Waterman CF ~ A Classic Pen You Should Own

[garyc]

As I noted, mine has gold 'wings' and are absolutely untarnished even after all these years. A relative may have just tried it and found the fine nib a bit scratchy and left it around. Since it was lying around with other pens in a case, the lacquer has come off in some spots. But the gold/brass clip, ends of cap and barrel are absolutely shiny like new. I got the inside filler sac changed to a nylon one from my local pen guy. The original one was atrophied.

 

I am sure a bit of buffing/polish will get your pen looking good.

Well mine has arrived. Its black with chrome wings and cap and gold plated detail (clip, barrel tassie). To be honest, it looks a bit scruffy (pic to follow), the chrome plating on the 'wings' has corroded badly and you can see through to the metal beneath. The nib is just marked 18K, with a small squiggle marking I can't make out underneath, then a diamond shaped mark underneath that.

 

The nib is a revelation - fine, wet enough and (dare I say it) buttery smooth. Mine came with one used and one full cartridge. I soaked the nib/section in ammonia solution last night, flushed with water then filled the empty cartridge with some old Quink Black with Solv-X.

 

Its lovely to write with - its slim and light (18g or 12g without cap) and very elegant looking. Shame about the corrosion. I'll just have to get a better example - those sterling silver ones look nice. I paid just shy of the equivalent of $40 incl postage for this one. There appears to be a constant stream of these on eBay from French sellers.

[sandeep108]

If it has corroded that badly, it is sad. One thing I would not like is an unclean/poorly maintained looking pen. Maybe keep it for spares for your next and hopefully better one.

[dcjacobson]

Tom, nice pen, and very nice penmanship! You have a great signature, too.

 

DJ

[garyc]

If it has corroded that badly, it is sad. One thing I would not like is an unclean/poorly maintained looking pen. Maybe keep it for spares for your next and hopefully better one.

Here is the picture of the CF I got:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2300/2217047002_1f1f4176c6_o.jpg

 

You can see the corrosion/pitting on the wings and also the wear on the chrome cap in the background. ebay item 320209656007 looks like it has the same disease. On another description I have also read that "this pen has the long gold filled inlay on the section and there is no visible corrosion in the area adjacent to the nib as is usually seen on these models." So it looks like this corrosion is something to look out for on prospective purchases.

 

Anyway, its (almost) the worst looking pen I have ever got from eBay, but its actually one of the best writing: I really love the pen. Its not going to be a spare but rather one I will turn to quite frequently I think. Of course, that won't stop me from looking to buy a better example

Edited January 24, 2008 by garyc

[sandeep108]

That is a bit bad, you may be better in trying to take all the chrome off. It does not seem to be corrosion, but simply the chrome is coming off. Though mine looks very spiffy, its' ultra fine nib will take some breaking...

[goldenkrishna]

Hello OldGriz,

 

Thank you for this very nice review. I love the C/F series, they are very elegant, yet a bit small.

 

With love,

goldenkrishna