PDA

View Full Version : Sheaffer Triumph Nib Adjustment



Jeph
April 20th, 2014, 07:42 AM
I have a couple of solid beater Sheaffers, one a vac and the other a snorkel, with triumph nibs. Both have the same issue in that the tines are spread too far apart. With just slight pressure on the top of the tip the tines come together perfectly. But, try as I might, I can’t adjust the tines to stay in that position. I am astounded by the stiffness of the triumph nibs. I have used more force that I would use if I were trying to break a barrel in half and still nothing. I spend a great deal of effort supporting the feed and section so that is less likely to happen but I have long passed the level of force that I am comfortable with using.

Is there some secret to adjusting the tines on triumph nibs to get them back together?

Ernst Bitterman
April 20th, 2014, 08:24 AM
Go VERY carefully. The tipping comes off those more easily than a lot of other pens. I get some results from massaging the sides of the tines with some flat nylon-jawed pliers (it really tears up the nylon, though). Closing up the gap on a Triumph point isn't something one frequently runs into.

mhosea
April 20th, 2014, 10:50 AM
Closing up the gap on a Triumph point isn't something one frequently runs into.

I don't recall if I ever needed to close the gap on a Triumph nib. I guess a dozen or two have crossed my desk. The more common thing is to want to open it up, and occasionally to restore the up-turn. I might have criss-crossed the tines on a Snorkel before. Not sure if it was a risky move or not. As you note, the tipping snaps off easily, at least if you apply lateral pressure. Learned that lesson the hard way, and another vintage nib, a very nice-looking Sheaffer 33 on a first-year Balance, taught me that if there's enough tipping to extend any distance, it's a decent general rule to avoid altogether applying any pressure to tipping during adjustment efforts.

From my limited experience with Triumph nibs, I am not surprised that pressing the tip against the paper, inverted, doesn't adjust the gap. I'm thinking the upturn bend is braced against you, so the nib wants to bend farther down, closing the gap, but the deformation is too slight to "stick". Perhaps a related lesson here, also from a Balance in my case, is that feed-ward pressure on the top of a nib can sometimes snap an ebonite feed.