Jewelers band Ebonized Pearl Sheaffer Balance - fine Feather Touch 5 nib

Vintage fountain pens don't get much better than this.

These Sheaffer Balance with special cap bands are called "jewelers bands" by collectors. They don't appear in any Sheaffer catalog. They are thought to have only been available through Sheaffer retailers that were jewelry stores. This since Walter Sheaffer began his pen business in his own jewelry store.

This pen is in amazing condition. It is probably from early 1936 since it has a 4 line imprint and had a celluloid covered carbon steel rod. The rod was rotten so I've made a new one from black oxide coated stainless steel. It'll last the lifetime of the pen. That rotten rod is the only real criticism. The celluloid is gorgeous with no flaws. The color and clarity are very good - a bit of darkening but the iridescence of the nacre chips remains vibrant on both the cap and barrel. The personalization panel on the cap band is blank. That's a bit unusual.

It's all topped off with one of my favorite nibs of all time. I think the Sheaffer Feather Touch 5 is a nib that everyone should own. It's not flexible or even semi-flexible. But, it is soft, bouncy and luscious and offers wonderful line variation under normal writing pressure. It can perform on demand - in a gentle hand - but is also easy to use for jotting rapid notes.

The filling system has been restored with modern synthetic materials. They will last decades with only an occasional application of 100% pure silicone grease to the filler rod.

Length
Capped - 135 mm (5.3”)
Uncapped - 116 mm (4.5”)
Posted - 158 mm (6.2”)
Diameter
Cap - 13.3 mm (0.52”)
Barrel - 11.6 mm (0.46”)

Filler
Vacuum-Fil

Nib
fine