Hi again everyone,

Our member David Rzeszotarski shared this in response to the email I sent the other day. It sounds like good advice so I want to pass it on.

Thank you and Howard for these fascinating bits of fountain pen history. I think you need to caution members that these are not the best repair techniques today. We’ve advanced quite a bit since what Father Terry advocated 30 or 40 years ago. If people are seriously interested in vintage pen repair, you should recommend the 4th edition of “Pen Repair” by Marshall and Oldfield. They’re based in the UK and compiled the best practices of restorations today. Richard Binder’s website, richardspens.com, also has repair tutorials that are correct and up-to-date. Back when Father Terry was selling parts and doing repairs, there were no alternative parts or techniques available so he did what he had to do to get the pens to work. Now there are better ways that aren’t potentially damaging to pens.

Enjoy your pens, inks, and paper today!

–Michelle