Replacement Feed For Waterman Gentleman

September 6, 2015

I bought a beautiful sterling Waterman Gentleman, medium nib, on eBay a couple months ago. I like the pen, but it skips badly. It turns out to be a display model, so has a special non-functioning dummy feed for pens that were not supposed to be sold.

So I can get the pen working if I can locate a real feed - but where can I find one? I'd like to avoid spending a fortune simply to get a usable feed. I'd also like to avoid a long wait for a feed to show up on eBay. Is there any hope Waterman can supply one? Also, I'll bet the feed for a Gentleman is the same as for some other Waterman pens, but which pens are a match?

September 9, 2015

Hi there,

I have been having similar problems with a Silver Gentleman Nib unit. I sent off to John Mottishaw for some work, which was all done extremely well. The problem came back quickly though, I haven't had time to even send back to LA, it is no doubt simply a "lemon" nib unit,( the Nib is great) as best I can tell /know).

I have my doubts about current Waterman co repairs etc so I have tried to gather spares for my Gentleman collection. I also completely prefer medium nibs, and Gentleman medium nibs are NOT easy to come by. You might want to look at getting a spare Gentleman off of Ebay- or elsewhere. I also have bought a couple of spare nib units from Battersea Pen Co in the UK. http://www.penhome.co.uk/nibs/waterman-nibs/waterman-gentleman-nib-units.html I have bought a couple of nib units from them, they do NOT have medium nibs. I am about to send one of the broad nibs to get it ground in to a medium.

I am still trying to find out if those of us who like Waterman Gentlemans are going to have problems as the years go by with the aging plastic parts in the nib units, the oldest are approaching 40 years of age. So good luck? Ben M.

September 9, 2015

Ben,

I got in touch with Waterman and asked whether they could fix it, send me a feed, or tell me what other models have a matching feed. The person I talked to was nice, but no help. The pen is too old for Waterman to do the repairs itself, and they don't have feeds.

I think my best bet might be to buy a parts pen on eBay. A Gentleman, medium nib, sold there for $19 a couple months ago, but that's a price I'm going to have difficulty matching. I could also buy a section with nib and feed, but that could easily cost $90, which seems over the top.

I really wish I knew what other models use the same feed. If I knew that, then finding a parts pen would get a lot easier.

Jeff

September 19, 2015

Hi Jeff,

I am sorry I didn't get your reply sooner. I must need to check off something to get notifications. I thought I had that set up.

I agree about the Parker Waterman folks. I need some erasers for Parker 75 Silver MPs and simply no help - at all. One would think there would be some company pride in having people wanting to keep pens around AND working for 30, 40 and 50 years.

I plan to ask the Waterman forum a question on older Waterman, especially Gentleman, FPs and whether others are having similar problems. Plastic inside might be having a real aging problem at 40 ( + or - ) years?

I tried, a couple of days ago, one of my blue Gentleman nib units with Fine nib, and it seems to have the identical problem that we have had with the silver units. I need to inventory my Gentleman nibs and units. I may have a spare blue nib unit, but I am not going to be very happy starting to go through them! I think the days of finding Gentleman FPs at sometimes absurd prices on E-Bay are over. b

October 26, 2015

To update: I grabbed a Blue Gentleman Med Nib FP off of E Bay this am (10/26) at a very good price. The pen lacquer has some chips etc on it, BUT I wanted it for that medium nib and the nib section. This is looking to be one of the safest bets with these pens, an extra hard to come by medium nib and the rest for parts if needed.

I, so far, have no answers about aging plastic parts on the inside of these nib units. AND I am wondering whether this possible problem will crop up with the Waterman Experts I have.

Cheers, b

September 14, 2016

Hello - I have just found this thread and thought I'd jump in to your conversation. I have 11 Gentleman that all work just fine and that I use on a regular basis. I have never considered the plastic in the feed going bad as it ages, but now that you have mentioned it, I suppose that is a possibility, fingers crossed. I have never made a habit of changing the nibs, which maybe leads to a problem with the plastic feed failing. I also do not take the nib and feed apart when I clean the pens. Just a thought.