Sheaffer No Nonsense Fountain Pen

[Barkingpig]

So, have you "attended" any of the Bianchi tournaments ?

 

A couple of years ago, the 'pink' Nononsense was discontinued. I think is more of

a "fuchsia". I can understand why nobody wanted one. (Uggggh-leee !) I bought

the entire lot of an Ebay seller @ $3.25 . Everyone of my people, close by, has one,

now. Fun !

 

By the way, we use the short international standard cartridge. I use a "push-pin"

to punch a starter hole in the flat end. Then, I carefully install the cartridge.

I bought one of those from Todd @ I SELL PENS! So if I ever see a large crowd waving their "fuschia" pens about I could join up with "my peeps!"

[PDW]

 

Pull the spring out of the end of the barrel, insert a writing unit (nib assembly). A squeeze converter will fit, and maybe a piston converter too. I have squeeze converters, so that's what I used.

 

Does the modded pen's nib dry out if you use a RB or BP as starting point, or do you need to replace the BP/RB cap with one from a donor FP?

[Ron Z]

Nothing else needs to be changed. Except for the spring, the barrel and cap are identical in RB and FP pens. Sheaffer did that with a lot of pens including Targa, Imperial, Legacy, Balance, Prelude....

[AndrewC]

I'm trying to find out more about the gold plated nibs like yours - I have a number of them, and they write very well indeed, including the XF. I still don't know if they have real tipping material like the Prelude nibs, or why the finish is so much better, or why they have what looks like (but likely isn't) a hallmark on them.

 

I installed one in this stainless NN that I picked up as a rollerball and converted. I had one a few years ago that I later sold, regretted selling, and finally found one again last month. They don't pop up all that often, and I've never seen one sold as a FP. Not that they weren't, just that I haven't seen it. I plated the trim ring on the section with rhodium to match the pen. This one is in regular use. A very nice writing pen.

 

http://www.mainstreetpens.com/pix/SSNN.jpg

 

This is one that I pimped out last year - gold plating the trim and putting a white dot on it because I had them, and I could - and I wanted to tease some of my fellow pen mechanics with it. It was worth the effort. Their eyes bounced around, and you could hear the gears in their brain clash as they tried to figure out what it was. I don't carry it because the plating doesn't stick to the chrome very well, but it held long enough!

 

http://www.mainstreetpens.com/pix/pimpedNN.jpg

Oooh! I like that stainless! I like that a lot. I guess I'll have to look for one. I had not ever seen any of the workings of a Conny other than the ones I own. No idea they had some many differences. And if you don't mind, just how DO you get the springs out of a Balance II cap? I tried a couple different tweezers, long nosed pliers, a dental tool, and just could not get a grip. Hence the shortened converter. I gave it a good go, but didn't want to pull too hard. And, as the brain marches forward to cheesedom, I had forgotten about the plain colored series of the BIIs. Thanks for refreshing the memory. What's left...

Edited April 10, 2015 by AndrewC

[Pincel]

.... And if you don't mind, just how DO you get the springs out of a Balance II cap? I tried a couple different tweezers, long nosed pliers, a dental tool, and just could not get a grip. Hence the shortened converter. I gave it a good go, but didn't want to pull too hard. And, as the brain marches forward to cheesedom, I had forgotten about the plain colored series of the BIIs. Thanks for refreshing the memory. What's left...

 

I have the 3 Classic Solid Colours BII and 2 Special Editions BII: Aspen and Tiger Eye. They all started as Rollerballs. I didn't bother getting the springs out of their caps. I found out that you only need to remove the spring if you're to use a piston converter. I use a classic squeeze converter in these "pens" and it works well even with the springs in them. This give the option of using them again as roller balls.

[PDW]

Removing the spring from the barrel: ISTR I used a paper clip, straightened out and with a short length bent at one end, to wind into the spring, then pulled very hard!

[Ron Z]

Removing the spring from the barrel: ISTR I used a paper clip, straightened out and with a short length bent at one end, to wind into the spring, then pulled very hard!

 

Either that or alligator forceps. Available a Widget Supply for a reasonable price. You ought to have a pair if you're going to do pen repair. They're great for removing bits of dead sac from a barrel.

[AndrewC]

Ahhh. Thank all for the info. Had not heard of Widget Supply, but I thing it may be the kind of store I really like. Oddly enough, I have had a pair of forceps since long before my entry into the hobby. My brother gave them to me for my first aid kit. HE used them as a roach clip. I'll have to look for the squeeze converters. Of the swirly BIIs, I am still (sort of) looking for a Tiger's Eye and a Millenium. Thanks again for all the info.

[philm]

As Ron and others pointed out above, the Stainless model is a nice one. They made some nice barrels and caps on a few other NN models as well. The photo below is of an Old Timer NN (top) and Le Bordeaux (bottom) Both came with an upgraded 23K gold plated nib. My stainless came with a standard steel nib, but I swapped it out with a New model Balance 14K stub as you can see in the middle pen.

 

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y50/munsonhsr/sheaffer%20pens/No%20Nonsense/1bfcd05b-3afa-48bd-a3f2-738919ebbe70_zpsaelhbzck.jpg

 

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y50/munsonhsr/sheaffer%20pens/No%20Nonsense/707d2145-0e3c-41ef-913a-769659b92dfc_zpsg6zjeghh.jpg

 

Phil

[Manalto]

My stainless came with a standard steel nib, but I swapped it with a New model Balance 14K stub as you can see in the middle pen.

 

 

Those are really nice examples of the No Nonsense, Phil. The emphasis is more on the simplicity of the design, rather than the plasticky colors (although I do enjoy using my NNs, plastic colors and all) Thanks for the photos.

 

Was the nib swap a simple exchange or did you have to make modifications?

Edited April 12, 2015 by Manalto

[mitto]

My only vintage NN with F italic nib :

[Sailor Kenshin]

As Ron and others pointed out above, the Stainless model is a nice one. They made some nice barrels and caps on a few other NN models as well. The photo below is of an Old Timer NN (top) and Le Bordeaux (bottom) Both came with an upgraded 23K gold plated nib. My stainless came with a standard steel nib, but I swapped it out with a New model Balance 14K stub as you can see in the middle pen.

 

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y50/munsonhsr/sheaffer%20pens/No%20Nonsense/1bfcd05b-3afa-48bd-a3f2-738919ebbe70_zpsaelhbzck.jpg

 

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y50/munsonhsr/sheaffer%20pens/No%20Nonsense/707d2145-0e3c-41ef-913a-769659b92dfc_zpsg6zjeghh.jpg

 

Phil

Nice.

 

The stainless section looks different. Did you swap the entire section, or just the nib? If just the nib, how difficult was it?

[jar]

Nice.

 

The stainless section looks different. Did you swap the entire section, or just the nib? If just the nib, how difficult was it?

 

Whole nib/section swap.

[philm]

Yes, as jar pointed out for me, it is an entire section swap.

 

Phil

[zchen]

I have a dozen of them I use on occasion. Some from calligraphy sets (the Italic B is also good for use as a highlighter nib with highlighter inks.), and some of the Old Timer and Vintage lines. One regret is not having more of the 23k F nibs, only got one. I actually like using refilled carts ( I have so many empty carts from buying used Sheaffers....) with them for the ease and capacity.

Edited April 12, 2015 by zchen

[Maurizio]

I've seen 2 of these NOS for sale in a local shop for $40. I believe with a gold plated nib. Seriously thinking of buying one but - want to know if it will accept some type of twist converter. I really don't like the squeeze converter which is why I don't use my Grand Connie so often.

 

So is there a twist converter which will work in this pen? Thanks for any answers.

[jar]

I've seen 2 of these NOS for sale in a local shop for $40. I believe with a gold plated nib. Seriously thinking of buying one but - want to know if it will accept some type of twist converter. I really don't like the squeeze converter which is why I don't use my Grand Connie so often.

 

So is there a twist converter which will work in this pen? Thanks for any answers.

 

The answer is a very definite "maybe" but my experience has been that it is pen dependent. Take a Sheaffer piston converter with you and see if it fits.

[Maurizio]

Jar - I didn't even know there was such an item as a Sheaffer twist converter. So, thanks for the tip.

[Ron Z]

A twist converter should fit if the spring is removed. I need to try that though to be sure.

 

re. nib swap. The nib and feed are really tight in these pens, so swapping nib for nib is hard to do.

 

Note that you can not swap a gold nib in place of a steel/gold plated nib into the section that had the steel nib in it. I've tried. The steel/GP nib is thicker than a gold nib, so the ID of the section is larger. The gold nib will be very loose in a steel nib section.

 

UPDATE - I finally got a chance to dig out a piston converter. It fits in the standard NN as well as my stainless. Not that I doubted it would, but I rarely use anything but the squeeze converter, and it's been a couple of years or more since I tried.

 

FWIW, the piston converter won't work in some Connoisseur pens because they have a metal plug/weight in the end of the barrel that shortens the inside length.

[jar]

A twist converter should fit if the spring is removed. I need to try that though to be sure.

 

re. nib swap. The nib and feed are really tight in these pens, so swapping nib for nib is hard to do.

 

Note that you can not swap a gold nib in place of a steel/gold plated nib into the section that had the steel nib in it. I've tried. The steel/GP nib is thicker than a gold nib, so the ID of the section is larger. The gold nib will be very loose in a steel nib section.

 

When the normal Sheaffer piston converter does not fit I did find that a Sheaffer intrigue converter did on one occasion.