Parabolic Curved Line On An Inlaid Sheaffer Nib? Intrigued...

[Houston]

Intrigued...

 

This post shows a Sheaffer inlaid nib with an interesting parabolic curved/arched line in between the stamped/engraved lettering and the breather hole. The pen is apparently a Sheaffer Intrigue.

 

I've checked my Sheaffers with inlaid nibs, and none of them show this mark. TAS, the author of the original post and the owner of the pen, did the same, and with the same results.

 

Can any of you Sheaffer experts shed any light on it? On what pens was it used? Is there a reason for it, or is it just a design element?

 

Many thanks for any insight!

 

--h

[BaronWulfraed]

As stated: Sheaffer Intrigue

 

If you look closely, you'll also note that the inlay is not "diamond" shaped, but "teardrop". The Intrigue has a short, fat, section and the classic inlaid nib would be too long for it (heck, I think the Imperial 440 might even be too long for it). The Intrigue also lacks the "ski-jump" arch of other inlaid nibs (from the side, the tip/tines come straight toward the section, then the nib curves upward along the section itself; the Intrigue is almost a straight line from tip to end of inlay)

[Houston]

Thank you, BaronWulfraed. That's really interesting (to me, anyway). I'll have to look more closely at the Intrigue -- a model I haven't been familiar with, but that's no surprise as I'm no Sheaffer afficionado -- merely a happy user of my vintage Sheaffers.

 

You mentioned that the teardrop shape was likely an accommodation of the shorter section. Do you know if the parabolic line in the nib had any kind of design rationale, or whether it was merely a stylistic innovation/flourish?

 

Many thanks, again, and all the very best,

 

--h

[Tas]

Oooo. Interesting.

 

Thanks for escalating this. I bought the Intrigue on a whim a the very end of my first London Pen show. The seller was dropping prices to get rid of stuff. I paid £50 if I recall. Top ten pen, easy.

[BaronWulfraed]

Suspect it was just stylistic -- since the nib runs in such a straight line where other Sheaffer nibs have that ski-jump ramp (or to go mathematical, a sort of hyperbolic paraboloid [saddle]), so maybe the U was to give an impression of a transition.

 

Intrigue nibs give the impression of being railroad spikes -- I'd be willing to use it on a few layers of carbon paper (especially if held at a high angle).

[Tas]

Suspect it was just stylistic -- since the nib runs in such a straight line where other Sheaffer nibs have that ski-jump ramp (or to go mathematical, a sort of hyperbolic paraboloid [saddle]), so maybe the U was to give an impression of a transition.

 

Intrigue nibs give the impression of being railroad spikes -- I'd be willing to use it on a few layers of carbon paper (especially if held at a high angle).

 

You could probably use it to make pilot holes in aluminium blocks Solid as.