#sheaffer pen

This one is a 1005, 23k gold electroplated with a 14k inlaid nib, and boy is it shiny! This finish was produced throughout the Targa's run, 1976 to 1999. It's not hard to see why. It's such a sexy pen!

The nib is a medium and it writes like butter. It gets beautifully subtle shading from Faber-Castell Hazelnut Brown.

"We have a Sheaffer Imperial VI at home."

Sheaffer Imperial VI at home:

(At least it's a Sheaffer!)

After Sheaffer's inlaid nib took off, Sheaffer brought out a less expensive pen that gives the impression of having an inlaid nib without actually having an inlaid nib. Their model names are 500, 800, and 1000, but collectors call them "Dolphins".

TBF it's a good illusion! The nib is a fairly standard shape, just pressed into a hood with a fake metal tail. It might be steel, it might be silver-palladium, no one's entirely sure. But it writes consistently and well.

And the set looks really nice in its box:

Shiny!

Since the invention of the fountain pen, engineers have dreamed up all kinds of ways to make filling it up as easy and mess-free as possible. The Sheaffer Touchdown introduced one-handed filling with a single stroke. The Snorkel added a crucial new feature:

Hence the name!

The Snorkel tube deploys and retracts automatically. You turn the knurled end of the barrel to extend the tube and also to engage the filling system. Pull out the back end, position the tube in your ink, and push the back end in. Count to three and then screw it all back together.

Many Snorkels have fancy Triumph or inlaid nibs, but mine has a normal open nib. The model name is "Admiral" and was the second cheapest version.

So sparkly! Petit point is a type of decorative needlepoint stitching, and this pen's flower pattern has parallel grooves to give that impression. There's also a white version, XXIII, where the flowers are gold. I'd love to find one.

The 14k gold Triumph nib has a platinum mask and a fine point. It's not as smooth as I'd like, but I don't dare mess with it too much for fear of breaking something.

It also comes in white (II) and both are just so sleek! I didn't think I'd like the finish as much as I do when I first got them. Like all Ladies it's a small, slim pen with a bit of heft, and takes Sheaffer cartridges.

The conical Triumph nib on this one is steel. The sweet spot is a little fussy, but once you find it it's smooth sailing.

Look at that shiny milling! It's a fun visual effect.