My first fountain pens

econjoe · Nov 30, 2013

Thanks to my recently developed safety razor and shaving brush acquisition disorders I'm spending most of my days off in antique stores. Today I came across these two pens that needed a home:

The green is a Sheaffer's and the other is a Waterman's. Thanks to the instructional videos floating around on here I did learn how to flush the old ink out of the Sheaffer's. I'm looking forward to getting some ink and finding out what I've been missing in regards to writing.

Stonerman33 · Nov 30, 2013

Make sure you give them their first run over the kitchen sink. Depending on the filling mechanism, you might have leaks. It's not uncommon to need to replace the sac on vintage pens that haven't been used in years.

Ru4scuba? · Nov 30, 2013

Nice finds! Be sure to post how they write.

nemo · Nov 30, 2013

Very nice, Joe! Looks like a Touchdown Cadet, not sure which Waterman that is though.

Good advice on checking for leaks in a safe place.

econjoe · Dec 1, 2013

Thanks for the advice and identification! Any recommendations for what ink to start with? Or the best places to buy ink? The Sheaffer's is a fine (F1) nib.

badgerstate · Dec 1, 2013

Very nice start. A couple of points. I wrecked the first "snorkel" I had because I didn't know how to fill it. You might check here to learn about Sheaffer filling systems http://penhero.com/PenGallery/Sheaffer/SheafferTouchdownGuide.htm
I'd go one better than testing the pen over a sink and test with plain water first.
Ink suppliers: If you are in a big enough town most big office supply places will carry Sheaffer and or Parker ink. Artist suppliers are worth a look too, just don't get "India Ink". Every on-line pen seller also has ink. Lots and lots of ink. Everybody seems to love Goulet Pens http://www.gouletpens.com/ , which would be a good place to start.

Best of luck

econjoe · Dec 1, 2013

I was able to find Waterman cartridges at an office supply store. It seems to be working fine:

Please excuse the poor handwriting. It has been years since I've used cursive other than signing my name.

The nib on the Waterman is different than other pens I've seen.

Unfortunately, no ink for the Sheaffer. The only hobby shop in town that I think would carry bottles of ink is closed on Sundays.

econjoe · Dec 1, 2013

badgerstate said:
Very nice start. A couple of points. I wrecked the first "snorkel" I had because I didn't know how to fill it. You might check here to learn about Sheaffer filling systems http://penhero.com/PenGallery/Sheaffer/SheafferTouchdownGuide.htm
I'd go one better than testing the pen over a sink and test with plain water first.
Ink suppliers: If you are in a big enough town most big office supply places will carry Sheaffer and or Parker ink. Artist suppliers are worth a look too, just don't get "India Ink". Every on-line pen seller also has ink. Lots and lots of ink. Everybody seems to love Goulet Pens http://www.gouletpens.com/ , which would be a good place to start.

Best of luck

Thank you for the link! I would have never known to unscrew the plunger cap and fill it that way.

coyotewhisper · Dec 1, 2013

Very nice finds. The Waterman appears to be a Skywriter probably from the 40's or early 50's.

nemo · Dec 1, 2013

coyotewhisper said:
The Waterman appears to be a Skywriter probably from the 40's or early 50's.

The hooded nib is like a Taperite or a Crusader? But I thought those were lever-fillers. Any Watermans experts?

redbike · Dec 1, 2013

I have a Cadet with the F-1 nib and it's a nice writer. Good on cheap paper because it doesn't put down a lot of ink so feathering isn't a problem.

milkmanv1 · Dec 1, 2013

I just bought a sheaffer cadet from redbike! +1 to what he said, the fact that it won't feather on cheap paper is great for use in everyday situations. Nice pens. I don't know a lot about nibs, but the Nib on that waterman looks bent/broken... But clearly it isn't because it writes fine for you! I'd be interested in finding out why it's designed like that.

Snargle · Dec 1, 2013

nemo said:
The hooded nib is like a Taperite or a Crusader? But I thought those were lever-fillers. Any Watermans experts?

I've got a Waterman's Taperite with a semi-hooded nib, and it's a lever-filler.

There's something very wrong with the nib in that photo...I'd love to see another picture or two, maybe from a different angle.

econjoe · Dec 1, 2013

Here you go:

econjoe · Dec 1, 2013

The only thing I've seen that comes close is the Waterman's x-pen.

Phil1-6 · Dec 1, 2013

Just a thought. Office Depot carries Parker Quink. If there is a store close to you see if they have it in stock. Otherwise it's Amazon or one of the vendors recommended here. I like Quink for a basic fountain pen ink.

Cognati Crotty · Dec 1, 2013

That nib is shot,....clean it out and send it out to be repaired...

oc_in_fw · Dec 2, 2013

econjoe said:
The nib on the Waterman is different than other pens I've seen.

It is a hooded nib. After Parker knocked a grand slam with the 51, many tried to imitate it.

alex2363 · Dec 2, 2013

econjoe said:
I was able to find Waterman cartridges at an office supply store. It seems to be working fine:
View attachment 389670
Please excuse the poor handwriting. It has been years since I've used cursive other than signing my name.

The nib on the Waterman is different than other pens I've seen.
View attachment 389671

Unfortunately, no ink for the Sheaffer. The only hobby shop in town that I think would carry bottles of ink is closed on Sundays.

How long does the ink last?

Ru4scuba? · Dec 3, 2013

Nice find! Interesting hooded nib. The shape on it is pretty unique.

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