About the service
I run a dedicated workshop for antique fountain pen and inkwell restoration, taking on pieces that most repair counters wave away: bent gold nibs from the 1900s-1950s, hardened ebonite feeds, cracked hard-rubber and celluloid bodies, and glass or silver-mounted inkwells with damaged hinges and dried reservoirs.
Nib work starts under a loupe and a jeweler's microscope: tine gap is measured and corrected to sub-millimeter tolerance, misaligned tipping is realigned, and sprung or sprung-flat nibs are reshaped on a smoothing plate so both tines meet the paper evenly. Feed channels are cleared of decades of dried ink and shellac residue, fins are re-cut where they have worn flat, and the feed-to-nib fit is adjusted so capillary flow is continuous rather than skipping under fast writing.
Filling systems are rebuilt to the pen's original mechanism: lever and button fillers get new latex or silicone sacs sized to the barrel, piston fillers are disassembled, the piston seal is replaced or re-greased with the correct viscosity grease, and vacuum-fillers get new gaskets and blind-cap seals. Every rebuilt pen goes through a wet test-write session on three paper stocks to confirm even ink laydown, no railroading, and a clean shutoff with no weeping in a pocket.
Inkwell restoration covers cleaning crystallized ink from glass reservoirs without etching the surface, re-seating loose brass or silver mounts, repairing cracked hinges on traveling inkwells, and refitting cork or cap gaskets so the well no longer evaporates or leaks in a drawer.
I photograph the piece before, during, and after work, and send a short written report on what was found and what was done, so the item's restoration history stays with it. Typical turnaround for a single pen is one to two weeks depending on parts sourcing; inkwells with custom-fitted seals can take slightly longer. I work from clear photos and a description first, then quote a fixed price before starting so there are no surprises once the piece is in hand.
Nib work starts under a loupe and a jeweler's microscope: tine gap is measured and corrected to sub-millimeter tolerance, misaligned tipping is realigned, and sprung or sprung-flat nibs are reshaped on a smoothing plate so both tines meet the paper evenly. Feed channels are cleared of decades of dried ink and shellac residue, fins are re-cut where they have worn flat, and the feed-to-nib fit is adjusted so capillary flow is continuous rather than skipping under fast writing.
Filling systems are rebuilt to the pen's original mechanism: lever and button fillers get new latex or silicone sacs sized to the barrel, piston fillers are disassembled, the piston seal is replaced or re-greased with the correct viscosity grease, and vacuum-fillers get new gaskets and blind-cap seals. Every rebuilt pen goes through a wet test-write session on three paper stocks to confirm even ink laydown, no railroading, and a clean shutoff with no weeping in a pocket.
Inkwell restoration covers cleaning crystallized ink from glass reservoirs without etching the surface, re-seating loose brass or silver mounts, repairing cracked hinges on traveling inkwells, and refitting cork or cap gaskets so the well no longer evaporates or leaks in a drawer.
I photograph the piece before, during, and after work, and send a short written report on what was found and what was done, so the item's restoration history stays with it. Typical turnaround for a single pen is one to two weeks depending on parts sourcing; inkwells with custom-fitted seals can take slightly longer. I work from clear photos and a description first, then quote a fixed price before starting so there are no surprises once the piece is in hand.
