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A.A. Waterman - Need help!

Well, I acquired this parts stick beauty for a whopping $5.00 this weekend. The flea shop vendor had a cup full of pen parts and crusty old ball points, and a display case with plenty of poorly priced pens (he priced them by cleanliness apparently). This A.A. Waterman was in the former (the cup).

First, it's flaws: The cap is cracked about 1 cm, and the clip is missing (as evidenced by 2 holes .5 cm apart in the middle of the cap).

That's it. No other flaws. the nib is a beautiful 14k gold, and pretty flexy. It writes like a suppose a stub would, and I can tell if that's from age/use or if it was designed that way. It's labeled Modern No.3. The patent dates on the barrel are Dec 1899 and Nov 1903, and other than the name A.A. Waterman, there is no indication that the pen is NOT affiliated with L.E. Waterman. That leads me to believe it's from Arthur Waterman's first pen company that later became Modern Pen Co. (I think...)

Here's my problem. I soaked the pen in tepid water with a little dish soap most of the day yesterday. I was able to remove the nib, but not the feed. It seems as though there's a joint just above the "swollen" bit of the section. But I don't want to force it open. Should I just keep soaking? How hot can these hard rubber pens tolerate? I THINK this might be a twist filler, as there is a hole towards the top of the barrel, but I can't get the (maybe?) blind cap to budge. Looks aside, this pen will be a HECK of a writer if I can get it working... so I don't want to risk hurting it. Any help is appreciated.

And in accordance with NIB policies and procedures.... pics or it didn't happen.

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Why do you want or need to take the nib/feed apart? It's a safety, right?

http://www.vintagepens.com/Waterman_safeties.shtml

Never soak hard rubber in hot water, or even extended cool soaks. That should go out to an expert, my friend.

I'm not actually trying to get the nib and feed apart. The nib came out easily, and I may have assumed the feed might also. It's not, and I'm NOT going to force it. Really, I'm just trying to open the pen up to see what's going on inside it.

I may just dip it for the time being, until I can afford to have a professional look at it. It's incredibly nice to write with.
 
Also, a little more info... the scuffs around the "swollen" ridged part of the section, those were already there when I purchased the pen. It looks as though someone may have taken pliers to it in an attempt to get it apart.
 
DUDE...I've been stalking those on the Bay for a couple weeks and you up and find one in the wild.... Congrats, and don't talk to me :angry: :001_tt2:

I'd send it out to a pro, as Doug said. It might cost a bit more, but you'll be happy with the results :)
 
Is there any particular expert that is especially interested in these types of pens? Also, would they be able to do anything about the cap? Like retrofit a ring in the groove at the bottom of the cap to control the crack? Or add a clip?

Rick, I don't even know what these are going for on the bay in good condition. Maybe I should take a peek. :)
 

nemo

Lunatic Fringe
Staff member
Ron Zorn re-corks safeties and you can ask him about the crack repair.
 

nemo

Lunatic Fringe
Staff member
It very well could be a twist filler, the safeties have a short cap. The threads on the end of the barrel threw me a curve, it reminded me of some safeties I've seen.

How did you narrow down the dates, Jessy? It sure is a desirable nib!
 
It very well could be a twist filler, the safeties have a short cap. The threads on the end of the barrel threw me a curve, it reminded me of some safeties I've seen.

How did you narrow down the dates, Jessy? It sure is a desirable nib!

Well, it HAS to be post 1903, because that's one of the patent dates on the barrel. And there's no indication that it's not affiliated with L.E. Waterman other than the A.A. Waterman name. Based on what I've read, it seems that 1906 is when he had to start informing people they weren't buying an L.E. Waterman pen. I haven't seen what that disclaimer looks like though, so I stand to be corrected (as is usually the case).

There really seems to be, to be a joint at the bottom of the pen. I think there's a blind cap. Not being able to get it apart with very little force, I'll not know.

There don't seem to be any threads inside the cap, but it's hard to tell for sure.
 
That makes sense. So, in theory the section should unscrew from the barrel below the threaded bit? And a rubber tube may or may not be attached to the section (I'm guessing may not).
It shouldn't come off, it's a fill knob and not a blind cap.
 
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