Question for experts TIA

I bought on ebay a new Waterman Phileas, never had one , I liked , looks
gret also writes nice but it comes with a M nib and after some writing it
fail to print the first trace of the first letter of a word and have to go
back to complete that letter more writing , more offen is the failure, seems
like ink don't flow at the same speed I write, is there something can I do
to fix this problem ??
Also I would like to have a broad nib , can someone tell me where I can find
a spare nib for this pen , I do rather an online store

Thanks and best regards

"Luis" wrote in message
...
I bought on ebay a new Waterman Phileas, never had one , I liked , looks
gret also writes nice but it comes with a M nib and after some writing it
Also I would like to have a broad nib , can someone tell me where I can
find
a spare nib for this pen , I do rather an online store

Hi Luis,

skipping and hard-starting can be due to several things. It sounds like at
the very least the nib is "baby bottomed" - this is very common in modern
pens. In an attempt to put plenty of tipping on them and to make them
ultra-smooth, the manufacturers make that tipping too round. The flow of
ink is disrupted because it can't get proper contact with the paper.

does it skip as you write or run out as you write. - or is it just when you
start a letter on the downstroke or the like? If it runs out *as you write*
than this says there could be a feed problem.

if this is a new pen that came with box and papers, you might be able to
contact the Waterman folks. Don't know if you're in the US or elsewhere.
But sometimes stuff like this is covered by warranty even if bought on ebay.

the US source is 1-800-best-pen.

If you would like someone to take a look at it (that is, someone in the pen
community who can diagnose the problem and possibly fix it) then I'd
recommend asking around on the various pen boards.

WM has to do nib exchanges typically. Their nibs do not unscrew like a
Pelikan or similar brands but are friction fit.

hope this made sense,
kcat

Hi Kcat:
Thanks for your comments , are very appreciated
When I was at school I used to write always with fountain pen many years ago
from now!!, but never anyone told me how to care or fix a pen and really I
didn't take to much care about , on that time I used Esterbrook pens like
most of my friends at school, that pens were very cheap maybe one dollar or
less for a pen at the nearest stationary strore, also was avaliable to
change the nib for about 10 or 20 cents, but when someone has this kind of
problems we use to write a little on very fine sandpaper and problem goes !
Is this a used procedure or we were wrong ?
how can a baby botttomed tip be fixed ?
Where can I find some literature about maintenace of fountain pens ?
I live in a small city in Mexico, I can send my pens to Mexico city to
repair serious problems, but would like to know how to fix those easy to fix
problems and do it by myself
Sorry for the mistakes ,English isn't my home language

best regards

Luis



"KCat" escribió en el mensaje
m...
"Luis" wrote in message
...
I bought on ebay a new Waterman Phileas, never had one , I liked , looks
gret also writes nice but it comes with a M nib and after some writing
it
Also I would like to have a broad nib , can someone tell me where I can
find a spare nib for this pen , I do rather an online store

Hi Luis,
skipping and hard-starting can be due to several things. It sounds like
at
the very least the nib is "baby bottomed" - this is very common in modern
pens. In an attempt to put plenty of tipping on them and to make them
ultra-smooth, the manufacturers make that tipping too round. The flow of
ink is disrupted because it can't get proper contact with the paper.

does it skip as you write or run out as you write. - or is it just when
you
start a letter on the downstroke or the like? If it runs out *as you
write*
than this says there could be a feed problem.

if this is a new pen that came with box and papers, you might be able to
contact the Waterman folks. Don't know if you're in the US or elsewhere.
But sometimes stuff like this is covered by warranty even if bought on
ebay.

the US source is 1-800-best-pen.

If you would like someone to take a look at it (that is, someone in the
pen
community who can diagnose the problem and possibly fix it) then I'd
recommend asking around on the various pen boards.

WM has to do nib exchanges typically. Their nibs do not unscrew like a
Pelikan or similar brands but are friction fit.

hope this made sense,
kcat

"Luis" wrote in message
...
Hi Kcat:

Sorry for the mistakes ,English isn't my home language

If only my Spanish were as good as your English!

"Aardvark J. Bandersnatch, MP" wrote in message news:Y5mYc.89341$mD.57995@attbi_s02...
"Luis" wrote in message
...
Hi Kcat:

Sorry for the mistakes ,English isn't my home language

If only my Spanish were as good as your English!


Luis, yo he tenido problemas similares al tuyo; en muchos casos esto
lo ha solucionado:

Usa un par de gotas de liquido para fregar los platos, mezclalo bien
con agua y llena y vacía la pluma (con el pistón para la tinta) varias
veces. Si no funciona, inténtalo de nuevo las veces que haga falta.

Muchas veces el problema es que la cara interna del plumín o el
alimentador tiene algún tipo de grasa del proceso de montaje
(probablemente, sudor de las manos del operario) y esto impide que la
tinta "agarre" al plumin. Si esto no funciona, haz uso de la garantía
y que te la repare waterman.

Saludos, Juan

"Luis" wrote in message
...

Is this a used procedure or we were wrong ?

it's a common procedure. I would use something finer than standard
sandpaper or at least have leather or something to polish the nib afterward.
And go *very* slowly. You want to take some of the roundness off, but not
too much.

how can a baby botttomed tip be fixed ?

mild grinding of the nib on an abrasive as you described can easily fix it.
I use lapping film which is a very high-grade abrasive film. I wouldn't use
anything less than 600 grit sandpaper and preferably something much higher
(I use one that is about 9000 grit.) There are some US dealers that sell
these. I think Pendemonium does but am not certain. But you may be able to
find it somewhere in Mexico - I just don't know where to tell you to look.

Where can I find some literature about maintenace of fountain pens ?

i highly recommend Richard Binder's Pages. There are a lot of articles
here. The articles on nibs (Nibs I: The Basics, Nibs II: Beyond the Basics
with Specialty Nibs ) may be especially helpful.

http://www.richardspens.com/ref_txt.htm

in addition, look for The Pen Doctor's columns on the Pentrace web page -
These are also by Richard Binder and range from basic pen repairs to repairs
for specific types of pens.
http://www.pentrace.com/penbase/Data...?id=16&csort=2

if that link doesn't work, go to www.pentrace.com and scroll down to find
The Pen Doctor link about halfway down the page.

HTH,
kcat

"KCat" wrote in message
. com...

"Luis" wrote in message
...

Is this a used procedure or we were wrong ?

it's a common procedure. I would use something finer than standard
sandpaper or at least have leather or something to polish the nib
afterward.
And go *very* slowly. You want to take some of the roundness off, but not
too much.

how can a baby botttomed tip be fixed ?

mild grinding of the nib on an abrasive as you described can easily fix
it.
I use lapping film which is a very high-grade abrasive film. I wouldn't
use
anything less than 600 grit sandpaper and preferably something much higher
(I use one that is about 9000 grit.) There are some US dealers that sell
these. I think Pendemonium does but am not certain. But you may be able
to
find it somewhere in Mexico - I just don't know where to tell you to look.

Where can I find some literature about maintenace of fountain pens ?

i highly recommend Richard Binder's Pages. There are a lot of articles
here. The articles on nibs (Nibs I: The Basics, Nibs II: Beyond the
Basics
with Specialty Nibs ) may be especially helpful.

http://www.richardspens.com/ref_txt.htm

in addition, look for The Pen Doctor's columns on the Pentrace web page -
These are also by Richard Binder and range from basic pen repairs to
repairs
for specific types of pens.
http://www.pentrace.com/penbase/Data...?id=16&csort=2

if that link doesn't work, go to www.pentrace.com and scroll down to find
The Pen Doctor link about halfway down the page.

HTH,
kcat


I'd also consider getting a copy of Da Book.
I believe Swishers was stocking them.


JP

Hi. Kcat and JP

Thank You !!
All your comments are very appreciated I will look for the literature and
try to fix the problem with this pen, this is part of the fun of use
fountain pens
Best regards

Juan :
Muchas gracias por el tip , será lo primero que haga ya que es lo menos
agresivo para la pluma y tiene mucho sentido
En donde te encuentras ?
Saludos
Luis


"JP" escribió en el mensaje
news:lSsYc.9070$u94.7405@trndny06...

"KCat" wrote in message
. com...

"Luis" wrote in message
...

Is this a used procedure or we were wrong ?

it's a common procedure. I would use something finer than standard
sandpaper or at least have leather or something to polish the nib
afterward.
And go *very* slowly. You want to take some of the roundness off, but
not
too much.

how can a baby botttomed tip be fixed ?

mild grinding of the nib on an abrasive as you described can easily fix
it.
I use lapping film which is a very high-grade abrasive film. I wouldn't
use
anything less than 600 grit sandpaper and preferably something much
higher
(I use one that is about 9000 grit.) There are some US dealers that
sell
these. I think Pendemonium does but am not certain. But you may be able
to
find it somewhere in Mexico - I just don't know where to tell you to
look.

Where can I find some literature about maintenace of fountain pens ?

i highly recommend Richard Binder's Pages. There are a lot of articles
here. The articles on nibs (Nibs I: The Basics, Nibs II: Beyond the
Basics
with Specialty Nibs ) may be especially helpful.

http://www.richardspens.com/ref_txt.htm

in addition, look for The Pen Doctor's columns on the Pentrace web
page -
These are also by Richard Binder and range from basic pen repairs to
repairs
for specific types of pens.

http://www.pentrace.com/penbase/Data...?id=16&csort=2

if that link doesn't work, go to www.pentrace.com and scroll down to
find
The Pen Doctor link about halfway down the page.

HTH,
kcat


I'd also consider getting a copy of Da Book.
I believe Swishers was stocking them.


JP

Luis wrote:
I bought on ebay a new Waterman Phileas, never had one , I
liked , looks gret also writes nice but it comes with a M
nib and after some writing it fail to print the first trace
of the first letter of a word and have to go back to
complete that letter more writing , more offen is the
failure, seems like ink don't flow at the same speed I
write, is there something can I do to fix this problem ??
Also I would like to have a broad nib , can someone tell me
where I can find a spare nib for this pen , I do rather an
online store

Thanks and best regards

Hi Luis,

Contact:

Berol de Mexico
Via Dr. Gustavo Baz 309
54060 Tlalnpantla
Estado de Mexico
Mexico 54060
Tel: +525 55 729-3400

I would get a new nib/feed assembly from them. Sanding is fine if you
have examined the nib carefully under magnification and know for sure
that whatever is wrong can be corrected by sanding. Otherwise you can
end up with a nib that not only skips but is also scratchy and/or has a
flat spot or is just plain ruined. Sanding should only be done after the
nib has been carefully examined and found to be in need of sanding.
Unfortunately, many folks sand nibs when all that was needed was a tine
alignment. This is important because sanding is necessarily destructive,
and the material you lose can't be put back. You have to be careful.
BTW, what others are calling "baby bottom" is more common on higher-end
gold nibs with welded tips. The welded tips are made of extremely hard
material. The Phileas has a steel nib, the end of which was folded over
and soldered. Such tipping material is softer--so, if you must sand, be
extra careful. The problem referred to as "baby bottom" (a misnomer
IMO), occurs not because the outer surface of the tip is round and
smooth but because the medial or inside corner of each tine (at the nib
slit) has been rounded to the point that ink is drawn back up into the
slit and away from the tip and paper whenever the nib loses contact with
the paper (e.g., during pauses, between words). This type of defect
cannot always be repaired. My advice to you would be to buy a jewelers
loupe (magnifier) and learn how to use it effectively. Learn how to spot
misaligned tines and align them before you start messing around with
sanding. Contact Waterman in Mexico for a new nib and a spare. On the
other hand, this may not be a bad nib to experiment on because they're
still being made, and they're pretty inexpensive. So, if you mess up it
won't cost much and you'll learn something in the process. Good luck,
Bernadette

On Sun, 29 Aug 2004 19:40:56 -0400, "BL" wrote:

Luis wrote:
I bought on ebay a new Waterman Phileas, never had one , I
liked , looks gret also writes nice but it comes with a M
nib and after some writing it fail to print the first trace
of the first letter of a word and have to go back to
complete that letter more writing , more offen is the
failure, seems like ink don't flow at the same speed I
write, is there something can I do to fix this problem ??
Also I would like to have a broad nib , can someone tell me
where I can find a spare nib for this pen , I do rather an
online store

I would get a new nib/feed assembly from them. Sanding is fine if you
have examined the nib carefully under magnification and know for sure
that whatever is wrong can be corrected by sanding. Otherwise you can
end up with a nib that not only skips but is also scratchy and/or has a
flat spot or is just plain ruined. Sanding should only be done after the
nib has been carefully examined and found to be in need of sanding.
Unfortunately, many folks sand nibs when all that was needed was a tine
alignment. This is important because sanding is necessarily destructive,
and the material you lose can't be put back. You have to be careful.
BTW, what others are calling "baby bottom" is more common on higher-end
gold nibs with welded tips. The welded tips are made of extremely hard
material. The Phileas has a steel nib, the end of which was folded over
and soldered. Such tipping material is softer--so, if you must sand, be
extra careful.

I wonder if you have a reference for the Phileas having a folded steel
nib. Granted, it's hard to tell just by looking, but it looks like
there's a pellet of hard material welded on. (Whatever it is they're
putting in hardened "iridium" tips, apparently nobody puts iridium
into them anymore).

Pat

Email address works as is.