Phileas Converter Cleaning? Can't Take Apart

[NewPenMan]

Just want to make sure of something..I cleaned my Phileas last night but I could not take apart the converter to clean and re-grease the plunger gasket, rinse ink from the tube etc..

 

Is that just the way it is with the Phileas converter?

[The Blue Knight]

You can't, it's glued shut.

[FedericoMedina]

Yes you can not take it apart. In addition I don't think you can take apart the nib and feed assembly.

[NewPenMan]

OK..thank you for the confirmation, Federico...that is some sad news..I guess best we can do is rinse the parts as far apart as we can get them..

 

I would definitely count this as a vote against a Phileas, although in its defense, it writes immediately even after months of inactivity.

[pajaro]

You can put a tiny bead of silicon grease into the converter with a toothpick.

 

The Phileas nib clips to the feed, and I have changed a nib by unclipping it from the feed. I had to do this to change a corroded Phileas nib for an 18K gold nib from a l'Etalon.

[Ernst Bitterman]

... had to do this to change a corroded Phileas nib for an 18K gold nib from a l'Etalon.

 

Note that corrosion is fairly common in Waterman steel; leaving a pen inked and idle for long periods is a good way to nurture it.

[pokermind]

You can't, it's glued shut.

I managed to take mine apart, but it took quite the effort. I managed to create a crack in the converter body, but fortunately it does not leak. Wish I'd known not to do that.

[SteveE]

Folks - I'll take the role of "Cranky Frankie" here (if you are not aware of who CF was, google the late Frank Dubiel). He was constantly reminding us that "they're just pens!" I'll paraphrase this to say "they're just converters!"

 

I see converters as a "consumable supply" much like ink or cartridges. The converters are not a super-precise integral part of the pen as a piston-filler mechanism would be. If you can't stand to see any staining in your converter or if it gets too stiff, toss it and install a spare. (You DO have spares, don't you?) The common international converter can be purchased at various price points from about $1 to as high as $15 or so. I find that I can get top quality ones from $3 to $5 if I look around at our favorite dealers. They work fine, and they just aren't worth obsessing over a failing or stained converter.

 

Not trying to be a nasty old rat - just trying to establish the relative importance (or lack thereof) of a converter versus the pen it supports.

[Sasha Royale]

Most converters are not made to be disassembled. To clean, remove from the pen. Use a medical

syringe and needle to squirt water into the converter until clean. Squirt air to blow out residual water.

Most converters are meant to be replaced when then stop working to your satisfaction. They're cheap.

Cartridges can be refilled and re-used, as well.

[NewPenMan]

Good to know all this stuff; I'm glad I posted the question. I re-inked the pen and put it back into the stand.

 

Confused about one thing...not sure if I have a converter or a piston-fill because my ink-holding device arguably has a piston that sucks up ink when you turn the shaft...does that make it a piston-fill?

[Ernst Bitterman]

It's cartridge pen with a piston converter. What we'd call a piston filler, like a Pelikan Souveran or a TWSBI Diamond, isn't as willing to have the mechanism pulled out.

[pokermind]

I see converters as a "consumable supply" much like ink or cartridges. The converters are not a super-precise integral part of the pen as a piston-filler mechanism would be. If you can't stand to see any staining in your converter or if it gets too stiff, toss it and install a spare...

yeah, but what fun is that for a pern nerd? Even Brian Goulet shows how to really clean a converter:

http://www.gouletpens.com/Articles.asp?ID=306

Edited October 3, 2014 by pokermind

[NewPenMan]

it is too bad that so many converters are made so cheaply as to be regarded as a "consumable supply." I'd regard them more as the durable hardware component of the pen. Nothing in the physical world lasts forever, however, these things aren't NASCAR brake pads or transmissions on cross-country tractor trailers.

 

they are for holding ink. you use said ink, and re-fill said converter with more of said ink. I am not of the school who eager beaverly buy new when something doesn't work right. I'd try to remedy, else not buy such a weak sister in future.

 

I personally don't have buckets of money to throw around at cheaply-made items.

[tryphon]

I have been collecting fountain pens for 46 years (and using them for 54!) and I never heard of anyone disassembling a converter to lubricate it. Doing so is a sure way to damage it. In addition the silicone grease may come into contact with the ink and change its flow characteristics. Use the converter and, if it fails after 2,3 or 30 years, buy another one or switch to cartrdges. Enjoy your pen and don't fret over it!

[Tweel]

I disassemble all of my twist converters. That makes it easy to clean them. I also lubricate them -- silicone grease does (of course) come in contact with the ink, and does not change the ink, just as it doesn't change the ink in eyedroppers and piston-fillers.

[Ernst Bitterman]

 

Note that corrosion is fairly common in Waterman steel; leaving a pen inked and idle for long periods is a good way to nurture it.

 

Looking at another thread, I see I was being too clever here, and misunderstanding has resulted-- leaving ink in a Phileas nurtures corrosion. So don't do it!