I've Just Bought My First Ever Phileas. Which Converter Will I Need?

[Chrissy]

I just bought my first ever marbled Phileas. It's used and comes with no converter or cartridges.

 

I'm having it delivered to my Florida address but it will be a bit of a pain that I can't write with it as I don't have any Waterman cartridges or converters.

 

Can someone please advise me which version of converter is the right type for a pen like this, as I prefer to try and find the version it would have had originally. Are we talking about the one with the piece of metal at the end?

[Left FPN]

Yes, but any modern Waterman (post 1980) converter or cartridge will fit.

[phonelady61]

they have one on amazon and make sure you ask the seller if it will fit waterman phileas I have a phileas too and are they not great ? they are beautiful pens .

[RMN]

Waterman cartridges are proprietary. A Schmidt K5 will sit, but it's not tight. The Waterman nipple is slightly different from the standard international.

 

The cartridges normally fit on the nipple side, but many Watermans, including the Phileas, have a ring halfway down the barrel, that is too narrow for the flare of the standard international small bottom side. However I just checked: The Pelikan Edelstein long cartridges DO fit.

 

 

Good luck (may I ask where you got it and at what price?)

 

 

D.ick

[carlos.q]

If you need a quick fix you can probably find Waterman blue and black cartridges at your local Office Depot or OfficeMax.

[pajaro]

I would just order the Waterman cartridges and/or converter now. The ring RMN mentioned is a brass tube to add weight that isn't found in the Kultur. This tube narrows the barrel, and some cartridges and converters that fit into Kultur don't fit in Phileas. This tube fell out of one of one of my Phileas pens, and then one of the cheaper converters would work, but the pen feels lighter. I put the tube back into the Phileas, just mentioning that to clarify the issue.

[Chrissy]

Thank you all for your helpful advice.

 

My pen is a nice looking marbled blue with a F nib, in it's original box. I bought it on ebay for what may be quite an expensive price of $55 inc shipping. I'm not sure if that's a good price or not. I found it difficult to find a good looking one with a F nib and those are what I prefer. The seller is now including a cartridge and a converter for me as he had other Watermans to list.

 

I have never even seen a Phileas, but I think they look like a great design. I hope I can get on with a steel nib as I usually prefer gold nibs. I suspect that there isn't a gold nib unit that would swap into it anyway.

 

I'm looking forward to seeing it when it arrives.

[carlos.q]

 

I have never even seen a Phileas, but I think they look like a great design. I hope I can get on with a steel nib as I usually prefer gold nibs. I suspect that there isn't a gold nib unit that would swap into it anyway.

 

 

I believe you can swap the Phileas steel nib for a Waterman L'Etalon 18k gold nib.

[Chrissy]

 

I believe you can swap the Phileas steel nib for a Waterman L'Etalon 18k gold nib.

Thanks for that. I will investigate it

[RMN]

That's what has been reported on these pages before.

 

But, if you have a l'Etalon in working condition, I think it foolish to swap the nib with a Phileas. Phileas may be a very nice pen, but l'Etalon is an extremely good pen.

 

Fact is, that steel nibs from good companies, like Waterman just are good performers.

 

I started out wanting only gold. Until I got a present, a Diplomat with steel nib. Made me think twice about steel nibs. Later I got a Kaweco AL Sport with a great steel nib. And the Stipula Passaportes from our FPN LE have steel nibs, and then I got a Waterman Expert II with steel nib. All great writers. So what I wanted to say: try the original nib. If properly aligned it will not disappoint

 

 

D.ick

[Chrissy]

I will definitely try the original nib. I will use it to write to some FPN pen pals while I'm on holiday.

I'm having Goulet's ink samples delivered to the hotel as well as pens!

 

In fact I'm even going to buy a nib smoothing kit but I don't expect I will need to use it while I'm there. I need some time for sunbathing...

[pajaro]

Dutchpen was selling l'Etalon nibs with section for $55. I bought an EF. Works great in Phileas.

[RMN]

I will definitely try the original nib. I will use it to write to some FPN pen pals while I'm on holiday.

I'm having Goulet's ink samples delivered to the hotel as well as pens!

 

In fact I'm even going to buy a nib smoothing kit but I don't expect I will need to use it while I'm there. I need some time for sunbathing...

You could always use a bottle of absolute brown.....

 

 

D.ick

[Chrissy]

You could always use a bottle of absolute brown.....

 

 

D.ick

You haven't seen my fairish skintone. Absolute brown would be a miracle

[Chrissy]

Dutchpen was selling l'Etalon nibs with section for $55. I bought an EF. Works great in Phileas.

Ahh so it was you who bought the EF one. None of those left are fine enough. EF, F or OF would have been great, but sadly none available on the Ad.

[PAKMAN]

Congrats! The marble blue Phileas is very nice looking, mine is in a medium and very smooth.

[pajaro]

Ahh so it was you who bought the EF one. None of those left are fine enough. EF, F or OF would have been great, but sadly none available on the Ad.

I bought the first one, and later somebody else bought the second of two. The others were gone by then. I hemmed and hawed about them until it was too late. There must be another source. I did buy from Waterman a replacement "nib unit," a Phileas section with two tone steel nib and feed in fine, but they gave me a choice of EF,F,M, B. I think it was $38 shipped. From Wisconsin.