Waterman 48 Convertible Desk Pen -- Anybody Seen One Of These?

[robmorrison]

Here's an interesting item I just picked up on eBay.

 

It's like a normal eyedrop filling 18, but with a long, tapered barrel. It's over 7 1/4 inches long all together.

 

It's marked '48' on the rounded bottom of the tapered barrel, has a typical #8 nib, and has the horizontal milling around the section that I've seen on some older 12s.

 

There's a similar #2 size pen in Fischler and Schneider, but it's a little different.

 

This pen has a typical 18 cap, with a clip. You can put it in your pocket, but you have to have a pretty deep pocket.

 

 

[playtime]

now THAT is a stunning catch! Had you the chance to write with it? I suspect in the hand the pen is a wonder!

 

J

[robmorrison]

It has a great looking flexible nib, but I haven't tried it out yet. I'm thinking it's going to be fun.

 

You're right about how it is to hold. It's a large pen, needless to say, and the section is pretty fat. As a a slipcap eyedropper, it has no threads, so there's a large smooth surface for gripping. Well, not smooth, since there are those horizontal ridges. I think they're a good idea. We see them later in Sheaffer Triumphs and Snorkels. They add traction, and are not uncomfortable.

 

The most interesting and unexpected thing about holding the pen is what it's like with its cap posted. Like early Sheaffer Balances with their extra long tapered barrels, when the cap is on the back it goes a long way forward, and the overall balance of the pen is toward the tip, not the back. It leans forward. This despite its being a very long pen. By contrast, I have a 58 with a nice nib that I like to use, and with its cap posted, it feels like it's going to tip over backwards.

[playtime]

^{envy gnaws at me!}

 

^{It was an early Sheaffer Oversize Balance that did it to me. Had long sold it, but it taught me that the feel of the pen in hand was as important as the feel of the nib. If the feel of this waterman is even close to the feel of that Oversize Balance - well, I'll have to find one of those myself!}

 

^{Thanks for sharing - who would have thought such a pen existed?????}

 

^J

[Vintagepens]

Nice acquisition -- missed that one.

Note that there is no reason to describe it as "convertible". It is what it is -- it doesn't convert into anything else.

Any Waterman 4x series desk pen is rare. A #8-size is a real find. As far as I can tell, they were catalogued only up through #6-size.

 

Other makers also offered similar pens. I have a #7 and a #8 John Holland. Conklin offered a crescent-filling model, not catalogued, known in but two examples to date. Then there are the Swan desk pens, which appear to have been specially made for retail by a Pittsburgh stationer. Most are HR EDs, but some are celluloid LFs.