Waterman 52V Red Ripple – Wet Noodle (SOLD)

Waterman 52V Red Ripple – Wet Noodle (On Ebay)

This is a Waterman 52V Red Ripple that appears to have been made for a European market. It comes with nickel plated trim which is pretty unusual for red ripples, and nickel plating over brass is even more unusual. The hard rubber has faded. The imprints are a little worn but very readable. I believe the pen originally had a clip and was later replaced with an accommodation clip. The accommodation clip does have significant wear to the plating. There is just a little bit of brassing on the cap band, but the lever appears to be free of plate loss. The 14kt. Waterman #2 nib is a fantastic flex nib. It writes as a F/M with a bit of line variation making feel a bit stubbish. It is quite wet but not so wet that it is sloppy. Unfortunately he breather hole on the nib has very small crack on the left side (see pic). It is not that rare for a vintage flex nib to do this, and in my experience such cracks are quite stable and do not grow. The wet noodle flex isn’t quite a paintbrush, but it is still very easy. You will flex without intending to and the range is huge going up to 2.4mm, and that’s without really pushing it. It also is quite responsive. A fairly unusual Waterman pen with a nice wet noodle nib.

SIZE: 4 3/8″ Capped

NIB: Waterman #2, F to BBB (0.5mm-2.4mm), Wet Noodle (See “Grading Flex Nibs” for How I Grade)

FILLING: Lever

CONDITION: Good

Restration Work: