Waterman Carène

[renderboy]

Lovely pen with classic looks, gutted I missed out on an amber coloured one on Ebay yesterday that sold for £70.

[oronet commander]

I've got exactly the same black Carene and I'm sorry to say it isn't without serious flaws. When arrived it skipped a lot, and the ink never flowed from the converter or cartridge to the feeder. After extensive cleanings even using ultrasounds, and nib polishing with Krafft paper, I've solved the skipping but not the flow issues. Of course I've tried with many inks with very different characteristics to no avail.

 

So, I hate it but... there's something in that nib that improves my handwriting so I keep it inked and in use.

[Montblanc owner and lover]

I'd like to buy a carene in the "ambre marine" design...someone has a review of it?

[Hejie023]

I've got exactly the same black Carene and I'm sorry to say it isn't without serious flaws. When arrived it skipped a lot, and the ink never flowed from the converter or cartridge to the feeder. After extensive cleanings even using ultrasounds, and nib polishing with Krafft paper, I've solved the skipping but not the flow issues. Of course I've tried with many inks with very different characteristics to no avail.

 

So, I hate it but... there's something in that nib that improves my handwriting so I keep it inked and in use.

You should've returned it or contacted waterman as that was clearly a defect. I just received mine in Contemporary Gunmetal and it writes perfectly.

[oronet commander]

You should've returned it or contacted waterman as that was clearly a defect. I just received mine in Contemporary Gunmetal and it writes perfectly.

 

Yes, you're totally right, it was an overconfidence from my part after having succesfully fixed other pens. I used the lesson in the following pen that I bought and didn't arrived fully conformed to expectations, which was returned immediately.

[RON_D_SAVIOUR]

 

Yes, you're totally right, it was an overconfidence from my part after having succesfully fixed other pens. I used the lesson in the following pen that I bought and didn't arrived fully conformed to expectations, which was returned immediately.

 

Sorry for your bad experience with Carene. Mine is a navy blue one and its butter-smooth. In the shop, I had tested a few Carene and this one's feel was the best. I think that is the advantage with buying a pen from the shop rather than online shopping. Looking forward for a Edson. But its too pricey. Don't know how many days I have to wait

[cmalanis]

I was able to contact a waterman wholseale dealer about 10 yrs ago.. and got a set of FP and Pencil in Coral color,.. it is a pinkish-red tone. I think I got the set for $50.00 or so... but the pen itself has a couple of small chips on the enamel.. not a big issue, but might bring the price down if I want to re-sell them. Anyway, the FP is a reliable writer... I have a few watermans and they are reliable!... never skip, start right up, rich flow and smooth as silk.. If I behave, I'd like santa to bring me an Edson in blue...

 

enjoy "carene'ing"!!

[bobbytee53]

I own a Waterman Carene in marine amber gold trim. I paid £125 for it .It is an extremely attractive pen and is a delight to use and the finnish is first class. I believe that a good fountain pen brings out your handwriting in its best..Its a smooth writer and always starts first time .What I do want to obtain is a true blue/black ink which you could obtain years ago .The trouble is all of the main blue /black inks dry to a strange shade of green.I also own a cross affinity which was much cheaper and looks much cheaper .However I do love to use the cross as for some reason writes very nice .I am therefore in a quandary I like the careen and I like the affinity .so I tend to use both of them equaly.Strange how two fountain pens can create a situation to which one you wasn't to use ........undecided bobbytee53 ps does anyone else have the same problem

[MYU]

Great review. I have an old Waterman Carene with a fine nib in a cobalt blue body. I had that tail piece/nib misalignment problem. Finally wised up and searched to find a topic on FPN about this very issue (LINK). It's difficult to follow... but then someone followed up with a super image that helps a lot:

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v477/ConLaz/carenedetail.jpg

 

After you unscrew the small smooth ring at the end where the converter inserts (Ring One), you'll release the threaded collar (Ring 2). That piece slides right out. The issue is that some assembly line workers at Waterman accidentally put that collar on backward. So turn it around, align the guide inside with the groove to slip back on, then follow with Ring One screwed back into place. I did this and my tail piece now lines up perfectly with the nib.

[marcelo]

Great review. I have an old Waterman Carene with a fine nib in a cobalt blue body. I had that tail piece/nib misalignment problem. Finally wised up and searched to find a topic on FPN about this very issue (LINK). It's difficult to follow... but then someone followed up with a super image that helps a lot:

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v477/ConLaz/carenedetail.jpg

 

After you unscrew the small smooth ring at the end where the converter inserts (Ring One), you'll release the threaded collar (Ring 2). That piece slides right out. The issue is that some assembly line workers at Waterman accidentally put that collar on backward. So turn it around, align the guide inside with the groove to slip back on, then follow with Ring One screwed back into place. I did this and my tail piece now lines up perfectly with the nib.

I had the same issue and also aligned mine, a couple of years ago, thanks to the aforementioned topic. It was nice of you to bring the subject back.

[Tweel]

Great review. I have an old Waterman Carene with a fine nib in a cobalt blue body. I had that tail piece/nib misalignment problem. Finally wised up and searched to find a topic on FPN about this very issue (LINK). It's difficult to follow... but then someone followed up with a super image that helps a lot:

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v477/ConLaz/carenedetail.jpg

 

After you unscrew the small smooth ring at the end where the converter inserts (Ring One), you'll release the threaded collar (Ring 2). That piece slides right out. The issue is that some assembly line workers at Waterman accidentally put that collar on backward. So turn it around, align the guide inside with the groove to slip back on, then follow with Ring One screwed back into place. I did this and my tail piece now lines up perfectly with the nib.

 

I've tried flipping around that threaded bushing, Ring Two, on two Carène point assemblies, and on neither did the barrel end up perfectly aligned. They were far off, so I don't think it's a simple matter of misassembly. What worked for me was Maine Vintner's technique in the above linked thread. Basically, remove the barrel, make sure the nut, Ring One, is screwed all the way down, then screw the barrel back down and check the alignment of its tail with the nib. Assuming they don't align, loosen Ring One a little bit at a time until they're somewhere close to alignment. Now fine-tune the alignment by turning Ring One very tiny amounts in the same direction that the barrel is off -- in other words, if the barrel is a little too far clockwise, turn Ring One just a little clockwise, same for counter-clockwise. It's finicky but it works, and stays aligned pretty well despite the fact that the nut has been loosened.

[Maine Vintner]

Hey Tweel,

 

Thanks for the shout out. Glad to hear this worked for you. I've never understood why Waterman doesn't align these right from the factory but at least there's a process to adjust it to your liking!

 

Best,

John

[Tweel]

Thanks for the shout out. Glad to hear this worked for you.

 

You're welcome! It's a non-intuitive fix (for me, at least), so I thought the information should be kept alive.

 

It's finicky but it works, and stays aligned pretty well despite the fact that the nut has been loosened.

 

Pretty well, but for those one or two degrees by which it can drift, I've thought of putting a dab of Ron Zorn's section sealant on the threads to pin the nut in place... I guess it hasn't bothered me enough so far.

Edited July 11, 2016 by Tweel

[Out0Mind]

Amazing! This fixed the misalignment on my Carene this afternoon. Thanks so much!

[cbmd]

Thank you for posting the procedure! My Carène Black Sea/CT FP (stub) and RB are now finally in full alignment as they were meant to be.

[bemon]

Does anyone else experiencd ink bombs nearly every time this pen is uncapped or shaken?

 

I've got two of them and they both have the same issue. Using Wateman ink.

[marcelo]

Amazing! This fixed the misalignment on my Carene this afternoon. Thanks so much!

 

My pleasure!

[sanyalsoumitra]

This is a nice thread. I have a Carene but not used much. This thread made me think about the pen again. I had submitted a user review once the pen was purchased , but did not use that pen much.

For a reference here is the link to what I had submitted :

 

<< https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/304531-waterman-carene-a-user-review >>

[beboy]

Does anyone else experiencd ink bombs nearly every time this pen is uncapped or shaken?

 

I've got two of them and they both have the same issue. Using Wateman ink.

 

This is a known issue with Waterman Carène and one that can be easily solved. When you fill the pen, once the converter is full, turn the knob counterclockwise to eject 2 to 3 drops of ink out of the pen in the bottle. Then put the nib upward and twist the piston clockwise to suck up air and the ink left under the feed. This shall stop the ink bombs problem. At least it did for me.

[bemon]

 

This is a known issue with Waterman Carène and one that can be easily solved. When you fill the pen, once the converter is full, turn the knob counterclockwise to eject 2 to 3 drops of ink out of the pen in the bottle. Then put the nib upward and twist the piston clockwise to suck up air and the ink left under the feed. This shall stop the ink bombs problem. At least it did for me.

I'll give it a shot next time I re-ink!