Styles Of Sheaffer School/cartridge Pens

[bob_hayden]

I just did some tests. I have two ancient Sheaffer converters. I think they are the first converter Sheaffer offered. They are a stainless steel shell with a bladder inside and a press-bar to squeeze the bladder. The end closest to the pen's section is plugged with maroon plastic. (Some were plugged with black plastic. I don't know if the different color signaled any other differences, but pajaro reports better results with a black-tipped model.) I also have nine of the "295" pens with the diamond-shaped semi-inlaid nib. In all but one of these the pen would almost close with the converter in place, There was about a 3mm gap. I did not try to force it any farther. One pen would not close even that much. I peered down the barrel with a flashlight but could not see the reason. There does seem to be an insert down there that positions that end of the cartridge so you can puncture it, but it was hollow with lots of clearance inside for the tapered end of the converter. Remember that Sheaffer did not offer converters at the time these pens were made so no effort was made to make sure a converter fit. Who knows, they may have sold the pens at a loss with the intent of making their profit off cartridge sales!-)

 

I was hopeful that the "bullseye" pattern at the bottom end of the "295" pen might be a good way to identify them, but it was absent on three of mine, while present on the pen that cost $25 when these cost $2.95, so I guess that won't work.

 

In most of these pens the stainless steel tube that punctures a cartridge was a very tight fit in the converter. If you consider the design of the Sheaffer cartridge, the tube could have been most any size, unlike most brands of cartridges that have a nipple requiring a definite size. That tight fit may have contributed to the broken pen vergilio reported.

 

I have one of the soft plastic pens with a semi-hooded nib. The converter failed to fit that exactly as it had with the "295" pens.

 

I have a pile of the Dollar Pens and their descendants, Types 1, 2 and 3. My recollection was that the converters fit in these pens so I did not test them all -- just one of each type: flat-headed, round-headed, and pointy-headed. The converters fit fine in all three.

 

There are stainless steel converters on eBay but they are pretty pricey for a Dollar Pen. I saw one NOS unit for $17 which appeared to be about half the going price. My guess is that it would fit most of the dollar pen family but few of the more expensive lines discussed in this thread.

[pajaro]

I just did some tests. I have two ancient Sheaffer converters. I think they are the first converter Sheaffer offered. They are a stainless steel shell with a bladder inside and a press-bar to squeeze the bladder. The end closest to the pen's section is plugged with maroon plastic. (Some were plugged with black plastic. I don't know if the different color signaled any other differences, but pajaro reports better results with a black-tipped model.) I also have nine of the "295" pens with the diamond-shaped semi-inlaid nib. In all but one of these the pen would almost close with the converter in place, There was about a 3mm gap. I did not try to force it any farther. One pen would not close even that much. I peered down the barrel with a flashlight but could not see the reason. There does seem to be an insert down there that positions that end of the cartridge so you can puncture it, but it was hollow with lots of clearance inside for the tapered end of the converter. Remember that Sheaffer did not offer converters at the time these pens were made so no effort was made to make sure a converter fit. Who knows, they may have sold the pens at a loss with the intent of making their profit off cartridge sales!-)

 

I was hopeful that the "bullseye" pattern at the bottom end of the "295" pen might be a good way to identify them, but it was absent on three of mine, while present on the pen that cost $25 when these cost $2.95, so I guess that won't work.

 

In most of these pens the stainless steel tube that punctures a cartridge was a very tight fit in the converter. If you consider the design of the Sheaffer cartridge, the tube could have been most any size, unlike most brands of cartridges that have a nipple requiring a definite size. That tight fit may have contributed to the broken pen vergilio reported.

 

I have one of the soft plastic pens with a semi-hooded nib. The converter failed to fit that exactly as it had with the "295" pens.

 

I have a pile of the Dollar Pens and their descendants, Types 1, 2 and 3. My recollection was that the converters fit in these pens so I did not test them all -- just one of each type: flat-headed, round-headed, and pointy-headed. The converters fit fine in all three.

 

There are stainless steel converters on eBay but they are pretty pricey for a Dollar Pen. I saw one NOS unit for $17 which appeared to be about half the going price. My guess is that it would fit most of the dollar pen family but few of the more expensive lines discussed in this thread.

 

I have been told that the red or maroon tipped converters have PVC sacs in them as opposed to the ordinary sacs in the black tipped converters. The red tipped PVC sac converters ought to last indefinitely, like the sacs in Parker 51 aerometric pens.

 

The old push button converter fits in about all these pens. If you have one, RonZ of Main Street Pens says they can be resacked with a more durable sac.

 

My Stylepoint type pens all have medium nibs, too wide for me, so I just put old cartridges in them. The push button converter went into an inlaid Imperial with a nice EF 14K nib. Added a 1996 Holiday cap. Nirvana.

[bob_hayden]

That's interesting about the color coding and sac material. Are you sure it is PVC and not polyethylene? It looks like the latter and PVC decomposes with age. In any event, the difference in durability might explain why I have so few Sheaffer converters left, and why they both have maroon tips. The black tipped ones may all have failed and been tossed over the years. I had asked Sheaffer about why they did not offer converters back before they did, so I expect I bought some of the earliest ones they made. That could have been 40-50 years ago!

[pajaro]

That's interesting about the color coding and sac material. Are you sure it is PVC and not polyethylene? It looks like the latter and PVC decomposes with age. In any event, the difference in durability might explain why I have so few Sheaffer converters left, and why they both have maroon tips. The black tipped ones may all have failed and been tossed over the years. I had asked Sheaffer about why they did not offer converters back before they did, so I expect I bought some of the earliest ones they made. That could have been 40-50 years ago!

 

 

I am told by people here that the red tip converters are PVC. Same stuff as Parker 51 sacs, in any case. I have Parker 51s from 1948 and 1949 that still have good original sacs. I wouldn't toss the converters, because they could be resacked if you wanted to. I think the cost might be $20 or less. I recently found a red tip converter on ebay with some gold ink as a package. Waiting for it to come, probably tomorrow.

[Sasha Royale]

This one is from my earliest days of writing. My first was a transparent green, on a blister card. With two cartridges, the cost was 79¢ . 1960. I currently have specimens of each type, but certainly not a complete set.

 

I have often wondered about the time line, but I am poor at research. Thank you for this gift.

 

*************************

By the way, I stopped hunting for Script cartridges for the school pens and the No Nonsense pens. Using a push pin, I punch a pilot hole in the flat end of an International Standard cartridge. Then, I mount the short cartridge onto the very stout feed tube of the Sheaffer. For those, who are concerned about the cartridge coming loose, just drop the spring from a (Please, forgive the language.) "ballpoint pen" into the pen barrel.

Edited November 16, 2016 by Sasha Royale

[pajaro]

This one is from my earliest days of writing. My first was a transparent green, on a blister card. With two cartridges, the cost was 79¢ . 1960. I currently have specimens of each type, but certainly not a complete set.

 

I have often wondered about the time line, but I am poor at research. Thank you for this gift.

 

*************************

By the way, I stopped hunting for Script cartridges for the school pens and the No Nonsense pens. Using a push pin, I punch a pilot hole in the flat end of an International Standard cartridge. Then, I mount the short cartridge onto the very stout feed tube of the Sheaffer. For those, who are concerned about the cartridge coming loose, just drop the spring from a (Please, forgive the language.) "ballpoint pen" into the pen barrel.

 

I put some of the international cartridges in a No nonsense pen. Worked fine and stayed on the nipple.

[mrcharlie]

By the way, I stopped hunting for Script cartridges for the school pens and the No Nonsense pens. Using a push pin, I punch a pilot hole in the flat end of an International Standard cartridge. Then, I mount the short cartridge onto the very stout feed tube of the Sheaffer. For those, who are concerned about the cartridge coming loose, just drop the spring from a (Please, forgive the language.) "ballpoint pen" into the pen barrel.

 

Like Pajaro, I have used "Standard" carts in Sheaffer pens (for me, student model cartridge pens) the "normal" way, and they have never fallen off. In most pens that are meant to use "Standard" carts there is no support inside the pen to keep the cartridge from falling off; they are designed such that the opening pinches and holds tight to the feed tube, and the Standard feed tube seems to be just slightly thinner than a Sheaffer. If anything, it should be less likely to fall off in a Sheaffer than in the pen it was meant for.

Edited December 11, 2016 by mrcharlie

[bob_hayden]

My how times have changed;-) I think that soon after the Sheaffer cartridges were introduced they were widely available, while I do not recall seeing :standard" cartridges until years later. (I thought they were "standard" only in Europe.) OTOH you could find Eversharp, Wearever, Parker, and Esterbrook cartridges. Some of these came in multiple types and some offered to fit multiple pens, sometimes with adapters. You can search eBay for "X ink cartridges", replacing X with any of the brand names mentioned. You can find Eversharp cartridges that look like Parker cartridges and promise to fit both brands. More interesting are some Eversharp cartridges copyright 1997 that look like standard short international cartridges but claim to fit Sheaffer, though they don't say which end up. These were made in Austria. For the packages I saw the ink was about half gone and the empty half of the cartridge was stained red, though the label claimed the ink was black! In the closet I have some similar Eversharp short international cartridges in seven colors. The Green and the Lilac are especially nice.

 

About 15 years ago the old five and ten cent store in Ashland, NH, closed. I bought up much of their stock of Sheaffer ink and dollar pens. Sheaffer was the only brand of fountain pen stuff they carried, and in earlier years it would not have been unusual for a five and ten to carry Sheaffer. I think they were probably the most widely available brand. But today Sheaffer cartridges are hard to find and people adapt the once harder to find short internationals. (Hint1: The Sheaffer cartridges are readily available on eBay, including Made in USA, slim, and short international types.)

 

Hint2: If you want to stab the flat end of a short international with a Sheaffer section make sure to punch a pilot hole that is centered. Otherwise you may not be able to get the pen back together. And beware of the many Chinese cartridges where the flat end is not a thin wall of plastic like the sides, but rather a solid plug about a quarter inch long!

[mitto]

I am told by people here that the red tip converters are PVC. Same stuff as Parker 51 sacs, in any case. I have Parker 51s from 1948 and 1949 that still have good original sacs. I wouldn't toss the converters, because they could be resacked if you wanted to. I think the cost might be $20 or less. I recently found a red tip converter on ebay with some gold ink as a package. Waiting for it to come, probably tomorrow.

 

Yes, these are PVC and as clear as those that are used in P51. I have more than a dozen of these NOS and kept unused. Saving them for future use.

 

 

[Sailor Kenshin]

Like Pajaro, I have used "Standard" carts in Sheaffer pens (for me, student model cartridge pens) the "normal" way, and they have never fallen off. In most pens that are meant to use "Standard" carts there is no support inside the pen to keep the cartridge from falling off; they are designed such that the opening pinches and holds tight to the feed tube, and the Standard feed tube seems to be just slightly thinner than a Sheaffer. If anything, it should be less likely to fall off in a Sheaffer than in the pen it was meant for.

 

Seriously? This would open up a whole new Happy Place for me.

[Mary P]

"Also, do any converters fit it? Thanks, Breck"

 

The old and very rare Sheaffer button converter fits the older versions of Sheaffer school pens I have a Lady Sheaffer Skripsert from 1960 with a working button fill converter that also fits my old school pens. These are the pens with which I earned a Palmer Penmanship pin when I was in Saint Patrick School.

Edited January 6, 2017 by Mary P

[mitto]

"Also, do any converters fit it? Thanks, Breck"

 

The old and very rare Sheaffer button converter fits the older versions of Sheaffer school pens I have a Lady Sheaffer Skripsert from 1960 with a working button fill converter that also fits my old school pens. These are the pens with which I earned a Palmer Penmanship pin when I was in Saint Patrick School.

All my Lady Sheaffer came with standard size squeeze converters. My first generation rounded ends opaque color barrel school pens also take both the old standard size squeeze converters as well the modern piston converters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Both the pens are fitted with standard size squeeze converters and not the slim ones.

Edited January 6, 2017 by mitto

[JonSzanto]

I had the happy fortune of logging into eBay and finding a lot for sale just then, so I couldn't resist (< $2.00 a pen). They even threw in some extras, like a NoNonsense in transparent blue, a Sheaffer calligraphy set, and some extra nib units. In looking at these last ones, I had a thought, and a few people have confirmed it: it appears that in at least some of the first versions of the pens, Sheaffer used ebonite feeds!

 

I'll be interested if anyone can shed light on that last bit, and when I have some time I'll do some documentation of the pens. For now, here is the main pic from the listing:

 

http://i.imgur.com/bZ6bIDm.jpg

[bob_hayden]

Jon, it looks like you got quite a haul there! Congratulations. In the photo it looks like there are many shades of green. Is that true in real life?

 

Mary, congratulations on your penpersonship award. Maybe you could offer online lessons here at FPN, or elsewhere to the young people who are not even learning to write cursive.

 

I am in the process of selling off on eBay (in quantities of one) about a dozen of the most basic model that came in three flavors -- rounded, conical, or flat ends. In preparing these for sale I checked every one with one of the older Sheaffer stainless steel converters. These nearly always fit inside, though I did find one clear body that had an internal spiral scratch with a pitch matching the section. I am guessing that some steel converter was a tight fit and screwing the section into the body created an impromptu lathe;-(

 

A surprise finding was that in about 60% of these pens the section tube was a tight fit in the converter, just like the Stylepoint pens, while in the other 40% it was not. Of those, many were so loose that the converter would just fall off under its own weight. If I put such a pen back together with the converter inside and then opened it again the converter would stay in the body as the section was removed. This might be workable but you would want to be very careful to avoid leaks and spills. These are the pens up for sale this week. I did not go into an explanation but just stated that use of a converter was not recommended (by me). I do have a vague recollection of reading that Sheaffer used two different tube diameters. The design is such that tube diameter is not really a critical dimension if you use cartridges (as was intended). But the problem could also be due to age, though one would expect the plastic cartridge or converter to wear rather than the tube (which ollks like stainless steel).

 

Lately the pen I carry in my pocket every day has been a clear dollar pen with a short international cartridge inside. That has been working fine for me. I used the section to puncture the nipple end of the cartridge.

[pajaro]

When a converter is a loose fit on one of these sections, I have used heat carefully on the plastic front of the converter and let it cool. This seemed to tighten the fit. You do want to be careful not to melt the converter.

[bob_hayden]

pajaro, I hesitate to do that as the converter is already a very tight fit on many of my other pens. (I have many more pens than converters so they have to share.)

[pajaro]

pajaro, I hesitate to do that as the converter is already a very tight fit on many of my other pens. (I have many more pens than converters so they have to share.)

 

If you are going to move the converter around, I understand that you wouldn't want to tighten the fit of converter to section nipple. I have used a few different types of converters less expensive than the Sheaffer squeeze converter is now, usually about four dollars as opposed to about seventeen plus shipping to about thirty plus shipping for the Sheaffer squeeze converter (depending on whether the sac is rubber or PVC), and I usually have left the converters on a single pen after making sure they were a fit. I am not thinking of having more than the five of these pens I have now.

 

I have found some interesting things, including an extra fine 303 nib and a desk pen kindly sent to me by another member. With a couple of red translucent pens, a couple of clear translucent pens and the desk pen (currently capped with an Esterbrook CX100 cap) I have what I want to write the simple notes I write. These pens are just almost as nice as the inlaid and dolphin Imperial pens I have. Neither these nor the Imperials dry out very quickly, thus beating almost all more modern pens.

[bob_hayden]

My all-time favorite pen was a Sheaffer Imperial Lifetime cartridge pen with a signature stub nib. I liked the feel of the gold nib in that much better than the dollar pens, but they are all incredibly reliable and trouble-free. They certainly spoiled me for most other pens;-) They just work.

 

I do not have any of the 303 nibs for dollar pens but I do have a couple of those pens which are marked "F" but are actually XF or XXF. I don't think Sheaffer maintained very tight tolerances on nib width in these inexpensive pens.

[JonSzanto]

Jon, it looks like you got quite a haul there! Congratulations. In the photo it looks like there are many shades of green. Is that true in real life?

 

Thanks, Bob. There were a total of 5 green, but four of them are the transparent variety and, honestly, I think it is just a matter of some being a bit cleaner than others, and the lighting. They are all the 'same' pen. The other is the later model with the 'semi-hooded' nib, and it is marked as made in Canada. Also has the gold-toned, slant-top cap.

[pajaro]

 

Thanks, Bob. There were a total of 5 green, but four of them are the transparent variety and, honestly, I think it is just a matter of some being a bit cleaner than others, and the lighting. They are all the 'same' pen. The other is the later model with the 'semi-hooded' nib, and it is marked as made in Canada. Also has the gold-toned, slant-top cap.

 

Looks like a Sumgai buy to me. Wonderful break!