Do All Carene's Leak?

[senzen]

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.

[Carrau]

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.

[JonSzanto]

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.

[Beechwood]

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).

[JonSzanto]

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. 

[TSherbs]

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.

[senzen]

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.

 

[senzen]

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.

[brownargus]

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.

[Dione]

Beautiful pens, well made with smooth nibs. Sadly there are always dots of ink on my finger and thumb when I've written with mine. 🙁

[crescentfiller]

Yes. It was a new design feature. If your pen doesn't leak properly, you can return it and they will make it leak.

[Dragan]

I had four, now i have three Carene fountain pens. I didn't notice any of them to leak ink.

Beautiful pens with excellent nibs.

[Marsiglia]

I have had two Carene Deluxes. Beautiful pens in appearance that write smoothly. Both leaked from Day-1. Changing and replacing ink converters, new or used, and substituting ink cartridges were no help. Under-filling the pen, expelling ink after filling the pen, maintaining the pen in the vertical, all gave no improvement.

[I-am-not-really-here]

None of my 20+ leak. Whether bought used off ebay or bought new from AD's. Performance the same.

 

 Note: when gripping the pen, if your finger(s) touch the wing tips, you might see ink dots if the nib adhesive is wearing out. Or if a prior owner improperly re-sealed after taking a nib unit apart.  The plastic section's taper design can be slippery and there is nothing there to stop inadvertent finger slide.

[Marsiglia]

I bought both pens new-in-the-box, online, from what I believed to be a retail dealer. Both have leaked profusely from day-1. 
 

Can this be fixed? If so, who would fix one?

[Mark from Yorkshire]

Try your local pen repairer in your country or territory 

[TSherbs]

2 hours ago, Marsiglia said:

I bought both pens new-in-the-box, online, from what I believed to be a retail dealer. Both have leaked profusely from day-1. 
 

Can this be fixed? If so, who would fix one?

 

from the Waterman website: 

Quote

 

Will you be in a position to repair my pen?

“Nearest colour, nearest model” if the repair is not covered by the warranty and we cannot repair or replace your pen, we will return it to you unrepaired and offer you a Special Discount of 50% on a pen of your choice that is currently available. The offer will be valid for 2 months.

Defective products returned with a proof of purchase will be serviced, repaired or replaced with a new product in an equivalent price range and in the same colour – or the nearest available colour – free of charge, as long as the warranty is still in effect.

If your repair cannot be covered by the warranty, we will issue and send you a quote for approval before carrying out the repair.

 

 

 

Waterman pen repair FAQ

[Marsiglia]

15 hours ago, TSherbs said:

 

from the Waterman website: 

 

 

 

Waterman pen repair FAQ

Thank you for this. I will look into it.

[Ron Z]

I do repair these, as does Mike Kennedy.  It involves removing the nib, cleaning off the old failed adhesive, and then attaching the nib using a good waterproof adhesive.    Amateur repair attempts not recommended.  It's easy to break the underlying parts of the section if you don't know what you're doing.  Sometimes even if you do know what you're doing.

[Mercian]

11 minutes ago, Ron Z said:

I do repair these, as does Mike Kennedy.  It involves removing the nib, cleaning off the old failed adhesive, and then attaching the nib using a good waterproof adhesive.    Amateur repair attempts not recommended.  It's easy to break the underlying parts of the section if you don't know what you're doing.  Sometimes even if you do know what you're doing.

⬆️ This!

 

As the good Dr. Brown once said, ordinary mortals (i.e. most pen owners) should not attempt the removal/replacement of the Carène’s nib themselves, but should instead leave it to experienced professionals - for there be Dragons!
(And much wailing, and gnashing of teeth.)

 

The well-attested finickiness of the Carène is why I do not yet own one.
I once resolved to buy one but, after watching/reading reviews/opinions of the beautiful beast by various well-regarded people, decided to use the money to buy a Lamy 2000 instead.

 

That said, despite already knowing about all the ‘flaws’, and the diva-ish behaviour, I do still find myself lusting after the elegant French beauty 🙄

Temet nosce