hi everyone!
i just got a (supposedly mint) Waterman Taperite in the mail today and inked it up. it writes OK! my problem is: if i just shake the pen a little bit up and down it spits a lot of ink. it kind of reminds me of a Wality ED pen i got that shoots ink everywhere.
i don't know if the sac is bad... like i said, the seller on e-bay said it was mint, but a pen's sac that's been sitting around for years, without being used, i'm guessing is bound to go bad.
what do you think the problem might be? how do i check the sac to see if it's busted?
help much appreciated!!
warm regards,
Full Version: taperite
Hi,
Just a couple of thoughts, a pen described as mint is not necessarily the same as uninked, so there could have been ink residue sat in the sac for years, not a good thing for the sac, probably even worse than just the passage of time so the sac is perhaps the source of your troubles. An air leak anywhere in the pen can cause this sort of thing, it need only be a tiny pin hole or crack. There are no gaskets or o-rings to perish inside the pen so, other than a hole in the sac, a crack somewhere in the section area would be the other thing to look out for but this is unlikely and you would probably have ink covered fingers by now and would have found the source. Plastic shrinkage and/or deformation can cause air leaks but this is usually obvious and unlikely in a Waterman.
If the pen filled and took on a full load of ink then the sac is may well be OK but you might like to check for pin hole leaks of cracking in the sac or, to be on the safe side, replace it.
Replacing a sac is usually a straightforward task and it can be so on a Taperite but it can also be a bit of a pain. The section/barrel joint on many Taperites is extremely snug fitting, I have heard other phrases used to describe just how tight the joint can be (some may well have been sealed with shellac or similar around the joint it can certainly seem that way after about three hours of repeated heating and trying to remove the barrel) on others it is no more effort than most other pens and will come out at the first attempt.
All the Taperites that I have seen use a friction fit barrel/section joint but on many the section has a pattern heat formed into its surface so, after applying the necessary heat, a slight twist and wiggle, holding both barrel and section as close to the joint as possible will sometimes help to release it.
A further point is that some of the plastics used in the barrels seem to be a bit brittle but most seem to be as good as anything Waterman were using at the time, for some reason brown US made ones seem to be one of the colours involved I have seen more of these with cracked and damaged barrels than any other colour and I have heard other mention the same thing.
Once they are working Taperites are a good every day user pen and the nibs are as good as anything Waterman made as far as writing goes, you can even find flexy nibs in a semi hooded pen.
Cheers, John
Just a couple of thoughts, a pen described as mint is not necessarily the same as uninked, so there could have been ink residue sat in the sac for years, not a good thing for the sac, probably even worse than just the passage of time so the sac is perhaps the source of your troubles. An air leak anywhere in the pen can cause this sort of thing, it need only be a tiny pin hole or crack. There are no gaskets or o-rings to perish inside the pen so, other than a hole in the sac, a crack somewhere in the section area would be the other thing to look out for but this is unlikely and you would probably have ink covered fingers by now and would have found the source. Plastic shrinkage and/or deformation can cause air leaks but this is usually obvious and unlikely in a Waterman.
If the pen filled and took on a full load of ink then the sac is may well be OK but you might like to check for pin hole leaks of cracking in the sac or, to be on the safe side, replace it.
Replacing a sac is usually a straightforward task and it can be so on a Taperite but it can also be a bit of a pain. The section/barrel joint on many Taperites is extremely snug fitting, I have heard other phrases used to describe just how tight the joint can be (some may well have been sealed with shellac or similar around the joint it can certainly seem that way after about three hours of repeated heating and trying to remove the barrel) on others it is no more effort than most other pens and will come out at the first attempt.
All the Taperites that I have seen use a friction fit barrel/section joint but on many the section has a pattern heat formed into its surface so, after applying the necessary heat, a slight twist and wiggle, holding both barrel and section as close to the joint as possible will sometimes help to release it.
A further point is that some of the plastics used in the barrels seem to be a bit brittle but most seem to be as good as anything Waterman were using at the time, for some reason brown US made ones seem to be one of the colours involved I have seen more of these with cracked and damaged barrels than any other colour and I have heard other mention the same thing.
Once they are working Taperites are a good every day user pen and the nibs are as good as anything Waterman made as far as writing goes, you can even find flexy nibs in a semi hooded pen.
Cheers, John
Ditto what John said! 
I have a Taperite that I really like using. I have the impression that ink can collect under the hood, especially when filling, and make a mess later. I have learned that when I wipe the section after filling, to thoroughly blot the excess ink from the nib & feed. I think I've heard this referred to as swaddling the nib. It seems to help for me.
HTH,
Bill
HTH,
Bill
Do be careful if you decide to take the Taperite apart yourself! They can be very difficult to take apart, and the barrel wall is fairly thin and brittle.
I did one at the NY show a couple of years ago. When I handed it back restored, the owner turned to his friend and said "you owe me a beer!!" You get the point......
I did one at the NY show a couple of years ago. When I handed it back restored, the owner turned to his friend and said "you owe me a beer!!" You get the point......
ok. i tried to take the pen apart and it was extremely difficult so i left it alone.
Bill, i don't think is excess ink collected in the section. after i "swaddle the nib" as you said it still leaks, i mean, spits all the ink out if i shake the pen just a bit.
John and Buzz, the plastic on this pen looks very good, not brittle at all. i'm gonna give it one more try at taking the pen apart. now, how do i go about that? last time i submerged the pen in hot water???!!! i don't know if that was ok... any ways, nothing happen to it, it still taking and spitting ink. its there any other way to heat it?
Ron, if it comes to it, i'll have to hire some one to do fix this for me, but it will depend on the cost!!!
in any case, i do appreciate all the help you've given me and more will be welcomed. if you want to PM me with more suggestions please do.
Bill, i don't think is excess ink collected in the section. after i "swaddle the nib" as you said it still leaks, i mean, spits all the ink out if i shake the pen just a bit.
John and Buzz, the plastic on this pen looks very good, not brittle at all. i'm gonna give it one more try at taking the pen apart. now, how do i go about that? last time i submerged the pen in hot water???!!! i don't know if that was ok... any ways, nothing happen to it, it still taking and spitting ink. its there any other way to heat it?
Ron, if it comes to it, i'll have to hire some one to do fix this for me, but it will depend on the cost!!!
in any case, i do appreciate all the help you've given me and more will be welcomed. if you want to PM me with more suggestions please do.
... let me resurrect this ancient post!!
after much debating, i sent the taperite back to the seller and he assured me he had change the sac and sent it back to me.
it is still spitting ink out!
finally, the three of us (me, myself and i, i mean it took some force!!!) were able to separate the section from the barrel and sure enough... a new sac was installed and in good condition... still spitting ink, even when separated from the barrel...
... what's next? what can i do to make this nib stop spitting so much ink out when one shakes it a bit?????
are these pens supposed to do this? i mean, when i'm writing it doesn't spit, it only happens when i jerk it a little bit.
after much debating, i sent the taperite back to the seller and he assured me he had change the sac and sent it back to me.
it is still spitting ink out!
finally, the three of us (me, myself and i, i mean it took some force!!!) were able to separate the section from the barrel and sure enough... a new sac was installed and in good condition... still spitting ink, even when separated from the barrel...
... what's next? what can i do to make this nib stop spitting so much ink out when one shakes it a bit?????
are these pens supposed to do this? i mean, when i'm writing it doesn't spit, it only happens when i jerk it a little bit.
Some older pens do that. Esterbrooks, for instance will drop ink if you shake 'em. But I still use vintage FP's, just remember their touchy dispositions.
QUOTE(Robert Hughes @ Jul 1 2008, 06:04 PM) [snapback]657545[/snapback]
Some older pens do that. Esterbrooks, for instance will drop ink if you shake 'em. But I still use vintage FP's, just remember their touchy dispositions.
thanx for replying Rob,
i suspected that when I bought a Wahl Symphony with a brand new sac and leaked the same way no matter what i tryed (and yes, it did have a new sac... i took it appart and checked it), and now the taperite. on the other hand, my two esties don't leak anything even when i check them. my P51, 61, 21's only leak whatever is under the hood after i inked them, but the waterman empties the pen if i shake it up and down (and i don't mean forcefully). but... it does't leak when i write, so i guess i just gotta get use to it!!!!
i think i will try changing the sac one more time with a much smaller one... and shorter!!!! lets see what happens then???!!!
QUOTE (lovemy51 @ Jul 2 2008, 06:55 AM) 
QUOTE (Robert Hughes @ Jul 1 2008, 06:04 PM)
Some older pens do that. Esterbrooks, for instance will drop ink if you shake 'em. But I still use vintage FP's, just remember their touchy dispositions.
thanx for replying Rob,
i suspected that when I bought a Wahl Symphony with a brand new sac and leaked the same way no matter what i tryed (and yes, it did have a new sac... i took it appart and checked it), and now the taperite. on the other hand, my two esties don't leak anything even when i check them. my P51, 61, 21's only leak whatever is under the hood after i inked them, but the waterman empties the pen if i shake it up and down (and i don't mean forcefully). but... it does't leak when i write, so i guess i just gotta get use to it!!!!
i think i will try changing the sac one more time with a much smaller one... and shorter!!!! lets see what happens then???!!!
Taperites must be the next unexplored frontier of vintage pens. High quality, underappreciated.
I think you've hit upon the solution when you say you might have to just get used to it. This is the way vintage pens are. They generally have a freer ink flow than modern pens. They do wonderful things, but that's the price you pay for it. You have to treat them differently. Store upright. Don't leave them rolling around in your briefcase. And certainly don't shake them up and down. If ink comes out when you shake it, that's not a leak---it's a pen being pushed beyond its limits. It's just not designed for that.
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thanx for replying Rob,
i suspected that when I bought a Wahl Symphony with a brand new sac and leaked the same way no matter what i tryed (and yes, it did have a new sac... i took it appart and checked it), and now the taperite. on the other hand, my two esties don't leak anything even when i check them. my P51, 61, 21's only leak whatever is under the hood after i inked them, but the waterman empties the pen if i shake it up and down (and i don't mean forcefully). but... it does't leak when i write, so i guess i just gotta get use to it!!!!
i think i will try changing the sac one more time with a much smaller one... and shorter!!!! lets see what happens then???!!!
Taperites must be the next unexplored frontier of vintage pens. High quality, underappreciated.
I think you've hit upon the solution when you say you might have to just get used to it. This is the way vintage pens are. They generally have a freer ink flow than modern pens. They do wonderful things, but that's the price you pay for it. You have to treat them differently. Store upright. Don't leave them rolling around in your briefcase. And certainly don't shake them up and down. If ink comes out when you shake it, that's not a leak---it's a pen being pushed beyond its limits. It's just not designed for that.
agreed. the more i buy vintage pens (other than the parker 51 and 21), i've noticed they are finickier than new pens. some, anyways!! i have that taperite in my rotation now and i'm just being careful.
here's a pic of that baby:
QUOTE (Scripsit @ Jul 20 2008, 07:27 AM)
QUOTE (lovemy51 @ Jul 2 2008, 06:55 AM)
QUOTE (Robert Hughes @ Jul 1 2008, 06:04 PM)
Some older pens do that. Esterbrooks, for instance will drop ink if you shake 'em. But I still use vintage FP's, just remember their touchy dispositions.
thanx for replying Rob,
i suspected that when I bought a Wahl Symphony with a brand new sac and leaked the same way no matter what i tryed (and yes, it did have a new sac... i took it appart and checked it), and now the taperite. on the other hand, my two esties don't leak anything even when i check them. my P51, 61, 21's only leak whatever is under the hood after i inked them, but the waterman empties the pen if i shake it up and down (and i don't mean forcefully). but... it does't leak when i write, so i guess i just gotta get use to it!!!!
i think i will try changing the sac one more time with a much smaller one... and shorter!!!! lets see what happens then???!!!
Taperites must be the next unexplored frontier of vintage pens. High quality, underappreciated.
I think you've hit upon the solution when you say you might have to just get used to it. This is the way vintage pens are. They generally have a freer ink flow than modern pens. They do wonderful things, but that's the price you pay for it. You have to treat them differently. Store upright. Don't leave them rolling around in your briefcase. And certainly don't shake them up and down. If ink comes out when you shake it, that's not a leak---it's a pen being pushed beyond its limits. It's just not designed for that.
agreed. the more i buy vintage pens (other than the parker 51 and 21), i've noticed they are finickier than new pens. some, anyways!! i have that taperite in my rotation now and i'm just being careful.
here's a pic of that baby:
by the way, does anyone know what model this one is?
it has 13 rings at the lower part of the cap and a star at the front bottom of the cap, between the circles.
??????????
it has 13 rings at the lower part of the cap and a star at the front bottom of the cap, between the circles.
??????????
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