Phileas Phever

[JonSzanto]

I haven't been involved specifically in any true collectibles market. But in most retail businesses, the owners seem resigned to accepting public whims rather than understanding them. If pink fuzzy sunglasses are a fad, merchants tend to order as many as the market will bear. Meanwhile, much better designed and tasteful sunglasses may gather dust. Sure, sellers can choose what to put in their shop window (or on their Ebay page), but the ultimate decision is made by a public whose whims and whimsey remains beyond easy understanding. Now, where did I leave those fuzzy shades?

 

Well, anyone who knows me knows that I stay far from the madding crowd.

[TwelveDrawings]

 

Well, anyone who knows me knows that I stay far from the madding crowd.

Ah yes. The pen lesser taken.

[pajaro]

Well, don't pop the Phileas bubble until tomorrow afternoon. I'm in the 'gray hair means no job offers' category nowadays, so let the cheerleading for the Phileas continue for just a bit longer, please.

 

I stumbled on a spare Phileas section. My wife, though, is spending money on BS stuff like beds, food and tablet PCs. We'll see.

[pajaro]

Well, don't pop the Phileas bubble until tomorrow afternoon. I'm in the 'gray hair means no job offers' category nowadays, so let the cheerleading for the Phileas continue for just a bit longer, please.

 

Well, I hope you are satisfied with the price. I couldn't make them bid any more, but it's fun watching the end seconds. I'll be looking forward to it.

[LindaM]

It's all packed up and out for pickup. If the mail carrier is on time, it should be picked up in about 20 minutes, and on it's way to you. Thanks! That'll pay a bill.

[Left FPN]

Realistic prices are still possible this Danube just sold for £28

 

[pajaro]

Realistic prices are still possible this Danube just sold for £28

 

 

That's nice. I think I got a good deal on the pen & ballpoint. Never saw a Phileas ballpoint before. Sheltered life.

I get pens, my wife gets a daybed.

[Dickkooty2]

A heart-breaking letter from a nephew to his Uncle:

 

http://s271.photobucket.com/user/dick168/media/Kultureuncle_zpsf35dd49c.jpeg.html?filters[user]=139176284&filters[recent]=1&sort=1&o=0

[LindaM]

If you're curious, pajaro, I found my old notes from when I bought the pens. I got them from Levenger in 1997 and paid $38 for the fountain pen. The ballpoint was regularly $27, but the sales rep on the phone offered a special deal of 'buy the fountain pen, get the ballpoint for $5'. So, adjusted for inflation from then to now, they were $62.90 sale price, or $95.09 regular price. If your wife gives you flak for buying them you can cite that to her in your defense. (Just don't mention the cracked section.)

[pajaro]

If you're curious, pajaro, I found my old notes from when I bought the pens. I got them from Levenger in 1997 and paid $38 for the fountain pen. The ballpoint was regularly $27, but the sales rep on the phone offered a special deal of 'buy the fountain pen, get the ballpoint for $5'. So, adjusted for inflation from then to now, they were $62.90 sale price, or $95.09 regular price. If your wife gives you flak for buying them you can cite that to her in your defense. (Just don't mention the cracked section.)

My wife never gives me any flak for buying pens, because she collects owls and other stuff.

 

I was wondering if you should have mentioned the cracked section at all, though it did alert me to buy a parts lot with sections for Phileas and Sonnet worth three times what I paid, plus a lot of other Waterman parts I have no clue about.

 

Thanks for the info about the purchase. I like working with pens as long as it's not too complicated, and I will enjoy moving the feed and nib to a new section. It's a simple job.

[pajaro]

Moving the nib and feed was simple, except that the other section was cracked also.

 

I took a Kultur clear translucent section and made a Phileas Demonstrator (oh very rare (not)), while I am awaiting finding a replacement Phileas Sectiion. The pen writes perfectly for me. I need a bit of tooth to help me keep control of the nib. I like the ballpoint. Years ago I bought a Hemisphere ballpoint for a few dollars and bought two broad refills. The second went into the green Phileas. I like the broad ballpoints. I like green and purple too.

Edited April 20, 2014 by pajaro

[Left FPN]

My recent purchase, the Danube Blue above, has proven to be a small disappointment. While the barrel and cap are close to mint, the nib (metal) is shot. After soaking and ultrasonic cleaning It has revealed corrosion. The seller would have had no knowlege as most, if asked, will not clean or soak before sale. They just say sold as seen....which can swing both ways. So I search for another section which is no hardship.

[pajaro]

I am not sure what there is about these pens, but the way they write so well and restart so easily must be a good bit of it. I feel the phever, and, as much as I like the clear section with the green Phileas, I ordered a new section, feed and nib from Newell-Rubbermaid yesterday for $33 shipped. Well worth it for a pen that writes so well. I like my Blue Danube one too. It's hard to pick a favorite. The Kulturs seem to continue that tradition with a different look.

[Left FPN]

 

Edited April 24, 2014 by Force

[JonSzanto]

Micro-asteroid strikes.

[TwelveDrawings]

 

Certainly an unforeseeable situation given the vaguaries of online photos. Still, I am puzzled by how extensive the pitting is. I think of gold as being resistant to chemical corrosion, yet here is proof to the contrary. In my usual search for conspiracy theories, I wondered if the damage was from a past removal of the nib (my hypothesis being that physical scratches breeched the protective layer of gold). But I see no sign of that. It does indeed resemble random asteroid strikes on the Moon. My amateur conclusion is a VERY poor quality ink was left sitting in the pen for a VERY long time. I would report it to the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Phileases.

[RMN]

Ouch. Must have been some acidic ink......

 

 

D.ick

[Left FPN]

This may be of interest to those wishing to inspect their nib.

 

How to remove a Phileas/Kultur nib and feed WITHOUT all that pulling and waggling.

 

 

Tools

1. Glass of water.

2. Pair of Mole Grips (those that can be locked off)

3. 8mm Steel or plastic washer, approx 1mm thick. An 8mm washer should have a clearance hole of around 8.5mm, to fit over the nib.

4. Strip of course emery cloth, thin rubber or leather, 15mm x 25mm

5. 2 x flat blade screw drivers.

 

Procedure (refer to sketch below),

1. Soak the complete section, in water, for 12 hours (overnight is OK)

2. Remove section from water. (I left the tea spoon in the pot I recall at this stage)

3. Fit the washer over the nib, up to the grip.

4. Shape the protective strip around the nib. If using emery cloth, cloth to be nib side (obvious)

5. Set the Mole grips to lightly grip the nib and feed over the protective strip.

6. Place screwdrives blades between Mole grip ends and washer

7. Using lever action arrowed as shown below the grip should slide freely away.

 

No pulling, waggling or lose of breath....or more importantly no cracked grip.

 

Edited April 25, 2014 by Force

[JonSzanto]

A couple of thoughts...

 

As to gold being resistant, we've got to remember that the gold wash on these nibs, which are still steel nibs, is very thin, and not uncommon for it to come off. With chemical reactions like this, all it would take would be the tiniest of spots of missing gold for the liquid to start working on the base metal.

 

I also seriously doubt that many people remove the nibs on these pens. These are daily users for consumers, not pens that would end up - at least during the main production years - in the hands of fountain pen geeks and tweakers.

 

As to the ink being acidic and in line with the previous, I think most all of the people would be just sticking in their Waterman cartridges. Of course, I have no way of knowing, but the ranges of inks, even with bottled included, wasn't as broad or nearly experimental as currently available. Had these pens come from the 20s-50s it might be a different story. No, I think this is simply a case of using not the best materials, essentially showing us that these are, after all, low-end pens. I saw the precisely same damage on a Laureat II nib: craters into the base metal. Waterman gold nibs are excellent, but I fear that the quality of some of their steel alloys used in the nibs was more prone to corrosion than we'd like. I'm not sure I've seen the same on, say, low-end Sheaffer nibs, though I imagine there are examples. And once those pits start, I don't think there is much that can be done, and they start very small.

These aren't Edsons, after all.

[pajaro]

Micro-asteroid strikes.

 

I really, really liked this and chuckled over it whenever it came to mind. It is perfect!