Touchdown & snorkel fillers
Although the mechanical principles are different, filling the Sheaffer Snorkel and Touchdown pens is much like filling a plunger pen; both types expel old ink during the downstroke, and take in new ink at the end of the downstroke. You probably have a touchdown filler if unscrewing and pulling out the blind cap reveals a shiny metal tube or sheath (nearly as fat as the barrel itself); if a little round pipe came out the front as you were unscrewing, you have a snorkel pen.
Filling
To fill a snorkel pen, carefully unscrew the blind cap so that the snorkel is extended (it usually moves out around 3/4" or 20mm, just past the end of the point). If your snorkel is a bit sticky, it may help to press down on the blind cap as you unscrew it (like you have to do with some "childproof" medicine bottles). When the blind cap is free of the barrel, pull it all the way out (exposing a metal sheath). Then, immerse the tip of the snorkel into the inkwell (you need not immerse the entire point), and press the blind cap smartly back into the barrel. Wait for a ten count, remove the pen from the inkwell, and retighten the blind cap (retracting the snorkel). If you do it right, you won't need to wipe up the snorkel (which will retain only a small amount of loose ink).
The touchdown filler is simply a snorkel pen without the snorkel. To fill it, unscrew the blind cap and pull it all the way back; then, immerse the entire point in the inkwell and press the blind cap smartly back in. Wait for a ten count, then remove and wipe down the point.
As with the plunger filler, a faster downstroke is better when filling touchdowns and snorkels. A fast stroke builds up a greater pressure surge within the pen, which will more effectively deflate the sac inside.
Touchdowns and snorkels are notorious for seeming to fill even when they have air leaks or petrified sacs; to make sure your pen can fill, try filling it with water and then emptying it (by operating the filler again); you should see a pretty good shpritz of water come out of the point or snorkel when you do this. Another trick to try (with a pen known to be empty, please!) is to put the point near your ear as you operate the filler; you should hear a little "pfft" sound as the filler hits bottom. If the pen doesn't seem to hold any ink or doesn't have an air seal, you may need to have a new o-ring or a new sac fitted.
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