A Review Of The Wahl Eversharp Decoband In Rosewood

[sannidh]

What a gorgeous pen! You've done a stunning job photographing it. Thanks so much for all your efforts.

 

Thank you so much for your gracious feedback

[Anders23]

 

Thanks so much . Syd had said the latex sacs (can be easily replaced) are made to last 10 yrs. Since there is no mechanical contact with the brass sleeve(rhodium plated greek-key one), there is no wear and tear due to the filling. However, I am a little picky about ink selection. (the parts prefer slightly acidic inks as per Syd, the wahl-eversharp ink seems to do well, in terms of flow & dryness too)

 

 

Thanks sannidh for the additional info ! Although, I like the signature line too in terms of balance et.

[lovemy51]

what a pen! awesome review! how flexible is that 18k nib?

[sannidh]

what a pen! awesome review! how flexible is that 18k nib?

 

Thank you

The wet nib has a generous flow & hides some of the nice flex. (not comparable to vintage flex). Some actual performance remains hidden. Posting a pic with TR paper/Wahlberry ink which reveals a little more.

[como]

Dear sannidh, thank you again for this great review. May I ask: how does the nib/feed/sac unit come out please? Do you simply grab the nib and feed by index finger and thumb and rotate the unit out? I don't have this pen model but my ASC Bologna Extra has the same setup and I am tempted to take it apart to have a look, out of curiosity. Many thanks!

[sannidh]

Dear sannidh, thank you again for this great review. May I ask: how does the nib/feed/sac unit come out please? Do you simply grab the nib and feed by index finger and thumb and rotate the unit out? I don't have this pen model but my ASC Bologna Extra has the same setup and I am tempted to take it apart to have a look, out of curiosity. Many thanks!

Thank you so much, como

The section of the Decoband unscrews from the metal threads quite easily. And then the nib/sac assembly comes out easily (there are no threads) of the section. Not sure if this helps with the rather beautiful Bologna Extra!

[como]

Thank YOU, sannidh. Your explanations prevented me from doing an uninformed attempt . I unscrewed the section first and now can see the brass sleeve encasing the sac (it unscrews very easily as you also said). I haven't figured out how to get the nib/feed/sac out of the casing yet. Sooner or later I will have to, in order to change the sac. But this is a good start. Much appreciated! (I am sorry for not sticking to the original post topic, but hope that there might be others who are also curious).

[sannidh]

Thank YOU, sannidh. Your explanations prevented me from doing an uninformed attempt . I unscrewed the section first and now can see the brass sleeve encasing the sac (it unscrews very easily as you also said). I haven't figured out how to get the nib/feed/sac out of the casing yet. Sooner or later I will have to, in order to change the sac. But this is a good start. Much appreciated! (I am sorry for not sticking to the original post topic, but hope that there might be others who are also curious).

 

What a beautiful pen . Now I can see your dilemma, the sleeve is coming out with the section. Is dropping an email to the ASC guys a good idea?

Thanks for the information, please count me in the 'curious' group too.

[como]

Thank you, sannidh.

 

I was scouting videos related to this ASC model and found this sbrebrown video:

 

At 4:44, you see that Stephen unscrewed out the nib unit with the sac. You can't see what he did on screen but you can hear the action. If you look closely, the pulled out unit indeed has threads. So I am now pretty sure that I have to grab the nib and feed and just screw out the unit from the celluloid section (if it doesn't go easily, I probably will apply reasonable amount of heat, just in case that the threads had shellac or some other heat sensitive adhesive on, so I don't risk cracking the celluloid section). Need to be careful doing this, as the celluloid around the nib unit is fairly thin. I will make an attempt when the pen is not inked. Wish me luck!

 

What a beautiful pen . Now I can see your dilemma, the sleeve is coming out with the section. Is dropping an email to the ASC guys a good idea?

Thanks for the information, please count me in the 'curious' group too.

[como]

So I got curious and didn't want to wait... There was no shellac or other heat sensitive adhesive on the inner threads so it was relatively easy to unscrew the unit out. Two things I discovered:

 

1. The nipple size seems to be for size 22 sac (or one size bigger or smaller), but the sac seems thinner in diameter. I could be wrong but it looks at least in my case, the sac size might be chosen to accommodate the narrow diameter of the brass casing. Otherwise the pen had to be made even girthier, which may not be possible depending on the diameter of their celluloid rods available. Or it's just fitted off centre in this case that it appears to be a smaller sac for the nipple. But my guess is that it's the former.

 

2. The celluloid section is not as thin as it first appeared on the rim. Because the nib collar has a ridge, and a step-down, the celluloid section is just the reverse of that: thin rim and a bit thicker underneath. Nevertheless, you can never be too careful when doing pen related work. I had a second look of the celluloid section against light. It is rather thin (partially inner-lined with brass). Be careful not to over-turn the nib unit when you screw it back on, to avoid any chance of cracking the section.

 

Thank you, sannidh and sbrebrown for being my valuable resources! When I have more time later, I will put this info to a separate thread, so people who are interested in such info can find it more easily.

Edited February 8, 2020 by como

[sannidh]

So I got curious and didn't want to wait... There was no shellac or other heat sensitive adhesive on the inner threads so it was relatively easy to unscrew the unit out. Two things I discovered:

 

1. The nipple size seems to be for size 22 sac (or one size bigger or smaller), but the sac seems thinner in diameter. I could be wrong but it looks at least in my case, the sac size might be chosen to accommodate the narrow diameter of the brass casing. Otherwise the pen had to be made even girthier, which may not be possible depending on the diameter of their celluloid rods available. Or it's just fitted off centre in this case that it appears to be a smaller sac for the nipple. But my guess is that it's the former.

 

2. The celluloid section is not as thin as it first appeared on the rim. Because the nib collar has a ridge, and a step-down, the celluloid section is just the reverse of that: thin rim and a bit thicker underneath. Nevertheless, you can never be too careful when doing pen related work. I had a second look of the celluloid section against light. It is rather thin (partially inner-lined with brass). Be careful not to over-turn the nib unit when you screw it back on, to avoid any chance of cracking the section.

 

Thank you, sannidh and sbrebrown for being my valuable resources! When I have more time later, I will put this info to a separate thread, so people who are interested in such info can find it more easily.

 

Yay!!! Operation successful . You are the surgeon , so credit goes to you .Thank you como, for the interesting & informative overview on this.

 

At some point, some time, I am sure people will be helped with this courageous research (curious for yourself, though). Heard the 'seemingly infinite amount of unscrewing' sound in the sbrebrown video at 4:44.

Same thoughts as you, on the limiting diameter of the brass casing. I am sure your post deserves a separate review , and what a handsome pen it is!

Interesting to see that decoband has the system attached to the barrel while the ASC has it attached to the section. (Both the systems might be made in Italy)

My only quibble being that a piston system/vac fill would have been rather efficient for both the Decoband and ASC BE.

[como]

Thank you again, sannidh. I have created a new thread regarding the disassembly of ASC Bologna Extra. Here is the link: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/352079-asc-armando-simoni-club-bologna-extra-disassembly/

 

Enjoy your lovely WE Decoband. It's beautiful. I like both the original vintage and the modern interpretation, and the red ebonite rosewood pattern is very classy. Regarding the filling system: with that big size 8 nib, some design compromise probably had to be made, with the parts currently available on the market, size of rods available, etc etc. I like the Chilton system and changing sac is rather easy. A real piston would have been good, like you said. But between a captive converter and this, I prefer this.

 

Yay!!! Operation successful . You are the surgeon , so credit goes to you .Thank you como, for the interesting & informative overview on this.

 

At some point, some time, I am sure people will be helped with this courageous research (curious for yourself, though). Heard the 'seemingly infinite amount of unscrewing' sound in the sbrebrown video at 4:44.

Same thoughts as you, on the limiting diameter of the brass casing. I am sure your post deserves a separate review , and what a handsome pen it is!

Interesting to see that decoband has the system attached to the barrel while the ASC has it attached to the section. (Both the systems might be made in Italy)

My only quibble being that a piston system/vac fill would have been rather efficient for both the Decoband and ASC BE.

[sannidh]

Thank you again, sannidh. I have created a new thread regarding the disassembly of ASC Bologna Extra. Here is the link: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/352079-asc-armando-simoni-club-bologna-extra-disassembly/

 

Enjoy your lovely WE Decoband. It's beautiful. I like both the original vintage and the modern interpretation, and the red ebonite rosewood pattern is very classy. Regarding the filling system: with that big size 8 nib, some design compromise probably had to be made, with the parts currently available on the market, size of rods available, etc etc. I like the Chilton system and changing sac is rather easy. A real piston would have been good, like you said. But between a captive converter and this, I prefer this.

 

Thank you so much como, for your efforts in making this knowledge accessible to everyone.

 

Perhaps you are right, this may be the case and the operating stress on the materials for a piston movement is kind of cancelled by introducing metallic sleeve based pneumatic filler, which does not come in contact with the body.

[Blorgy]

a captive converter

 

A converter allows a fountain pen to convert from ink in disposable cartridges to ink from a bottle. A converter is removable. If a filler is fixed to a pen, that filler is not a converter. Therefore Captive Converter is a contradiction in terms.

[como]

Well, they can call it piston, Mickey Mouse, or whatever they like, but it is what it is.

 

A converter allows a fountain pen to convert from ink in disposable cartridges to ink from a bottle. A converter is removable. If a filler is fixed to a pen, that filler is not a converter. Therefore Captive Converter is a contradiction in terms.

[sannidh]

It's funny that a "captive converter" seems to embody a few disadvantages of both systems - piston (capacity//ease of fills) & converter (disposability//cleaning). Not sure of the absolute advantages though. The WE Decoband signature series sports a rather nice looking version of it.

[Blorgy]

 

 

Edited February 20, 2020 by Blorgy

[Blorgy]

 

a "captive converter" The WE Decoband signature series sports a rather nice looking version of it.

 

 

 

If the filler could not be replaced by disposable cartridges, the filler could more accurately be described as a Captive Non-Converter.

Edited February 20, 2020 by Blorgy

[prometheus13]

Have you or other members had any experience with the durability of the sac? I've had my eye on this pen for awhile but now that I'm about ready to order one, I've developed qualms about the filling mechanism. I used to enjoy/explore various fills but have come to really appreciate a piston filler, eye dropper, or good old converter. This fill mechanism reminds me of my Sheaffer Legacy which failed over time, later learned that many had difficulties with it, so now it's cartridge fill only. Has anyone had longer term experience with the Decoband?

[Blorgy]

Have you or other members had any experience with the durability of the sac? I've had my eye on this pen for awhile but now that I'm about ready to order one, I've developed qualms about the filling mechanism. I used to enjoy/explore various fills but have come to really appreciate a piston filler, eye dropper, or good old converter. This fill mechanism reminds me of my Sheaffer Legacy which failed over time, later learned that many had difficulties with it, so now it's cartridge fill only. Has anyone had longer term experience with the Decoband?

 

My pen is not a Decoband. My pen is an ASC Bologna Extra. The sac seems to be easy to replace. (I tried a wider sac but it was too wide). My pen has a hole in the closed end of the barrel, like a 1930s Chilton. If the seals failed and the sac could not be compressed by depressing the plunger, I suspect I would either take my pen to a repairer, or use my pen as a blow filler. I have rubber bulbs, adaptors, and PVC tubes for use with blow fillers.