Waterman 52 1/2V Flex Nib - Possible Feed Problem?

[Paul-in-SF]

I purchased this little ring-top, and all it appeared to need was a new sac. Now it takes up ink fine, and it writes. But...

 

It has a pretty flexible nib, but I don't really want to use it for calligraphy or anything like that, I just want to write with it, maybe with a little line variation. Currently it kind of gushes for a few words, and then the ink stops for a few seconds, and then it goes again. When I say it "gushes" it does put a lot of ink on the page when it writes, but the writing is legible; it's not feathering (on the paper I use) but it does show through a lot, and bleeds through in spots.

 

Speed of writing seems to matter, although I haven't tested thoroughly. When I write at my regular speed I get the behavior described above. If I slow down, way down, it seems to keep up better. So I'm sort of assuming, from what I have read about flex nibs, that the feed is not able to keep up the ink flow when I'm writing at normal speed.

 

Is this what I should expect with this sort of pen? Is it only really good for slow writing? Is there any prospect for improving the ink flow, i.e. slowing down the gushing and also being more consistent instead of stopping and starting?

 

If it matters, the nib just says "Waterman Ideal Reg. U.S. Pat. Off." It has a heart-shaped breather hole, and longish tines. I would say the flex range is fine to broad.

Edited June 19, 2019 by Paul-in-SF

[WalterC]

"Is it only really good for slow writing?" NO! At least the one I had wrote rather nicely with nice flex. I didn't use it much because I liked having a pocket clip and it was a ring top. If I can find it I'll start using it again.

I'll leave the repair question to those more qualified than me. I assume you have cleaned it well?

[pen lady]

Does it behave this way whatever ink you use?

[PaulS]

is it possible that intermittent flow is being caused by an air pressure/air lock problem? - is there an issue with the nib seating being 'off the feed' a tad too much? - are the tines railroading excessively causing a dry patch every now and again.

As already commented, it's unlikely that this issue is the result of flex - though if the nib is off the feed, and you are pressing heavily, then just possible that this sudden lift off the feed might give the dry patch.

[Tweel]

It almost sounds as though the feed itself, the ink and air channels that is, is okay, but the collector is clogged (can't absorb much overflow, so it transfers the "chugging" in the ink flow -- the little gush of outgoing ink each time an air bubble pops up into the sac -- to the point's ink supply).

[Paul-in-SF]

I did clean it before I did the sac, had the nib and feed out and cleaned, and it all looked normal as far as I could tell. I didn't clean anything that might have been a collector, I didn't realize these pens have one (if this sentence doesn't make sense it is a measure of my ignorance, so feel free to educate me). I ran water through the section but did not soak it, I was afraid of oxidation. The nib appears to be centered on the feed. The tines don't visibly railroad when I'm writing because I'm not putting that much pressure on the nib.

 

As for ink, I've only tried a couple. The current one is Waterman Absolute Brown. The previous ink (I don't remember what it was) didn't seem to want to write very much at all, so I went for what I thought would be a wetter one.

 

WalterC, glad to hear I can hope for something better.

 

Based on these comments, I'll clean it out, take it apart again, and make sure everything between the sac and the point is clean and properly aligned. In the meantime, any other ideas are welcome.

[CS388]

Is this what I should expect with this sort of pen? Is it only really good for slow writing? Is there any prospect for improving the ink flow, i.e. slowing down the gushing and also being more consistent instead of stopping and starting?

 

 

No, these pens are great writers, when working properly.

 

Did the nib and feed sit well together?

I think these feeds can be heat set?

 

It has all the symptoms of a blocked feed

Could you see the channels when you had it out?

 

 

Good luck

Edited June 20, 2019 by CS388

[shalitha33]

Feed may be blocked or slightly misaligned. It might be best if you can provide an image of the nib and feed. When you took the nib out did you note down the direction it was facing. Some of these old sections may have formed around the nib and feed slightly. When you look at the empty section sometimes you can notice the side the nib was pointing. Although this shouldn't matter , it may be worth checking to see if that does anything.

 

I don't have that many 52 1/2v pens. I haven't had any trouble so far with the ones i have. Although i am a rather slow writer .

[penjog]

I have similar problems with my semiflex nibs, at Waterman Patrician, 55, PSF 15, 52.

 

I don't have the problem with Wahl-Eversharp Gold Seal, Mabie & Todd #2 nibs.

 

Cleaning, repositioning, other inks - I've tried everything I can think of.

What always helped was to replace the flex nib to a rigid nib.

For me, this means, that the ink flow in Waterman-feeds is not so abundant that the relatively high ink requirement of a flex nib is always satisfied. In addition, when the nib lifts off the feed when pressure is applied, the ink flow is "disturbed" at that moment. You would need the reservoir.

But if you make the feed wider / deeper, the nib becomes a wet noodle. Do I want the ... ?

If I had multiple feeds, I would try trial and error, but like this ... ?

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator

[Paul-in-SF]

I do have another pen, an 0852 1/2 V, same size, different trim. that needs a new pressure bar (something I have been delaying fixing as it is above my current skill level), so I can experiment with that feed and/or nib to see if they are any better. Thanks for that suggestion.

 

Update: I took out the nib and feed and cleaned them. The first thing I thought to try was to make sure the nib was at the right depth relative to the feed. There are two channel cutouts on the sides of the feed, and I used those as my guide as to how far back to position the nib on the feed -- and I noted that my nib had been pushed further in than that before. I also made doubly extra sure that the nib was centered correctly on the feed.

 

Those changes have apparently made a big difference, although time will tell for sure. I am now able to write at roughly my normal speed and it seems like there is less gushing, that is, the ink flow is generous but in the normal range, and I don't have nearly as many cases where the ink stops. I did have a couple of those in about 6 lines of writing, so it's not perfect, but in this condition it counts as usable. I'll do another page of journal in this tomorrow and see how it goes.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions. I feel like I should have been able to figure this out for myself, but sometimes it takes someone else to point out things.

Edited June 20, 2019 by Paul-in-SF

[Tweel]

Congrats, and I think that you essentially did figure it out yourself, once you were catalyzed by the peanut gallery. Incidentally, those cutouts on the sides of the feed comprise the (primitive) collector.

Edited June 20, 2019 by Tweel

[Paul-in-SF]

Congrats, and I think that you essentially did figure it out yourself, once you were catalyzed by the peanut gallery. Incidentally, those cutouts on the sides of the feed comprise the (primitive) collector.

Ah, thank you, that makes sense.