Vintage Sheaffer Pen

[Lisa]

Hi, pen people. Hope you don't mind my venturing into your thread.

I know nothing about fountain pens, especially old ones. This was in the desk drawer of my parents' house. It was missed in the estate sale (Mom and Dad have passed away) but I don't know if it's worth anything anyway.

Can anyone tell me about it? Some quick looking around tells that it may be a post-WWII "tuckaway" pen (it's short and stubby), in the color called carmine. The nib is 14K gold, but I don't know about the clip or the section in the middle.

Here are a few pics - sheesh, I don't even know what to take pics of to show what details are important. Can anyone add any more info?

[Lion]

Hi, sorry but I do not know very much about Vintage pens but I do like the way yours looks...great color. I'll do some searching on the Internet and have a friend who collects Vintage Sheaffer fountain pens so I can ask him to take a look. Please measure how long it is capped and does it take ink cartridges or is it a lever filled sac???

Take it easy.....Leo

[Lisa]

Capped, it's 4 1/2 inches, Leo. How can I tell whether it takes cartridges or fills with a lever (does this mean vacuum fill?)

Thanks for any info your friend has. I'll keep searching, too. I was just going to stick it in a drawer in my own house but when I saw the 14K nib I wondered if it was worth learning about.

[MCV]

I have a similar Sheaffer's, it's a plunger fill, the back part of the barrel (the pointed part) unscrews and then you pull on it. You will see a thin rod extract from the barrel. With the pen dipped in ink, you push the plunger back in and it will suck the ink into the reservoir to fill. But I doubt yours would work if it's been sitting around so long. It most likely needs a thorough cleaning.

See this link:

http://www.vintagepens.com/filling_i...-fillers.shtml

[Lisa]

Thanks for the information, Marc!

[Widows Son]

Neat pen Lisa!!!! www.fountainpenhospital.com repairs vintage pens.

[Frosty]

That is a great pen and I like the color a lot.

Before you send it off, I would try a couple of non-invasive tasks. I have been able to bring back a few pens that have sat in my families drawers. They have also been mentioned on Fountain Pen Network Forum. There are some really nice people over there and they have a Sheaffer Section.

Do this in a place where the ink will not damage anything, just in case. Take about a half-cup of luke-warm water and add a small drop of dish soap to it. Draw the water into the pen and let it set for a few minutes. Drain the old ink into another bowl. Repeat. You will be doing this a lot. If you are replacing a light ink with a dark ink, you are pretty much done when the ink flows nicely. If you are going from a dark ink to a light ink then go a little farther until there is just a hint of color.

Through experimentation I have found that using a two paper towels doubled, helps prevent spills at this point. To draw the ink out it seems to work if I put the point and the ridges on the paper towel. Since it absorbs, it also draws the ink out of the reservoir.

Is there anything I missed Leo?

[Lion]

Lisa, I checked with a friend who is a collector and expert on Sheaffer pens(he has over 1,000 Sheaffer fountain pens). I have some info for you on your pen...it is a Tuckaway Fountain pen in Carmine(as you knew already)and is what is called a "Wire-Fill" pen and is vacuum filled. It was made in the 1940's, probably between 1942-1948 and he said you probably will need to replace the packing unit since it hasn't been used for years. They are difficult to fix but he knows of an expert who can do the repair work. He said it would probably run between $30-$50 to fix so if you want to get it repaired I will get the information for you on the person to send it to...just let me know. He feels it's worth fixing and that you would enjoy using the pen once it is repaired!!!

Take it easy.....Leo

[Lisa]

Thanks so much for the information, Leo. I really appreciate it! I'll think it over - it would be nice to get it working but I'm not a pen person and don't know if it would be used much. Still, it's a great keepsake. Dad might have even used it during WWII!

[Lisa]

Originally Posted by Frosty

That is a great pen and I like the color a lot.

Before you send it off, I would try a couple of non-invasive tasks. I have been able to bring back a few pens that have sat in my families drawers. They have also been mentioned on Fountain Pen Network Forum. There are some really nice people over there and they have a Sheaffer Section.

Do this in a place where the ink will not damage anything, just in case. Take about a half-cup of luke-warm water and add a small drop of dish soap to it. Draw the water into the pen and let it set for a few minutes. Drain the old ink into another bowl. Repeat. You will be doing this a lot. If you are replacing a light ink with a dark ink, you are pretty much done when the ink flows nicely. If you are going from a dark ink to a light ink then go a little farther until there is just a hint of color.

Through experimentation I have found that using a two paper towels doubled, helps prevent spills at this point. To draw the ink out it seems to work if I put the point and the ridges on the paper towel. Since it absorbs, it also draws the ink out of the reservoir.

Is there anything I missed Leo?

Thanks for the info - much appreciated! Sorry I had not been back to check this thread sooner. You guys are a fountain (pun intended) of knowledge.

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by Lisa

Thanks for the info - much appreciated! Sorry I had not been back to check this thread sooner. You guys are a fountain (pun intended) of knowledge.

Lisa, I was a ballpoint guy for a long time. I was convinced by someone I was missing something by not having a FP. I thought I would try it and he was right. It is also kind of fun knowing you are writing with something someone in your family used. Try it, you will like it :cheers.:

[andromeda160]

Originally Posted by Frosty

Lisa, I was a ballpoint guy for a long time. I was convinced by someone I was missing something by not having a FP. I thought I would try it and he was right. It is also kind of fun knowing you are writing with something someone in your family used. Try it, you will like it :cheers.:

I loved my fountain pen as well, it's actually what inspired me to do most of my homework because I enjoyed writing with it.

[mikkibarry]

I also really like pens. I know less than nothing about them, but they're really interesting.

[destrow]

Wow. Just happened to stumble across this thread.

What a great read!

[68camaro]

Originally Posted by LockandKey

It's great to see some love for the white sticks!

Originally Posted by Lion

Lisa, I checked with a friend who is a collector and expert on Sheaffer pens(he has over 1,000 Sheaffer fountain pens). I have some info for you on your pen...it is a Tuckaway Fountain pen in Carmine(as you knew already)and is what is called a "Wire-Fill" pen and is vacuum filled. It was made in the 1940's, probably between 1942-1948 and he said you probably will need to replace the packing unit since it hasn't been used for years. They are difficult to fix but he knows of an expert who can do the repair work. He said it would probably run between $30-$50 to fix so if you want to get it repaired I will get the information for you on the person to send it to...just let me know. He feels it's worth fixing and that you would enjoy using the pen once it is repaired!!!

Take it easy.....Leo

Leo, cheers for job well done

The pen forum may be small but very helpful group

[Lion]

I aim to please...when I can, Thanx for the compliment and vote of confidence!!!

[Frosty]

[QUOTE=oddy1113;4389270]Sheaffer pens are part of a consigment lot . All pens are new in the box never inked . Specializing in antique Fountain pens Mechanical & Victorian Pencils & early ballpoint pens .



Website deleted

What does this website have to do with "antique Fountain pens Mechanical & Victorian Pencils & early ballpoint pens"? I did not see any of them there. It is just a site for pomotional pens .

[pberry]

What a great find Lisa. I would think for the minimal cost of the repair it would be well worth the opportunity to use something your folks used to use. You may even get hooked on it. There's nothing like writing with a fine pen