It only holds a single piece of lead at a time and sadly it’s got to be a piece of lead that you modify by breaking about 2mm off of because a standard modern piece is too long.
You can unscrew it and push the rod back in yourself. Or loading a piece through the tip will push the rod back. The trouble is there’s a tiny bit left that needs to come out first.
The Sheaffer pencil is not worth any more than $15-$25. Do not let the listings fool you into paying more
2 Likes
The plastic one is the best if you ask me but I know of two metal for sale at $25 on eBay now.
If you can’t find a plastic one in a satisfactory amount of time, I’ll sell you one of mine for $20 and you pay the shipping.
I don’t want you over paying for the thing. I’ll find another one later
1 Like
If you shop Mercari, there are two for sale on there as Sailor for less than $12. One pink and one black.
1 Like
The plastic is better than the metal? May I inquire as to why that is?
P.S. Thanks so much for the help and enthusiasm 
1 Like
Better grip. It’s lighter and a smidgen thicker.
Look closely at the Sheaffer metal you’ll see it’s smooth and the Sailor metal has slight grip, the grip helps. Between the weight and the smoothness it just isn’t an easy grip (at least the way I hold a pencil)
I want EVERYONE to understand how great this pencil is!
I love that it was done well before any of the modern technology because, though primitive, it really is genius and works so well.
2 Likes
Don’t hesitate to message me if you want me to send you one. It isn’t a bother. As you can tell I’m always searching them and will definitely get one to replace it.
I am flabbergasted by your kindness, I will definitly let you know!
https://buyee.jp/mercari/item/m98829494513?conversionType=Mercari_DirectSearch
https://buyee.jp/mercari/item/m89000219627?conversionType=Mercari_DirectSearch
1950s? Can you share the history? I am no expert on this pencil, but 0.5 lead was pioneered by Pentel and others in the 60s. Here is what I have:
1941 - Parker developed first 0.9mm lead
1961 - Mitsubishi develops 0.7mm lead (screw adv)
1962 - Pentel develops 0.5 and 0.7 and pencils
1968 - Pentel develops 0.3mm
1972 Newman releases Super 0.2mm pencil
1973 - Pentel develops 0.2mm (model PS1042)
2 Likes
Let me see what I can find…
You’ll need to translate it from mandarin but this guy was also in love with it
I can’t find where I read 50s but maybe that person was estimating?
This articles author thinks 1960.
It’s a very intriguing read.
2 Likes
I looked through. He is quite knowledgeable and fascinated. Thanks!
I like this MP because of its unique design objectives and resulting, unusual solutions.
1 Like
Here’s the English translation, I highly recommend the read……,
091: Ultra-complex Sailor card box mechanical pencil
Year of sale: before 1974
Manufacturer: Sailor
Model: N/A
Weight: 13.3 g
Material: metal, plastic
Selling price: 1000 yen
Rarity: ★★★★
Topicality: ★★★★★
This pen is really destined for me. When I saw it at the Japanese auction, I was attracted at a glance. Although the seller doesn’t pay much into the product description, and I don’t know this pen, I feel that there is a feeling that it can’t be under the standard. Before the deadline, there was almost no resistance from other bidders, so I bought it at a satisfactory price. After the goods were sent to my hand and played a little, I knew that I had picked up the treasure.
At first sight, the appearance of this pen is similar to that of Pentel’s Injecto (which is also my favorite pen). In fact, they also have similarities in terms of function - they all use a cartridge-type refill replacement. However, it is very different from the general card box-type mechanical pencil, which will be discussed later. But at first glance, there is nothing special about its appearance, but this pen is powerful on the inside. There are many functions in it, which are also quite novel, and it is also the automatic pen with the most removable parts I know.
People who like automatic pens must be like me. When they encounter a pen with such a complex structure, their eyes will light up. However, after in-depth understanding of this pen, the joy of getting this pen has also turned into a respect for the designer.
Since I call it a super complex mechanical pencil, how many mechanisms have been stuffed into it? Please see the decomposition diagram below (some of them I can’t remove).
The parts that can be removed from this pen are all genuine key parts. There are no decorative things, and the total number is 9 pieces. Generally, the main parts of the automatic pen are about 4 or 5, but its parts are twice as many. I don’t understand the function of some parts. I only know that one is indispensable. If its core mechanism is divided into the front and rear ends, the figure below shows the part that belongs to the front end, and this part not only requires skills when disassembling, but also makes it more difficult to put it back. I gave up for a while.
The upper half of the figure below is the appearance after the front end of the core output mechanism is installed, while the lower half is the rear end of the core output mechanism.
The back end of the core mechanism is also another noteworthy point. The refill cartridge of this pen is installed here (the white plastic thin rod-shaped object with a nib in the picture). As far as I know, it is the only one who does this. In addition, the concept of integrating the cartridge and the nib seems strange, but not only that. There is also a wonderful concept hidden behind it, which is enough to make other automatic pencils with the same function look out of shape.
This design is that the same pen can use refills with different core diameters. The general practice is to stuff the mechanical pencil mechanism of different core diameters into the pen shaft and select it by switching. However, in this way, the pen shaft will be enlarged or not stable enough when writing, and there will be a sense of shaking. Sailor uses such a design to solve the above problem in one fell swoop, but the disadvantage is that it will be a little inconvenient. It is necessary to change the cartridge of different core diameters by pumping and changing, but I think it’s okay. Maybe I don’t need to change the core diameter frequently because of my usage habits. Incidentally, the place where it contains the refill is not at the end of the pen. Therefore, if you take off the pen tail eraser and prepare to put it into the refill, you will find that it is inserted but the refill cannot come out, but it can be used to store the refill as a spare tire. The original factory said that if the refill is finished, a new refill cartridge should be purchased (which is also the spirit of the cartridge-type mechanical pencil), but in fact, it is mentioned in the manual that if you can’t buy a cartridge temporarily, you can take out the refill in the pen shaft and put it into the cartridge. This also shows that its cartridges can be reused and do not need to be replaced as a whole group. Therefore, the sales of cartridges were not very good at that time. I know that a Japanese dealer had a batch of refill cartridges that had been sold for almost 30 years and could not be sold out.
It is quite simple to replace the refill cartridge. Pinch the pen head with your finger and pull it out (on the right of the figure below). The original factory launched a total of 0.3/0.5mm core diameters, and there are two colors: black and red. This pen also has the function of Double Knock.
Another function mentioned in the instruction manual is that you only need to press the pen tail button and send out the refill once, and you can write 1000 words in a row. When I saw this function at that time, I intuitively thought that its refill was particularly powerful or something. Later, when I actually used it, I found that it turned out to be an automatic refill function. Moreover, its automatic core-out mechanism is different from the general automatic core-out mechanism. Unfortunately, it is impossible to determine the actual launch time of the pen at present. I can only judge from the company address and name published in the manual. It was produced in 1960-1978 (update: I later found a document, which was a 1974 magazine, which contained the same automatic pen advertisement from Sailor to Xihua. Therefore, its production date can be pushed back to before 1974. Considering that the sub-production products may be launched later, I estimate that Sailor’s pen should be launched between 1970-1974), but more information is still needed to narrow down the age range. However, its automatic core launch time may be earlier than the alpha matic introduced before. The reason why I will infer that in addition to the era, almost all automatic core-out mechanical pencils, whether European or Japanese, will mention the keyword “automatic”, but Sailor did not mention a word. If it were not unwilling to use the word “automatic” and help people lift the sedan chair, it would still be in the early stage of this institution when it was launched. I don’t know what name it should be given.
From the figure above, you can see that the pen shaft has a circle of transparent plastic. It is not a decoration. If the refill is almost used up, you can see the red indication here. This function is the same as Pentel’s Injecto, but the launch time is also earlier than Sailor, but the completion of this device is still higher than Injecto.
Several versions of this pen have been launched, which can be roughly divided into all-metal and semi-metal (the grip is made of plastic) and all-plastic, and some versions with small changes in details have been developed from these three categories.
Little is known about the background information of this pen, so it is impossible to know whether it is rare, but at least it is a rare pen. It has a long history of more than 30 years. It is not a leading brand of mechanical pencils. In addition, the workmanship is complex and the circulation of parts is almost zero, so the output should not be small, and the remaining quantity is relatively small. This pen integrates automatic core, multi-core diameter, Double Knock, and cartridge refill with indicator window. It can be said that it has the function of collecting collectors’ attention. It is a pen with considerable collection fun, and of course it can also be included in the category of precious institutions.
3 Likes
Wow, this is almost exactly the same claim as the pilot patent
“[Claim 5]
The mechanical pencil according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the front shaft is configured to be replaceable with another front shaft capable of accommodating and holding a lead having a different lead diameter, and the lead having the different lead diameter can be pressed and fed by the pressing member”
"If the core that can be fed out in the present embodiment can be accommodated in the front shaft and the core diameter is larger than the diameter of the front portion of the pressing member 80, the specification can be changed by replacing the front shaft, which is very convenient."
1 Like