Sheaffer School pens. How it started.

[archaturism]

If one still has this pen today, would it be possible to install any contemporary converters or cartridges? Or have their cartridges fallen into discontinuation?

They use Sheaffer cartridges and most will also take the Sheaffer converter. Both are still made.

I don't know, Jar: I just pulled out one of these pens and tried both a piston and squeeze converter, and only the squeeze fit. The piston was too wide to fit in the barrel. These were both vintage converters so I have no idea if new piston ones might fit.

That is concerning, since it means if I somehow obtain one on hand it may become just a vintage display item rather than an operational writing implement

[Jon Szanto]

That is concerning since it means if I somehow obtain one on hand it may become just a vintage display item rather than an operational writing implement

Not in the least! If you end up not having a squeeze converter and it ends up that none of the piston ones work (I'm going to do a bit of dedicated research), you still have a viable alternative: cartridges. I don't mean you have to limit yourself to stock Sheaffer colors, but the current carts still work, and they are easy to flush out and fill with a syringe with whatever ink you prefer. They last many, many refills and, in fact, hold more ink than a converter. It is how I happen to use them. Not only that, but the models of the pen that have a completely plastic barrel, as most of them in my photo, with a little silicone grease can be used as eyedroppers (with the caveats that that mode brings).

All in all, still eminantly useable pens.

[Hawk]

Lexaf,

How many wonderful memories your post brought back to me, beginning in my third grade classroom in 1957, where I was introduced to my first Sheaffer "School Pen." Luckily, my teacher knew how to teach a left-handed underwriter how to write in cursive--no one ever told me I should write with my right hand. I won the best handwriting award in my class for five years straight using these wonderful pens, to the consternation of my right-handed classmates. Unfortunately, that school has been torn down and replaced with a new one, but I can see every room in my mind's eye.

Today, I have two of the clear barrel pens, one with the 304 fine nib and the other with a medium nib. Both are filled with Skrip Blue, of course, and both write perfectly. Thanks again for taking me back to those days.

I was ingrade school roughly the same time. I am left handed also. My handwriting wasn’t and isn’t the best. My grade school, Washington School built in the early 1900’s with an addition built in the 1950’s and still holding classes. The pens we used were the Esterbrook J with a maroon barrel and a white cap. The barrel engraving was something like: Community Consolidated School District 65. I would like to find one....

[Lexaf]

That is concerning since it means if I somehow obtain one on hand it may become just a vintage display item rather than an operational writing implement

Not in the least! If you end up not having a squeeze converter and it ends up that none of the piston ones work (I'm going to do a bit of dedicated research), you still have a viable alternative: cartridges. I don't mean you have to limit yourself to stock Sheaffer colors, but the current carts still work, and they are easy to flush out and fill with a syringe with whatever ink you prefer. They last many, many refills and, in fact, hold more ink than a converter. It is how I happen to use them. Not only that, but the models of the pen that have a completely plastic barrel, as most of them in my photo, with a little silicone grease can be used as eyedroppers (with the caveats that that mode brings).

All in all, still eminantly useable pens.

+1 on that Jon!
On the pictures below is the converter I have. That one works perfectly in the school pens. I do not know if these are still currently available, but you will usually find good used pieces on pen shows. If you do not have one, the (empty) carts are second best!

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[Sailor Kenshin]

Lex, this is so great of you to post the wonderful ephemera of the School Pen beginnings. I'm one of those people that got my start with this pen. In fact, just this week I came across what is probably my oldest existing example of fountain pen use while going through some of my parent's papers. It is a "travel journal" (fictional) done as an assignment for a 7th grade geography class. I did this in 1966 using the standard Skrip blue cartridges and it is still completely readable!



I always try to keep some of these pens around, not only for nostalgia but because I like to give them to beginning pen users - I *know* they will be good, reliable writers! When I see some come up for sale, if reasonable I always pick up some more. Here's a recent lot I purchased:

Me, too! My first fountain pen: a yellow translucent one with that semi-pointed barrel and silvertone cap.

(InSANEly jealous of your find!)

By the way, I have used standard international cartridges in my Sheaffer school pens. I'm sure they won't fall out, but I insert a little spring in the barrel to ensure they don't. There are many ways to fill these!

[Jon Szanto]

+1 on that Jon!
On the pictures below is the converter I have. That one works perfectly in the school pens. I do not know if these are still currently available, but you will usually find good used pieces on pen shows. If you do not have one, the (empty) carts are second best!

DSCF9453.JPG

Yes, those are the type of converters I've used in these pens, too. While it can take a bit of work, you can even replace the internal sac on these with a traditional latex pen sac. I'm sure I've seen at least one tutorial on the web somewhere. And, as you say, empty cartridges are very easy to fill and use. These pens are probably going to outlast our species!

[jmccarty3]

+1 on that Jon!
On the pictures below is the converter I have. That one works perfectly in the school pens. I do not know if these are still currently available, but you will usually find good used pieces on pen shows. If you do not have one, the (empty) carts are second best!

DSCF9453.JPG

Yes, those are the type of converters I've used in these pens, too. While it can take a bit of work, you can even replace the internal sac on these with a traditional latex pen sac. I'm sure I've seen at least one tutorial on the web somewhere. And, as you say, empty cartridges are very easy to fill and use. These pens are probably going to outlast our species!

They are indeed the cockroach of pens!

[Jon Szanto]

They are indeed the cockroach of pens!

I didn't type it, but that very analogy was in my head! We should find a Japanese brush artist to paint roaches on one of the clear models the way some of the Platinum/Nakaya converters have scenes and critters painted...

[pajaro]

If you can get the converter with the red piece that goes into the section nipple, that has a PVC sac, like the Parker 51 sac. I have a couple of these I got brand new on a card with a 10 ml bottle of King's Gold Ink. I have also considered resaccing the ones having latex sacs with PVC sacs. Refilling cartridges also lets you use any ink you want. These pens don't seem to dry out as fast as other pens. Usually mine write immediately.

[Lexaf]

They are indeed the cockroach of pens!

I didn't type it, but that very analogy was in my head! We should find a Japanese brush artist to paint roaches on one of the clear models the way some of the Platinum/Nakaya converters have scenes and critters painted...

That would be great, a Maki-e Sheaffer School Pen! I wonder how a Japanese style painted cockroach would look on one of those pens and how the name in Japanese would be for such a piece of art.
Please come in, Manupropria!

[welch]

Did anyone of you guys in USA know of this little booklet? If so, now for the 1 million $$ question: did it improve your writing skill?

Great work, Lexaf!!

I don't remember the booklet, but remember the exercises, and I used a Sheaffer "school pen" starting about 1958, a fine nib. Could be that my elementary school got some of the Sheaffer packets.

Note: "fills with a cartridge, like a ballpoint", and the emphasis on "no mess", and "no dipping" and "no dunking". Sheaffer Skrip boxes, around then, advertised that the Snorkel "Takes the dunk out of filling".

Also the tip: "Use a good fountain pen". Good thinking, W.A. Sheaffer Pen Company!

[penstaking]

Delightful to find that the 'school pen' (a name I always hated) was actually the Skripsert (and apparently part of the Fineline series). Great photos and reminiscences. The five I kept (or collected) from those days are still in my rotation today, having required minimum maintenance over 50 years.

[Pendel]

These vintage Sheaffer school pens have very interesting feeds. They are made of hard rubber, and have a feeder rod that inserts into a hole drilled centrally along the axis of the feed. The rods have an ink channel cut into them and extend up to the nipple that converters mount. So the ink is fed into the center of the feed and then distributes from there into the fins (that extend up and around, and sit under the nib) and also along a ski hill ink channel leading from the inside of the feed (where the feeder tube ends, when inserted) to the tip of the feed where the ink finds the nib tines. The feed is split under the nib with the slit extending down to where the feeder tube inserts into the feed. I have used these feeds from broken school pens to replace the modern plastic feeds in my modern pens that use converters. These feeds do need to be honed to a correct diameter, but I am pretty good at this now. For example, my Namisu Nova sports such a feed, because it can supply enough ink to the flexy titanium nibs, which after you make them more round/conical become quite a lovely version of a classical flex nib (as opposed to the original titanium soft flappy things).

:-)

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[Lexaf]

These vintage Sheaffer school pens have very interesting feeds. They are made of hard rubber, and have a feeder rod that inserts into a hole drilled centrally along the axis of the feed. The rods have an ink channel cut into them and extend up to the nipple that converters mount. So the ink is fed into the center of the feed and then distributes from there into the fins (that extend up and around, and sit under the nib) and also along a ski hill ink channel leading from the inside of the feed (where the feeder tube ends, when inserted) to the tip of the feed where the ink finds the nib tines. The feed is slit under the nib with the slit extending down to where the feeder tube inserts into the feed. I will post some pics, I guess. I have used these feeds from broken school pens to replace the modern plastic feeds in my modern pens that use converters. These feeds do need to be honed to a correct diameter, but I am pretty good at this now. For example, my Namisu Nova sports such a feed, because it can supply enough ink to the flexy titanium nibs, which after you make them more conical become quite a lovely version of a classical flex nib (as opposed to the original titanium soft flappy things).

:-)

Very interesting story. I hope you can post some pics to illustrate it.

[Pendel]

Also, I have a lot of parts/barrels for these pens, if anyone is looking for something...

:-)

[Sailor Kenshin]

I wish I hadn't donated my clear-barrel-with-bullet-ends model.