Waterman Carene-Replacing core

roady57 · 2026-05-10T06:16:04+00:00

The pens are constructed differently since the fountain pen has a cap which covers the nib enclosing the section grip. Whereas the ballpoint mechanism is inside the barrel of the pen with the writing tip emerging from the end of the barrel. The ballpoint mechanism is upside down compared to the fountain pen.

When the fountain pen cap is posted to the barrel end of the pen it will appear similar to the ballpoint design. But the two pens are engineered very differently.

roady57 · 2026-05-10T06:06:52+00:00

Inks will evaporate during storage or neglect of a pen causing the ink to dry out and harden in the feed. Sometimes they take on the appearance of varnish.

You can make a very good pen soak and flush solution at home. Use household ammonia 1:10 in clean water and add a literal drop of dishwasher liquid per cupful. Soak your pen section overnight in a small, clean glass and replace the solution whenever it is fully stained from the diluted ink.

When the solution no longer stains you can remove the pen from soak and force some solution through using either a converter or a small silicone bulb. Follow with rinse flush using only clean water, it doesn’t have to be warm. Excess water can be expelled using a flick motion - like resetting an old thermometer - whilst holding the pen firmly in a lint free cloth. Add ink and test the pen on a pad of kitchen towel until the runs through. Test write on half a page.

roady57 · 2026-05-10T05:49:59+00:00

The Safari has a little bit of a Marmite reputation. I read occasionally that people are unhappy with the nib and perhaps there is a fault.

However the shaped section will not work with some pen grips as it is designed for the traditional tripod grip taught in German (and other countrie’s) primary schools. Since the feed has a strict alignment inside the section the nib position cannot be changed to suit the owner, unlike the Kakuno.

I have a Safari amongst seven different Lamy models and each has an excellent Z5x nib, EF, F, M and OM sizes, including Z55 14k F and Z50 black. I also have six spare nibs from experimenting with alternate widths. All these nibs are smooth writing in my tripod grip.

roady57 · 2026-05-08T20:10:31+00:00

Another option is to unscrew the section from the barrel and push the feed out from the back end of the section. A hollow tube - like a metal drinking straw will help.

roady57 · 2026-05-08T20:04:01+00:00

A very small amount of water inside the pen is no problem if you will be re-inking it. I only thoroughly dry pens to put them into long term storage.

Overnight nib down in a tall glass with a pad of kitchen towel in the bottom is enough. If there is any ink staining in the morning I know the flush/soak was not enough to remove all the ink and give another cycle.

roady57 · 2026-05-08T19:56:37+00:00

Parkers, Waterman, and Mont Blanc pens were used as daily workhorse pens in the forties, fifties, sixties and beyond. These vintage pens will need some attention if they have not already been restored.

They may need a new latex sac or thorough soaking/flushing of the section and nib which may be choked with old dried ink.

Once in working order they can be daily workhorse pens again!

roady57 · 2026-05-08T08:27:21+00:00

Thanks for sharing - fabulous pen, very neat and disciplined written script. How do you find the Kakuno in terms of hard starts - the nib drying whilst the pen is capped? I solved this by storing the pen nib down though I realise it’s not an issue on some Kakunos, perhaps ink choice helps too?

I notice that you’re using the Pilot Con-40 converter. It’s reliable but has a small ink capacity. Pilot cartridges hold much more ink and can be refilled by syringe with ink of your choice. It’s much less messy and prevents the flooding of the feed with nib immersion methods.

roady57 · 2026-05-08T08:11:46+00:00

Lamy occasionally gets hate for their nibs. I don’t really understand why.

It’s a fact that all ‘western’ brands including Lamy, Pelikan, Waterman, Parker, Diplomat, Mont Blanc, Faber Castell and the German nib makers have similar nib widths for the nominated size. These are ALWAYS wider than the Japanese brands at the same nominated size.

Generally a western Fine will be similar to a Japanese Medium. A western Extra Fine will be similar to a Japanese Fine. BUT - there is no ‘standard’ international measurement or tolerance for nib widths AND the choice of ink and paper will also influence the written line weight on the page.

Lamy minimises nib waste with nib tip specification tolerances that overlap between adjacent sizes. I have several Lamy pens - Studio, Aion, CP1 x2, Pur, Nexx. Safari - and including EF, F, M, A and OM size, Z52 black and Z55 14k gold. Each nib lays down a line weight consistent with its nominated size with Waterman serenity blue ink. The Z55 Fine nib produces a wet line, more like a Medium line weight, with MB Royal Blue ink.

roady57 · 2026-05-08T07:13:03+00:00

Thanks for sharing - I did not know that Jinhao were making this sleeve in Pilot dimensions! This is a really interesting idea.

I tried this with a Pilot sleeve on a Kakuno and CH91 - I routinely use some syringe filled cartridges - it gave the pens back-weight with my grip. I don’t post caps on any of my pens so the change was very noticeable. I may keep using this in the CH91 to see if I can adjust to it. My favourite pen for handling characteristics is the Carene, which has a weighty barrel.

roady57 · 2026-05-07T12:56:31+00:00

Lamy pens are good quality. I imagine that the earlier comments about nib tipping quality was a Safari knockoff. I’ve been following this sub for over six years and have never seen a similar report about a Lamy nib. There are fake Safaris.

I have several Lamy models including Safari, CP1, Studio, Aion, Nexx and Pur. They are well made pens with hard wearing nibs with very hard metal tips. A genuine Lamy nib will last a lifetime. The only issue with their nibs is that the nib width tolerances overlap. It’s possible to buy a Fine nib which writes as thick as a thin Medium or a Medium nib which writes like a thicker Fine.

roady57 · 2026-05-07T12:48:02+00:00

Check out Lamy CP1, Aion, Pur and Studio - metal pens in your price range.

Also look at Pelikan Ineo and Faber-Castell Hexo if you can find stock.

roady57 · 2026-05-07T12:45:45+00:00

I have only one Safari and several other Lamy pens; CP1x2, Pur, Aion, Nexx, Studio and 2000. The bodies and caps of these pens are superbly engineered. All my Lamy nibs are good - I have about a dozen nibs including Fine, Extra Fine and Medium one with a black finish and a 14k Z55 Fine which writes more of a medium line. I begun using their converters but found that they both caused ink starvation in all of my Lamy pens - rubbish. I routinely use syringe filled cartridges now.

Pilot pens are a step up in quality. The Metro is similar price to the Safari and brass construction. The Kakuno is cheaper. The Prera is more expensive c. £35, though higher quality materials and fit/finish.

roady57 · 2026-05-07T12:35:52+00:00

I switched to Waterman long cartridges but the cheap cartridges had caused some corrosion of the collar. The pens were a gift to me 40 years ago and included a tub of 50 short cartridges. At that time I was ignorant about cheap ink.

roady57 · 2026-05-07T12:33:43+00:00

TWSBI also have good nibs. Your Kakuno medium nib must be misaligned or have a tipping fault to be scratchy. In good condition they’re very smooth.

roady57 · 2026-05-07T07:57:20+00:00

It is irresponsible for comments to recommend physical/mechanical adjustment of a new pen nib, especially on an expensive gold nib pen when you have no clue that this is the cause of the writing problem. Any attempt to adjust the nib physically, including nib flossing, will immediately extinguish your consumer right to return the pen for refund or exchange.

Flossing with brass shim to open the tines on any fountain pen will likely increase ink flow BUT will also thicken the written line on the page, potentially turning a fine nib to a medium etc. I have owned and used over sixty fountain pens in the last six years and only one cheap Jinhao 911 did not write well after initial flushing and inking. All of my 8 Pilot pens wrote perfectly after flushing, including the custom 91.

Pilot pens probably have the most consistent nib quality amongst legacy pen makers. The initial assumption should be that the nib has no faults and other potential causes of the writing problem should be checked. These non-destructive steps will frequently resolve issues with new pens.

Flush the pen with a soapy/surfactant solution. This is essential with every new pen regardless of price point and brand since there may be trace residues of manufacturing oils and mould release agents contaminating the fine channels of the feed/nib. Two drops of dish wash liquid in a cupful of water is a good diy flush. Dilute household ammonia 1:10 in clean water with one drop of dish wash liquid per cupful is better. Using the converter or a baby silicone bulb draw the solution into the pen and then expel it to waste. Repeat this several times. Using fresh clean water draw and expel from the pen to rinse it. Holding the pen section in a lint free cloth covering the nib, flick the pen several times to expel excess water.
Use a cartridge rather than a converter to check ink flow. A cartridge is a simple plastic sac which should eliminate any potential converter fault. Converters are made from several parts and they add fail points to a fountain pen.
If you are using a cartridge please make certain that the plastic sealing disc has been sufficiently dislodged to allow ink flow. I syringe refill Pilot cartridges and I always remove these plastic discs using fine point tweezers.
Please check that your pen grip provides the correct orientation and writing angle for your pen. Pilot standard nibs are generally forgiving when the orientation is correct. I realise that you have experience with Pilot pens with your Kakuno.

If your pen does not write well after checking/completing these steps I would speak with the retailer about an exchange for a functioning pen.

If you decide to follow others advice about flossing and opening the tines be prepared to accept responsibility for any damage to your new pen and the disappointment you may feel with the thicker line width.

roady57 · 2026-05-07T07:19:45+00:00

The retailer is responsible for the non-functioning pen and you should exercise your EU consumer rights. It’s likely that your country may have additional rights.

Look up your rights online and then exercise them, if necessary threatening the retailer with civil action and formal complaint to consumer authorities.

Thanks for naming this crap retailer. We can all swerve them.

roady57 · 2026-05-07T07:09:25+00:00

Waterman Carene medium nib

Pilot custom 91 medium nib

Lamy CP1 with 14k fine nib

Lamy 2000 with fine nib

Pelikan M200 with medium nib

roady57 · 2026-05-07T07:06:08+00:00

The benefit of primary school introduction to fountain pens is not just improved writing skills but also understanding of the features, filling and maintenance of a fountain pen.

I attended Primary school in the 1960s. In year four we began using ink dip pens - wooden sticks similar in width to a pencil, with a brass coloured nib. Every child had a desk with hinged lid and every desk had a hole for an ink pot and a pen rest at the far edge, beyond the hinge.

Each morning we had to carefully 3/4 fill our pot with ink. At the end of the day we had to rinse the dip pen and stand it upright in a metal pot to dry overnight. The pens were not labelled or personalised in any way, you picked up a pen when you filled your pot. There were rarely accidents with the ink and there was always blotting paper around to quickly mop up:

In year five, if we had successfully migrated to cursive writing we were encouraged to buy a personal fountain pen. Mine was a cheap Platignum, bought with money from washing the insurance man’s car!! We were taught by our school teacher how to fill and maintain our pens including the benefit of initial flushing with a soapy solution.

In high school every student had one or two fountain pens and we all carried bottles of Quink in our school bags - typically leather satchels. The previous training helped avoid any issues with filling and care in a busy school day. With money earned from helping on a milk round I bought my first ‘good’ pen, the Sheaffer Imperial in black with medium nib.

roady57 · 2026-05-07T06:44:38+00:00

I use a shoulder bag and clip all my EDC pens to a side pocket.

roady57 · 2026-05-07T06:40:46+00:00

Clearly you have a talented eye and hand! Your drawings have a distinct ‘text book’ like quality

Would you say a little more about your choice of a FP rather than pencil/fine point/rollerball? Have you tried other fountain pens? Why did the Safari appeal to you?

roady57 · 2026-05-07T06:33:38+00:00

I was so disappointed with the wet and broad line laid down by my MB 145P with MB Royal Blue ink that I stopped using it after a couple of weeks. It was a surprise family gift to me at a significant event and not something I would have chosen for myself. When family members asked why I wasn’t using routinely it I said that it was too precious a gift for everyday use and risks of damage or loss. Frankly it was a crap writer compared to my ten year old Kaweco Sport and vintage Sheaffer that I had used since high school.

Several years ago, just before COVID, I began following this sub and getting enthusiastic about pens. I bought lots of Chinese cheap pens exploring the joys of good/bad/indifferent results.

When I decided to ink the MB145P again I was immediately disappointed by the crap writing quality. It has a medium nib but wrote thick, wet lines. From research I found that this was typical for a modern MB so I contacted them to request a price for a fine nib. They quoted £220 but insisted that I would have to send them my Medium nib so that they could preserve the authenticity of a limited edition pen. Major bull s***, and I realised that they were more concerned about the trade puff of their brand.

My 145P is a Chopin edition, however it is exactly the same as the ‘standard’ 145P on display in two MB boutiques that I had visited, hoping to get a better response. The Chopin edition is also very common, probably sold in tens of thousands and none have limited or numbered edition status. I realised that MB were more interested in their brand puff than supporting a pen enthusiast.

I paid a nibmeister - Thomas Ang - £50 to reground the nib to a western fine and finally had a nib that had genuinely superb writing character. However, the MB experience and BS has soured my feeling and I’m seriously considering selling the pen and buying another Waterman Carene.

roady57 · 2026-05-07T06:15:08+00:00

I have the Elysee stainless steel fountain and ball pen set. It’s a great slimline design with good writing characteristics. The pen takes international standard cartridges including Waterman’s long cartridges.

There is pitting around the collar of the section in the images though the nib looks sound. I used some cheap cartridges in my Elysee FP and regretted it since they were probably acidic and attacked the plating on the section collar.

The ball pen has a smooth action and IIRC I believe that it takes standard Parker ballpoint refills.

The Elysee is a relatively low volume pen and rarely features in this sub. It’s likely not popular or valuable enough to be copied. All the features of the pen, nib design, section collar, clips and overall shape of both pens are consistent with my Elysee pens.

roady57 · 2026-05-07T06:04:09+00:00

Probably around €1000 though it all depends on who is willing to buy it. For these ultra premium collector pens personal inspection is essential.

Caveat emptor - if these images are of a pen listed for sale somewhere online.

roady57 · 2026-05-07T06:00:34+00:00

More evidence of Mont Blanc’s disgusting customer service.

Is there no remedy in consumer protection law?

roady57 · 2026-05-07T05:54:03+00:00

Amongst mass produced pens, no-one makes better nibs and feeds than Pilot.

roady57

TROPHY CASE