, trying to deep clean it. And as consequence some rust have appear into the spring, inside the body, inside the touchdonwn plunger tube and at the head of the screw that secures the piston knob. Right now I have the pen completely dissasemble. I want to do this. - Cleaning of rust the barrel and the plunger tube. What can I use to clean it? Some kind of brush? - I pretend to sand with very fine grade the head of the screw. Should I do it? - During the dissasemble I have make to appear a small crack on the knob. Can I buy a new one? - I would like to deep clean the nib and the feed. Its possible to dissasemble it from the grip section? How? - I found the pen to wet and maybe not as smooth as it should be. I have feathering with almost any ink. I would like to make a bit drier. It's possible? Than you everyone for your answers and sorry for my english.

Some shots of my restored black Sheaffer Snorkel Admiral (~1953), currently using Noodler's Black Eel in it. http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/black_snorkel_admiral/full.jpghttp://static.karlblessing.com/pens/black_snorkel_admiral/close.jpghttp://static.karlblessing.com/pens/black_snorkel_admiral/snorkel.jpg

Got three more Sheaffer pens today. 1951 Touchdown Admiral in Evergreen Green with a Feather Touch Nib (14K Gold + Platinum Plating) 1947-1949 Craftman in Persian Blue with a Sheafer #33 14K Nib Late 60s/Early 70s Student Pen with a "F" Steel Nib, using it eye-dropper style with Noodler's Upper Ganges Blue 1953 Snorkel Admiral in Black with a Medium 14K Gold Nib. The Touchdown and Snorkel were completely restored by Sean Nicholson (The Touchdown was sold to me by him). The Craftman I won off ebay has been polished and replaced with a new sac (and Talc'd... not sure why that's needed). The Student Pen came along for the ride with the Touchdown. (It's actually much smoother than I expected, though not quite "fine" on the line width, the craftsman writes finer, with the touchdown being the finest. ). http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/sheaffer/group.jpg