Changing a Waterman Laureat Nib

[HMA Kieran]

Hi folks,

 

Just wondering if anyone can help...

 

I just got a lovely Waterman Laureat fountain pen - one of the original ones which doesn't have the articulated clip and has the flat top on the cap. It has a white metal nib which has some fairly serious scratch marks on the nib. It writes beautifully but it doesn't look the best and I have a gold nib (just the nib not the whole nib section) that I found in a very badly damaged original laureat years ago and I'm wondering how difficult would it be to replace just the nib ?

 

Or would it be better to leave well enough alone ?

 

Thanks and take care

 

HK

[Oxonian]

Hi HK,

 

It is not a major task, the nib and feed are push fits, the nib can be wiggled out if you hold it carefully between finger and thumb and wiggle as you pull. The feed comes out afterwards, the repalcement nib needs to be fitted to the feed before you push the assemble back in,job done.

 

cheers, John

[HMA Kieran]

Thanks John

 

I will give it a go !

 

Best wishes

 

Helen K

[Tweel]

Hi --

 

I have what I think is a Laureat II -- with a rounded cap top and a Waterman logo on the nib -- and am wondering whether John's advice applies to that pen as well. I initially tried pulling the nib and feed together, then the nib by itself after finding this thread, but it's really stuck!

 

BTW, what's an "articulated" clip?

 

Thanks,

Brian

 

[hazelmorse]

Just want to say I have the same pen and I love it. It is a beautiful work horse that I've used consistently for 20 years and it looks brand new. I've never had a picky moment with her. Mine has the original gold nib. So, I'd say get that gold nib in there and I'll bet she'll be in your regular rotation.

 

Hi folks,

 

Just wondering if anyone can help...

 

I just got a lovely Waterman Laureat fountain pen - one of the original ones which doesn't have the articulated clip and has the flat top on the cap. It has a white metal nib which has some fairly serious scratch marks on the nib. It writes beautifully but it doesn't look the best and I have a gold nib (just the nib not the whole nib section) that I found in a very badly damaged original laureat years ago and I'm wondering how difficult would it be to replace just the nib ?

 

Or would it be better to leave well enough alone ?

 

Thanks and take care

 

HK

 

[HMA Kieran]

I did and it worked a treat !

 

I really like the Laureats and to be honest, it was a Laureat that started me on my fountain pen addiction when I was give a Mark I Laureat for my 21st birthday. I have used that pen for every exam since and it has and continues to a dream of a pen.

 

 

[Tweel]

Answers to my own questions:

 

- Heating the section let me pull the nib and feed

- Articulated = spring-mounted

 

-- Brian

 

[HMA Kieran]

On the original model the clip wasn't spring-mounted and the top of the cap unit was flat and in the later models, they put in a spring mounted clip and the top of the cap is rounder !

 

Enjoy the laureat , they are one of the best pens ever !

 

Take care

Helen

[azbobcat]

Hi HK,

 

It is not a major task, the nib and feed are push fits, the nib can be wiggled out if you hold it carefully between finger and thumb and wiggle as you pull. The feed comes out afterwards, the repalcement nib needs to be fitted to the feed before you push the assemble back in,job done.

 

cheers, John

 

John,

 

If you're not a genius -- IT WORKED!!! Now for a related problem. Now that I have disassembled and cleaned both the nib and the feed ( and stained my finger a nice peacock blue) I'm hoping you can answer a question: When I write with either of my Laureats I'll be going along and then.... nothing!!! No more ink flow. So I unscrew the nib, crank down on the converter, wait till I see ink, screw in the nib, and carry on. Needless to say this is a pain in the behind. When I took both nibs apart and rinsed them off I saw small "clumps" of ink in the water. I also noticed that when I examined the converter, the tip where it goes into nib holder (??) seems to have a small crack. So the question becomes is my problem a) the nib is the problem the ink c) is the problem the converter.

 

If the problem is the INK that's no problem, I'll just go down and get some new ink ( I use Private Reserve suppose to be a very good ink). If the problem is the converter, where does one get a new converter for a Laureat?? If I need a new nib assembly where does one get one of them.

 

Has any one had the problem of the skipping ink, and how did they fix it??

 

It will be interesting to see if anyone has had this problem

[ZeissIkon]

When I write with either of my Laureats I'll be going along and then.... nothing!!! No more ink flow. So I unscrew the nib, crank down on the converter, wait till I see ink, screw in the nib, and carry on. Needless to say this is a pain in the behind. When I took both nibs apart and rinsed them off I saw small "clumps" of ink in the water. I also noticed that when I examined the converter, the tip where it goes into nib holder (??) seems to have a small crack. So the question becomes is my problem a) the nib is the problem the ink c) is the problem the converter.

 

My experience with this suggests the converter is the issue. A crack in the converter neck could cause leaking (or failure to fill due to leaking air preventing vacuum formation), but shouldn't cause the ink to stick. Some converters, due to a combination of small diameter and poorly wetting material (polyethylene and polypropylene are notorious for this property), have a strong tendency for the ink to "stick", failing to bypass the air bubble that forms over the cartridge fang as air replaces ink in the reservoir. You probably don't even need to unscrew the nib unit when you advance the converter to restore ink flow, since the feed will be dry by the time the pen stops writing -- but the real solution is to try to correct the wetting in the converter so the ink moves correctly. First, try flushing the converter with water containing a few drops of dishwashing liquid (for hand washing, not for the electric dishwasher) per cup of water; flush a few times with this mix, then rinse thoroughly with plain water. If that fails, I'd suggest buying a different converter (a generic piston or squeeze converter ought to be less than $5 plus shipping from Swisher or Writer's Bloc).

 

Clumps of ink found in a clogged pen could be due to drying out, use of an ink that wasn't fountain pen safe, or coagulation due to mixing incompatible inks (via failing to flush the pen when switching inks -- either colors within a brand or different brands). Once removed, if you follow good pen hygiene (flush thoroughly whenever changing to a different ink) and don't leave the inked pen unused for long periods of time, you shouldn't see a recurrence of that problem.