First Waterman 52

[Cryptos]

Just received a Waterman 52 that I bid $20 for on the Big Bad Bay. It's not in good shape. The barrel and cap are a uniform brown and the imprints are reasonably clear. Cap fits well. Now for the downsides...

 

The lever is outside of the box, and I cannot tell if the pressure bar is functional or not (the sac certainly isn't).

 

The nib is a NY #2. It has a noticeable downward curving point and I would hazard a guess that it may have been bent and 're-straightened' at some time. I don't have any ink at work so I dribbled some from a TWSBI 580 onto the nib and feed of the Waterman. The nib is a little scratchy and writes what appears to be a hairline out to about 1.2mm with moderate pressure - actually quite easy to do.

 

 

I think the pen is a bust. There is no way I can repair the lever box - even Binder's website says it's a difficult repair. I could get a new barrel/box for around $40, or send it to someone to restore, but I am not sure it is worth the trouble.

 

I'll post pictures when I get home, but in the meantime, what do you guys/gals think of this?

 

 

Oh, what have I learned from this? Principally that the 52 is an acceptable size for my hand. So that's a useful piece of data.

 

 

Seriously considering dropping some cash on a decent example now.

[sidthecat]

The nib sounds interesting: you might be able to drop it into another pen. I have a Moore with a #2 nib, and I used to have a 52 with a Moore nib.

[Cryptos]

Perhaps, but I don't have another pen that could be a donor, although I may try and see if it will fit the Desiderata Daedalus.

[sakayume]

Sorry to hear the pen turned out to be in bad shape.

 

How does the nib compare to the usual flexible dip nibs, in particular regarding the amount of pressure required to achieve some line variation? I don't have opportunities to try vintage pens, so I don't know how to quantify often used terms like 'moderate' pressure. Most reviews of flexible fountain pen nibs seem to concentrate most on demonstrating how wide the tines can spread.

[Cryptos]

Oh, no worries on it being bad. It was an exploratory bid after all, and I did find some useful stuff about the 52 in general. So I paid $20 for the information that's all.

 

The nib is about as soft as the the Pilot FA nib I guess. I'll compare it with some dip pens when I get home.

[Uncle Red]

It's too bad about the lever box but if the HR is in good shape then it's worth getting it repaired. A 52 with a flex nib is at least $150 in working order. You should have the nib worked on at least. Some of the smaller Noodler's pens will take a #2 nib.

[Cryptos]

 

Learned some things, but the overall experience is a bit of a downer. I haven't literally tossed any pen into a trash bin until now. This looks to be the first, alas.

 

Oh, the nib is slightly less flexible than a Zebra G dip pen.

[sakayume]

Thanks for the comparison. Your writing sample actually shows the kind of shading I like (not too heavy), so it looks pretty good to me. I don't like the fat swells often seen when people (sellers?) try to demonstrate how flexible their nibs are.

 

I hope your next pen will more of a success. I too have been looking into vintage flexible nibbed pens, but living down in the antipodes makes the search rather inconvenient and I'm thinking of giving up. It doesn't help that I've been spoilt by Leonardt Principal and G dip nibs, and flexible nibs that require as much force to flex as Japanese G nibs want more work than I'm willing to expend on achieving shaded writing.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Some times a slightly bent nib can be straightened with the proper sized drill bit on a pad of paper.

 

Once you replace the sac, you could see if the J bar is corroded and needs to be replaced or it's just parts of the crumbled sac that keeps the lever up out of it's Waterman lever box.

[Cryptos]

Candide, we are in the same boat. I am over here in New Zealand. Mention a fountain pen here and people look at you as if you've just grown a second head.

 

Here is the nib (I managed to get the section out, rather easily in the end).

 

 

I'm also with you on the shading. For a fountain pen I would like a nib that goes from hairline to 1mm, 1.4mm max. It is the hairline that is more important to me than having huge swells.

 

 

Edit 1: the lever box and lever are not connected . I am assuming the lever and the pressure bar are joined somehow as I cannot remove the lever. The lever pins are outside of the lever box. I do not believe this is fixable.

 

Edit 2: I also do not want to pay more than $150 for what is in essence a strictly user grade pen.

[Cryptos]

Despite advice to buy a refurbished body for this broken 52, I went back to eBay and for just a literal handful of dollars more than the refurb I bought this:

 

 

If I am lucky the lever box will be functional and just require a sac. Pity about the chipped cap though. Oh, and I hope it is the same model (I forgot to check properly ). On the other hand, at the business end it has this:

 

 

Again, hoping this will be an interesting nib.

 

If this all goes south it will be my last attempt to get a 52 with even a semi-flexible nib. Sellers are asking far too much for standard 52s, it's too disheartening to look any further.

 

So, fingers crossed, eh!

[Rednaxela]

Edit 1: the lever box and lever are not connected . I am assuming the lever and the pressure bar are joined somehow as I cannot remove the lever. The lever pins are outside of the lever box. I do not believe this is fixable.

 

Out of interest, what makes you believe it's not fixable? Are you worried that it will be difficult to take out the lever box? Or that it might be difficult to disconnect the lever from the pressure bar?

 

If the 52 is anywhere near the 92 construction-wise I can tell you that both operations are surprisingly simple once you know how things fit together.

 

When you have it all out and taken apart, it might be easier to judge whether a lever/box repair is feasible.

[Cryptos]

According to Binder's website the 52 lever box is a bit of a pain to replace.

 

On the first pen: the lever has two lateral pins. These are not in the box. I can see where they should be but not how they came to be out or how to get them back in. the lever appears to be attached to the pressure bar. The sac is, of course, toast.

 

On top of all that is the simple fact that I have never repaired any pen, and so have zero skills or experience.

[Rednaxela]

According to Binder's website the 52 lever box is a bit of a pain to replace.

 

On the first pen: the lever has two lateral pins. These are not in the box. I can see where they should be but not how they came to be out or how to get them back in. the lever appears to be attached to the pressure bar. The sac is, of course, toast.

 

On top of all that is the simple fact that I have never repaired any pen, and so have zero skills or experience.

 

Neither had I.

 

If nothing's broken off or worn beyond repair, frankly I don't see why the lever can't be refitted once you have everything out and taken apart.

 

These two videos might be of help.

 

 

 

I recommend watching them in this order, as seeing how the pieces fit together will help you understand how they are taken apart in the second video.

 

HTH.

[Vintagepens]

The new pen appears to be a 52 1/2 V -- so both shorter and more slender than a 52, though carrying the same size nib.

 

If I am lucky the lever box will be functional and just require a sac. Pity about the chipped cap though. Oh, and I hope it is the same model (I forgot to check properly ).

[Cryptos]

Really?

 

Figures I suppose. Well, it was a short lived and slightly desperate experiment. I wonder if I can sell the nibs to recoup a little cost?

[sidthecat]

The 52 1/2 V should have a ringtop...is there a little hole in the end of the cap?

It's a promising-looking nib, and a pretty gold band. If there's a jeweler in New Zealand you might be able to replace the ring apparatus.

I'd have fought you for it.

[Cryptos]

There was no image of the top of the cap, and I didn't know enough to ask I'm afraid. I've spoken to so many sellers who want north of $200 for a bog standard black 52 with a hint of flex that I was drained of any hope of acquiring something serviceable. The result was two random ebay purchases at low prices from people who appeared not to be pen sellers (hoping for a semi flexible nib to slip through the shark nets).

 

I have the worst kind of luck with these things, as can be seen here in this thread.

 

If nothing fits together, and I daresay it is looking that way, I may be looking to donate them to someone with better sense - so you may not have to fight me for it after all.

[Cryptos]

Okay, the second Waterman has arrived. It is indeed a 52 1/2V model. Tiny little thing. The ring is missing and the pen overall looks like it has been used as a teething tool. And of course there is the big chunk missing for the cap lip.

 

The nib looks like a fine or extra fine, has plenty of tipping and is what you would call semi flexible I guess - will dip it when I get home.

 

 

So, problems and solutions.

 

1. The 52 needs a new body, sac and shellac. I can source the body, though it will set me back $40 to get one with an intact lever unit.

 

2. The 52 1/2V appears to need a new sac (plus shellac). I don't know what if anything can be done about the cap lip though.

 

Where is the best place to find the sacs/shellac? I understand that the 52 needs a size 17 straight, and the 52 1/2V needs a 15-2 1/8 necked sac, but I cannot find anyone who stocks both.

 

Any suggestions?

[Vintagepens]

Don't worry about necked sacs -- no one actually uses them. Straight sacs are all you need.