Filling system
Plunger fillers
A plunger filler holds ink in the barrel, like a Vacumatic, but fills with a single stroke. Unscrew the knob, pull the rod out, put the nib in the ink and push it back down. The stroke builds a vacuum in the barrel, and near the bottom the seal opens and ink rushes in. Sheaffer sold it as the Vac-Fil from the 1930s, and Pilot's Custom 823 uses the same idea today. The seal around the plunger rod is the wear point. On a vintage Vac-Fil it's packing that dries out, and on a modern Pilot it's a seal that can start to weep. A pen that draws a full barrel in one stroke is working properly.
1 pen we cover.
