Converter For Waterman Le Man 100

[ayampols]

Hello,

 

I own a Waterman Le Man 100, from the late 80's. The original converter is no longer in usable condition, having started to stiffen and crack. I went to a local store which specializes in fine fountain pens and bought a replacement Waterman converter. This replacement looks very similar to the original, but it doesn't fit the pen correctly. It has two major issues. First, it is not threaded, the way the original was, so it doesn't seal well when inserted into the nib section. In fact, there doesn't seem to be a seal at all, it just loosely sits there, it could easily fall out. The second problem is that, no matter what position the plunger is in, once the pen is re-assembled by screwing the barrel back on, the converter tightly jams into the barrel of the pen. It is so snuggly impacted that when it comes time to remove it, one needs pliers and a fair amount of force to yank it out.

 

If I search for Waterman converters, every one I find is described as designed to fit most Waterman pens. On this very forum this exact question was posed, and the response

 

THe Waterman convertors and cartridges should work with all Waterman pens.

:clap1:

 

diane

 

is not correct as far as I can tell as they don't fit mine at all. I am attaching a photo of the original alongside the replacement. For those who care to observe it, you will be able to see toothmarks at the top of the new one from the times when I needed to yank the thing out of the barrel with my teeth. I would be very appreciative of any advice or pointers to (a) what in the world was Waterman thinking when they made this minor but incomprehensible design change and ( what can I possibly do about this?

 

Thanks in advance!

Armen

Edited September 27, 2011 by ayampols

[jar]

Welcome home.

 

Standard International converters are made in threaded or unthreaded versions.

 

Look for one of the threaded converters like the one from Schmidt. {usual disclaimers}

[GardenWeasel]

I was not aware the international size convertor was the same as the Waterman convertor? Are you sure? Also, some of my Waterman convertors appear to be threaded and others do not...both work equally well. I do not believe the appearance of threads is in reality threads...

[jar]

Yes, Waterman uses the International Converter.

[ayampols]

Thank you all for your responses. I do want to add something here. A number of folks posted similar thoughts to GardenWeasel's:

 

I do not believe the appearance of threads is in reality threads...

See also

 

The older type of converters has a threaded collar near the open end. It is threaded, and looks like it would screw in, but it doesn't. It just has circular threads (not spiral).

 

Although the thread does not seem to twist perfectly into the nib as one would expect, the threaded-looking section on the original converter is indeed a spiral. If you stick your thumbnail into the groove and start twisting the object, your thumb will be gradually moved along the length of the converter until it reaches the tip. Careful examination with a loupe confirms this.

 

I suppose one can press the converter in, but screwing it in yields the best results: it screws only up until a point at which it stops, at which point the seating is very snug -- a completely different experience than with the new converter on the left, which drops right out if turned upside down.

 

At the Art Brown Internation Pen Shop, we tried out all the converters in the shop, and none of them fit properly. They were either too wide for the barrel, or else became impacted into the barrel similarly to what the new converter did. I supposed they were not "international" converters, and I supposed the new one in the photo above is not "international" either. I am going to try out jar's suggestion and get the Schmidt. Crossing my fingers. I'll report back what I discover.

Edited September 28, 2011 by ayampols

[jar]

I am going to try out jar's suggestion and get the Schmidt. Crossing my fingers. I'll report back what I discover.

 

Before you do that, why not dial 1-800-Best Pen and ask them to sell you the proper converter?

[ayampols]

Before you do that, why not dial 1-800-Best Pen and ask them to sell you the proper converter?

I just called them, and boy oh boy are they ever pleasant and knowledgable! I spoke with a woman named Mary who told me she's come across this problem before. She thinks she knows of a converter from some other model that will work, and she's sending it to me free of charge. I've never encountered such service, thanks so much for the tip!!

 

I do believe the bottom line is that the newer converter's wider external and internal nipple diameters prevent it from seating and push it out a fraction of a millimeter. I think that's all there is to this. I really wouldn't be surprised if this one fit perfectly. With everyone's help here, I think I'll have an answer within a week or two, and I'll be sure to report back. Thank you all!

[georges zaslavsky]

Normally, you shouldn't have any kind of problems with waterman converters

[GardenWeasel]

Quick pic of two of my converters...full one just pulled from my LeMan 100 in use currently.

 

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i82/nukemkb/DSC02447-1-1.jpg

[ayampols]

Normally, you shouldn't have any kind of problems with waterman converters

 

:hmm1:

Edited September 30, 2011 by ayampols

[kauloltran]

Welcome home.

 

Standard International converters are made in threaded or unthreaded versions.

 

Look for one of the threaded converters like the one from Schmidt. {usual disclaimers}

 

nice. this is the first time I've seen a threaded converter that you can buy. Thanks so much for the link. One question: can I use this threaded converter on any pens or only on certain ones that accept them. Thanks

[jar]

Welcome home.

 

Standard International converters are made in threaded or unthreaded versions.

 

Look for one of the threaded converters like the one from Schmidt. {usual disclaimers}

 

nice. this is the first time I've seen a threaded converter that you can buy. Thanks so much for the link. One question: can I use this threaded converter on any pens or only on certain ones that accept them. Thanks

 

I'd only use it on pens that require a threaded standard international converter.

[kauloltran]

I'd only use it on pens that require a threaded standard international converter.

 

Which ones are they? The non-threaded converters worked well on my Man 100, I didn't know this pen needed a threaded one.

[jar]

I'd only use it on pens that require a threaded standard international converter.

 

Which ones are they? The non-threaded converters worked well on my Man 100' date=' I didn't know this pen needed a threaded one.[/size']

 

It varies even within models of teh same pen. Older Montblancs that took a converter did not use the threaded style while later models do. None of my Man 100s require one but then there may be some later ones that did.

[Uncle Red]

You would think Waterman had learned their lesson with the CF.

[ayampols]

Well, everyone, the problem is solved! Special thanks to jar for pointing me in the right direction:

 

Before you do that, why not dial 1-800-Best Pen and ask them to sell you the proper converter?

I just called them, and boy oh boy are they ever pleasant and knowledgable! I spoke with a woman named Mary who told me she's come across this problem before.

Mary is amazing. She sent my photo to Waterman, who immediately identified the issue. There's no collar on the image of my original converter, and in its place is a threaded section which shouldn't be there. So where's the collar? It's in the pen! When I heard that I took a very careful look, and indeed, that's where it is! I'm sending it back to Waterman, who will remove it and give me the normal converter that everyone keeps saying should work just fine. This also answers my question

 

what in the world was Waterman thinking when they made this minor but incomprehensible design change

Well they were fixing this very issue! With the new design, rather than have a collar that can screw off within the pen, they have a solid plastic section that won't!

 

 

I do not believe the appearance of threads is in reality threads...

The older type of converters has a threaded collar near the open end.  It is threaded, and looks like it would screw in, but it doesn't.  It just has circular threads (not spiral).

Yes, both of you are absolutely correct, and I was wrong. The thread I was seeing on my old converter is the one that the collar screws into. Yes it's a spiral, but it should not be visible, as it would normally have a collar over it.

 

Normally, you shouldn't have any kind of problems with waterman converters

Well Georges, I did have a problem with my converter, in that the old one broke apart inside my pen. But the essence of your point is absolutely right, the root of my problem was not any of the new converters, but with a nib that had a foreign object embedded within it.

 

Thanks to all, and thanks especially to Waterman technicians, who solve problems by thinking.