Nib for old Hemisphere

[Oracle1729]

I have a old style Hemisphere with a bent nib  Of course, Waterman wants more for a replacement than an entire new Hemisphere would cost, but I really like the old pen.  Replacement sections for the new style hemisphere are easily and cheaply available.  

 

Would the nib from the new style section fit as a replacement on the old pen's feed and section or as that part changed as well?

 

If that won't work are there any other options I can consider?  I don't think the pen value if high enough to pay to have it repaired.  Someone on ebay is selling the part I need, but their price is higher than the street price on a new Hemisphere if I'm not too picky about colour.

[Eastern Bluebird]

Also looking for a nib that will fit an older Hemisphere. Mine has a green marble lacquer finish. Great pen, no nib! Don't need the whole section, just the nib.

[Nounours2627]

The best way to know is to try...

 

I got an Hémisphère from 2009 as a gift to start university. During a lecture, it fell... obviously on the nib. I manage to unbend the nib but what previously was an F with normal flow, is now a B that is way too wet.

 

Recently, I wanted to fix my old pen. It has almost no value, I know! But It has an emotional value to me.

 

I saw they changed the model but I also saw modern Waterman is a bit... lazy on their design to say the least. So I just guessed between pre-2010 an post-2010 version, there would be no change appart the fatter center band on the section.

 

The only problem is, lazy as they are, they just sell the "nib block" (nib + feed + section). And since their nibs are "forked" to help alignment, you can't just take a random nib (or not without serious tooling), you have to take a Waterman nib.

So yes, you have to buy a whole "nib block" just to change the nib. But you can get it very cheap, it's worth it.

 

Concerning changes between pre-2010 and post-2010 :

 

The section is actually thinner on the outside (too thin for my taste). The new section would just fall inside the old cap and barrel. Maybe it's on purpose to prevent easy repair... But more importantly, the inside of the section is the same. The nib and the feed fit the same way on the old and the new section.

So I just took the new feed and nib and put it on the old section. And voilà! My old pen is fixed!

TLDR : I had the same question you had. Would a new nib fit inside the old section? I just tried and the answer is : yes.

A video that shows how to disassemble and reassemble the old Hémisphère (the new works the same way):

 

My old Waterman Hémisphère with the new nib and feed.

Edited January 25, 2021 by Nounours2627

[Paganini]

I had to replace the nib on my Hemisphere a year or so ago; Like you, I couldn't find a way to do it without  buying an entire section assembly. I ended up ordering from the Online Pen Company - they were slightly cheaper than going through Waterman's customer service.

 

Good luck! 

[DvdRiet]

On 1/25/2021 at 2:13 PM, Nounours2627 said:

So I just took the new feed and nib and put it on the old section. And voilà! My old pen is fixed!

TLDR : I had the same question you had. Would a new nib fit inside the old section? I just tried and the answer is : yes.

Thank you so much for this information! I had just pulled out the nib and feed from my old Hemisphere circa 2009 (it just didn't want to write well anymore) and discovered that the part that was hidden inside the section is quite corroded. Thinking I could probably go order a replacement, I discovered the pre- and post-2010 issue. And this late in the game, it's hard to find any pre-2010 CTs left. It may not be the cheapest option but it's probably the easiest!

Cheers, Darla