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Carene Maintenance


minddance

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How easy/difficult is it to completely wash and dry a Carene? And how long does it take?

 

I have been considering a Carene for too long because I heard some horror stories of nib falling off and leakage and the cap not sealing inks very well. I am willing to overlook those issues but the maintenance issues are priority for me now: I am an avid ink-changer and the longest time for the same ink to be in the same pen is 3 fills.

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My first Carene was a gift in 1994. The second I picked up in 2009 and took to Afghanistan with me for 7 months. Never had a problem with either.


When I want to swap inks, I simply use the converter to flush the pen with room temperature or cool water until it runs clear. I will then place the pen nib down in a glass or jar stuffed with paper towel to absorb any remaining ink or water for a few hours or overnight. Once dry, the pen is ready for another drink of ink.


Sometimes I will let the nib sit in a glass of room temp water to loosen any dried or cruddy ink. Then simply flush using the converter. No need for harsh chemicals or solvents. At most a drop of dishwashing soap in water and let the nib sit for a bit.


The Carene is a lovely pen. I have a fine and medium, and the medium sings every time I write with it. I would highly recommend you give one a try.

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Mine deployed with me as well. Well nigh indestructible so long as you simply flush with water and don't attempt all the disassembly that's currently fashionable and ruining nice pens. The nibs are some of the best gold on the market today. The section holds an entire cartridge of ink, so they're awesome pens when you won't have time to constantly fiddle with inks.

 

Stubs are actually a hair narrower than the Broads. Nib sizes are on the bottom side of the long section. L = B in these pens and they came in oblique as well as standard sizes. Highly recommend. Just avoid gouging the nib into the page like all the flex fanatics and your nib will stay where it's meant to be.

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My modus operandi now with all Waterman sections is a simple flushing system comprising a 4 litre plastic container, 2 metres (1/4" bore) of plastic tubing, a modified empty cartridge and a bucket.

 

Fill the container with warm water and position it on a shelf at head height. A small amount of washing up liquid may be added.

 

Set the plastic tube to run from container to just inside the bucket on the floor.

 

Cut the back end off the empty cartridge and insert it into the floor end of the tubing. Bond if required but I found the tight fit good enough.

 

Suck on tube to commence siphon and immediately insert cartridge into section. Best done before water reaches cartridge.

 

Leave to drain the container or part thereof.

 

When complete, remove section and blow though.

 

Leave to dry with tissue wrapped around nib.

 

I normally complete the process overnight but it could be done in a few hours.

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  • 3 weeks later...

My modus operandi now with all Waterman sections is a simple flushing system comprising a 4 litre plastic container, 2 metres (1/4" bore) of plastic tubing, a modified empty cartridge and a bucket.

 

Fill the container with warm water and position it on a shelf at head height. A small amount of washing up liquid may be added.

 

Set the plastic tube to run from container to just inside the bucket on the floor.

 

Cut the back end off the empty cartridge and insert it into the floor end of the tubing. Bond if required but I found the tight fit good enough.

 

Suck on tube to commence siphon and immediately insert cartridge into section. Best done before water reaches cartridge.

 

Leave to drain the container or part thereof.

 

When complete, remove section and blow though.

 

Leave to dry with tissue wrapped around nib.

 

I normally complete the process overnight but it could be done in a few hours.

Great idea, I'll try that

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How easy/difficult is it to completely wash and dry a Carene? And how long does it take?

 

I have been considering a Carene for too long because I heard some horror stories of nib falling off and leakage and the cap not sealing inks very well. I am willing to overlook those issues but the maintenance issues are priority for me now: I am an avid ink-changer and the longest time for the same ink to be in the same pen is 3 fills.

 

I have a bunch of Carenes and had no issues with cleaning them, usually soak the nib units overnight and it's good to go

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  • 2 weeks later...

As said, a Carene holds a lot of ink inside the section. If the pen gets clogged for whatever reason, you have a problem. Dried ink inside a carene section is not an easy fix.

 

If you buy your pens new and take care of them you should have no issue with the Carene, other than the inky fingers thanks to the nib "horns" and bad sealing and maybe a touch of corrosion on the cap(i've seen corroded sterling plated caps and corrosion on the gold plated clip). This sort of thing only happens on some modern waterman pens, like le man series and carene. It's really, really dissapointing.

 

I love the design of the Carene and the wonderful nib, but they have their issues.

Edited by rochester21
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I recently bought a secondhand Carene. Writes beautifully and looks very sleek. Only problem is that the cap is loose. Feels like the threads that hold the cap on are worn. Not sure how to fix that.

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