Hello, Fellow Pen Fanciers!

Although I have been enjoying fountain pens most of my life, it's only been recently that I've owned up to my addiction and joined your ranks. Nonetheless, I still feel like a newbie collector, which prompts the following question.

Do any of you have experience having pens repaired by Sanford in Wisconsin? I have a relatively recent-model black-lacquer Sonnet that, according to Sanford, needs a new "front end" due to leakage and a new converter.

I had been hoping to put my hands on the original paperwork so that Sanford would honor the warranty but, since I bought it used and the original owner no longer has any documentation, I would have to pay Sanford ($30) to work on the pen.

Wouldn't I be better off just taking it back the way it is and sending it to one of you? My intuition tells me that an experienced pen repairer/restorer who is himself a collector and appreciater of fine pens would do a more careful, thorough job with the pen. And, frankly, there's a piece of me that wants to "keep it in the family."

What have been your experiences with Sanford and if you were in my shoes, what would you do?

Thanks for your suggestions!

Johnny B.
Novato, CA

Sanford, Waterman, Parker and Rotring are all owned by Rubbermade/Newell, and are really one unit as far as repair is concerned. You would be sending the pen back to the manufacturer, and they do a pretty decent job.

If the nib assembly needs to be replaced, we might end up buying a new unit from Sanford/Parker/Waterman/Rotring for you, so the cost is likely to be the same.

But the question is, what is wrong with the nib that they think that it needs to be replaced?

But the question is, what is wrong with the nib that they think that it needs to be replaced?

In this day and age of computer-driven communication, all I've been told by them is that the defects are a "Leaking shell/front end" and a "defective convertor/cartridge" and they are suggesting replacing both of those parts. I'm not certain there's anything wrong with the actual nib itself.

From the sounds of your reply (which is, so far at least, the only one I've received), I might as well save myself a little time and effort (and a few more dollars worth of postage) and just have them go ahead and give it their best shot. If the pen still needs attention after their ministrations, I can always then opt to send it along to someone like you or Rick.

Hi, Ron:

I just got my Sonnet back from Janesville yesterday. They replaced everything except the cap, so I'm afraid we'll never know what was wrong with the nib. All they said (as I mentioned previously) is that the "front end" was leaking. That's the downside of dealing with a huge multi-conglomerate corporation. If you or Rick had done the repair, I would have had a more detailed report.

So I now have an old barrel and section (including nib). Assuming these things are non-functioning, should I trash them? There's something in my brain that keeps telling me a relatively new (as in less than a year old) Parker nib (even a stainless nib like this one) still has some life in it, that someone who knows what they're doing could use it and/or make it work. Is that true?

By the way, as you suggested, they seem to have done an entirely respectable job repairing the pen, and it is writing -- in true Parker fashion -- like a champ. This is my first Parker in over a decade and even though it's not a fancy one (far from it), I'm delighted to have one again!

Johnny B.

Hang onto the parts. You never know when you'll need them!