Interview: Unsung heroes of the fountain pen world

Fountain pen repairers and restorers are unsung heroes of the fountain pen world. Whatever ails your pen, they will find a remedy for it.

Most pen repairers/restorers do this part-time, meaning it takes a very long time for them to get to your pen. The one we are talking to today does this full-time. The amount of time it takes for a typical job—from the time you ship your pen to him, to the time you get it back all fixed—is about 3–4 months. If you think this is a very long time, consider the number of pens he repairs and restores: about 200 a month! He even gets referrals from companies like Parker and Waterman. He has been repairing and restoring pens for almost 40 years—let me introduce you to Rick Horne from The Southern Scribe.

(Back To Analog) How and why did you get into fountain pen repair?
(Rick Horne) In 1986 I restored my grandfather’s Sheaffer Vest Pocket pen, which had been gifted to me.

How do I find a good repairer/restorer? How can I be certain that a repairer/restorer I found is a good one and what are the red flags to look out for?
Ask your pen friends about their experiences. Networking is always your most valuable tool. Be wary of claims that seem too difficult to believe.

How do you promote or make others aware of your services?
Word of mouth, my website and pen shows.

Can a person in need of fountain pen repair/restoration find you in any of the pen shows?
Back in the day, many of us attended every pen show. These days, I get to the Atlanta and Orlando shows in US.

What do you do if the customer doesn't pay?
I start working [only] after repair charges are quoted and the check arrives.

Do you provide warranty for your services?
Never been an issue, but on the rare occasion a client has a problem—I take care of them. I don’t offer a specific time frame on warranties.

What tools do you use in your repair/restoration work?
Old factory tools, hand made tools and modern tools made for jewelry. Dale Beebe (ed: of Pentooling) in California offers many modern made tools which are reproductions of the old factory tools.

Do you provide any other services besides repair/restoration?
I do a lot of appraisals for a single pen or entire collections. Written appraisals are US$10 per pen.

What is the most difficult repair/restoration you have ever done and what did it involve?
Reproducing caps and barrels. Also welding celluloid cracks and filling missing pieces are tedious jobs. The cap and barrel requires an inordinate amount of lathe time. The celluloid chemical welding process requires a lot of delicate hand work.

What is the worst repair story you can share?
Any of them where I need to undo a previous repair—notably one where “Disciples of Super Glue” have been at work.

Which pen repair/restoration are you most proud of?
Made an original Waterman’s Snake Skin fountain pen whole again.

What do you do when it is difficult or impossible to find a replacement part?
Make one, if possible. This is usually exacerbated by the lack of the proper material, most often on celluloid pens.

How do you improve or restore cap seal on a vintage or a modern fountain pen?
On vintage pens, most often I adjust dimensions on the inner cap. Modern pens, often I can’t help with because many use snap on caps that require parts I cannot reproduce.

What is, in your opinion, the best way to get experience as a pen repairer/restorer?
Just start repairing pens. Work on quality inexpensive pens like Esterbrook, or other major-brand pens that no longer retain much value because of their condition. I think it’s important not to begin on third-tier pens that were never intended to be repaired—this will disillusion new repairers. You will break some things, but most importantly, go slowly and be patient.

Are there apprenticeships for pen repair or penmaking?
I try to help newer pen repairers and pen artists all I can. I welcome questions on repairs to help the younger repair folks. Many years ago I thought about offering a repair school—I never got around to pulling that together, and I suppose it’s too late these days.

What pens are easiest for novice repairers/restorers to fix?
Lever fillers are always the simplest to start with.

What advice would you give to a novice fountain pen repairer/restorer?
As I mentioned, start with simple repairs. Use the correct tools for the job at hand. Get an ultrasonic cleaner as soon as you begin repairing. Also, a heat gun from the get-go. Buy a heat gun that has a temperature regulator. 150 °F (65 °C) is about the maximum you'll want to use on a pen. Most importantly, be patient and go slowly. If one does not possess the characteristic of patience, pen repair is not for them.

What books would you recommend to a novice repairer/restorer?
Jim Marshall and Lawrence Oldfield wrote the quintessential repair manual entitled Pen Repair. I hope it is still in print, if not, it should be. (ed. Yes, it’s in print, see below link) Also Frank Dubiel wrote a very basic repair manual before he passed away. It is somewhat crude, but still informative. I doubt it is still in print, but I'm not sure.

Anything else you would like our readers to know?
Simply, welcome to a great hobby, that has brought me a lot of joy going on 40 years.

Thank you, Rick, for taking your time to answer all of these questions and, of course, bringing our pens back to life.

If you in need of pen repair/restoration services or appraisal or you are beginning your journey as a pen repairer/restorer, you can find Rick at his website, The Southern Scribe.

If you have any question or suggestions for me, you can reach me on Mastodon.