Honestly? I can't say: it is still firmly in the barrel. This was a Canadian Waterman and while I have no way to know, I am aware of certain manufacturing differences there.
However, my bet is on something else: glue. A few years ago I got captivated by Waterman Taperites, another nid-range pen. First one restored easily, 2nd one, 34d... ick. Snapped one barrel in half, and acually *crushed* one between finger and thumb as I was gripping the barrel. It turns out those pens had their sections Glued in place, and coupled with the plastic they used becoming very brittle over time, I eventually gave up (with concurring advice from Paul Erano) chasing these pens for restore.
So this beautiful golden brown Starlet came to me looking brand new, just gorgeous. I was damned if I was going to screw it up. I would warm the barrel, try, warm it, try, and after 10 minutes or so I would set it aside for the day. I was not going to force or overheat. I did this for *weeks*. Then one day I warmed the barrel and without any notice I saw the slightest of gentle curves - the front end had warped just a bit. There is also a very small amount of shrinkage right as it holds the section, and I honestly can't say if I noticed it before. While some materials shrink over time, nothing else indicates that on eht pen, especially the cap, where the band is still nice and tight. But the damage was done: the cap threads on and off with a bit of bind, and there is a slight warp. Tiny, but enough to break my heart.
I did know, though, that the lovely nib was a bit loose, so I was able to gently wiggle it out while the feed stayed in the pen. The blue model was in almost as good cosmetic shape and already sacced, but the nib was rough. I wiggled that out, swapped, and it is a brilliant little writer.
So, yeah, another pen restore story in the can. That's how we learn and progress, and also known that not every pen will work out. Such is life.
Cheers,
Jon
Responses
www.newpentrace.net