How It Works:

I’ve been restoring vintage fountain pens for many years now, and have offered my services to customers from time to time. I’ve entered a season of life where I have a need for flexibility due to the care our two autistic sons, so I thought I’d start offering my services more broadly to generate a little income while staying flexible.

If you wish to use my services, first email me (dannystr78@gmail.com) and let me know what pens you want restored and which of the following services you will need. I will then send you a quote, hopefully a rough time frame, and an address. Secondly, ship your pen to me. When I receive it, I will assess the condition of the pen. Should I see any additional problems (e.g. a broken or missing parts, etc.), I’ll let you know and give you a quote of the additional services needed. If you wish to proceed, I’ll complete the repair and then send an invoice via email. Upon receipt of payment, I will send the pen via USPS Priority back to you. Finally, I should note that once you send the pen, return shipping will be your cost whether you wish to proceed with the repair or not. I will only bill you for the shipping cost and no more.

Warranty:

I guarantee my restoration work for a full year after the repair. This includes all sacs and rubber parts and replacement parts. I cannot guarantee parts I did not replace (for example, an old button-filler pressure bar that the customer wished to keep in the pen). I also cannot guarantee parts broken due user error (for example, dropping your pen nib down causing damage).  I will also provide a sheet describing some simple steps for good pen hygiene. 

What’s Included:

In addition to restoring the filling systems below, I will also do a general clean of the inside and outside of the pen (including feed, section, nib, cap, barrel, etc.). I will give a quick polish to remove external crud. Plastic and celluloid pens will require an additional fee should you want me to buff and polish out scratching. Deoxidization of hard rubber pens and parts will also require an additional fee (see below). I try my best to stick with original parts and processes. O

 

Services Offered:

Lever-Filler Repair (Starting at $40) – Pen will be taken apart (barrel, section, feed, nib). All the old ink and ink sac will be removed from barrel, feed, and section. Pressure bar and lever will be assessed for damage and cleaned up if needed. Nib will be cleaned and polished up. A new sac will be installed. Pen will be tested with water then ink, and then flushed to insure your pen will write and fill properly

Button-Filler Repair (Starting at $40) – Pen will be taken apart (barrel, section, feed, nib). All the old ink and ink sac will be removed from barrel, feed, and section. Pressure bar will be assessed (it is not uncommon for these to be in poor condition, and a replacement will cost an additional $10 if desired). Nib will be cleaned and polished up. A new sac will be installed. Pen will be tested with water then ink, and then flushed to insure your pen will write and fill properly.

Parker Vacumatics (Starting at $50) – Old diaphragm will be removed and replaced. The filling system sealed and restored. Breather tube will be cleaned and replaced as needed. Section threads will be lubed with silicone grease (I find vacs easier to maintain if you can unscrew the section, but you will have to purchase your own silicone grease from a hardware store. I can also put on a thread sealant similar to the original if you wish, but then only heat will loosen the seal.) Pen will be tested with water then ink, and then flushed to insure your pen will write and fill properly.

Sheaffer Touchdowns (Starting at $50) – The “O” ring and blind cap gasket will be replaced. The old sac completely removed from the sac protector. New sac installed and tested with water and ink, and then flushed to insure your pen will write and fill properly. Pen will be tested with water then ink, and then flushed to insure your pen will write and fill properly.

Sheaffer Snorkels (Starting at $60) – Rubber parts will be replaced (“O” rings, gaskets, sac). Snorkel cleaned out, spring inspected, and snorkel aligned. Pen will be tested with water then ink, and then flushed to insure your pen will write and fill properly.

Deoxidization of Hard Rubber (Starting at $60) – The pen will be disassembled and the various parts will be treated with a chemical process to remove the oxidization. This is not a dye process, nor a sanding or buffing process that will remove chasing and imprints. After the process, the pen will be cleaned with mineral oil and hand buffed with balms designed to bring the pen back to its original shine and to better protect the pen from future oxidization.

The Works (Starting at $30) – Included in this service is a hand-done hard buff of the pen’s body using various grades of micro mesh. The pen will then receive quality polishes to bring the pen and trim back to a shine. I will do my best to keep original marks and imprints on the pen in tact. This process is particularly helpful on celluloid and plastic body pens. 

 

Additional Repairs:

If you would like a service not listed above, feel free to inquire.