Fixing Sprung Nib On Waterman Expert I

[ELRusso]

Hello,

Ive been lurking (and loving all the expertise) for a while but as a relative FP newbie, this is my first post, and I was motivated to overcome my reticence by desperation:-/

 

I recently snagged a decent Waterman Expert I off eBay, and it was actually one of my favorite writers, minimal corrosion on the nib and dreamily smooth and wet enough to keep up with my fast writing speed. THEN I lent it to a friend (a long time FP enthusiast!) who accidentally sprung the nib by mashing on it to see if it would flex :-/

 

The tines look tight to the naked eye, but under a loupe, you can see they are slightly sprung. I think the worse problem, however, is that the nib has lifted off the feed, creating a gap too large for the capillary action to work. If you prime it well, it will write a word or two and then totally stops.

 

Ive tried gently coaxing the nib against the feed, but to no avail, and I dont want to make it worse. The feed and nib both feel tight relative to the section. I dont know if this is a friction fit or a threaded section...

 

Anyway! I will attempt to post pictures now and any thoughts are very much appreciated! Thank you!!

 

-Erica

Edited May 18, 2019 by ELRusso

[PaulS]

Not so sure I'd feel cofident to try this, but for what it's worth, and since it comes from a very well respected source - the Marshall & Oldfield Repair Manual - then it might possibly save dismantling the section or sending off to a professional.

 

"Resetting:

Most feeds are made of hard rubber or vulcanite, which becomes very flexible in hot water and can easily be adjusted towards the nib. Simply immerse the nib and feed ONLY in verey hot water (just off the boil) for about 10 seconds and then gently press the feed towards the nib and hold the pressure for about 10 seconds. The gap will have been reduced and the paper test should now show the feed is snugly agains the nib"

 

The paper test they speak of involves attempting to slide a thin piece between the nib and feed - if the paper slides between easily then the gap is too great, and needs to be reduced by repeating the heat exercise.

 

Might be worth a go failing all other home made suggestions - best of luck - and moral of this story? …….. never lend pens to anyone. Welcome to FPN by the way.

Edited May 18, 2019 by PaulS

[ELRusso]

Thanks! I’d never heard of that! Yes, right now I can slide a FOLDED PAPER TOWEL between the nib and feed...sadly. I may very well give this a try!

[Erik Dalton]

Gently slide a piece of brass shim between the feed and nib but stop with the paper towels. Its very easy to have a small piece left behind, and that would really be bad. I’m normally meticulous in my cleaning and refurbishing. I once found a tiny piece of paper towel at the base of a Pelikan piston filler just before it was able to obstruct any of the ink channels.

My experience with waterman expert nibs is that they are very touchy and there is very little tolerance in the metal nib material to adjustment. A little pressure too far and its over, so go slow and be patient.

You defiantly should try to re-set the feed. I’d do a lot of reading and ask plenty of questions here.

Waterman sells replacement sections including; section, nib and feed, all one piece for its Experts that fit everything after the Expert 1 model. I have several Expert 1’s, they are my favorite. Parts are difficult to come by. You might be able to score a parts pen with a decent section. But, that’s all the more reason to try and repair what you have.

We all have things that we do best. For me, i would rather replace the expert’s section and nib rather than add to my tally of ruined expert nibs. But there may be guys here that have disassembled these sections and know the secret to working these nibs.

Hang in there, this may work itself out with help from your friends.

[ELRusso]

Thank you, Old Salt! I’m going to do some more reading before I attempt to do anything, but I will probably try to re-set the feed once I feel a little more comfortable with the idea.

[mhguda]

If you can be certain that the feed is ebonite (not plastic!) then the method described above, Resetting, will work.

I have seen this described as heat-setting, and have done it on many many pens, always with good results.

If it does not immediately produce the result you're after, just put it back into the water, count off the 10 or so seconds,

and press together again. Remember to protect your fingers against the heat!

Good luck and I hope you'll let us know how it worked out for you. BTW that's some friend, who borrows your pen and

breaks it, for all you know...

[OMASsimo]

According to what you describe, the nib was bent, not the feed. So, resetting the feed is not really the correct repair of your problem. Furthermore, the feed most probably is not ebonite because the Expert I is too young for this. But in principle, softening the plastic by heat and bending the feed is also possible with the newer injection molded feeds.

 

As long as the steel of the nib is not fractured, you probably could bend it back into the correct shape. But for that you need to remove the nib from the feed. I have little experience with steel nibs but I rescued quite a number of vintage gold nibs which seemed beyond repair. I use an appropriately shaped anvil and a small watch maker's brass hammer to forge the nibs back into shape. Patience and a gentle hand do the trick.

[ELRusso]

Hi everyone,

My apologies for going dark on this and my sincere thanks to everyone who weighed in! I had a few family issues that came up and didnt have time to update. BUT! I am happy to report I came to a solution, albeit a mostly useless one in terms of deepening anyones understanding of how to repair the Expert Imy friend who inadvertently broke the pen has purchased one himself, and were going to swap the section unit. That way he can tinker with the nib and see if he can fix it, and I can just have a working pen again.

 

I did, FWIW, try briefly resetting the feed, even though as others have correctly pointed out 1) it was the nib that was bent and 2) its not ebonite. I tried mostly because I was curious and frustrated (recipe for pen-disaster). I didnt succeed in changing it at all, and I didnt want to overheat the plastic.

 

Again, thank you all so much for your time 😊

[fabri00]

If you can be certain that the feed is ebonite (not plastic!) then the method described above, Resetting, will work.I have seen this described as heat-setting, and have done it on many many pens, always with good results.If it does not immediately produce the result you're after, just put it back into the water, count off the 10 or so seconds,and press together again. Remember to protect your fingers against the heat!Good luck and I hope you'll let us know how it worked out for you. BTW that's some friend, who borrows your pen andbreaks it, for all you know...

the feed of a waterman Expert is for sure not in ebonite.