Hi everyone,

I have a Waterman 52 BCHR with a New York No. 2 nib that I acquired a a few weeks ago. It is in good condition, very little brassing, though the chasing and inscription is almost gone from where it has been held over the years.

It seems to leak a lot from the nib, the air hole on the nib is where I notice the ink coming from. I have actually watched the ink come out of the hole and pool on the nib as I move it around. While I write with it or if I lay it down on the desk then pick it up again, I notice ink building up on the nib. I have to wipe it off a lot and clean out the cap, otherwise I get ink on my fingers from the cap. It never drips ink, even when the nib is covered with ink. When you first write with it in that condition, it leaves a bit more ink but not enough to blob. As I write it writes very well. In fact it has become my favorite pen to write with and use it more than my other pens.

Also, as I move the pen around, like rotating it end over nib, I hear something clunking around on the opposite end of the nib. I am not familiar with how the inner workings of this pen are supposed to be, but that does not sound good and could be part of the problem. It is a lever fill, and don't know much about the lever box, but was wondering if that clunking would be some kind of weight to help balance the pen. I have not found any information on the internet on this pen and how they work.

My questions are: Is this fixable? If so is it something that me, an amateur, should attempt, or is there someone I can send it to to get fixed? Any ideas on where I can find more info on this pen, I am curious about the history and date of this pen.

Thank you for any help or suggestions.

Have a great day!!

James E. Merritt

Hi James,

The leaking is very likely a problem with the sac, as in, a tiny hoel letting air in. If you can take the pen apart easily, it is fixable by anybody who hasn't got both hands attached the wrong way. That is a very easy repair.

Id suggest you'd look around on Richard Binder's website, who has a lot of information on repairing pens, in a remarkably understandable fashion.
Sac replacement info on Richard's Website

With regard to the clunking sound: I don't know how loud it is of course, but there is no weight, or shouldn't be, in a 52 for balance, and as far as I can see, there is no space for it. I woud imagine that the only sound you can hear would come from the lever box, and this again would indicate there is a potential problem with the spring, allowing parts of the lever to move around freely. That is, generally, easily fixable too, just a little more difficult, as it is more difficult to reach.

Anyway, I am sure other people will pop in with some good advice, too, so I'll leave it at this.

Warm regards, Wim

That sound is amost certainly the pressure bar. The pressure bar in Waterman pens has no spring. The sac is self-expanding, and to avoid rattling the pressure bar relies on the lever's "snap closing" action. There are small holes on the sides of the lever near the tab, and "pimples" in the sides of the lever box engage them when you push the lever down. The pimples frequently wear off with use, and the system then rattles because all that's holding it in place is the sac, which can't push it firmly enough against the side of the barrel.

Thank you for the replies,

Can this be fixed easily by a novice or should I send it away to be fixed?

Would it take much to get it fixed?

Also,

The pen fills very well, you actually see the ink level drop when closing the lever.

I love the pen and the way it writes, so I would like to fix it if at all possible.

Thank you and have a great day!!

James E. Merritt

Hi James,

I would agree with Richard's assessment. In fact I would say the pressure bar may well have detatched from the lever and will be sliding up and down the barrel. This may cause undue pressure on the ink sac causing irregular flow.

As you like the pen it and if you are not sure send it off to get fixed, it is quite easy to do however.

The section (the bit that holds the nib and feed) needs to be removed and I would imagine the bar will fall out (it should be connected to the lever by two small flanges). The sac is probably OK if the pen is not leaking elsewhere but I would get a new one installed as it may be a little "tired" and not inflating well. Removing levers from Waterman's is a bit more tricky as they are usually in a "box" surround.

Leave it to the experts or if you want to try, get an old similar destroyable Waterman first and experiment on that one. There are plenty of outlets for spare sacs etc.

I would fix it, but you should get it repaired by someone who knows what they are doing.

Gary