10 replies to this topic

[Gerry Berg]

"WASP vacuum-fil" was one of Sheaffer's sub brands. The lever-filler and plunger-filler varieties are perhaps better known than the twist-fillers shown here.

Of the color varieties below, the far left one is a good example of a "screamer", but note that the red one next to it is very close to "screaming". All three appear to be made of coiled celluloid, the spiral edges clearly visible.

[david i]

Always fun to see these.

Note that Sheaffer's official name of this style appears to be... Twist Sac.

There a bit of a pain to restore. The sac (as with, i guess, AA Waterman pens) has to be attached to the section, then drawn out (stretched) through the back of pen with forceps or some such, clamped stretched, and attached to the clear twist unit, then allowed to set before being released.


I have a fair number, thanks to that 100-pen Sheaffer Sub-Brand collection I bought a couple years ago at the Raleigh Pen Show. I can shoot a couple more when I'm home next week, but here are couple images of pens lurking in Manhattan..

Screaming Souls in Purgatory twist sac pens.

SSpiral celluloid, both lever and twist-sac. The twist-sac pen and the Snorkel turned up in a single ebay sale (dirt cheap, d/t poor pic, which is why the Snork is in this shot)

regards

David

[Gerry Berg]

Thanks, David. Have you seen a red "twist-sac"?

[david i]

Thanks, David. Have you seen a red "twist-sac"?

Hi Gerry,

You mean a red or red marbled pen (as in your first pic)? Yep. The red marble tends to go "copper" in sunlight. I have couple at home and will shoot next week.

Or do you mean the blind cap? I believe those started clear, then went yellow/red as with most clear pen celluloid depending on use/exposure.

regards

david

[Gerry Berg]

I'm afraid, my photo skills did not not bring out the shockingly bright redness of the middle pen in both pics. Most of the ones I've seen tend more toward the "copper". I don't have a twist-sac pen with a really clear blind cap. Most are some stage of yellow.

[david i]

I'm afraid, my photo skills did not not bring out the shockingly bright redness of the middle pen in both pics. Most of the ones I've seen tend more toward the "copper". I don't have a twist-sac pen with a really clear blind cap. Most are some stage of yellow.

I will have some nice images to share next week.

The red does tend to "copper-ize". I have at home a superb red then, and one that looks wholly copper, save for the perfect red on the barrel where covered by the main cap. A superb teaching example no doubt.

I believe a couple of the pens have nearly clear-white blind/twist caps.

regards

david

[Teej47]

Thanks, David. Have you seen a red "twist-sac"?

Is it just me, or does that sound like a horrible medical condition?

"I'm very sorry, Ma'am, but your husband has a rare case of red twist-sac and is asking to be euthenized."

Tim

[BrianMcQueen]

Gerry, thanks for sharing your images. I had never seen the blue/yellow plastic of the rightmost pen.

[david i]

Gerry, thanks for sharing your images. I had never seen the blue/yellow plastic of the rightmost pen.

Hi Brian,

Suspect that one didn't start out... yellow.

regards

david

[david i]

Hi,

Here is a gift of sorts, a shot of most of my WASP Vacuum-Fil twist-sac pens. These date to mid 1930s, I'm guessing 1936-8 or so. Comments below.

The blue/brown pen at right is a conventional lever-fill pen, and I suspect Gerry's blue/yellow pen started out blue/brown.Pale brown celluloid is notorious for discoloring, and the twist-sac version would offer direct ink-exposure to the barrel.

The copper-pearl pen at left is shown to address Gerry's question about the existence of red twist-sac pens. The brownish pen at the very left is bright red near the threads. The only area still red is that which was covered by the cap. This likely indicates light-based discoloration of the entire pen. Had the pen been left uncapped at length, the whole thing might be copper, and we'd seriously consider it a different original color. This issue has popped up in discussion of other series as well. A fully red pen or two are shown as well. I suppose an alternative explanation for the copper pen at left is that it truly is copper but that ink under the cap (or leaking from loose sac discolored the threads and nearby barrel, but I have doubts on that.

My guess is that- perhaps save for the spiral pen at bottom (i've seen that color only Slender)- these colors in twist-sac were offered both Slender and Standard. The blind cap (twist cap) at butt of pen likely started as clear celluloid, progressing through the usual ambering process to amber, then red, then perhaps opaque. Given that thick clear celluloid tends not to hold up well, suffering crazing (as with Waterman 100-Year Pen butts, and with some clear gripping section), I'm impressed that I've never seen a crazed blind cap on one of these pens. In the photo one blind cap remains nearly clear with no yellowing. Others show various stages of ambering.

regards

david

[BrianMcQueen]

Thanks for sharing the image, David! I suspect you're right about Gerry's "Blue and Yellow." Seems like you used your best pen as the prop pen.