Problem with my new Edson

[FleetAdmiralBlackBeard]

Hello everyone. Sorry to post so many new topics , but I have obtained several pens in a short period of time….

 

so , I purchased a new old stock Edson, which I was longing for.  Completely new, sealed in box, number 5003, very early . The pen writes as well as all my other pens  write, since I am left handed and tend to have strange angles and probably use way too much pressure, but the problem is that the pen seems to leak at the top corners of the nib when I write.
 

I would really rather not send it to Waterman, the pen is new and I don’t want some ham fisted tech marring it . (And they always ask you send the entire pen as a matter of policy)  I am not sure what this is, please see photo below . 

 

I am currently flushing the nib with soapy water and a bulb , but I do not think that is the problem here. 
 

[Carrau]

I can’t speak for the Edson specifically, however, Waterman Carene pens have a reputation for “leaking” around the nib area if the pen is convertor-filled through the nib unit from a vessel, rather than if a cartridge is used.  For some, including myself, a workaround to avoid this “leak” for the Carene, is to fill the convertor directly from the vessel or with a syringe (rather than inserting the nib unit into the vessel to withdraw ink), or use a cartridge.  You might clean the pen of any ink using something like a bulb syringe, dry it, then try a filled convertor or cartridge and see if the leak persists. Others more familiar with the Edson will likely have more to say, but it it is a simple thing to try costing/risking nothing but a bit of time. Good luck.

[FleetAdmiralBlackBeard]

1 hour ago, Carrau said:

I can’t speak for the Edson specifically, however, Waterman Carene pens have a reputation for “leaking” around the nib area if the pen is convertor-filled through the nib unit from a vessel, rather than if a cartridge is used.  For some, including myself, a workaround to avoid this “leak” for the Carene, is to fill the convertor directly from the vessel or with a syringe (rather than inserting the nib unit into the vessel to withdraw ink), or use a cartridge.  You might clean the pen of any ink using something like a bulb syringe, dry it, then try a filled convertor or cartridge and see if the leak persists. Others more familiar with the Edson will likely have more to say, but it it is a simple thing to try costing/risking nothing but a bit of time. Good luck.

Thanks so much for this reply. 
 

Well, I cleaned the pen with a bulb and soapy water, rinse , dried and used compressed air to dry, tries to suck out of the vent, did the same for the converter and then reinstalled the converter very firmly, (it’s a threaded converter in the Edson, but i just realized the threads are for pressure not to be screwed in)  and now after two pages, I see no leaks. The intensity of the ink seems lighter than when the pen was leaking, but that is fine. 
 

I am hopeful the problem has been resolved. Not sure if the J Herbin Eclat ink would be causing a problem in this pen. 

[davisgt]

1 hour ago, Carrau said:

I can’t speak for the Edson specifically, however, Waterman Carene pens have a reputation for “leaking” around the nib area

I can definitely agree with this. My green and gold Carene occasionally leaks at the top of the "horns." Ron Z has commented about this in other posts. I don't know if this is a similar problem with the Edson. 

[FleetAdmiralBlackBeard]

I wonder if the problem is the vent hole on both. Part of what I did to the Edson was to “suck” on that vent. 
 

So far so good, but it’s only been a few hours 

[Lam1]

@FleetAdmiralBlackBeard, no need to apologize for new topics. That's what we're here for (that and to enable, of course 😂).

 

This problem is common with the Edsons. You can probably find some topics about it around here and I've read many people commenting about their Edsons behaving like this.

I have two Edsons, a Black Diamiond and a Blue one, and both always leaked at the same place. I also only fill them via cartridge, since it carries more ink, and they still leak. The only solution seems to be getting used to it and appreciate the other qualities of the pen.

 

 

[FleetAdmiralBlackBeard]

Just now, Lam1 said:

@FleetAdmiralBlackBeard, no need to apologize for new topics. That's what we're here for (that and to enable, of course 😂).

 

This problem is common with the Edsons. You can probably find some topics about it around here and I've read many people commenting about their Edsons behaving like this.

I have two Edsons, a Black Diamiond and a Blue one, and both always leaked at the same place. I also only fill them via cartridge, since it carries more ink, and they still leak. The only solution seems to be getting used to it and appreciate the other qualities of the pen.

 

 

I really appreciate you for sharing your experience. This is the second time you explain how a certain anachronism is normal in a particular model, as it often is the case with things that are worth owning.  Things that are “perfect” typically lack character.  I have a penchant for such things: old Jaguars, Second Empire furniture, oil paintings whose varnish is falling apart , and now Waterman Edsons  🙂

 

As a matter of fact I can say two of my favorite things leak, my late grandfathers Jaguar XJS conv and my Edson. 
 

wife and my sons have been know to leak on occasion as well. 

[Glenn-SC]

14 minutes ago, Lam1 said:

@FleetAdmiralBlackBeard

This problem is common with the Edsons. You can probably find some topics about it around here and I've read many people commenting about their Edsons behaving like this.

 

I have three Edsons and they do not do this. 
My Carene does this iff I accidentally put my finger tip on the end of the nib.  

[Lam1]

8 minutes ago, FleetAdmiralBlackBeard said:

I really appreciate you for sharing your experience. This is the second time you explain how a certain anachronism is normal in a particular model, as it often is the case with things that are worth owning.  Things that are “perfect” typically lack character.  I have a penchant for such things: old Jaguars, Second Empire furniture, oil paintings whose varnish is falling apart , and now Waterman Edsons  🙂

 

As a matter of fact I can say two of my favorite things leak, my late grandfathers Jaguar XJS conv and my Edson. 
 

wife and my sons have been know to leak on occasion as well. 

 

😂😂

 

Fountain pens have been good to reduce my OCD. I like both modern and vintage ones, which I repair myself. 

At the beginning of my collecting days, I expected them to be perfect and immaculate, which needless to say was impossible. But, little by little, I learned to live with their imperfections!

 

Now, that Jaguar is well worth putting up with a little leaking! 👍

 

 

1 minute ago, Glenn-SC said:

I have three Edsons and they do not do this. 
My Carene does this iff I accidentally put my finger tip on the end of the nib.  

 

It is good to have hard data that it is possible to have Edsons that do not leak. Thanks for the info.

 

So, maybe it is some sealant gone bad?

In any case, I'm not sending mine to fix: I don't trust that the problem will not be made worse, and I'm used to it.

 

[Z-Tab]

I ultimately got rid of my Edsons because having to wipe them clean every time I used them was too irritating. Same issue with three different Edsons (including a Boucheron, which I had very high hopes for). I concluded it was happening because of the design of the cap liner, where it contacts the section in way that draws ink out. Waterman's inadequate solution seems to have been sealing the nib into the pen with some gunk, which would have theoretically prevented the leakage issue if it was applied correctly and stayed in place.

 

It's quite a frustrating issue for a pen that is so close to greatness.

[FleetAdmiralBlackBeard]

Happy Easter.
 

Thanks everyone for your responses. 
 

I am new here and I don’t want to seem like the Edson know it all, but I have to say that I have been using the pen yesterday and this morning so far at every opportunity , and the problem had  not arisen again, until my 4th paragraph this morning, and then it was minuscule. Not like the photo I posted, the only reason I saw it ,was because I was looking for it. I once again sucked on the vent hole, and all was well as I continued to write.  Also , the pen was leaking on its own when capped. …..That did not happen at all . 
 

The culprit, as least in my case, seems to be the vent hole. I probably occasionally cover it with my finger when writing, and it gets closed up and then won’t open …….I wish I better understood how the vent works maybe there is a solution to it shutting down maybe even a tiny drop of a lubricant administered by a syringe. 

[FleetAdmiralBlackBeard]

I might end up sending this pen to Waterman after all . I am honestly a little disappointed, I love its aesthetics , but compared to my other Waterman pens it’s so anemic. It does keep on going and going, but I guess I wish I have a broad nib .  I wish it was at least as intense as the number two in my list below, (a medium exception ) but I do enjoy it.  I may ask Waterman to give me a broad nib. 
 

[senzen]

You might try the trick that works for Carènes: draw ink from a bottle, return 4 drops, draw the remaining air, wipe. Also make sure there wasn't ink left in the cap.

[FleetAdmiralBlackBeard]

Oh, I am starting to get more and more disappointed with this pen. The nib getting wet at the “horns” when I write may be something I can overlook, but the pen gets lighter and lighter as I write. It does not skip, but it’s ink starved , the ink gets lighter and lighter as I write, it starts great, 2-3 paragraphs in , the ink gets faded. I have flushed the pen now 3x with a bulb and soapy water, I have replaced the original blue converter with a new standard converter, I fill the converter directly from the bottle. Nothing helps. The pen becomes ink starved after a while . 
 

Not sure what do next .

 

I wonder if there is an expert that can work on this pen other that Waterman ? 

[davisgt]

I believe there us a breather hole on the back side of the feed. Is it possible that hole is clogged somehow? I imagine that would create a vacuum of sorts while you were writing.  Just guessing here. 

[Glenn-SC]

Sorry.  But my pens do not exhibit this phenomenon. 

[FleetAdmiralBlackBeard]

Thanks everyone for your responses. I ended up sending the Edson to Waterman for repair. So far they have charged me a reasonable amount, although I am not sure if they are repairing the existing nib or simply replacing it. Whatever they are doing, they have assured me if the pen is not properly repaired I can send it back. This was probably the best route for me to take, and I am glad they are willing to repair the pen. 
 

In the meantime, I purchased another “new old stock” Blue Edson 🙈with a broad nib this time, and I had the seller test it for any leaks or problems before sending it to me, and now I am looking for Ruby Edson. 

[Sylarlau]

I also had a leakage issue when I filled up my Edson the first time with the convertor that came with it. It dripped ink droplets from the gap between the nib and the feed. And i then put it in the drawer and leave it there for a quite long time.

 

A few years ago, I took it out and try to use it again, and I think I might have figured out how to solve the issue. After filling up with ink, I wipe out all the exceed ink at the nib, turn the nob of the convertor and squeeze out a few drops of ink, and then retwist it back to position while the nib faces upwards, just like filling a piston pen. The breath hole at the bottom of the nib is a very obvious and easy way to know if there is too much ink inside the section. Every time I see ink filled up the breath hole, the leakage problem happens. Until now, the pen works fine without any issues after I fill it up this way every time and it becomes one of my daily pen.

I am not sure my solution is suitable for your, but hope this would be another way to help you with the issue.

[Glenn-SC]

The recommendation to “expel a few drops of ink from the nib and then draw air in with the nib up” to unflood the nib/feed system has been around for all converter equipped FPs for a long time.  I typically do this (when I remember!). 
I don’t remember do this with my Edsons but it makes sense. 

[FleetAdmiralBlackBeard]

Oh gosh, somewhere I read that I needed to expel all the ***air*** out;  meaning I would fill the pen converter thru the nib  , then turn upside down and then push to piston (while upside down) to expel the air , since air would create problems. 
 

I mean , I ended up sending the Edson in question  to Waterman , they replaced the feed, “overhauled” the front end and tested it, so hopefully it’s a non issue for me now. I am due to receive the pen back tomorrow.