Help with '90s Waterman converter replacement

[vintageclassics]

Hi All, 

 

I recently was given the attached Waterman pen from my dad, and I have been trying to source a replacement converter for it. The current one in the pen is working, but I wanted to get a new one to have handy given its age. I believe the pen to be from the late '90s early 2000's. 

 

Looking on this forum and across the net, it looks like Waterman have changed converter styles over the years, and this particular converter from what I can tell, is not very common. 

 

As a seperate piece, I've tried putting the standard waterman cartridge in this pen, and for the life of me, I've been unable to get it to sit correctly in the pen. Looking at the end of the converter currently in the pen, it looks like the are shaped differently, with the cartridge having a wider lip and preventing it from sitting in the receiver section very well. Am I correct in thinking that modern cartridges just don't fit this pen?

 

Any guidance on this would be super helpful. 

 

VC

 

Edited July 8, 2022 by vintageclassics
Issue with iPhone image file type not showing up

[Mr.Rene]

Amaizing..the converter looks like old montblanc design.. Regards.

[dipper]

Shown below is a squeeze type filler/converter that fits my Waterman CF pen. This filler was purchased on UK eBay some years ago.

 

Dimensions are below for comparison with your Waterman pen.

 

Has a truncated cone end, similar to your screw operated example. Stamped on the squeeze bar is the text "Waterman made in France".

 

The squeeze filler dimensions are

60.2mm length.

6.6mm diameter max.

6.1mm diameter over the front 12mm length that fits into the pen section.

 

That narrow 6.1mm x 12mm front end is the part that stops every other converter or cartridge that I have tried from fitting properly. Some are too fat for any part to fit inside the metal tube at the back of the Waterman pen. Some can fit their noses in a short distance, but are halted by a wider shoulder before going in the full 12mm. (Eg "Short International" cartridges).

 

There are listings running now on UK eBay. Search for "Waterman CF converter".

 

I see that search also brings up a few "Waterman" screw type converters. Some of those are listed as "vintage", some as "new". All their noses look more like international converters though. Square stepped profiles, not the cone shape seen in your converter and in the CF filler. In some eBay listings "vintage" means no more than simply "used".

[jchch1950]

The Waterman is the  L'Etalon and any new Waterman converter will work.

[senzen]

Since L'Étalon is not that old, you need a modern converter; the newer one with a plastic mouth is quite fragile, at least my Carènes always chew them up, destroying the part where they connect; there is another more reliable version with a metal mouth, but they are getting scarce and expensive.

[vintageclassics]

On 7/9/2022 at 4:31 PM, jchch1950 said:

The Waterman is the  L'Etalon and any new Waterman converter will work.

Hey mate - I tried a modern converter at a local pen store recently with no luck unfortunately. Back to the drawing board!

[jchch1950]

Vintageclassic :Sorry for the wrong information.I have a silver Etalon and I have never had a problem with my convertors . Waterman has had at least 3 sizes of  convertors at the connecting part:Cf, 90's and now. Quiete confusing at least to me.

[vintageclassics]

On 7/19/2022 at 8:00 PM, jchch1950 said:

Vintageclassic :Sorry for the wrong information.I have a silver Etalon and I have never had a problem with my convertors . Waterman has had at least 3 sizes of  convertors at the connecting part:Cf, 90's and now. Quiete confusing at least to me.

Hey mate that is super helpful to learn that there are 3 sizes floating around. Waterman’s Australian distributor sent me a modern one to try, and as you can see in the attached image, it’s a bit bigger than my current one (left - new, right - old) 

the new converter didn’t sit in the pen at all, and I wasn’t able to screw the end piece over it. 

[aurore]

On 7/22/2022 at 7:22 AM, vintageclassics said:

Hey mate that is super helpful to learn that there are 3 sizes floating around. Waterman’s Australian distributor sent me a modern one to try, and as you can see in the attached image, it’s a bit bigger than my current one (left - new, right - old) 

the new converter didn’t sit in the pen at all, and I wasn’t able to screw the end piece over it. 

 

It is not the new converter that does not work, but remnants of the old converter stuck in your pen. Do you wonder why your old converter is shorter? Can you see the narrow plastic mouth of the new converter? The old one has the same, but yours is not only broken but also stuck in the pen. Until you remove this broken stuck part of the old converter from the pen no converter is going to fit, regardless new or old. Once you remove it, the modern converter is going to fit perfectly