What is on your bench?

[VacNut]

I don’t know the conditions of the auction, but did the seller list the pen was functional or that there was no visible damage? Isn’t there always some risk with buying pens that aren’t restored? 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

It was sold as is but the nib was specifically described as being in good condition and it looked like it had tipping in the photos. Eh, I guess I'll let it go, it is the holidays. I can grind the nib into a stub even with no tipping and a working pen is a working pen.

[VacNut]

I would be curious to see what attracted your eye about the pen. Does it have an interesting pattern?

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

5 minutes ago, VacNut said:

I would be curious to see what attracted your eye about the pen. Does it have an interesting pattern?

 

It was a big oversize pen with a large nib, I just thought it'd be a good writer. So unfortunately the nib is the part that attracted to me to it. One bonus though, from the pictures the pen looked black and it's actually a very dark blue, pretty discolored. I'm going to try to polish it up a bit and see if that brings back some of the color.

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

Well, I got it writing. Used my last spare large j-bar and ground the hell out of the remaining tipping. It's got a very narrow sweet spot and probably no tipping left but it writes. I guess it's a successful restoration in that it was nonfunctional before and functions now even if it's not perfect.

 

I wonder about the gold content of the nib. It is definitely gold of some sort, but I noticed that the "cheaper" lower tier gold nibs tend to have stubborn corrosion sometimes, I never see that on Sheaffer's nibs for example. I am guessing it's a different cheaper alloy or possibly lower than 14k, maybe 12 or 10k. Don't have the tools to check.

[gweimer1]

3 hours ago, LoveBigPensAndCannotLie said:

Well, I got it writing. Used my last spare large j-bar and ground the hell out of the remaining tipping. It's got a very narrow sweet spot and probably no tipping left but it writes. I guess it's a successful restoration in that it was nonfunctional before and functions now even if it's not perfect.

 

I wonder about the gold content of the nib. It is definitely gold of some sort, but I noticed that the "cheaper" lower tier gold nibs tend to have stubborn corrosion sometimes, I never see that on Sheaffer's nibs for example. I am guessing it's a different cheaper alloy or possibly lower than 14k, maybe 12 or 10k. Don't have the tools to check.

 

If you need more J bars, I have quantities of reproduction pieces for sale.

[VacNut]

For those looking, there are several listings for plastic vac fillers on auction sites. They are available for a relative low cost. Stock up when you can.

[GlenV]

Question: over xmas some Sheaffer gifts 🙂, and one looks cool as is a triumph nib carmine from war years, pretty pen with some damage,  someone knowing less than even me had tried to remove the celluloid forward part thinking it was a section so some tool mark damage, and had broken off the lever. It was fun to work on a Sheaffer again and the Triumph nib part came off nicely and has a nice intact connecting unit even though is a clear one, due to so much dried black ink, lots of cleaning needed, may have been india ink. Putting in a lever meant removing the pressure bar which I did not know is quite unique to this type of pen, as has such a tight constriction in the barrel.  Interesting. However, I damaged the pressure bar beyond repair, wondering how those who have worked on these like to replace this? Other pressure bars I have around do not work due to the small diameter of the threads but large diameter barrel beyond this by the lever.  If you have been into one of these you will know what I mean I'm sure.

[gweimer1]

2 minutes ago, GlenV said:

Question: over xmas some Sheaffer gifts 🙂, and one looks cool as is a triumph nib carmine from war years, pretty pen with some damage,  someone knowing less than even me had tried to remove the celluloid forward part thinking it was a section so some tool mark damage, and had broken off the lever. It was fun to work on a Sheaffer again and the Triumph nib part came off nicely and has a nice intact connecting unit even though is a clear one, due to so much dried black ink, lots of cleaning needed, may have been india ink. Putting in a lever meant removing the pressure bar which I did not know is quite unique to this type of pen, as has such a tight constriction in the barrel.  Interesting. However, I damaged the pressure bar beyond repair, wondering how those who have worked on these like to replace this? Other pressure bars I have around do not work due to the small diameter of the threads but large diameter barrel beyond this by the lever.  If you have been into one of these you will know what I mean I'm sure.

 

Got any pics?  I have a bunch of NOS Sheaffer pressure bars, both tapered barrel style, and the older collar style.

[gweimer1]

As to what's on my workbench...well, this week appears to be mostly negative progress.  Time for a short break to refresh things.

[GlenV]

12 minutes ago, gweimer1 said:

 

Got any pics?  I have a bunch of NOS Sheaffer pressure bars, both tapered barrel style, and the older collar style.

Sorry at work today but something like this: not seen one like this in a Sheaffer that I've opened

[gweimer1]

21 minutes ago, GlenV said:

Sorry at work today but something like this: not seen one like this in a Sheaffer that I've opened

 

PM me.  Looks like you have a Balance to repair.   I have a bunch of those.   Let me know what length, if you can.  

 

My guess is that the lever opens in reverse from how you drew it...the "U" is at the back end of the pressure bar.  It would compress the sac from the back.

[GlenV]

34 minutes ago, gweimer1 said:

 

PM me.  Looks like you have a Balance to repair.   I have a bunch of those.   Let me know what length, if you can.  

 

My guess is that the lever opens in reverse from how you drew it...the "U" is at the back end of the pressure bar.  It would compress the sac from the back.

Thank You! I will contact you, yes 3 balance pens, a gray and silver stripe with vac filling so will be fun, and a earlier Marine green straightforward balance, (with the usual cap lip crack of these...) I guess I haven't had to remove pressure bars on these often as were working fine. 

[es9]

3 hours ago, GlenV said:

…someone knowing less than even me had tried to remove the celluloid forward part thinking it was a section so some tool mark damage, and had broken off the lever.

If it had a lever, wouldn’t the forward part be removable? How else would you get a replacement sac in? 

[GlenV]

Sure, "just" unscrew the Triumph nib, but a narrow opening to the barrel compared to a regular section, may not be clear with description.

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

I'm in the process of restoring a short Sheaffer Lifetime flat top and I'm once again annoyed by the "official" sac size guides. I don't understand where people get these numbers. According to Richard Binder's chart, it should take a 16. That is way too small, good luck fitting it over the sac nipple - and enjoy your .5 mm ink capacity.

 

Pensacs.com recommends an 18 which fits okay (diameter of the sac opening is just a little bit smaller than the diameter of the sac nipple) but you can feel the pressure bar while sliding it in, which means it's too fat by "modern standards." Too big.

 

I ended up putting a 17 in there, split the difference. It slides in and out easily and fits slightly better over the sac nipple (still a bit tight). I just question the modern standard of using a sac that will easily slip in and out without any tightness. For some of these pens, especially the smaller ones, you're going to get absolutely awful ink capacity following that rule. 

 

(and yes, I fully cleaned out the insides, no sac remnants remaining whatsoever)

[FarmBoy]

2 hours ago, LoveBigPensAndCannotLie said:

I'm in the process of restoring a short Sheaffer Lifetime flat top and I'm once again annoyed by the "official" sac size guides. I don't understand where people get these numbers. According to Richard Binder's chart, it should take a 16. That is way too small, good luck fitting it over the sac nipple - and enjoy your .5 mm ink capacity.

 

Pensacs.com recommends an 18 which fits okay (diameter of the sac opening is just a little bit smaller than the diameter of the sac nipple) but you can feel the pressure bar while sliding it in, which means it's too fat by "modern standards." Too big.

 

I ended up putting a 17 in there, split the difference. It slides in and out easily and fits slightly better over the sac nipple (still a bit tight). I just question the modern standard of using a sac that will easily slip in and out without any tightness. For some of these pens, especially the smaller ones, you're going to get absolutely awful ink capacity following that rule. 

 

(and yes, I fully cleaned out the insides, no sac remnants remaining whatsoever)

Sheaffer most likely used a necked sac originally. 
 

just use a sac that fits. 

[VacNut]

Very cool. Didn’t know they made necked sacks, but I see they are available. 

[GlenV]

I was beginning to think that this pen was “unrepairable” at least without a donor section , clearly Sheaffer attached the section to the barrel after some parts, pressure bar and more, were attached. Separating this now would certainly have damaged the section since ( not sure why) there’s a visualated  part of the section, and this part is starting to crack and craze. 
So lots of modifications needed. For one thing the sac could not be attached to the connector and screw in still since would not fit, I did drill out the barrel beyond the threads a little so a sac could pass, and made a smaller diameter sac nipple so could thread in and still some impingement screwing in the nib and connector, whew. I was able to get a nice j bar in there, and now it is writing.. fun but challenging for me. 

[VacNut]

That is a pretty pen.

The clear section never make sense on the lever fillers, except maybe for looks? It does lighten the look of the pen and make it more contemporary for it’s time.

I am not that familiar with Sheaffers, but was this a transition pen, as later models had a piston filler?

Was the factory using up barrels with levers?