Today I dropped my Carene and badly damaged the nib. It looks pretty bad. Can anyone recommend a reliable place to send the pen for repairs. I assume that I'll need a new nib. I'm bracing myself for bad news...

Thanks!

Unfortunately you can't repair the nib and must change it now, J.M.L.

I can only suggest to you what I have done myself. If you look at some of the before and after pics on some of the pen meister sites, you will see that a mangled nib can be resurrected. I have done some mangling myself with vintage pens for which there are no replacement nibs. There are a number of people who can assist you. Richard Binder and John Mottishaw come to mind, but both of them have very long waiting lines (and John as that annoying $20 pen fee). You can also consider Greg Minuskin, Deb Kinney, Bill Enderlin or Fred Krinke. I would go with any of these people before considering Waterman customer service.

May I also suggest that if you had any intention of customizing a nib, now is a good time to give it a try. The pen will be in the hands of a pen meister anyway and the customization will be just one more step in the repair process.

Or you can order a new section, nib and all, from JML, who tactfully didn't mention he sells them. No affiliation, just too many paychecks spent on his site.

Thanks everyone, especially Ghost. The nib looks awful, so it's probably best to change the whole nib section.

I've used EF and F nibs on Carenes. Have been thinking about a M. Does anyone have any thoughts about the contrast between a F and M nib? I'm trying to see the misfortune of having to buy a new nib as an opportunity to experiment. A chance to make lemonade our of lemons, so to speak.

You can call them at 1-800-237-8736 to purchase anew nib, or… You can send your pen in for repair to:

Parker/Waterman Service Center

2200 Foster Ave.

Janesville, WI 53545

OR

PO BOX 5100

Janesville, WI 53547-5100 (this is for US Mail delivery)



Please include your name, full address, and day-time phone # where you can be reached. Please package your pen in something sturdy – a padded envelope is preferable, so that it doesn’t get lost or damaged in shipping. In addition to the padded envelope, please wrap some protective padding around the pen as well. Please include your proof-of-purchase receipt, or your Warranty Card as well as a brief description of the repair needed. If the repair is covered under warranty and you include either your proof-of-purchase receipt or warranty, we will repair it & send it back to you without a call. If the repair is not covered under the warranty, or the proof-of-purchase or warranty booklet is not included, we will call you with the charges. We accept Visa, MasterCard or American Express for payment if there are charges. The life-time warranty is only applicable to defects in manufacture, and does not cover parts that are damaged, missing, or worn

** Please note: All repairs are now done in France. When we receive your pen in here at the Service Center in Wisconsin for repair, we send it on to the Waterman/Parker service center in France for the actual repair/refurbishment.