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I decided to use multilayered color cloth/resin to try to get a striated celluloid effect. The cloth is cotton canvas of six colors. The effect is most prominent when there is a lot of curvature in the elements. The nib set is Jowo #8 18K cartridge/converter filled. I have not decided on a clip or roll stop but whichever, I will try not to interrupt the patterns. Now that I know more about how it works, I intend to try some more subtle classic colors. Thanks, Joe B.

Hello, Everyone! Some 35 years ago, my great grandfather gave me a fountain pen out of his "junk drawer". I took it home, found some ink somewhere and actually wrote/drew with it. Then, at some point (because my dad told me I should) attempted to clean it with nail polish remover. It softened the celluloid and made it "sticky". It ended up lost or in the garbage. Anyway, My GG was born in 1900, and the pen was a black and green striated celluloid with a gold nib (that much I can remember). Doing a bit of digging around the eBay, i've seen that Sheaffer pens come in that same sort of color, and I have recently gotten the bug to buy one. Right now I have almost all modern fountain pens (Edison, Bexley and Conklin) and a few older "mistakes" that need fixiing/ink sacs (Epenco lever filler, Webster button fill and 4 Arnold lever fillers that all work great, so I guess I can't call them mistakes!). Basically, my experience tends toward modern cartridge & cartridge converter pens. I would like to purchase a Sheaffer pen, because that green and black striped pattern reminds me of the one I destroyed/lost/threw out/whatever. I see lots and lots and lots of Shaeffer pens out there, but I have NO idea of what to look for. Is an older Vac Fill that needs repair better than an older Lever fill that needs repair? How much should I budget? Should I buy a working pen that's been restored? Sooooo many questions. Not the least of which is.....How much should I budget for a working pen? $100.00? More? Less? Any and all advice would be appreciated. Even if you could point me towards a reputable dealer or two. I'd much rather buy from a person/store than eBay, to be honest. --Eric

I've decided I am in the market for a Tuckaway. After hours of trying to decide which body material, trim, filler system, etc that I want, I am leaning toward the older striated vac models. I would prefer a Touchdown sac filler, but I assume they dont exist in striated as that would defeat the purpose of the transparent barrel. Then I got concerned that the vac barrel could get permanently stained and ruin the transparency. Noodler's Bulletproof Black is pretty much my exclusive ink just because I require as much water resistance as possible. All my other pens are sacced or C/C pens. Can someone confirm if this is or is not a problem before I purchase a striated? If not possible, then I will concentrate on a solid bodied Touchdown Tucky. Also, is there a very SIMPLE (eg. one sentence description) of all the different Sheaffer trim levels and a hierarchy? Every time I try to read some posts, the discussion gets way heavy with minor nuances and one-year variants, etc, etc. As someone just getting his feet wet with Sheaffer, I would just like a very simple primer. I'm sure there is a good post on FPN, I just haven't found it yet. I know this is probably wrong, but to give an idea: Valiant: ? Crest: has a metal cap Craftsman: cap and barrel match. Thin wire cap band. Lowest tier

I'm just starting to dip into collecting more vintage and retro pens, and I've settled on focusing on cartridge/converter pens (with a slight emphasis on Sheaffers...) Anyways, I absolutely love the look of the old striated pens, especially the greens and the reds, but all the ones I've seen so far have been lever fill. Does anyone know of a c/c model that comes in striated coloration, or is this a lost cause?