Sheaffer: The Dry-Proof Socket Base

Author: Roger Wooten

Sheaffer, like most companies, looked to handle a host of minor inadequacies through continued innovations. Some of the answered reached proved to be failures such as the Dry-Proof socket. Introduced in 1935, the Dry-Proof socket was to guarantee that the pen would not be dry when taken from the holder. One wonders at the need when you read the sales pitch which states that the pen is air tight weather locked down or not (so what do we need this locking feature for one wonders?). The answer is that you want to assure that it does not come away from an air tight seal particularly over night. So the idea was that you would lock it down at the end of the day and release it the next morning. So what did it do? By turning the pen a half turn a fluted sleeve was forced down firmly pressing the pen against the socket seat (1937 catalogue). How could a smooth circular section accomplish this? Here is a major problem and a major answer to one of Sheaffer’s little mysteries.



“Staple” in section and barrel

The section could not gain an adequate hold on the fluted sleeve therefore a “staple” (common parlance for the metal tab between the section and the barrel) was put into the pen to grip this fluted sleeve and rotate it in the socket to effect the locking down of the tabs on the sleeve (see illustration – staple shown on left side of the section).

Well, how well did it do? It stunk! Sheaffer changed the design in 1940 taking the very bad looking staple out of the pen and putting a rotate able “bell” on top of the socket.



’37 lockdown fluted sleeve (Sheaffer catalogue)

Problem solved! Well not really we abandon this too in ’42 or ’43.

Rather than relying on the unsightly staple in the pen the bell now did the work of rotating the sleeve to lock down the pen. With a proper sleeve this works as designed and you have a fine looking desk pen. The problem is in the deterioration of the sleeve.



1940 Bell (A) Dry-Proof design (Sheaffer catalogue)




Good and bad sleeves

Repairing Dry-Proof sockets

There is no foreseeable way to fix a sleeve from the 1935-39 Dry-Proof sockets. The bell style Dry-Proof can be repaired to a point. This is actually a quite easy repair though questionable on need. The problem we have today is two fold; First, the bell which rotates is frozen. This is repairable though not knowing how the base works has led to a huge percentage of these bells being cracked. It would seem that the usual soaking it until it comes loose would be the approach to take. It is far easier to reverse the manufacture method of instillation. Carefully grip the bell by hand and rock it back and forth pulling straight up. I would suggest taking the socket from the base as these models simply snap into place. The bell was originally forced over the inner sleeve so this is merely reversing the process. This will save the soaking and risking cracking the bell as you try to torque it out of its frozen position. It should come off if you take your time without a problem. At this point you can get at the metal inner sleeve and apply reasonable force to get it to turn it all the way out of the socket. Clean up the inner sleeve and lube the threads with some silicon grease. Replace the sleeve into the socket just to the point were the milled edge is above the high area of the socket. With it screwed in you can now replace the bell onto the sleeve in the locked position and it should easily rotate as designed. Heat the bell first before trying to replace it as it is a tight fit.

Second, is the fact that the mechanism is more likely than not – deteriorated (refer to sleeve picture above). You may restore functionality of the bell but, if the tabs are corroded it will not lock down on the pen as designed. The base will function as a holder but the lockdown feature is useless, hence this method of holding the pen being abandoned. I would suggest that the value in attempting to repair the free movement of the bell is probably not worth the risk of cracking said bell.

While the Dry-Proof was a failure Many of the Dry-Proof bases are some of the best Sheaffer ever made. The feature may not function anymore but the bases remain quite functional.