Sheaffer Tuckaway Vac Carmine Set XF

(sold) This is an early 1940s Sheaffer Tuckaway Vac Pencil and Fountain Pen Set in striated Carmine celluloid, witha 14k, two-tone, Extra-Fine nib. The pen has been restored, which included a complete disassembly, a thorough cleaning, an overhaul of the filling mechanism (including best practices in pen restoration and high-quality replacement components), ink flow adjustment, nib tuning, and a gentle hand polish. The pencil has also been restored to full working condition.

Sheaffer Tuckaway Vac Set in Carmine, with an XF Nib

This is a rare and beautiful set, and it's in excellent condition. The Carmine celluloid is among the most sought-after vintage pen materials, and I hope you can see why. It's deep, rich, and vibrant. Simply stunning. It's durable, too. The gold-filled trim is also in excellent condition, without any brassing or tarnish. The imprint is strong. There's just very faint surface wear, unseen with the naked eye.

Functionally, the fountain pen is in excellent condition. The filling mechanism works smoothly, efficiently, and holds a lot of ink. The nib has been adjusted to write a beautiful XF line, with good, consistent ink flow, a touch above average in wetness, so you can take full advantage of the XF line. Sheaffer XF nibs were ground really fine. It's as fine as a modern Sailor XF nib, so it'll be perfect for business cursive and Spencerian handwriting (without shading).

I've been asked a few times recently for a Tuckaway with a traditional, open nib. I usually carry Triumph nibs, as they're my favorite, but Sheaffer open nibs are also excellent. This particular XF writes a beautiful, confident line. It'll be perfect for those of you with small handwriting and the lovers of Japanese pens. The XF line is close to XXF, really, and it'll give you both smoothness and precision, a difficult combination to achieve by modern European and North American pen makers, at least in such a fine writing surface.

As you know, few pen companies use celluloid anymore. It's an infamously difficult material to manufacture, requiring nearly two years worth of processing to get the unique combination of beauty and toughness. It's remarkable to contemplate the fact that such a gorgeous material can also be so durable. This design does not have a transparent barrel, but it does have a convenient ink window. A small pen that converts to a full-size pen when posted, this pen will feel comfortable. It is a more successful design than the TWSBI Vac Mini, with better ergonomics and balance.

This model is rather difficult to restore, so you will not see it for sale very often.