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Do All Carene's Leak?


Shannon

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22 hours ago, JonSzanto said:

 

I would suggest, instead, to simply order a couple of blunt needle syringes and refill cartridges. There are many upsides:

  • you will have a larger ink capacity
  • if you use the technique of "feed priming" your pen will have 100% of the ink it is capable of holding
  • you will be able to use a cartridge many, many times before needing to discard it
  • if done with just the least bit of care, it is actually LESS messy and wasteful than putting the pen into the ink bottle and filling through the converter.

Something to think about. I can fill a pen this way as fast as just with a converter and dunking the nib/feed/section into the ink. There are many videos and guides to cover the steps if you need it. The syringes can be bought from online pen places, but far cheaper on eBay, etc.

 

Is feed priming achieved by squeezing on the cartridge? I may have no choice but to use cartridges instead of spending small fortunes on unreliable converters, given that I've had pistons fail on the metal head models. I wonder if there are any converters from other brands that fit, someone mentioned Jinhaos on another site.

"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt."

 

B. Russell

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I have two Carene pens.  The first I bought leaked on the first fill, then I  read somewhere that leaks could be related to filling by dunking the entire nib/feed into the ink, and the solution was to fill the convertor or a cartridge with a syringe.  I tried that, and neither pen has ever leaked again, since I fill with a syringe.  YMMV.

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3 hours ago, senzen said:

 

Is feed priming achieved by squeezing on the cartridge? I may have no choice but to use cartridges instead of spending small fortunes on unreliable converters, given that I've had pistons fail on the metal head models. I wonder if there are any converters from other brands that fit, someone mentioned Jinhaos on another site.

 

No - here is how to 'prime' the feed.

 

First you fill the cartridge up (leaving a bit of air room so ink doesn't squirt out when you attach). Then you hold the section for the bottom of the nib, and feed, are facing up. Using your syringe, carefully place a drop of ink on the underside of the tip of the nib, right at the tip of the feed. You'll see the ink get sucked up into the feed (by capillary action). Do this with 5-6 drops, giving just a moment for each to be pulled up into the feed.

At this point you have filled the feed and section with ink, and the cartridge is completely full. This is the maximum ink the pen can hold and you don't have anything to wipe off, just return any ink remaining in the syringe to the bottle, cap the bottle, and then flush out the syringe for future use.

BTW: you can fill a number of carts, and then take a hot glue gun and put a drop of hot glue on the opening. Once it cools it will seal the cartridge, you can carry it with you (maybe in a container or something) and then if you need to refill the pen, you pop the glue drop off with your finger and put the cartridge in place. The best part is that the Waterman carts are really long and hold a good bit of ink.

"When Men differ in Opinion, both Sides ought equally to have the Advantage of being heard by the Publick; and that when Truth and Error have fair Play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter."

~ Benjamin Franklin

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I am not a Carene owner so I hesitate to comment, but isn't this all a bit of a faff for a premium fountain pen that should be above this pampering, (not sure if that is the best word but it is late, perhaps fussng over would be better).

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2 hours ago, Beechwood said:

I am not a Carene owner so I hesitate to comment, but isn't this all a bit of a faff for a premium fountain pen that should be above this pampering, (not sure if that is the best word but it is late, perhaps fussng over would be better).

 

This is not the pen's fault, but the converter failing. It happens. You can easily buy new converters and just keep sailing down the road. I'm only offering an alternative, a hack, if you will, that allows for an alternate operation. 

The bottom line is that the Carene is a dependable and fine writer, a pen that is worth the investment. While there may be rare occasions of the pen itself having issues with leaks, I have not come across evidence that this is anything other than relatively rare. I have a Carene Deluxe in fp and rb and while it is not a daily user, it certainly spends time in occasional rotation. 

"When Men differ in Opinion, both Sides ought equally to have the Advantage of being heard by the Publick; and that when Truth and Error have fair Play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter."

~ Benjamin Franklin

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19 hours ago, JonSzanto said:

 

No - here is how to 'prime' the feed.

 

First you fill the cartridge up (leaving a bit of air room so ink doesn't squirt out when you attach). Then you hold the section for the bottom of the nib, and feed, are facing up. Using your syringe, carefully place a drop of ink on the underside of the tip of the nib, right at the tip of the feed. You'll see the ink get sucked up into the feed (by capillary action). Do this with 5-6 drops, giving just a moment for each to be pulled up into the feed.

At this point you have filled the feed and section with ink, and the cartridge is completely full. This is the maximum ink the pen can hold and you don't have anything to wipe off, just return any ink remaining in the syringe to the bottle, cap the bottle, and then flush out the syringe for future use.

BTW: you can fill a number of carts, and then take a hot glue gun and put a drop of hot glue on the opening. Once it cools it will seal the cartridge, you can carry it with you (maybe in a container or something) and then if you need to refill the pen, you pop the glue drop off with your finger and put the cartridge in place. The best part is that the Waterman carts are really long and hold a good bit of ink.

Never heard of that syringe trick. Interesting.

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On 1/14/2021 at 4:39 PM, JonSzanto said:

 

No - here is how to 'prime' the feed.

 

First you fill the cartridge up (leaving a bit of air room so ink doesn't squirt out when you attach). Then you hold the section for the bottom of the nib, and feed, are facing up. Using your syringe, carefully place a drop of ink on the underside of the tip of the nib, right at the tip of the feed. You'll see the ink get sucked up into the feed (by capillary action). Do this with 5-6 drops, giving just a moment for each to be pulled up into the feed.

At this point you have filled the feed and section with ink, and the cartridge is completely full. This is the maximum ink the pen can hold and you don't have anything to wipe off, just return any ink remaining in the syringe to the bottle, cap the bottle, and then flush out the syringe for future use.

BTW: you can fill a number of carts, and then take a hot glue gun and put a drop of hot glue on the opening. Once it cools it will seal the cartridge, you can carry it with you (maybe in a container or something) and then if you need to refill the pen, you pop the glue drop off with your finger and put the cartridge in place. The best part is that the Waterman carts are really long and hold a good bit of ink.

 

Thanks; sounds like a recipe for disaster with my lack of abilities.

 

"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt."

 

B. Russell

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On 1/14/2021 at 7:24 PM, Beechwood said:

I am not a Carene owner so I hesitate to comment, but isn't this all a bit of a faff for a premium fountain pen that should be above this pampering, (not sure if that is the best word but it is late, perhaps fussng over would be better).

 

It's the sort of thing that kept me away from Carènes, turns out they are reliable, it's just that Waterman's converters suck, or rather don't suck, beyond this returning a few drops of ink to the bottle solves the other known issue, more of a characteristic, ink blurted out on the cap or all over the section. My most beautiful pens, by far, my collection would look very different if I had started with them.

"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt."

 

B. Russell

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  • 3 weeks later...

I have two of these, both with fine nibs. They both leaked around the horns and also when pulling the cap off. I sent them back to Waterman under warranty. I assume that they replaced the nib sections. Since then, 3 years, they are both leakproof. Superb pens, very smooth nibs.

Favourite pens in my collection (in alpha order): Caran d'Ache Ecridor Chevron F and Leman Black/Silver F; Parker 51 Aerometric M and F; Parker 61 Insignia M, Parker Duofold Senior F; Platinum #3776 Century M; Sailor 1911 Black/Gold 21 Kt M; Sheaffer Crest Palladium M/F; Sheaffer Prelude Silver/Palladium Snakeskin Pattern F; Waterman Carene Deluxe Silver F

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