Carmine Sheaffer Vigilant: some questions about my new find

[stuck-in-time]

I just got one of these on a whim for just a little bit over $25, without knowing what it really is. In my experience, anything from before the 60's (and also any lever filler) is very few and far between in my country. So I tend to get anything that's not too pricey.

 

 

After some reading, it turned out to be a Sheaffer Vigilant with a military clip (I really like the look of this clip, btw!). But all the examples I've seen online has the Lifetime 2-tone nibs. I initially thought this was the Commandant, but this has the white dot below the clip and the imprint on the body does say 875 instead of 400. 

 

So was the #33 nib an option for the Vigilant or was this the result of some modification to the pen? If it's the latter, am I right in thinking that it's a downgrade?

 

The pen does have signs of repairs. It may even be a case of failed repair. There was no trace of shellac between the section and body (I can easily pull the apart, though it's still snug enough), and the feed is halfway out as you can see on the picture above. It also has a major crack from the tip down to just before the bushing, which has lots of chipping itself. Maybe this was the reason for the repair being abandoned halfway. In any case, it seems to have happened a time ago, since the sac has turned to dust and is still in the pen.

 

 

(Yes, that's the remnants of some creepy crawlies inside the feed)

 

I'm planning to try to repair this myself. Just some simple repairs to make it usable, not a complete & proper restoration. With the feed in such a condition, I don't think some experimenting would hurt. 

 

The feed itself also seems to have a longer tail than what I see in pics online. Is that normal? I think it may be long enough to get pressed by the pressure bar when filling.

 

 

[joss]

Yes, the nib of an 875 should be a two tone Lifetime nib indeed.

[terim]

Here's a photo of one with the correct nib:

[stuck-in-time]

That's a shame then... The Lifetime nibs sure look much nicer. But all in all I'm still quite happy though. Got around to work on it yesterday since there was a mid-week holiday, and I'm satisfied with the results for now. Most importantly, it now writes!

 

 

The nib was not in the best of shape, it appears to be very worn (left photo). Not sure if it's due to use or the result of some poor grinding, but it was basically unusable. I did a little grinding and adjusted the slit, now it's just smooth enough to be useable.

 

 

The crack on the feed is still there but I found that it was not bad enough for ink to start leaking. It may be the reason for it being a very wet writer though?

 

This is only my 2nd time trying to repair old lever fillers like this, including some work on non-practice nibs. So I don't really want to do too much just in case I'll want to try again when my skill improves or decide to find someone more experienced to work on it.