The ease of restoration is one proof of Sheaffer's wonderful quality control in those days. Those Balances make great writers. Thanks for an excellent show.
Love that intro! That restoration turned out beautifully. The green celluloid and gold plated hardware shine like a new penny. Not only is the content great, but I hope everyone watching your channel can see the great production value and the effort you put in producing it. Well done.
Another great restoration, Doug. That material is really beautiful. I love that you're able to bring back these great old pens and make them useable again.
That was fascinating. I admire that you were able to bring that pen back to such a beautiful and useful state. I saw some old fountain pens at an Antique Mall yesterday and they were Rough with a R. I left them where I found them.
15:08 😂 Oh God, Doug. Thanks for this! Okay, I can’t stop playing this part over and over again and laughing my ass off!!! Oh thank you, thank you, thank you, Doug
Beautiful pen Doug. It looks like it’s previous owner probably took reasonable care of it. I was surprised for well the reverse writing went. Thank you for the Beetles opening. Such a pleasure from their music and like many, this was the music of my youth. 🙏
If only Sheaffer would sell pens of this quality today, rather than just posting nostalgic souvenirs of their past on Instagram, then I would be their biggest fan. Great job on restoring this beauty. By the way, Scott Newman (Fifteen Pens) in Toronto sells restauration supplies. It's a lot faster than ordering from the UK.
Celluloid is a lost art... but if they did a nice acrylic piston filler in this design, or especially an oversize model, people would pay for it. Maybe when these companies get new hip ceos in charge they'll see the light.
This Balance is a beautifully pen. Very nice indeed. It’s a shame they don’t even do gold plating like they used to. Love these longer Sunday vods. I enjoy watching and seeing all the various details of a restoration. I hope you get the nib the way you want it. Thanks, Doug
Pretty cool playing John’s rhythm guitar, Paul’s bass, and George’s lead guitar parts. Vocal wasn’t bad too, impressed that you hit that high note. Very cool looking pen
Doug, another great resurrection video. I have only restored two pens; both Esterbrook J. I am now looking for a Shaeffer to add to my collection. Thanks again.
Thank you very much for making this video. I just lost my mom November. She and I used modern fountain pens before she passed away ,but I found some of her fountain pens along with some of my dad’s. They’re both born in the 20s and I’m pretty sure I have one called a safety penWaterman made of hard rubber. I was kind of a loss of what to do,maybe send them away but after watching this, I’m gonna try myself 👍🏻 by the way I’m loving my ink buddies. Thanks for introducing me to them .😊
@@InkquiringMinds thank you, we were very close and she is definitely missed …but we made a lot of great memories together. Yes the ink buddies are great! I haven’t spilt any ink since I got them. I can’t say that for my buddies in our Pen club lol
Because of Alicia (AdventureDenali - check her channel if you are not a fan already), and you, sir, I took a gamble last summer and decided to get a vintage Sheaffer Balance Oversize from the the US and have it shipped at rather considerable expense (I could have bought a top end Pelikan - VAT and customs on top of the price and the shipping…) halfway across the world to Poland. Mine has a medium 14k lifetime single tone gold nib and from the day I received the package it has been inked with Parker Qink Washable Blue and used daily. Thank you for taking the time to give this piece of art a new life. I am sure it will still be fit to write and write extremely well for many a decade!
Congratulations to that nice restoration job! The Sheaffer Balance is one of my favourite pen designs. I have a Sheaffer Lifetime Balance in the same celluloid green but it has the white dot and it's a vac-filler. I also have two of the smaller Balances models (lever fillers). The Lifetime nibs are wonderful. Enjoy your revived pen!
@@InkquiringMinds I hope this series is doing well for you. A lot of the bigger pen channels tend to stick away from vintage pens. Even if you don’t want to restore pens there are so many places that restore and sell for a good price that I think it’s a great spot for an entry to gold nibs.
It surely is a beautiful pen. I love the history and the geography most. I love the nibs, and would unlikely get a vintage pen solely on the hassle of maintenance, I am a klutz. That said, there may be a market for newer bodies(thus cartridges/converters *modern) with older nibs. Maybe newer guts in older pens... Just spit-balling on how we keep them alive and maybe even thrive? I bet there are far more 'for parts' pens that can be saved - this might be a happy middle ground.
What a wonderful restoration! The Balance I have, from 2000, is probably considered an oversized model. The unfortunate problem is that I could not afford the special edition that had the lever fill. Mine is a cartridge converter. But, it is a nice writer. Yours is wonderful. Now I understand why people prefer the vintage nibs. I appreciate the time and effort you gave to this pen. Great video, Doug.
There was also the Balance Junior. Slim, nickel plated hardware, and usually the glorious semi flex Junior 14K nib. Lovely job! You cheat using the Parker sac spreader, however.Struggling with fingers all the way, baby! I kid. I understand any advantage. I love my vintage Sheaffer's pens, though several seem to dislike Sheaffer Skrip inks oddly enough.
This episode is slightly painful for me, as, many years ago, long before I was even using fountain pens again, let alone taking an active interest in them, I inherited my grandad's green pen. I knew almost nothing about it, but I later found out it was a Balance just like the one you are working on in this video. I inspected the pen, and found out the sac had dried out and crumbled. So I threw it out! 🙄😡🤦🏽♂️
OMG! I'm drooling over that red Sheaffer Balance! Gorgeous pen! Not that I can afford it. But, man! It is beautiful! But I understand the rationale for choosing the green one. BTW... That cloth "squeaking" as you polished the barrel was like fingernails on a chalkboard to me! I hope you're happy! Do you know if all of Sheaffer's 5-30 nibs are that fine? That would definitely be a plus for me if I'm looking for a vintage Balance. Very nice restoration job, even if it was a green (not a fan) pen. Was the section originally fitted to the barrel with some shellac? Hard to believe it just popped apart like that without any ... um... "convincing."
Yeah I left the squeaking in just to bug you! LOL I'm still figuring out the difference between a Sheaffer #33 and the 5-30??? And yes, I believe there was some shellac holding the section in but it just came loose with a little twisting. The sac was still in one piece but when I pulled it, it tore away from the rest of the petrified remains.
Very nice, Doug. Vintage (antique) Sheaffer pens from that era are beautiful. I have one. It's an heirloom that belonged to my father so it holds a lot of sentimental value for me. It is a Lifetime Balance vac filler. I currently have it inked up but the piston's cork needs to be serviced as it has become misshaped, which makes using the vac filler unpredictable. The 14K nib is two toned, and is an extra fine, which had been called an accountant's nib. It writes beautifully but I don't use it very much due to the failing vac filler. Enjoy that lovely pen and thanks for sharing.
Doug, is there a reason why many vintage pens have a tiny hole somewhere on the cap? I have noticed this trend on many older pens. Thanks for all you do!
Coincidentally, one of the pens I was polishing today is a green-striated celluloid. The gilding is mostly gone, so shining the furniture with a cloth shows how badly brassed it is. Of most concern, though, is the ring, which is not connected to anything, and falls off when the pen is broken down (compare "broken up", as well as broken out, broken in, etc. )Do you have solutions (or suspensions) for addressing this issue? Sycophantically yours...
The ease of restoration is one proof of Sheaffer's wonderful quality control in those days. Those Balances make great writers. Thanks for an excellent show.
Great point!
Love that intro! That restoration turned out beautifully. The green celluloid and gold plated hardware shine like a new penny. Not only is the content great, but I hope everyone watching your channel can see the great production value and the effort you put in producing it. Well done.
Thanks so much!
That pen cleaned up like new. 🤯
Loved the opening performance. Your videos are a work of art.
Thank you very much!
I grew up in Malton, put a smile on my face to hear it mentioned in the intro.
Beautiful pen restoration!!
Many thanks!
Great intro and very enjoyable & informative video. I do so enjoy Sundays Doug!
Another great restoration, Doug. That material is really beautiful. I love that you're able to bring back these great old pens and make them useable again.
That was fascinating. I admire that you were able to bring that pen back to such a beautiful and useful state. I saw some old fountain pens at an Antique Mall yesterday and they were Rough with a R. I left them where I found them.
15:08 😂 Oh God, Doug. Thanks for this!
Okay, I can’t stop playing this part over and over again and laughing my ass off!!! Oh thank you, thank you, thank you, Doug
LOL! I'm glad you appreciate it!
I'm glad you appreciate it! LOL
Well done. The colours of both the Balance pens are eye catching.
They are!
Beautiful pen Doug. It looks like it’s previous owner probably took reasonable care of it. I was surprised for well the reverse writing went. Thank you for the Beetles opening. Such a pleasure from their music and like many, this was the music of my youth. 🙏
Thanks 👍
If only Sheaffer would sell pens of this quality today, rather than just posting nostalgic souvenirs of their past on Instagram, then I would be their biggest fan.
Great job on restoring this beauty.
By the way, Scott Newman (Fifteen Pens) in Toronto sells restauration supplies. It's a lot faster than ordering from the UK.
Thanks for the tip!
Celluloid is a lost art... but if they did a nice acrylic piston filler in this design, or especially an oversize model, people would pay for it.
Maybe when these companies get new hip ceos in charge they'll see the light.
Doug, thanks for the history lesson, always happy to know background of some of these pens.
My pleasure. Thanks, Peter!
Great job on a beautiful pen.
I love these resurrection videos. Have a great week brother. ✒️👍
Thanks, you too!
What a beautiful pen! Thank you for the video
My pleasure!
This Balance is a beautifully pen. Very nice indeed. It’s a shame they don’t even do gold plating like they used to.
Love these longer Sunday vods. I enjoy watching and seeing all the various details of a restoration.
I hope you get the nib the way you want it. Thanks, Doug
Thanks for watching!
Nicely done Doug!✒️
Thanks 👍
Pretty cool playing John’s rhythm guitar, Paul’s bass, and George’s lead guitar parts. Vocal wasn’t bad too, impressed that you hit that high note. Very cool looking pen
Thanks so much!
Great piece of work!
Thank you kindly!
Doug, another great resurrection video. I have only restored two pens; both Esterbrook J. I am now looking for a Shaeffer to add to my collection. Thanks again.
Go for it!
Thank you very much for making this video. I just lost my mom November. She and I used modern fountain pens before she passed away ,but I found some of her fountain pens along with some of my dad’s. They’re both born in the 20s and I’m pretty sure I have one called a safety penWaterman made of hard rubber. I was kind of a loss of what to do,maybe send them away but after watching this, I’m gonna try myself 👍🏻 by the way I’m loving my ink buddies. Thanks for introducing me to them .😊
Sorry for your loss, Terri. I’m glad you’re enjoying the ink buddies!
@@InkquiringMinds thank you, we were very close and she is definitely missed …but we made a lot of great memories together.
Yes the ink buddies are great! I haven’t spilt any ink since I got them.
I can’t say that for my buddies in our Pen club lol
Great job resurrecting that pen. Looks like new. The Red one looks Amazing!!! Would love to se that one resurrected as well.
It does!
Interesting, thanks!
Oooooh hooo ! Lovin' it.
really cool stuff Doug 👍
Thanks 👍
Because of Alicia (AdventureDenali - check her channel if you are not a fan already), and you, sir, I took a gamble last summer and decided to get a vintage Sheaffer Balance Oversize from the the US and have it shipped at rather considerable expense (I could have bought a top end Pelikan - VAT and customs on top of the price and the shipping…) halfway across the world to Poland. Mine has a medium 14k lifetime single tone gold nib and from the day I received the package it has been inked with Parker Qink Washable Blue and used daily.
Thank you for taking the time to give this piece of art a new life. I am sure it will still be fit to write and write extremely well for many a decade!
I'm a big fan of AdventureDenali!
Congratulations to that nice restoration job! The Sheaffer Balance is one of my favourite pen designs. I have a Sheaffer Lifetime Balance in the same celluloid green but it has the white dot and it's a vac-filler. I also have two of the smaller Balances models (lever fillers). The Lifetime nibs are wonderful. Enjoy your revived pen!
Very cool!
beautiful guitars!
They are!
I just love the Sheaffer celluloid. I have a green balance with a vac filler and military clip.
Nice!
@@InkquiringMinds I hope this series is doing well for you. A lot of the bigger pen channels tend to stick away from vintage pens. Even if you don’t want to restore pens there are so many places that restore and sell for a good price that I think it’s a great spot for an entry to gold nibs.
It surely is a beautiful pen. I love the history and the geography most. I love the nibs, and would unlikely get a vintage pen solely on the hassle of maintenance, I am a klutz. That said, there may be a market for newer bodies(thus cartridges/converters *modern) with older nibs. Maybe newer guts in older pens...
Just spit-balling on how we keep them alive and maybe even thrive?
I bet there are far more 'for parts' pens that can be saved - this might be a happy middle ground.
Very nice.
Thank you! Cheers!
What a wonderful restoration! The Balance I have, from 2000, is probably considered an oversized model. The unfortunate problem is that I could not afford the special edition that had the lever fill. Mine is a cartridge converter. But, it is a nice writer. Yours is wonderful. Now I understand why people prefer the vintage nibs.
I appreciate the time and effort you gave to this pen.
Great video, Doug.
Thanks Paul!
BOOM
There was also the Balance Junior. Slim, nickel plated hardware, and usually the glorious semi flex Junior 14K nib.
Lovely job! You cheat using the Parker sac spreader, however.Struggling with fingers all the way, baby! I kid. I understand any advantage.
I love my vintage Sheaffer's pens, though several seem to dislike Sheaffer Skrip inks oddly enough.
Thanks Paul!
The Sheaffer Rome, that was sacked often...sorry.
Nice work Doug.
LOL
Doug. Are you, or where you ever in a band?
Oh, there's a pen video lol! Great job as usual.
I was in a band in high school.
Bit of electric Doug today! 😀
Oh yeah!
Is that a 370? Great song, great resurrection.
1980 320
This episode is slightly painful for me, as, many years ago, long before I was even using fountain pens again, let alone taking an active interest in them, I inherited my grandad's green pen. I knew almost nothing about it, but I later found out it was a Balance just like the one you are working on in this video. I inspected the pen, and found out the sac had dried out and crumbled. So I threw it out! 🙄😡🤦🏽♂️
So sad!!
Ohh ouch. Sorry bout that
OMG! I'm drooling over that red Sheaffer Balance! Gorgeous pen! Not that I can afford it. But, man! It is beautiful! But I understand the rationale for choosing the green one. BTW... That cloth "squeaking" as you polished the barrel was like fingernails on a chalkboard to me! I hope you're happy!
Do you know if all of Sheaffer's 5-30 nibs are that fine? That would definitely be a plus for me if I'm looking for a vintage Balance.
Very nice restoration job, even if it was a green (not a fan) pen. Was the section originally fitted to the barrel with some shellac? Hard to believe it just popped apart like that without any ... um... "convincing."
Yeah I left the squeaking in just to bug you! LOL I'm still figuring out the difference between a Sheaffer #33 and the 5-30??? And yes, I believe there was some shellac holding the section in but it just came loose with a little twisting. The sac was still in one piece but when I pulled it, it tore away from the rest of the petrified remains.
Very nice, Doug. Vintage (antique) Sheaffer pens from that era are beautiful. I have one. It's an heirloom that belonged to my father so it holds a lot of sentimental value for me. It is a Lifetime Balance vac filler. I currently have it inked up but the piston's cork needs to be serviced as it has become misshaped, which makes using the vac filler unpredictable. The 14K nib is two toned, and is an extra fine, which had been called an accountant's nib. It writes beautifully but I don't use it very much due to the failing vac filler. Enjoy that lovely pen and thanks for sharing.
Thanks Jeff. The accountant nib was also called a “manifold” nib.
@@InkquiringMinds Didn't know that, thanks!
Doug, is there a reason why many vintage pens have a tiny hole somewhere on the cap? I have noticed this trend on many older pens. Thanks for all you do!
It is to equalize air pressure.
@@InkquiringMinds , thank you for the information. my guess was a place to let the leaking ink out
🤓🤓🤓🤠🤠🤠⭐
Coincidentally, one of the pens I was polishing today is a green-striated celluloid. The gilding is mostly gone, so shining the furniture with a cloth shows how badly brassed it is. Of most concern, though, is the ring, which is not connected to anything, and falls off when the pen is broken down (compare "broken up", as well as broken out, broken in, etc. )Do you have solutions (or suspensions) for addressing this issue? Sycophantically yours...
Celluloid shrinks so the band coming loose is common. You might want to try shellac on the inside of the band. Crazy glue is a no no!
@@InkquiringMinds Sounds good. Thanks.
Sweet! Think of the history...WWIII to be written about???