Sheaffer Valor Nib Adjustment

August 20, 2022

Hi all!

I relatively new to fountain pens (compared to most here-just a few years in with about 150 vintage & new pens and a few restorations under my belt!)

I have a Sheaffer Valor B pen which I bought used for something like $20. I absolutely LOVE the pen, it's probably the smoothest nib I own, and I'm a sucker for Sheaffer's inlaid nibs, but I found it to be ridiculously wet.

I tried using it for a while, figuring I just needed to get used to using a broad nib. Until I held it up to the light.

The tines have a huge gap in the center of the nib, but looking at the tip with a loupe it is perfectly centered and aligned.

How can this be adjusted/fixed? Is it something I can do on my own (without destroying it) or should I send it out for a professional to do?

I am not adverse to even having it ground to something more interesting or perhaps a finer line if I need to send it out anyway. I figure I paid so little for it perhaps it would be worth putting the savings (and probably a bit more?) into a professional repair or a grind.

However, I've never had a custom grind or even sent a pen to someone for repair and have no idea who to turn to.

Or if it's possible for me to do a DIY repair...how would I go about it? I haven't seen anything in my extensive searching regarding adjusting inlaid nibs or addressing my particular issue.

Any advice or recommendations greatly appreciated!!

August 20, 2022

We are talking about a broad nib, so it is normal for them to be wet. We don't know if that's the original configuration. I feel the same as you, I'm uncomfortable with the fact that it's a fire hose.
It's a used nib, we don't know how it was treated. First of all, you would have to examine the section, the converter and the housing to see if there are any cracks that let air in.
Regarding the nib, you say that the slit looks normal. Check that the width of the tip part is not wider than the width of the breathing hole. It may also be parallel. One way to reduce the flow is to bring the tines closer together. You would have to leave them wedge-shaped, almost touching at the tips. Being a broad, I don't think in the original specification they would touch.
What I'm wondering is if the previous owner was putting a lot of pressure on the type and ended up making the slit wider.
If that didn't solve the problem, you'd have to play with the paper and ink. For example, Pelikan 4001 blue royal with Rhodia will attenuate your problem.

To reduce the width of the slit, you have to press each tine forward and then inwards, like a pair of scissors. It is possible that they will be misaligned, but it is easy to correct. I have used this method several times with success. Matt Armstrong explains it very well on his YT channel "The Pen Habit".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuq9tuKRbCY&t=718s