Antique mall find, old Waterman's fountain pen

[Kloz]

I found this pen in an antique store yesterday and could not pass it up.  Can anyone tell me a little more about it?

 

 

 

[pen lady]

1949 (ish) Taperite Crusader.  A pretty straightforward lever fill pen to restore but sometimes the plastic can be a bit brittle.  The anodized aluminum caps are often a bit worn (as is yours) but if you like a semi-hooded nib, they are good users and often found reasonably priced.  Nice find. 

[Mr.Rene]

Was said!

[Kloz]

I paid $10. for it and I don't have a Waterman so...  I like the look and it's in nice shape except for the cap.  I dipped it and it wrote nice.  Any idea how it breaks down?  The lever won't move so probably needs a j-bar and a sack.

[Ron Z]

6 hours ago, pen lady said:

 A pretty straightforward lever fill pen to restore but sometimes the plastic can be a bit brittle. 

 

Indeed.  Waterman pretty much glued the section into the barrel, so they can be difficult to remove without cracking or warping the barrel.  I did one at the NYC show early on in the business.  When I handed the restored pen to it's owner he turned to his friend and said, "You owe me a beer."

[davisgt]

I have one in my collection.  I've never used it. Doubt I will now based on Ron's post. 😏

[Kloz]

Any tips for success you are willing to share with the class?  besides "DON'T DO IT"🤣

[Ron Z]

 Really, sometimes it's hard to put 35 years of feeling your way through repairs into words.   I still screw them up from time to time.  I really don't care for the later Watermans like this one because of the way the materials behave and the way the pens were put together.

 

Gentle heat, don't get too "happy" trying to get it open NOW.  A little wiggle, and pretend that the section unscrews.  Be patient.  Grip over the threads with one pair of section pliers, the section with another pair. Sometimes you have to give it a sharp TWIST after warming the joint, and holding the parts that way.  Yes, I have more than two pairs of section pliers in my tool box.

[Kloz]

Thank you for the tip.  I'll go slow.  Does soaking in warm water help any?  How should I heat the pen to do the least damage?  And if I fail, I'm only out $10 so not the end of the world.  I'm already liking my Esterbrook's more.  If I do succeed what sack size do I need?  Sorry for all the questions.  

 

Thank you for all your advice

[inkstainedruth]

4 hours ago, Ron Z said:

 

Indeed.  Waterman pretty much glued the section into the barrel, so they can be difficult to remove without cracking or warping the barrel.  I did one at the NYC show early on in the business.  When I handed the restored pen to it's owner he turned to his friend and said, "You owe me a beer."

That's a great story!

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth