What To Do With A Phileas

[Corona688]

I have a Waterman Phileas Black in appalling shape: Used to death over many years, basically. The pocket clip is gone and the lid doesn't stay securely, so it can't go out and about any more, but I miss it.

 

Someone mentioned "franken-pens" implying these things are modular to a degree. The feed and nib are still perfectly good (excellent, in fact.) What can be done with them? Where does one get penless pen bodies anyway, if nothing in Staples quite fits?

[pajaro]

If the section is good, you could buy a Waterman Kultur and screw it into that. A used Phileas could be a parts pen. If the section is good and without cracks, you could sell it. Cracked sections are not rare, and someone might need a good section.

[Left FPN]

It's going to have to be another Phileas or Kultur for donor parts. Plenty of ebay trolling.

[Corona688]

Ah, but then, what would I put the Kultur in

 

Perhaps I'll find a dead one on ebay. Thanks.

Edited February 13, 2018 by Corona688

[pajaro]

So, if you have leftovers from a donor pen, you want to make that work too? Could become an endless quest. At some point it's best to throw in the towel and throw the remainders into the parts bin.

[Bookman]

Pentooling sells Waterman Phileas FPs for $85. Or you could buy a replacement Phileas cap for $30. It also sells Phileas blind caps ($20) and "cigar band" doohickies ($15).

[Corona688]

So, if you have leftovers from a donor pen, you want to make that work too? Could become an endless quest.

Buying a $29 nib for its $1 wrapper just rubs me wrong, I guess. But a used Kultur looks like the the best deal I'm going to get.

[Left FPN]

Interesting option.

 

For $90 + shipping you could make yourself an almost pen...with no nib.

 

They also list a Blue Kultur cap as a Phili.

[Corona688]

Interesting option.

 

For $90 + shipping you could make yourself an almost pen...with no nib.

 

They also list a Blue Kultur cap as a Phili.

Their recommendation of use is rather ominous, also. "Add a dab of shellac so you don't lose it". Are they unable to do so themselves? Are these lids fatally flawed?

[Chrissy]

I would also check out ebay regularly as they appear on there.

 

Even though my Phileas caps seem to fit with a good snap, they still seem to dry out ink in their converters quicker than most of my other pens.

 

They don't like to be stored with ink inside for even quite short periods of time, so I tend to use cheap ink in them.

[pajaro]

I would also check out ebay regularly as they appear on there.

 

Even though my Phileas caps seem to fit with a good snap, they still seem to dry out ink in their converters quicker than most of my other pens.

 

They don't like to be stored with ink inside for even quite short periods of time, so I tend to use cheap ink in them.

 

This has been my experience with the Phileas, After a long trial the 18K L'etalon EF nib didn't help. I wonder if this is a case like the Parker Sonnet, where you could seal the cap. Otherwise the Phileas, and I suppose also the Kultur, are just cannonfodder to fill out a collection. You could partially fill them and try to use the ink before the pen dries up. I tried Waterman cartridges, but the result is the same.

 

My medium Carene keeps writing, day after day now, to my utter amazement. It writes a nice fine line to my satisfaction. The fine and extra fine Carenes dry up fast. This I find to be the case with most C/C pens I have bought.

[Chrissy]

I'm not sure that sealing a Phileas would be like sealing a Sonnet. With the Sonnet there's an obvious button that you can fill around and make a seal so that water (and ink) doesn't trickle out of the cap. There doesn't seem to be anything that is the obvious cause of the problem with the Phileas.

 

Not that I've ever dismantled one to see what the problem is though.

 

All of the Phileas pens I have except one have L'Etalon nibs in there. It makes no difference. They just dry out.

[Left FPN]

I cannot see how changing a nib would help when it's virtually the same shape.

 

Take a Phileas cap and blow into it. There is some, though very little, airflow restriction so they do not have a good sealing system.

 

Take a Carene cap and do the same. There is a noticeable difference in restriction due to their caps having a nylon seal.

 

Neither cap has a seal at the opening so both will dry out over time.

 

Drying out also depends on the environment at the pens location.

[Corona688]

No wonder I couldn't figure out the snap arrangement: There isn't one, just friction-fit on the decorative metal band. So a new cap will fit as loosely as the old.

[Left FPN]

No wonder I couldn't figure out the snap arrangement: There isn't one, just friction-fit on the decorative metal band. So a new cap will fit as loosely as the old.

Yes, the cap has 3 inboard protrusions at about 30mm up which clip to the lip of the grip near the nib. If either wears, it will not work.

 

It sounds like you need a whole new pen.

 

Haven't seen this in a while,

 

 

 

[Bookman]

Their recommendation of use is rather ominous, also. "Add a dab of shellac so you don't lose it". Are they unable to do so themselves? Are these lids fatally flawed?

Pentooling expects the buyer to know better than send a Phileas to them just to screw a blind cap on. I bought one. I kept my pen at home. I put the new cap on myself.

[pajaro]

I'm not sure that sealing a Phileas would be like sealing a Sonnet. With the Sonnet there's an obvious button that you can fill around and make a seal so that water (and ink) doesn't trickle out of the cap. There doesn't seem to be anything that is the obvious cause of the problem with the Phileas.

 

Not that I've ever dismantled one to see what the problem is though.

 

All of the Phileas pens I have except one have L'Etalon nibs in there. It makes no difference. They just dry out.

 

They could be leaking air near the cap ring area. I thought that if I sealed the cap top that maybe the clip would be prevented from moving. I liked the feel of these pens and ballpoints. I removed the L'etalon nib from the Phileas and put in a Phileas nib. I put the L'etalon nib in a frosty purple Kultur semi demonstrator with a clear section as a display piece, since I won't ink this Kultur. A nice sleeper.