Hi Chris - I just watched your video for probably the 5th time! I had my mom's Sheaffer 1930s Balance Lifetime restored by Ron Zorn. I am so happy. I watched YOU to see how to fill her up! I wrote with it for the first time and it writes beautifully. Thank you for all you do. I love your videos!
Thanks, Chris. I was able to start restoring my own balance pen because of this video! I really appreciate your explanation of some of the history of the pen as well.
Thanks for the video. Now pen restoration doesn't look so scary. I am right on the edge with my collection that I am looking into restoring my vintage pens myself.
I absolutely love the videos you make, especially restoration videos like these. I'm a young whippersnapper but I've been collecting pens for a little while now and want to start hopping into vintage pens. Your videos have been very informational and make me less worried about possibly having to restore pens.
What a nice video. Great explanation and editing. I learned a lot about the inner details of Balance pens, a model that I haven't had a chance to see it in person yet. Thanks for sharing!
I too prefer modern pens, but lately I have taken the plunge into a few oldies, and I find it enjoyable. I think the nibs on some older pens are more yielding and expressive (though not necessarily flexible). I do not restore myself so I only buy pens that have been serviced.
Great fun and very interesting to watch. I was just making a chance comment to an old school friend about how I loved green ink, and it led to discovering your channel (!)
great video thanks Chris My biggest kick from resorting pens is making something that does not work back to its working state so that they can be loved again.
Thanks for a great video. Love the Sheaffer Balance pen, especially that color. If you attend the Ohio Pen Show, I'd really like to meet you. Take care.
I took a look. Yes, the same pencil but I did not know it dates back to the 1930's, which makes my pencil the oldest writing instrument I have. (Knocks one or two of my fountain pens off their pedestals). Thanks for the information.
I’ve got one of theses Shaffer’s. I used to write with it as a child, learning to write. I remember screwing it up over and over. Now its still a great pen. I can’t say whether or not it originally belonged to my Father or Mother. She’s was an interpreter for Thomas Eaton Company before the War in Paris. She was Belgian, raised in a wealthy family, schooled in the Convent. Very well educated, spoke many languages, great writer. My Father was a guy with no education, but he held jobs that were demanding of his writing? So who’s pen?? I’d love to know. But its incredible, smooth writer. Shaffer Pen Company, Feather Touch 5, made in USA, Fort Madison, Iowa
I love these videos so much man. I just out a new bladder into old tiny pen. It's just about the length of a finger. But I hope to find some more pens to restore. :D
I love your demonstration restoring Sheaffer fountain. I had one years ago 1920 1930 Sheaffer Fountain pen.Restoration you made look easy. I can see not to hard to as long as you have the right parts. I could not imagine the ink tub relacement Any way thanks also to you sell and of you pens?
I just use straight sacs. Find the largest that fits in the barrel. Works for pens I have restored. Can't have the exact sac for every vintage. Sac inventory would be too large.
Thanks is for the video. Can you share what is the glue you used to seal the sack to the pen? I have a Shaeffer Triumph I want to restore and it just needs a new sack.
Chris, loved the video. I found you because I found a 1930’s Sheaffer very similar to the one in this video. Side note, I love James McMurtry! Could you point me toward a good source for the ink sack I will need for this pen? Thank you sir!
What do you do if you absolutely cannot get the pen apart? I've tried heating it up but I don't want to get it too hot. What do you suggest ,if anything?
Many sections are shellacked on. Was common. I have some sections I couldn't remove. Some use heat to remove. I haven't. Sometimes more soaking works to soften the shellac. Good luck.
Have you ever figured out anything to do about the air exchange problem that tends to occur in old pens? I have had many sac fill pens I have restored that "burp" ink every so often, and it tends to gloop up my paper. A pen repair guy told me to try using a smaller sac but it still was an issue...
I don't find sac fillers to burp more than other pens. Need to use good sacs that are very elastic, rebound quickly when compressed. I use a sac that fits loosely, has a air pocket between it & the barrel. A clean feed with open channels helps air flow. Hope that helps.
I believe there are latex rubber (black) and silicone (clear) sacs. I mostly use latex. Just have some silicone ones mostly for restoring Parker aerometric fillers. From my experience silicone not as elastic as latex, harder to attach to section.
I've also had some stuck. Sometimes they loosen up after days of soaking in water. Many were glued on with shellac. Some use heat, I've not been successful, distorted a few. Maybe warm water. Good luck.
You know I always hear about how stiff Sheaffer nibs are, but I've got two balances, one with a semiflex Feather Touch(~.3-1.25mm) and one with a full flex simply marked '3' (~.3-2mm with slight pressure). They also both had severely stubborn sections though...
So it'd seem! Sadly the feeds are absurdly dry. Had to carve out a new ink channel on one just to get it to write for more than 2-3 lines. Still, they're gorgeous in some more modern pens.
Well I know that on one of them the internal feed channel was completely clogged, dunno what the problem is with the other.Doesn't seem to be that. Seems to be poor air interchange for one reason or another.
I've been slowing getting into some pen tuning once I realized that some of my "resting" pens were in need of a little TLC. Any hints/suggestions on where to get some of the tools shown here (sac spreader, barrel scrapers)?
What if the section separates from the barrel too easily? I recently bought a Sheaffer lever fill, Similar to the one in the video. ITs missing the sac and the section falls out of body without pressure
A couple of suggestions, the idea is to build up the section that fits into the barrel. I have used glue or lacquer that I layer onto the section end, let dry, try fit, till too small, repeat. If too much sand a little off. Some use tape or rubber bands. You may think of other solutions. Good luck. Let me know what works for you.
Hi Chris ! I am happy to have found this video. I have a Sheaffer 1930s Balance Lifetime “white dot” fountain pen. I’m assuming it’s 1930s because it belonged to my mom who was born in 1922. I would love to get it restored. Do you restore pens for others or just as a personal hobby. My pen is not as pretty as yours but has a fond place in my heart. - Sandy
Going through a old box of school pencils I came across a Wearever lever fill pen. It was my mother,s and must have been in that box 45+ years. I was able to remove the top part from the barrel and the J bar is broke. The feed seems clogged and while the sack is still pliable is loose. I’m not sure if there is a way to send messages privately but would love to have the pen repair so it is usable. Do you take in pens to repair?
Where did you get the steel rod with two different ends--reminds me of the tool used to collect the meat from the nuts we cracked at Christmas--that you used to clean out the sac from the barrel. I found an old pen recently that has a nice red flecked body somewhat akin to the featured barrel you have here. I want to try and restore it. This video is a big help although I wish you had included some of the removal of the sac. Thanks for your videos. Nowadays I just want to find old pens that need a loving hand to write again.
I've had mine for a while. You can find one at www.pendemonium.com/repairservices.htm I get a lot of satisfaction from repairing these vintage items. I don't need to scrape out many sacs. Some come out with section, others fall out easily. Good luck with your restorations.
Hello there! I have a really similar sheaffer pen and I want to restore it, it is practically the same, but it does not have the lever. Do you have any advice? May I send you sone pictures for reference? I would really aporeciate your answer 😊
Without a lever probably means it is a vacuum or touch down filler, blind cap at end of barrel. More difficult to restore. Yes, send me pics chris@rapseik.org.
Hey Chris! I enjoyed watching this. I just bought my first Sheaffer and want to clean and polish it up since it was recently restored. What and where did you get the supplies for the cleaning and polishing? Thanks!
Those who are going to get into pen restoration, please read this. Please don't wax celluloid pens. That causes the material to deteriorate extremely quickly.
@@chrisrap52 Actually, Renaissance Wax is one of the deadliest ones, due to it's ability to permanently cling onto the surface it's waxed on. I *heavily* advise not to use waxes on any Nitrocellulose and celluloid pens especially. Wax may work on ABS and PVC plastics, but celluloid releases a lot more fumes compared to ABS and PVC in order to maintain it's unstable chemical compositions. If I can remember, there was a large discussion about this very topic in the Fountain Pen Network Facebook and Site some time ago. I'll link it if I can find it again. If you're in the FPN Facebook, here is a recent discussion about it, regarding David Issacson. facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10217634381308772&set=gm.1703881843077652&type=3&theater
@@chrisrap52 Anyhow, being short on time (currently studying), I'll link a Wikipedia page to refer to what I'm talking about. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celluloid "Many sources of deterioration in celluloid exist, such as thermal, chemical, photochemical, and physical. The most inherent flaw is as celluloid ages, the camphor molecules are ‘squeezed’ out of the mass due to the unsustainable pressure used in the production. That pressure causes the nitrocellulose molecules to bind back to each other or crystallize, and this results in the camphor molecules being shoved out of the material. Once exposed to the environment, camphor can undergo sublimation at room temperature, leaving the plastic as brittle nitrocellulose." The camphor molecules must be able to escape into the atmosphere, in order to stabilize the celluloid. If say, a thin layer of unmovable wax were to be applied throughout the pen, the camphor molecules will build up under the wax layer, and due to celluloid's crystal structure, will eventually crack it. This process of celluloid decay is natural, but applying a layer of wax will significantly shorten a pen's lifetime. I really advise you to try and sand off as much of the wax layer as possible, to allow the trapped fumes to escape. If you want a good finish, I suggest using Micro-Gloss as a polish rather than a wax. You can use any other types of polish, but you just have to make sure they don't have wax in them.
@@tnguyen4181 I understand the possible outgassing. After a time the material stabilizes. Also, there are two surfaces, outside waxed & inside not. So gases can escape there. Have you seen the negative effects of waxing? I have not. I commented on the Facebook post.
@@chrisrap52 Celluloid never truly stabilizes. According to Canada's museum link (I sent above), as long as celluloid is restricted from air flow, acidic gases will build up inside the pen. All things considered, it may stabilize partially because of it's crystal structure, but the buildup will still happen, leading pens that stabilize to the same demise. I have not seen this happen to pens myself, but have seen and heard of many celluloids cracking after no open air flow was allowed to reach the object, e.g. put in a drawer.
Hi Chris - I just watched your video for probably the 5th time! I had my mom's Sheaffer 1930s Balance Lifetime restored by Ron Zorn. I am so happy. I watched YOU to see how to fill her up! I wrote with it for the first time and it writes beautifully. Thank you for all you do. I love your videos!
Thanks. I learned a lot from Ron. Glad you enjoyed it.
Thanks, Chris. I was able to start restoring my own balance pen because of this video! I really appreciate your explanation of some of the history of the pen as well.
Great to hear. Glad you found video helpful. Encourages me to do more.
Thanks for the video. Now pen restoration doesn't look so scary. I am right on the edge with my collection that I am looking into restoring my vintage pens myself.
A video from three years ago, that I always review. Great job, beauty pen.
Beautiful vintage Sheaffer, Chris. Always a learning experience when I see your restorations. Thanks for sharing. :-)
My pleasure, thanks for watching.
The LED light is ingenious!! Props to you!!
Nothing like a vintage american fountain pen.Awesome.Thank you,Mr.Chris.
Glad to see a fellow Mainer!
I absolutely love the videos you make, especially restoration videos like these. I'm a young whippersnapper but I've been collecting pens for a little while now and want to start hopping into vintage pens. Your videos have been very informational and make me less worried about possibly having to restore pens.
Glad you like them. Nice to know they are informative.
What a nice video. Great explanation and editing. I learned a lot about the inner details of Balance pens, a model that I haven't had a chance to see it in person yet. Thanks for sharing!
Your videos are the best...
hey thanks for sharing this with us I really appreciate it!
Thank you, Chris. While I am a modern pen person (with a single vintage pen), I really enjoy learning about restoration.
I too prefer modern pens, but lately I have taken the plunge into a few oldies, and I find it enjoyable. I think the nibs on some older pens are more yielding and expressive (though not necessarily flexible). I do not restore myself so I only buy pens that have been serviced.
This is a beautiful fountain pen.
Another fine video; thanks for what you do.
Glad you enjoy. It is great to share.
Great fun and very interesting to watch. I was just making a chance comment to an old school friend about how I loved green ink, and it led to discovering your channel (!)
Oh wow! Thanks for watching. Many pen videos for your enjoyment.
Отличная работа! Интересно и познавательно смотреть Ваши реставрации.
Спасибо. Мне нравится реставрировать ручки. Рад, что вам нравится смотреть.
great video thanks Chris My biggest kick from resorting pens is making something that does not work back to its working state so that they can be loved again.
Thanks for a great video. Love the Sheaffer Balance pen, especially that color. If you attend the Ohio Pen Show, I'd really like to meet you. Take care.
I will not be at the Ohio Pen show. Maybe next year.
i have one exactly like yours. thanks for the review.
I agree that this pen is a looker. The green black material does look pretty nice.
I have the matching pencil for that pen. The green/black is eye catching.
So do I. See my previous video, ua-cam.com/video/Bkq7YK203jU/v-deo.html
I took a look. Yes, the same pencil but I did not know it dates back to the 1930's, which makes my pencil the oldest writing instrument I have. (Knocks one or two of my fountain pens off their pedestals). Thanks for the information.
For me, when it comes to pens:
Performance Looks Engineering
in that order ❤️❤️👍❤️❤️
I saw Live in concert twice. Good band.
WOW you saw Live live !!! 😍😎
@@chrisrap52 Yes. Live live. Twice. (should that be twice twice??) Once with Counting Crows.
I’ve got one of theses Shaffer’s. I used to write with it as a child, learning to write. I remember screwing it up over and over. Now its still a great pen. I can’t say whether or not it originally belonged to my Father or Mother. She’s was an interpreter for Thomas Eaton Company before the War in Paris. She was Belgian, raised in a wealthy family, schooled in the Convent. Very well educated, spoke many languages, great writer. My Father was a guy with no education, but he held jobs that were demanding of his writing? So who’s pen?? I’d love to know. But its incredible, smooth writer. Shaffer Pen Company, Feather Touch 5, made in USA, Fort Madison, Iowa
Thanks.
You're welcome
love the LED light where can I get one ? thanks .............. great video
It is a gun bore light. Search eBay for one. www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2505460.m570.l1311&_nkw=gun+bore+light&_sacat=0
I love these videos so much man. I just out a new bladder into old tiny pen. It's just about the length of a finger. But I hope to find some more pens to restore. :D
Thank you. I enjoy making them. Good hunting.
I love your demonstration restoring Sheaffer fountain. I had one years ago 1920 1930 Sheaffer Fountain pen.Restoration you made look easy. I can see not to hard to as long as you have the right parts. I could not imagine the ink tub relacement Any way thanks also to you sell and of you pens?
I don't sell regularly. If you are a buyer, contact me via email- chris@rapseik.org.
@@chrisrap52 thanks. I really wanted to ask you where can I buy repair parts for fountain pens Thant is something I would really like to do
Many places, here's a few - www.pendemonium.com/nibsandparts.htm - pentooling.com/suppliesmatls.html - andersonpens.com/repair-supplies/
Great video! Can you do a future video on your polishing techniques?
Check out some of my earlier rstoration videos, l I show details in them. like - ua-cam.com/video/EthyJkvlJmU/v-deo.html
Thanks!
if I remember correctly, there are tapered sacs for these pens....
I just use straight sacs. Find the largest that fits in the barrel. Works for pens I have restored. Can't have the exact sac for every vintage. Sac inventory would be too large.
Thank you to do a review about this pen:) is it made of acrylic?
No, made from celluloid.
Thanks is for the video. Can you share what is the glue you used to seal the sack to the pen? I have a Shaeffer Triumph I want to restore and it just needs a new sack.
A outdoor wood glue. Water based, waterproof glue that is gentle to latex.
Chris, loved the video. I found you because I found a 1930’s Sheaffer very similar to the one in this video. Side note, I love James McMurtry! Could you point me toward a good source for the ink sack I will need for this pen? Thank you sir!
www.pendemonium.com/tags/pen-repair-supplies?page=3
What do you do if you absolutely cannot get the pen apart? I've tried heating it up but I don't want to get it too hot. What do you suggest ,if anything?
Many sections are shellacked on. Was common. I have some sections I couldn't remove. Some use heat to remove. I haven't. Sometimes more soaking works to soften the shellac. Good luck.
Have you ever figured out anything to do about the air exchange problem that tends to occur in old pens? I have had many sac fill pens I have restored that "burp" ink every so often, and it tends to gloop up my paper. A pen repair guy told me to try using a smaller sac but it still was an issue...
I don't find sac fillers to burp more than other pens. Need to use good sacs that are very elastic, rebound quickly when compressed. I use a sac that fits loosely, has a air pocket between it & the barrel. A clean feed with open channels helps air flow. Hope that helps.
@@chrisrap52 Thanks! Do you like the polyurethane or the natural rubber sacs best?
I believe there are latex rubber (black) and silicone (clear) sacs. I mostly use latex. Just have some silicone ones mostly for restoring Parker aerometric fillers. From my experience silicone not as elastic as latex, harder to attach to section.
Have a similar shearer but the grip is suck on the pen…any suggestions to get it off with little to no damage?
I've also had some stuck. Sometimes they loosen up after days of soaking in water. Many were glued on with shellac. Some use heat, I've not been successful, distorted a few. Maybe warm water. Good luck.
@@chrisrap52 thank you!
You know I always hear about how stiff Sheaffer nibs are, but I've got two balances, one with a semiflex Feather Touch(~.3-1.25mm) and one with a full flex simply marked '3' (~.3-2mm with slight pressure). They also both had severely stubborn sections though...
I only have older hard rubber Sheaffers with soft nibs. None would I classify as flex. You are lucky to have some.
So it'd seem! Sadly the feeds are absurdly dry. Had to carve out a new ink channel on one just to get it to write for more than 2-3 lines. Still, they're gorgeous in some more modern pens.
Well I know that on one of them the internal feed channel was completely clogged, dunno what the problem is with the other.Doesn't seem to be that. Seems to be poor air interchange for one reason or another.
What polish do you use for vintage gold nibs?
See my vintage restoration video - ua-cam.com/video/EthyJkvlJmU/v-deo.html. I use different polishing based on condition of nib.
i have a sheaffers with a white dot on the cap that i want to restore
I've been slowing getting into some pen tuning once I realized that some of my "resting" pens were in need of a little TLC. Any hints/suggestions on where to get some of the tools shown here (sac spreader, barrel scrapers)?
Three places; www.pendemonium.com, www.indy-pen-dance.com/
, www.andersonpens.com. One may have all, all have some.
What if the section separates from the barrel too easily? I recently bought a Sheaffer lever fill, Similar to the one in the video. ITs missing the sac and the section falls out of body without pressure
A couple of suggestions, the idea is to build up the section that fits into the barrel. I have used glue or lacquer that I layer onto the section end, let dry, try fit, till too small, repeat. If too much sand a little off. Some use tape or rubber bands. You may think of other solutions. Good luck. Let me know what works for you.
Thanks!!
Hi Chris ! I am happy to have found this video. I have a Sheaffer 1930s Balance Lifetime “white dot” fountain pen. I’m assuming it’s 1930s because it belonged to my mom who was born in 1922. I would love to get it restored. Do you restore pens for others or just as a personal hobby. My pen is not as pretty as yours but has a fond place in my heart. - Sandy
I have restored some viewers pen. Send me some pictures of the pen - chris@rapseik.org
Going through a old box of school pencils I came across a Wearever lever fill pen. It was my mother,s and must have been in that box 45+ years. I was able to remove the top part from the barrel and the J bar is broke. The feed seems clogged and while the sack is still pliable is loose. I’m not sure if there is a way to send messages privately but would love to have the pen repair so it is usable. Do you take in pens to repair?
Send me an email, with photos if you can, to chris@rapseik.org.
How do you remove the old sac that is stuck to the nib section? Scrape it off or will it soak off? Also what wax do you use? Thanks.
Gently scrape off old sac. Renaissance Wax for most, carnauba wax for hard rubber.,
Great restoration! Was the nib just friction fit? Did you have to use a knock out block at all?
Friction fit, nib came out easily. I did not remove feed as flow was good.
Where did you get the steel rod with two different ends--reminds me of the tool used to collect the meat from the nuts we cracked at Christmas--that you used to clean out the sac from the barrel. I found an old pen recently that has a nice red flecked body somewhat akin to the featured barrel you have here. I want to try and restore it. This video is a big help although I wish you had included some of the removal of the sac. Thanks for your videos. Nowadays I just want to find old pens that need a loving hand to write again.
I've had mine for a while. You can find one at www.pendemonium.com/repairservices.htm
I get a lot of satisfaction from repairing these vintage items. I don't need to scrape out many sacs. Some come out with section, others fall out easily. Good luck with your restorations.
What kind of glue did you use for the ink bladder ??? I'm restoring a esterbrook dollar pen don't know what glue to use first restoration
Elmer's Waterproof External Wood Glue to attached sac to section nib.
Thankyou for the help 😁
Hello there! I have a really similar sheaffer pen and I want to restore it, it is practically the same, but it does not have the lever. Do you have any advice? May I send you sone pictures for reference? I would really aporeciate your answer 😊
Without a lever probably means it is a vacuum or touch down filler, blind cap at end of barrel. More difficult to restore. Yes, send me pics chris@rapseik.org.
where do u get your sacks
In USA - Anderson Pens, Pendemonium & pentooling.com/
Hey Chris! I enjoyed watching this. I just bought my first Sheaffer and want to clean and polish it up since it was recently restored. What and where did you get the supplies for the cleaning and polishing? Thanks!
Those who are going to get into pen restoration, please read this.
Please don't wax celluloid pens. That causes the material to deteriorate extremely quickly.
I've been waxing my celluloid for over 30 years. I've seen no issues. There may be some waxes that react but I use Rennaissance Wax.
@@chrisrap52 Actually, Renaissance Wax is one of the deadliest ones, due to it's ability to permanently cling onto the surface it's waxed on.
I *heavily* advise not to use waxes on any Nitrocellulose and celluloid pens especially. Wax may work on ABS and PVC plastics, but celluloid releases a lot more fumes compared to ABS and PVC in order to maintain it's unstable chemical compositions. If I can remember, there was a large discussion about this very topic in the Fountain Pen Network Facebook and Site some time ago. I'll link it if I can find it again. If you're in the FPN Facebook, here is a recent discussion about it, regarding David Issacson.
facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10217634381308772&set=gm.1703881843077652&type=3&theater
@@chrisrap52 Anyhow, being short on time (currently studying), I'll link a Wikipedia page to refer to what I'm talking about. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celluloid
"Many sources of deterioration in celluloid exist, such as thermal, chemical, photochemical, and physical. The most inherent flaw is as celluloid ages, the camphor molecules are ‘squeezed’ out of the mass due to the unsustainable pressure used in the production. That pressure causes the nitrocellulose molecules to bind back to each other or crystallize, and this results in the camphor molecules being shoved out of the material. Once exposed to the environment, camphor can undergo sublimation at room temperature, leaving the plastic as brittle nitrocellulose."
The camphor molecules must be able to escape into the atmosphere, in order to stabilize the celluloid. If say, a thin layer of unmovable wax were to be applied throughout the pen, the camphor molecules will build up under the wax layer, and due to celluloid's crystal structure, will eventually crack it. This process of celluloid decay is natural, but applying a layer of wax will significantly shorten a pen's lifetime. I really advise you to try and sand off as much of the wax layer as possible, to allow the trapped fumes to escape. If you want a good finish, I suggest using Micro-Gloss as a polish rather than a wax. You can use any other types of polish, but you just have to make sure they don't have wax in them.
@@tnguyen4181 I understand the possible outgassing. After a time the material stabilizes. Also, there are two surfaces, outside waxed & inside not. So gases can escape there. Have you seen the negative effects of waxing? I have not. I commented on the Facebook post.
@@chrisrap52 Celluloid never truly stabilizes. According to Canada's museum link (I sent above), as long as celluloid is restricted from air flow, acidic gases will build up inside the pen.
All things considered, it may stabilize partially because of it's crystal structure, but the buildup will still happen, leading pens that stabilize to the same demise. I have not seen this happen to pens myself, but have seen and heard of many celluloids cracking after no open air flow was allowed to reach the object, e.g. put in a drawer.
I have a pen that no longers works but I still have it and I want to restore it but don't know how
Watch this video - ua-cam.com/video/gEGHIfjeKDo/v-deo.html or
ua-cam.com/video/EthyJkvlJmU/v-deo.html
Or some of Grandmia's.
Hi, what to do if I can't open the pen? I've used a rubber band but It's still stuck... :\
thanks
Have you soaked it in water? I have soaked sections for days before I was able to remove them.
only for an hour or so, I'll try again later thx
Vous avez mal filmé;Je ne peux pas tout voir.
Pas mon tournage, je ne peux pas tout voir non plus.