Search the Community

Hi all, I am starting this thread because my first ever Sheaffer pen is currently on its way to me, and I would like to ‘pick the brains’ of the FPN ‘Hive Mind’ for some information about it. Although the pen that I have bought (from an auction site) was listed as being an ‘Imperial’, I believe that the correct name for it should be ‘Triumph’ (despite it having an inlaid nib, rather than one of the conical ‘Triumph’ nibs). My pen has the ‘brushed chrome’ finish, chrome trim, chrome clip, and a stainless steel nib. I believe therefore that it is a ‘Triumph 444’ (not a ‘444X’, or a ‘444XG’). It is the same model that is shown on… https://www.sheaffertarga.com/Imperial and Triumph/444 Chrome C.T.html …although mine has a ‘short diamond’ inlaid nib, rather than the ‘rounded V’ inlaid nib shown on that page. Which detail makes me think that it is a 1980s example of the pen, as shown on this webpage (it is directly underneath the picture of an Imperial Triumph 797 gold-plated ballpoint pen, in the small picture on the right). So, on to my questions: 1- the Name of the Pen? do you agree that I should refer to this pen as a ‘Triumph Brushed Chrome CT’, or should I call it a ‘Triumph 444’, or something else (apart, obviously, from naming my individual pen ‘Lucille’ 😉)? 2- Converter compatibility? the pen is coming to me with one of the squeeze-converters that has a sac enclosed within a metal shroud, and a bar to compress the sac. I would prefer to use one of the Sheaffer twist-action piston converters in the pen (so that I can see how much ink I have left in the pen), but will one of those fit into this pen? I have looked for lists of models that are compatible with those piston converters, but I have not yet found one that says that they will fit into the ‘Triumph’ model (or into the ‘Imperial’ for that matter). I have also looked for lists of models that are known to be incompatible with the piston converter, but those lists also seem to not be exhaustive and, from what I can tell, the pens listed on them seem to mostly be the slender/slimline Sheaffer models. My hope is that any pen that can take the squeeze converter is also going to be wide/long enough to take a twist/piston converter - but I am also aware that Sheaffer changed the shape of its cartridges at some point, so I fear that the twist converter might only be compatible with pens that were made to take the later cartridges. I am wary about that because my pen is coming to me with two of the older type, flat-at-both-ends-cylinder, ‘Skrip’ cartridges, so is presumably built to accept those. So, can any of you offer me any clarity about the compatibility (or not) of the twist/piston converter? Will it fit inside my pen? Will its open end be compatible with the feed spike/grip-section of my pen? Or did Sheaffer change the geometry of the feed spike/cartridge mouth interface when they changed the shape of their cartridges, and is the twist converter made to those specifications? 3- Cleaning? As this pen has an inlaid nib, I suspect that the task of dismantling it to remove the feed for ‘deep-cleaning’ would be very much a ‘non-trivial’ task. Certainly not one that is as easy as unscrewing the nib/feed unit of e.g. a Parker 45, Parker Sonnet, or a Pelikan M205. I don’t intend to attempt it, unless my pen is severely clogged with old ink, or something else. I am hoping to only need to run water through the grip-section, flush the pen using the squeeze converter, and maybe soak the grip-section in plain water for a few days. If those actions don’t work, I may move on to flushing/soaking with a solution of ammonia, but: should I avoid using the converter in conjunction with ammonia solution? Should I avoid soaking the whole grip-section in ammonia, and only flush that stuff through the inside of the grip-section? If the worst comes to pass, and I find that I need to try to dismantle the grip-section to get at the feed for a deep-clean, how do I go about attempting that process? Would the disassembly of this pen’s grip-section e.g. require the same procedure as for dismantling the grip-section of an ‘Imperial’? Or a different procedure? My apologies for the length of this essay, and my thanks to you in advance for any clarification that you can offer me. Oh, I would also welcome your ink recommendations - given the inlaid nib/difficulty of deep-cleaning the feed, I don’t intend to use my i-g inks or pigmented inks in this pen, but are there are any inks (apart from vintage Skrip) that you think that it will particularly like, or particularly dislike? I have inks made by Waterman, Parker Quink, Pelikan (4001 & Edelstein), Diamine, Pure Pens, and also some ‘ancient & venerable’ Noodler’s Black, which may have ‘gorn orff’ by now. Again, my thanks to you all in advance Slàinte, M.

When I first developed an interest in fountain pens, I was immediately drawn to Parker pens from the 30's and 40's--the golden age of fountain pens. Over the years, however, I have been slowly warming up to Sheaffer pens. Their aesthetic is certainly less flashy and more subtle so it takes longer to truly appreciate them. The cap of the Sheaffer balance, for instance, with its single unadorned band, side mounted clip and bullet shaped plastic shows great nuance of design that can only be appreciated when stripped of the extra features. I suspect, too, that Sheaffer pens are of slightly higher quality than Parker pens of that era. The rhodium plating is almost always present on the nibs and brassing seems far less common, though the latter could be due to the more streamlined design that removes high spots exposed to wear. I finally got around to buying a Sheaffer triumph, as collectors call it--it seems Sheaffer never gave the pen a name. Perhaps that is one reason that the pen has less fame than it deserves. I have been extremely impressed with the design and construction of the pen. It has too be one of the top contenders for the most stylish fountain pens of the celluloid era. My pen has striated celluloid with pearlescent green stripes alternating with transparent stripes, completely free of discoloration. It has a cheerful, springlike color scheme, bringing to mind young, freshly sprouting plants. The wide gold band is almost wrapper-like, like that of high end cigar. The nib and barrel threads are perfectly engineered. The pen consists almost entirely of novel, gadgety features, yet maintains a dignified simplicity. And, above all, it stands the test of time. These pens almost always seem to be in excellent condition. I almost see brassing, celluloid degradation, mangled nibs, replacement parts, or any of the other maladies that afflict vintage fountain pens on these Sheaffers. I could write pages in praise of this pen, but I'll just include some photos that speak for themselves. I'm surprised at how cheaply these pens sell on ebay. These pens are almost always in excellent, unrestored condition with no noticeable defects aside from silver tarnish and the occasional engraving. And they regularly sell for about $40, often less. I have seen desk sets in excellent condition sell for as low as $15. I hate to say it, but they dangerously approach the value of the gold content. Why isn't there more interest in these pens? I'm surprised that these Sheaffers don't have a larger following. It does not seem to attract nearly the interest as Parker Vacumatics, Parker 51's, Sheaffer snorkles, or Sheaffer balances. Why is this? Does anyone on this forum focus on these?

Manoj Deshmukh of Fosfor Pens made this custom pen for me. http://www.fosforpens.com/about.html I had purchased these vintage old stock Sheaffer Triumph nib units some years back from David Nishimura. However the nib units had 4 start 10tpi (40tpi effective) threads. Manoj agreed to attempt using the nib unit on a pen for me. He was successful and here is the result. Manoj used Black ebonite and a vintage clip. I had requested the section be made to accept Pilot con 70 converter. Thus any modern Pilot converter or cartridge could be used on this pen. I chose pilot for their wide nozzle diameter which allows wonderful ink flow. Currently I am using a very old Pilot Con B converter on the pen and the pen holds some 0.92ml ink in this configuration. The cap takes just 1-3/4 turns to remove refit. The nib works fine as usual with the wonderful Triumph points. Best Hari

Hi All, I've got a Sheaffer Triumph bought from someone via the local classifieds. It comes with the previous owner's engraving which I'd love to have removed. More importantly though, I'd like to have the nib re-tipped. I'm in Toronto, anyone have any suggestions?