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The cap is German from Imperial Pen company. But they never made lever fillers. The barrel labeled Rikkers and Eton is most likely Dutch made by one of those companies. I have no details as to the association of Rikkers or Eton. Anyone that knows something about these companies would love to hear more. I am reposting this in the European forum. So Myk Daigle sent this to me as a practice repair pen. The plating on the clip was gone, covered in verdigris as was the lever. It used to have a metal band on the cap lip, but that is long gone. It looked like it had gone through a war and on careful examination we found writing on the cap and the barrel. The cap reads "Imperial" 1943. The barrel end reads "Rikker" Eton Fountain Pen. The nib reads: "Warranted" Ptes IRIDIUM INOXYDABLE. Inoxydable is French for Stainless. It has a nice feed, a very corroded nib on the back side, but the tipping is still good and it flexes very nicely. (Nib most likely stainless steel plated with gold) Anyone familiar with these pen companies, I would love to hear details. Repair consisted of a thorough cleaning, polishing with micromesh and some metal de-corroder to clean up the clip and lever. Comments please.

I have a wonderful sterling silver Sheaffer touchdown. It is missing the sac protector and it appears the screw holding the pump on to the end cap seems to be degraded to nothing. It's still attached but I can't see the screwhead any longer. Just shiny metal. I had though maybe the sac protector was shoved right up there however I would expect to see the hole at the end down there. There also is a hole in the pump from corrosion. (Picture attached) I think what I'll have to do is cut the metal pump sleeve to get it out since it will have to be replaced. (Once that hole comes past the internal seal itn would lose the vacuum.) Then once it is out I'll cut the pump close to the screw head and make a slot in it to back the screw out. I will then need to get a screw, pump sleeve, sac protector and a touchdown sack an seal kit to put it all back together. Does this plan sound right or is there some other advice that I should follow? Its a pen well worth saving

Further research and consulting have let me know this is a Frankenpen. The cap is German from Imperial Pen company. But they never made lever fillers. The barrel labeled Rikkers and Eton is most likely Dutch made by one of those companies. I have no details as to the association of Rikkers or Eton. Anyone that knows something about these companies would love to hear more. I am reposting this in the European forum. So Myk Daigle sent this to me as a practice repair pen. The plating on the clip was gone, covered in verdigris as was the lever. It used to have a metal band on the cap lip, but that is long gone. It looked like it had gone through a war and on careful examination we found writing on the cap and the barrel. The cap reads "Imperial" 1943. The barrel end reads "Rikker" Eton Fountain Pen. The nib reads: "Warranted" Ptes IRIDIUM INOXYDABLE. Inoxydable is French for Stainless. I can see that there are a couple of posts regarding The Imperial Pen and Pencil company here on the site, but I am not familiar with it at all. Any idea about the markings 1943 (year made?), and "Rikker" Eton Fountain Pen would be appreciated. It has a nice feed, a very corroded nib on the back side, but the tipping is still good and it flexes very nicely. (Nib most likely stainless steel plated with gold) Anyone familiar with this pen company, I would love to hear details. Repair consisted of a thorough cleaning, polishing with micromesh and some metal de-corroder to clean up the clip and lever. This pen will never look like new, but it is a lovely writer and I am glad to have it to play with. Comments please.

Result first: the nibs of Imperial II Deluxe are probably not PdAg nibs, at least some of them are confirmed to be stainless steel nibs. The components of Sheaffer Snorkel PdAg nibs are about 50% silver, 30% palladium, 10% gold and 10% copper, in mass (maybe?), analyzed by a handheld alloy analyzer by a predecessor in a Chinese forum 10 years ago. However, the components of the nib of Imperial II Deluxe are still not clear and debatable. Authoritative Sheaffertarga declares it to be a PdAg nib, not only Imperial II Deluxe, but also normal Imperial II, while some others claim it to be a stainless steel nib. I bought three Imperial II Deluxes last year, so let me make an end of the argument. Not touchdown Imperial II Deluxe, but cartridge edition, defined by the chalk mark "C" on the barrels and boxes. Deluxe is not marked, maybe the caps are not original, but three NOS-level pens are the same, so no "Deluxe" mark might be a common phenomenon. Anyway, no matter what my pens are, the result of stainless steel nib is contrary to the statement of Sheaffertarga, the provided information on PdAg nib could be wrong. Screwed off the nibs and pasted them onto sample stage, and used an energy disperse spectroscopy installed Tescan Vega 3 scanning microscope to analyze the components. It is worth noting that EDS is qualitative and semi-quantitive, the content of elements is not very accurate. Three areas on each nib were detected, and the results are similar, typical one is presented above without any processing. The Chinese in the table are elements, atomicity, line, value, mass, normalized mass and atom, from left to right. The nibs are mainly made of iron, chromium and nickel, typically elements of stainless steel, no palladium, no silver at all, so definitely not PdAg nibs. Maybe part of Imperial II Deluxes installed with PdAg nibs, but at least not all of them are PdAg nibs, and probably all of them are stainless steel nibs, in my opinion. Certainly, the sample size is rather limited, more samples are welcomed. However, I am in China, so just saying. I will examine some other nibs in the future, tell me if you are interested in any nib (Sheaffer only), maybe I have one. BTW, the tips of nibs are made of ruthenium, tungsten and cobalt.

Just gifted myself this beautiful set of Imperial VIII fountain pen and pencil, complete with original box. Found them for sale in an old Mom & Pop stationary store that also happens to sell old ballpoints, pencils and fountain pens in varying states of conservation. Both are in excellent cosmetic and mechanical condition, but the pen needs a new sac. Not sure about the nib width, but looks like a Medium. The best, I got them for just $35! I always thought these Imperials were a bit thicker than all the other Sheaffer pens I own, but this pen seems to be the exact same width and length as my Imperial II TD with the short Triumph (Skripsert) nib. Anyone has any idea of what kind of sacs do I need for both, the Imperial VIII and the Imperial II? Also, is the PFM thicker than this one?

A friend of mine has a nice Parker Duofold mechanical pencil, made around 1950. He is about to run out of leads. My calipers measure the existing leads at 1/20 inch, 0.05 inch. Does anyone know where Imperial leads are available? The 1.18 mm metrical gauge will work at a pinch, but the real thing would be preferable. Thanks! Peter

I am relatively new to sheaffers and pen restoration in general. I have restored my friend's Sheaffer Imperial, but somehow when I got one for myself, the screw was either sealed in and rusted or just rusted in, but i could not even get a grip on it with a screwdriver as the screw had corroded and was stripped. I have limited tools and I don't plan on buying any online. I have also searched online but the suggestions require tools I don't posses or are too risky and I don't want to try. Any suggestions? Sorry I could not get a clear photo of the screw.

I just received this pen via an online auction and I'm trying to pin down the identity. It's a Sheaffer, cartridge/squeeze converter, "Gold Electroplated", "Sheaffer Made in U.S.A.", nib is inlaid 585 14K gold. I think I have it narrowed down to either an Imperial 727 or 777. The differences between the two models isn't clear to me. Any help would be appreciated.

Just won this and was wondering if anyone knows their history . Have read that they were Dutch made but the nib is marked Brussels .

I saw a review in korean community and saw a really beautiful imperial. White colored cap, barrel. Inlaid nib. Is there anyone who has information about it?

Hi, I picked this up recently in amongst a load of other pens - having difficulty in tying down the model/date. In style (nib, barrel and cap) it appears a good match with the Imperial II Touchdowns of ca.1962. However its a cartridge filler and i haven't found any reference to Sheaffer marketing such a pen. Is there anyone out there who can enlighten me? With the conical nib it makes for a fine writer (even finer with the nib reversed). Thanks PS. I did find a reference to the Imperial models being reintroduced in 1969 with a cartridge filler option, but these had a new style cap with a white dot - I suppose its possible that over the years simply an old style cap has been paired up with a 1969 Imperial CT model.

I have a pen which looks like a Sheaffer Imperial Triumph, however as you can see in the pictures, the pen is tagged VIII. I've always thought that VIII was a top of the line of the plastic barrel Imperials which came in different colors; But this one is gold plated. So does anyone know what model is this and when it was manufactured?

Hi all, Recently I've been looking into getting myself a vintage Sheaffer imperial IV with a fine or XF nib, but the prices seem rather high on some products and I'm not sure if they are worth it / reasonable, it seems I could invest that money elsewhere, but I am rather new to Sheaffer vintage pens so I'm not sure what boundaries I'm working with. This is purely so I can decide to wait on a better offer to come up or to get something relatively soon with existing offers. These are what I found so far: NOS with fine nib, guaranteed working $95USD (+$15 Intl' shipping)Used with fine nib, "seems working" according to seller, with a crack in the barrel (from grip section and a few cm up, looks like a white line) £48 (Auction price, not sure if this will hold)Used with XF nib, most likely working, tiny crack just before blind cap on the barrel. I don't know if this will affect the touchdown mechanism? £86 As I said, I'm not sure if these prices are reasonable or not, there seems to be an awfully big range, and I don't want to spend more than I need to if that money could be spent on something better instead. The first offer is from a website selling vintage pens, the other two are on eBay. If anyone have any other recommendations on where I might find a good deal, please send them my way (or maybe you want to sell me a pen ), many thanks!

Hi guys, I need a little help with choosing which vintage Sheaffer Imperial to buy! Recently I've been looking on eBay and am quite intrigued by the vintage Sheaffer pens with the inlaid nibs, they're absolutely gorgeous! Anyway, I've spotted three good deals and am having trouble deciding which is more worth it. I would like to hear your opinions! 1) Sheaffer Imperial 330 NOS, Black, Fine steel nib. £59 (Also comes with ballpoint pen) The price is attractive to me especially as there is both a fountain pen and ballpoint included, and they are both new old stock.However I have been told the weight of the pen is not ideal as it is cheap (?) plastic, can anyone weigh in on this?Comes with converter. 2) Sheaffer Imperial 444 Flighter, Chrome, Fine steel nib. £70 The price is higher for this one and I'm not sure if it's worth it, but the metal body does look good and it should weight better.Converter is not included.The description says the pen is "unused" and there is still a sticker on the barrel, but there is no box, and also an "imperfection" on the barrel.In working condition. 3) Sheaffer Imperial Touchdown VI (I believe), Gray, Fine 14k nib. £? (Auction, I'm aiming for lower than £50) 14k gold nib is a steal if I can win at a low bid.Filling mechanism is interesting, can anyone vouch for how good / bad it is?Used. Has a few scratches that are not very noticeable but there none-the-less.In working condition. So those are the three I'm looking at, can anyone give any advice? Thanks!

Hi Sheaffer Fans! I've got a pretty simple question here: Are the earlier Imperial (IV,VI,VIII, etc) caps compatible with the later style (440,550,777,etc) pens? Are the metal caps the same as the plastic ones internally? Thanks!

I have a large collection of ink, but only one purple must be remedied! . The purple I have is waterman, can anyone recommend something with a touch more red? Has anyone used diamine imperial or MB violet? If so do you think these might fit the bill. Any suggestions welcome I'm in the UK so noodlers and PR are harder to procure. Thank ye all

When I was very young, I remember being in a flea market with my crazy aunt and seeing an old Sheaffer advertisement, touting the latest, greatest pen- the PFM. Well, I still don't own a PFM. But that moment sort of defined when I started thinking fountain pens were cool, particularly fountain pens with inlaid nibs. Fast forward to this past Monday night, and that idea was confirmed in a big way. After some random trolling around, I discovered Peyton Street Pens through this site, though I forget where in particular I saw the link. No affiliation, but I can now say I'm an incredibly pleased customer. I scored a "seconds" NOS Sheaffer Imperial 440 in dark blue with a fine nib for $28, with free shipping. I ordered it early in the evening on Thursday, it was on my doorstep Monday. Not bad for cross-country shipping. I'm ecstatic about this pen, though not without some reservations. So let's dig around a little and talk about the details. It should be noted that I don't give scores- I'm not experienced enough with pens to do so, and I don't really feel it's fair for myself to rank a pen. All I can do is give my opinion, and opinions are very vague things. Design and Appearance - This pen is classy. It's also slick. It's also cool. You know what? Let's be honest; I think this pen is downright sexy. It arrived at my door with the original manufacturer's sticker on the cap, and for being listed as having "imperfections," I'm hard pressed to call them such. There's a small scratch on the barrel and a mark from the cap sitting on the pen for so long. There's a few scratches on the cap. Nothing beyond what this pen would get over the course of daily use with me at all. And that nib. Oh man. It looks good- not just decent, or good in the sense that it appears to be a good nib. It would look good if it weren't a nib at all. It's just a great design, unusual without being ridiculous. The pen itself is light- very light. Almost uncomfortably so. Like the Parker 51 that I own, most of its weight comes from the cap. Speaking of the cap, it's a pretty hefty little guy. It slips snugly onto the pen (honestly, a little too snugly- I'd be happier hearing a little click), and the clip is just excellent with its spring-loaded smoothness. The only time I have trouble with it is at work, where I stick it into the placket of my work polo. But slipping it into the pocket of a buttondown shirt or into a pen loop? Flawless every single time. Love it. While the body is plastic, it doesn't feel cheap. It feels like a good quality plastic, and it is very easy for me to grip. Size and Weight - Unfortunately, you won't be getting any precise measurements from me, nor any carefully determined weights. I don't have a caliper, and I don't have a good scale. But I can tell you that the length is maybe five millimeters or so short of the Parker 51 uncapped, and maybe 3 millimeters or so longer than the 51 when capped. With caps posted, the Sheaffer is again about 3 millimeters or so longer. The weight between the two is virtually identical, with the Sheaffer coming in just a hair lighter (by my reckoning) uncapped and unposted. Filling and Capacity- This pen, dating from the 70s, is a cartridge/converter pen. I don't use cartridges, which leaves me with the NOS converter that came with the pen. In regards to the converter, I'm just going to go ahead and say it- I have squeeze fillers of any and all types. Sure they may offer a good capacity. But (1) I can't really see the ink levels, (2) I always have a hard time filling them because of the size of my hands and (3) it just feels cheap. I'll take piston and vac any day over a squeeze filler, thank you very much. I realize that some people like them, and others don't care so long as their pen reliably holds ink. But I just hate the little things, and will be digging around to see if I have any alternatives open to me. But the ink capacity is good. I've been writing with it every single chance I have gotten since Monday night (it's now Thursday afternoon), and I've used maybe 1/3 of this pen's capacity. The combination of its capacity and its fine nib make this pen an excellent workhorse. Performance - Oh man. This little guy performs extremely well. I'll go ahead and mention that line variation doesn't really exist with this nib- what variation you do get will come at the cost of intense pressure. I probably could get more out of this pen, but I'd rather not because I rather like the way the nib looks without being sprung. It's a nail. For many that's a down side, but for me that's perfectly fine- I don't like flex. I don't place any pressure on my nibs, either, so even if the nib did have any flex it would never be utilized, unfortunately. Even though it's a nail, though, anyone would be impressed with its performance. It is incredibly smooth while also providing a little feedback- there's not a hint of scratchiness, but there's a wonderful sense of feeling absolutely everything the pen is doing, and it's fantastic. On cheaper papers the feedback is more intense (think Staples copy paper), while on higher grade papers (Clairefontaine, Apica), this baby just flies. It lays down a very controllable, wet line. Even with Liberty's Elysium (I'll be ordering some Kon-Peki specifically for this pen soon enough), I have very few issues with feathering, and shading can definitely happen when you slow down though the fine nib makes it very hard to detect. Especially with my spidery handwriting which is, frankly, appalling. Overall Impression - I really love this little pen. And yes, it is extremely little for me. With my hand size, it's next to impossible to hold it unposted- a Lamy Al-Star is just barely long enough unposted. But when posted I find that it's well balanced and just long enough. I wish, of course, that the body were a little thicker, but it is still comfortable for shorter writing sessions at this point. I suspect that ergonomic grips and big pens have hindered my form, so maybe I just need to let this little guy straighten out my flaws. But the feel of the nib, for the price and "quality" of the pen in comparison with other pens in the same like (Imperials), is simply outrageously nice. I've noticed that this pen is available in at least 6 other colors. It looks like I'll be getting at least 6 more. Images here - Sorry for the low quality!

Due to the placement of the white dot on the clip, I'm sure that's it's a post PFM pen at the very least. It seems thin enough to be an imperial, either I or II by my guess due to the nib style. What really throws me is the gold embellished band. I would really appreciate any assistance I could get in finding the model of the pen.

Ranga Ebonites and Acrylics Update We've got some new models and colors to tell you about. Model 4CS Imperials -- Now in Acrylic These are the pens which can be fitted with a new old stock Sheaffer Imperial nib, such as the ones found on Sheaffer 330/440/444 pens. We just had a batch made in colorful acrylics for those of you who want brighter colors, and/or who are inexplicably not attracted to the scent of hard rubber. Below are our new acrylic colors. Both acrylic and ebonite models are priced at $68 with steel nibs, or $113 for 14k inlaid nibs. We only have a few of each acrylic color, so act accordingly. See them here on our web site. http://www.peytonstreet.com/pens/ranga/4CS_acrylic_group_1.jpg http://www.peytonstreet.com/pens/ranga/ranga_blacr_2.jpg http://www.peytonstreet.com/pens/ranga/ranga_blublk_1.jpg http://www.peytonstreet.com/pens/ranga/ranga_blublk_5.jpg Bamboo model with JoWo German Nibs & Converters We've had the Model 3 and 4C with the JoWo nib set up for a few weeks, and we are now adding the Bamboo model similarly configured. We've got the JoWo nibs in fine, medium and broad, and around a dozen colors. Priced at $95 (or $110 for the premium Bamboo colors). We can also supply these with 14k nibs on request, and for an additional charge. http://www.peytonstreet.com/pens/ranga/bamboo_ipg_blue_2.jpg http://www.peytonstreet.com/pens/ranga/bamboo_ipg_blue_1.jpg http://www.peytonstreet.com/pens/ranga/bamboo_ipg_blue_3.jpg New Colors for our Model 4C Pens! We have a few new colors in stock for the 4C model, the version with the JoWo nibs. The colors below are, left to right, pink ripple, blue green orange, solid pink, solid blue. (Priced at $80 and $95 for the premium ebonite colors.) http://www.peytonstreet.com/pens/ranga/4C_newcolors_1.jpg Cruiser Aerometric model with NOS Eversharp Flex Nibs We're experimenting with these and have a few left in stock. They have a built-in aerometric filling system (courtesy of Hero), are based on the slim Ranga Cruiser model, and have been equipped with flexible NOS Eversharp Symphony nibs in fine, medium or broad. Priced at $75, we are down to only a few. http://www.peytonstreet.com/pens/ranga/cruiser_aero_all_1.jpg http://www.peytonstreet.com/pens/ranga/cruiser_aero_all_2.jpg Thanks for looking! TERI

Hi, i have a stuck Sheaffer Imperial Touchdown nib unit. The reason why I want to take apart the section is because I have found ink to be leaking through the threads that hold the nib unit to the whole pen. I have tried to remove it with some heat but it wouldn't budge (maybe due to my hairdryer not being able to reach the release temperature of the sealant). I have managed to remove my friend's one but mine wouldn't move at all. I also can't find any rubber sheets nearby which maybe why I can't unscrew it. Any suggestions? I have posted 2 photos below.

I want to start my vintage pen collection and I've been eyeing several Sheaffer Imperial 727 pens that are within my budget. However, I would like your advice on what will be best to get, what should I look for and if these particular pen is worth going after. I've got 3 different offerings: First one is for a gold plated pen with matching 14k nib and it's "suction" converter for about $25 in working order, with no apparent dents but seems to have been in use frequently; The second is for the full set of ballpoint, mechanical pencil and fountain pen (gold plated) in the original box for about $40, this pen looks nicer and less used. The last offering I've got is for a pen that looks similar to the 727 but it's an stainless steel version and the asking price is again $40, this last offering is from a collector unloading some of his pens, so I assume it will be well taken care of. I've never been a fan of bling pens -particularly dislike gold things, but I really want to try those inlaid nibs and suction converters and the cheaper one is exerting a powerful force of attraction on me! The set is appealing in the sense that it comes with original box but I really got no use for the ballpoint or mechanical pencil. One thing that worries me about buying a vintage pen is that am a leftie and I can easily assume these pens will come from right-handers. Will these be an issue mid-or-long term for the nib? Do I risk damaging it? Are these Imperials good writers? Are these recommended for daily use?

Like many of you I see pens on auction websites. To me it's very hard to tell the difference between a PFM and an Imperial. Any advice?? PFM: http://0101.nccdn.net/1_5/15e/0a8/179/1260137681290949.JPG Imperial: http://0101.nccdn.net/1_5/37d/330/12d/skgi_4021232_5421.JPG

Hey everyone, I have the Sheaffer Imperial touchdown in sterling silver. I've noticed that there's very little discussion or information about this pen online, so I was hoping we could start our own discussion about this pen and perhaps help answer some questions I have along the way. Some questions: -Is the 14k gold inlaid nib and clip plated? In certain lights and angles, it looks almost silver, but I don't know whether to attribute it to age. -Was it made exclusively in 1970-71? -Which model of Imperial is this pen? Am I incorrect to believe it's the Imperial IV? -How many of you have/have had experience with this pen? How do you like it? I personally love this pen--I would almost say it's my grail pen. It was my very first exposure to fountain pens and thus has a special place in my heart. I got it from an important old family friend who tells me that he's written quite a few books with this pen. He gave it to me broken and over the past few weeks, I managed to blunder my way into fixing it.

Hi Everyone, I've recently got a hold of a Sheaffer Snorkel from the bay. Upon receiving it, I noticed a crack at the plunger end, usually a far too common and unfortunately fatal issue in snorkels. As it's in the UK, parts are notoriously difficult to find, let alone for a justifiable price. I actually noticed the issue after winning, but having already paid, the seller just played dumb and completely denied it, even though it was blatantly obvious. Since I got it for a good price, however, it isn't worth much in returning. The crack itself is perhaps about 3/8 of an inch, roughly the same distance away from the breather hole. Internally - the pen is sound and fixable, just that little crack can cause issues. I've looked around and and I've seen Tenax 7R advertised wholeheartedly by Ron Z, however it's nearly impossible to find in the UK. (and for a good price) My question is if there's any alternatives I can find cheaply in the UK, something trustworthy as I have little option for failure. I'm confident in my ability to fix pens and have a steady hand (should have been a surgeon but chemistry wasn't my strong point hehe). Also, provided a picture of the crack. Excuse the horrible quality, I needed to MSPaint some things of help. Thanks in advance.

I recently got a NOS Sheaffer Imperial Touchdown, gold plated. It has a superb wet nib and fills just fine, but the metal blind cap has come loose from the black plastic underneath it. What's the best way to reattach the cap? There's still barely enough friction to turn the filling mechanism.