New pretties. Help me use them properly?

[inkyletters]

I got some new friends over the weekend. My first question is fairly simple I have a pilot metro that I bought second hand from a pen enthusiast so I know it's in good condition. It came with the squeeze converter so how exactly do I fill this?

Second one is a series and I want to be really sure I treat this pen right. It's a family heirloom from my great grandfather and as best as can be determined it's around ww2 era. I've put pictures below to help answer my questions. As best as I can tell it's a piston filler and acrylic. It's a sheaffer that's engraved with his name. So here it goes:
1. How do I clean it?
2. How do I fill it?
3. Is that a normal nib shape or do I need to send it to the doctor to get tuned?

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/19/vuremana.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/19/e8u2ypyb.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/19/gemu5y8u.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/19/by9ube6u.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/19/gu4azeru.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/19/yny5e8u8.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/19/a8u4yder.jpg

[mtnbiker62]

I have a big collection of Pilot fountain pens, and use the squeeze converter in most of them. It holds more ink than the CON-50. To fill it, you just submerge the nib in the ink bottle until you've covered the breather hole, squeeze the converter's metal bar, and then release. It's that easy. If you want a more complete fill, repeat that process 2 or 3 times to get all the air out. Alternatively, you can just remove the converter and use a syringe if you don't want the mess of wiping off the nib. If you do it that way, make sure to leave enough air space in the converter for the interface to slide up inside the converter...otherwise you'll displace a little ink, and have a mess.

[inkyletters]

Thank you! Now to figure out how to use the other kid. :)

[ardgedee]

Your Sheaffer pen is a lever filler. It looks like the lever moves. That's good.

If the pen's been idle for decades, chances are good the ink sac is rotted. You can easily find out by dipping the pen nib-down into a small glass of plain water, and pull the lever 90°. If the nib blows bubbles, the sac is good and the feed is unclogged. If you're not sure, return the lever to its resting position, wait ten seconds, then hold the pen over the water and pull the lever again. If no water comes out, the pen will need repair.

It's difficult to tell what condition the nib is in from the photos. In some photos it looks like the tip is missing from one of the tines. In other photos it only looks like it's crumpled a little. If one of the tines is broken, the nib might be convertable to a stub. If the nib is crumpled, there is a possibility that it can be smoothed. Either way, the pen will need repair.

[inkyletters]

Thank you! I was able to check it- the sac still seems to be kicking quite well. It needed some cleaning, but nothing too major. It writes, though it is slightly scratchy- I'm thinking the tines need some minor alignment. It will probably need a visit to the doctor eventually, though for now it suffices.

[Silverbreeze]

I would visit the nib doctor sooner rather then later. If that pen is as old as it is, the nib could easily be solid gold. Gold is rather soft and misalignments could get worse with use


Congrats on such an heirloom

[Jeph]

I am still waiting for one of the Sheaffer experts to chime in but I would call that a late 30's to very early 40's lifetime Balance (500 or 1000) version and possible even an oversize. A clearer view of the clip and the numbers on the nib would help. Lengths and diameters might help some also. But whatever it turns out to be it is a very nice pen and worthy of special care even before the sentimental value.

[inkyletters]

It is 6.25 posted and 4.75 un posted. The clip has a small white/cream dot above it and the nib number starts with "5" and is approximately 6 digits long I think.

[tmenyc]

If it's been sitting for decades it most certainly needs a fresh sac, not even worth thinking otherwise unless you're truly risk loving and only wear clothes that can take the massive leak that's sure to come if you use the old sac. The nib looks pretty good but will almost certainly need a tuning. It's a beautiful pen that will write wonderfully for many years of steady use. Send it out.
Btw, what are the numbers at the bottom of the barrel imprint?
Tim

[inkyletters]

The numbers are 5745588. Do they mean something in particular? I wrote one letter with it then got worried and cleaned it out. I'm considering sending it to Main Street pens but his wait time is soooo long. Any other suggestions for a good nibmesiter that isn't going to kill my student budget?

[mtnbiker62]

I've heard that FPGeeks very own dannzeman does nib work, and has a very quick turnaround. I've been thinking about sending a couple of pens his way myself.

[inkyletters]

So I couldn't wait for the pen to get here to take my own pics! I took everyone's advice and sent it out to a pen doctor and now it's on it's way back to me! New sac, polished up, nib is un-crumpled and tuned! I'm super excited to write some letter with it ASAP.

1223712238

Wait time was only about a week and cost me $35 so I'm quite happy.

P.S. can someone explain why a previous poster asked about the numbers on the nib and the clip/white dot?

[Jon Szanto]

P.S. can someone explain why a previous poster asked about the numbers on the nib and the clip/white dot?
Well, a couple of different people asked different things, so there *is* a bit of confusion, but...

- the white dot indicates it was one of their "Lifetime" pens, meaning more to the top of the line, as opposed to less expensive models
- someone asked about a number on the nib, which is a bit of a grey area: the longer number, which seems like a serial number, really doesn't have any meaning*; some models might have a single large number on the nib, which might place model
- on the other hand, someone asked about the barrel imprint, which is the "Sheaffer...", etc stamp, probably just opposite the lever. Underneath it, you should see a number which, believe it or not, indicates the selling price, and while it isn't a "model" designation, it does show where in the lineup the pen was. More expensive pens might have a fancy band on the cap, etc.
- the person asking for a clear shot of the clip asks because, due to changes in the shape, style, and plain/branded nature of the clip over time, it can aid in putting a relative date on the pen

Now, having said all that, Sheaffer had so many pens, models, changes over time and combined distinct lack of coherent documentation, *I* get confused! I'm hoping some of the experts will chime in, but if you don't get a pretty firm idea of the era and model of the pen, I'll try to point out this thread to one of the Sheaffer experts**.

HTH,
Jon

* There was recently an article of scholarly nature that claims to have found at least a *bit* of significance in the 'serial' numbers stamped on the nib, but this is very recent info, and still somewhat theoretical.
** Go to the Sheaffer sub-forum, and look for the 'sticked' thread at the top on Sheaffer pen history by David I. It should both shed light on your pen, as well as give you an idea how wide the range and history of them is.