Connoisseur / Balance II: are sections interchangeable?

[Jon Szanto]

As the title states, I'm wondering if a Sheaffer Connoisseur threaded section is the same as the sections used in a Balance II. I only have former, so wondering if anyone can confirm a yes or no on this.

[FredRydr]

The sections from my Connoisseur and my Balance II will screw into the barrels of each other. However, the piston converter must be removed from the Balance's section or it will too long for the Connoisseur barrel. Ron Zorn has written about the weight Sheaffer inserted at the end of the Connoisseur barrel that blocks the piston-style converter.

The nibs can have different designs or plating if factory correctness is an issue.

Top: Connoisseur with squeeze converter. Bottom: Balance II with piston converter

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Third time corrected. I really blew this one. Ron was too polite to call me on it.

[Jon Szanto]

Yes. The section/feed/nib units are screw-in swappable. The nibs can have different designs or plating if factory correctness is an issue.

Thanks, Fred. I recently had the nib on the "Royal Selangor" pen ground by Gena Salorino, and it turned out to be a very fun and lovely nib to write with. It came as a B with the biggest round blob of tipping I've ever seen, and together we dreamed up a "soft architect", just like softening the edges of a crisp Italic, and I love it. The pen, though, doesn't balance in my hand so well (no pun intended). I'm going to try sourcing a Balance II, and while I know the decoration on the nib will always be apropos to the pewter Salangor, I can always place it back in the pen when not writing.

Are the BII's dimensions that of a standard or oversice Balance?

[FredRydr]

Pretty sure oversized or larger. (I’m not home to compare at the moment.)

[Jon Szanto]

Pretty sure oversized or larger. (I’m not home to compare at the moment.)

No worries, Fred, not urgent. BTW... it also perfectly fits in a No-Nonsense / "Vintage" pen. Guess how I know.

[FredRydr]

Left to right: mid-'30s lever-filler, late-'90s Balance II, early-'40s plunger-filler

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[Chrissy]

Great thread of useful information. Thank you both.

[FredRydr]

Great thread of useful information. Thank you both.

You're welcome. My initial reply kept changing as I continued to switch parts around!

[Jon Szanto]

One side note: the Royal Selangor line (only one of four proposed pen models was ever produced) is named for the Malaysian pewter company that would make the caps and barrels... not certain if they were entire fabrications or a sleeve that they sent to Sheaffer. I had a vaguely remembered factoid that pewter was an alloy of tin and lead, so I wrote to David Nishimura to ask if he thought it might be a bit of a health issue if I used the pen regularly. He said that modern pewter alloys used very little lead, and felt it was a non-issue. For hand comfort, I still might try to land a Balance II, but now I feel ok either using the pen as-is or homing the nib for a while in the "Vintage NN pen... which is very nice, having a chased black (plastic) body very reminiscent of BCHR pens.

[FredRydr]

Beware of pretty colors in Balance II pens. Some will self-destruct. There’s plenty online about them.

[Ron Z]

I did some digging back when I had a couple of them because I had the same question about lead. No lead.

The metal parts were made for Sheaffer. The barrel liner is a No Nonsense barrel turned down to fit and glued in. I've replaced a number of them, the first one was for Hampton-Haddon in the 6 months or so that they were the distributor and repair center for Sheaffer. Same for the Grand Connaisseur. I have a stash of NN barrels just for that. Likely the same for the cap. Unfinished NN caps turned to fit.

[Jon Szanto]

Great background info, Ron, thanks!

[Jon Szanto]

Beware of pretty colors in Balance II pens. Some will self-destruct. There’s plenty online about them.

That was the reason I've never sought one out.