What Waterman pens do you own?

[mikeschu]

If you want to take them apart: yes, that is best left to the pros, or some semi-pros like Force.....

 

This was just a regular clean-and-flush to change inks. I think it took a good 24 hours of soaking, then 30 minutes of manual labor, then another 12 hours of dry time.

[HalloweenHJB]

I was able to get a truly stunning Italian-made Waterman 42 (Safety) from the 1930s, and I filled it today, and all is well! The only slightly bothersome aspect is after you post the cap, and remove it, it leaves ink on the bottom of the pen, which has to be wiped away with a rag. But the beauty of the pen more than makes up for this minor inconvenience!

 

When it was up for auction, I don't think that people realized that the engraving suggests that this must have been a pen that was given to officers in Mussolini's 44th Infantry regiment. If so, it's truly a pen of historical significance!

 

Here are a couple of photos, and a writing sample:

 

Edited September 5, 2014 by HalloweenHJB

[Tas]

Gorgeous. Pen, writing & ink.

[ccvinylman]

I agree, the pen is stunning! Congratulations. May you use it in good health. Don

[ccvinylman]

My wife recently attended a conference in Montréal and while shopping/sightseeing in her free time she happened upon a Stylo boutique. I've ordered from their online site before so she recognized the name. A gentleman showed her around and answered dozens of her questions before she settled on buying me a birthday present. The Caréne in Marine Amber is a beautiful pen and has one of the smoothest nibs I have ever used. She also picked up a bottle of Graf von Faber-Castell Garnet Red, which is a delicious shade of red.

 

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b116/GeeFive/_MG_4120_zps6202ae07.jpg

For a brief time I was toying with the idea of getting for myself the pen your wife got for you. I did notice, however, that some of these amber Carenes (the older ones, or previous versions?) are more red than amber. Did the Waterman Carene in fact change its color a bit in recent years? Personally, I favor more the reddish amber than the amber amber (yes, I repeated myself, spellcheck!). Just wondering. Don

[Left FPN]

For a brief time I was toying with the idea of getting for myself the pen your wife got for you. I did notice, however, that some of these amber Carenes (the older ones, or previous versions?) are more red than amber. Did the Waterman Carene in fact change its color a bit in recent years? Personally, I favor more the reddish amber than the amber amber (yes, I repeated myself, spellcheck!). Just wondering. Don

They change colour depending on the ambient lighting. The above pen looks to be in very bright sunlight, evident by the long shadows. Possibly one of the longest running production colours if not the longest with Black Sea Gloss.

 

I clean with intermittent ultrasonics in conjunction with warm water flushing with a jumbo syringe, then LP airline to remove most of the water, then allow to dry. I don't think you want it too dry otherwise you may end up with the poor ink flow which some Carene users experience. The feed is a BIG, complex, boy in these pens.

 

 

Edited September 6, 2014 by Force

[stevesurf]

It really is a stunning pen, to complement the wonderful script!

 

 

I was able to get a truly stunning Italian-made Waterman 42 (Safety) from the 1930s, and I filled it today, and all is well! The only slightly bothersome aspect is after you post the cap, and remove it, it leaves ink on the bottom of the pen, which has to be wiped away with a rag. But the beauty of the pen more than makes up for this minor inconvenience!

 

When it was up for auction, I don't think that people realized that the engraving suggests that this must have been a pen that was given to officers in Mussolini's 44th Infantry regiment. If so, it's truly a pen of historical significance!

 

Here are a couple of photos, and a writing sample:

 

 

 

I never knew how complex that feed is - a masterwork of engineering, or rather fluid mechanics

 

I think I'll just PM you when my Carene clogs; that is quite the procedure!

 

They change colour depending on the ambient lighting. The above pen looks to be in very bright sunlight, evident by the long shadows. Possibly one of the longest running production colours if not the longest with Black Sea Gloss.

 

I clean with intermittent ultrasonics in conjunction with warm water flushing with a jumbo syringe, then LP airline to remove most of the water, then allow to dry. I don't think you want it too dry otherwise you may end up with the poor ink flow which some Carene users experience. The feed is a BIG, complex, boy in these pens.

 

 

[ccvinylman]

They change colour depending on the ambient lighting. The above pen looks to be in very bright sunlight, evident by the long shadows. Possibly one of the longest running production colours if not the longest with Black Sea Gloss.

 

I clean with intermittent ultrasonics in conjunction with warm water flushing with a jumbo syringe, then LP airline to remove most of the water, then allow to dry. I don't think you want it too dry otherwise you may end up with the poor ink flow which some Carene users experience. The feed is a BIG, complex, boy in these pens.

 

 

Thanks for the pictures of the stripped down Carene. It is a stunning looking pen, with a pretty complicated looking feed collector! Question: What's that gunk under the hood? (I'm not alluding to a car problem, obviously!) It looks like some form of adhesive. Is it?

 

Having purchased just yesterday a vintage 1948 Parker "51" FP-and-pencil set, I'm wondering if I should disassemble the FP to inspect the collector for gunk. I flushed the pen quite thoroughly with water until the water ran clear, but I have this nagging suspicion the collector is less than immaculate. The nib seems to be a fine, and while I'm not used to writing with a fine nib, the ink delivery seems a bit dry. Could a gunked up collector be part of the problem?

 

There are several videos by Grandmia on U-tube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCBsMGnhaGQ about how to disassemble, clean, and reassemble a Parker "51" but I'm leery about heating the area where the hood attaches to the barrel, which is something you need to do, according to the narrator of the videos. Oh, I forgot: I did try--very gingerly--to separate the tines on the nib a little bit, but the ink flow didn't improve. Do you think I should just soak the feed/hood for a couple days?

 

You seem to be quite handy with pen maintenance, so thanks in advance for any advice you care to give. Don

[RMN]

Yep, the nib is glued on. If there is not enough glue near the horns that probably is a reason for the nib creep these pens sometimes have.

 

D.ick

[Left FPN]

To enhance on D.ick's answer I am not sure what glue is used by Waterman but it is failry thick and appears to stay elastic. I use G-S Hypo cement when replacing nibs. One has to be very careful with the quantity applied because it can be easy to get adhesive where you don't want it.

[HalloweenHJB]

Much less dramatic than the 42 Safety Pen with the Italian inscription is this (1930s??) Tiger-Eye lever filler. It has a matching pencil as well. The nib has a bit of scratchiness to it, but it is flexible and makes some lovely lines.

 

[RMN]

Indeed less stunning (but still very nice), but the writing you do with it is very pleasing to the eye...

 

 

D.ick

[Wandering Man]

I own only one Waterman, a Laureat. Until yesterday, it was the only fountain pen I owned.

[Pen Nut]

Always been a huge Edson fan and its one of the few pens that is always in my 'flock' in one form or another. Tell you what there is some stunning examples of writing being posted on here !

[HalloweenHJB]

A new acquisition: Red Ripple, #52, with a gold band round the barrel. Amazing nib!

 

[islandink]

I prefer a pen that has a bit of weight and love the nibs on modern Watermans.

 

Black Le Man 100 medium that wishes to become a stub

Black Le Man 200 with custom cursive italic nib (about 0.5 mm--lovely)

Le Man Opera F nib

 

The first pen I bought for myself (I had inherited some pens before this): stainless Executive

 

The ones that got away: a Liaison...it was on ebay but not returnable and the mixed reviews concerned me

 

and now I hear the siren song of vintage flex Watermans...

[CSG]

I have a black Charleston rollerball and fountain pen. Also own a blue Phileas. All seem to be pretty good pens.

[sidthecat]

I've only recently fallen down this rabbit hole so my hoard is small; I'm grieving over a silver ring-mounted 52 1/2 v that unscrewed itself somewhere in my office last week and disappeared. How does somethig that shiny disappear? That's why so many loose caps are up on ebay. They needed one or two more threads to keep them from unscrewing themselves. A very sweet writer, which is why I'm wearing an armband. However, I'm trying again with a black one. Quake wax may be in order.

 

I also have a Model 52 with a Moore Maniflex nib Frankensteined into it - a bit crumpled but a very nice writer with a generous feed. A little too generous for Molekines, I find.

 

And I just won a Commando on ebay. This means that I'm obligated to collect them now. I'm using Mont Blanc ink, btw, which is nice and dark with these pens.

[Sinistral1]

You'll be just fine as long as you wear the armband for the prescribed amount of time. I've stopped counting my Watermans, but at least I've stopped buying them, since I can only write with one at a time.

[MartinSimonnet]

I have a Waterman Kultur that I don't use as much as I should, a Waterman Hemisphere that I always keep inked up with brown ink, a Waterman C/F that writes as smooth as they come and a Waterman Gentleman that has stunning looks. Looking to get a sterling silver Man 100. Call me hooked on Watermans..