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What did I buy and how do I use it?

Decided to take a break and poke around the local antique mall. I always look for razors but thanks to you folks I am now looking at pens. They did have 15-20 FPs, but most over priced (to me) and some I wasn't sure about like a couple cellulose looking Wearevers with rubber bladders.

Anyway I picked up this Sheaffer's but am not sure how the twist pump works or if it even does! It says Made in USA but I don't see a model# or anything. Any ideas on age and did I do O.K. for $12.75? Thanks - Steve

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That looks like a nice pen to me! Sorry, I do not have any thing productive to add though.
EDIT: Is it a Vac fill? It looks like how the back section comes up like that, you should be able to push it down to fill it up. So, you should not have to totally disassemble it to fill.
 
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Yeah, looking around it seems to be a vac-fill but a bit different than the ones I see on Youtube. I got some Zhivago in today and am dying to ink it up but not sure I should yet...
 

nemo

Lunatic Fringe
Staff member
Is the sac still pliable? You can carefully poke it through that hole and see if it's ossified. That will be the first step.

Second step: read this
 
Is the sac still pliable? You can carefully poke it through that hole and see if it's ossified. That will be the first step.

Second step: read this

Thanks for the links and tips nemo. I just poked the sac with a dull toothpick and it's nice and spongy/rubbery feeling..
Looks to be circa 1952 or so and a Sovereign, Clipper or Sentinel
 

strop

Now half as wise
For $12.75 you did good. I'll double your money!:lol::w00t:

Seems like all the ones I find are too far gone or the owner's think they're worth their weight in gold.

Mark
 
O.K. so I don't think I am getting enough ink in the bladder. It wrote for a good while then started drying up. According to literature these were banned in school because Fonzi used it as an ink squirt gun! I can not push the plunger down and make it squirt ink.
The bladder is indeed pliable as I can mush it down as far as I dare with a blunt toothpick. I can also get some pressure built up when closing off the opening and pushing in the plunger but I don't know what is sufficient? I am "***-uming" that the pressure collapses the bladder and while the snorkel is in the ink it sucks up ink while inflating? Maybe it needs a better cleaning or more.... Just don't want to spend much even though it's really cool and I can see it being easy as pie if working correctly.

I'll keep reading thanks.
 
I'm trying to figure out if the ink is fed by trickling out of the snorkel or other means? The bladder protector, etc.. seemed sealed so I can't see otherwise.

back to reading...
 

nemo

Lunatic Fringe
Staff member
Are you filling it correctly?
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There's an o-ring in the back that fails to seal the barrel when worn. Ideally, when the button is pushed air pressure inside collapses the very pliable thin sac and as it reinflates the ink is sucked up through the unclogged snorkel tube (as you assumed) but everything needs to be working well to get a complete fill. For a $35 restoration you'd be still under $50 but that is your choice.
 
When you pull the plunger out it collapses the bladder, when you push it back in the bladder expands.... once you have it pushed back in count to 10 and let the bladder suck up the ink. then screw the snorkel back in.....also make sure the snorkel is completely submerged or you just suck air.
 
I wish I had a micro scale to see if I am getting much ink. I was not letting the snorkel stay immersed long enough the first few times and right now it is writing great again. I really like the pen and 35 isn't too bad for a neat old pen if it needs restoring.
 
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