Hi all,

I'm relatively new to fountain pens, especially vintage, so I need some information and/or advice pertaining to an old Conway Stewart that recently caught my eye at a small antiques shop.

The imprint says "Conway Stewart 388" "Made in England" - and it is a Green and Black marble colour, exactly the same as the 388 on this page: http://www.vintagepens.com.au/sale_con.htm

I got this pen for next to nothing because the ink sac and metal rod are not intact - so the pen cannot be filled. The old lady at the shop said that it was her husband's pen, and that he'd had it for a long time. She was probably 80 so I assumed the pen was quite old. The reason I bought it was because of the finish. I love the green and considering it was so cheap I grabbed it, despite the fact that it is nonrefillable (at this time).

I took it home and dipped it in some Waterman ink to try out the nib. I was pleasantly surprised because it writes BEAUTIFULLY. Excellent flow, nice and smooth, and above all, the nib is pretty flexy so it provides for some expressive writing. The nib is marked "Conway Stewart" "14CT Gold" "5N". I have no idea what 5N means; but what I do know is that this is a nice nib.

The gold banding on the body of the pen and the gold on the clip and lever is quite faded and tarnished a little on the clip; which makes the pen look really old. The nib, however, shines quite nicely; and still look pretty fresh; albeit a bit faded, but evenly. The marble and pearl finish on the barrel is flawless, though.

So, my questions are; how old is this pen? Is it really c1938 as the above link suggests? Is is considered a 'good' pen, despite its current condition?

Also, for something more technical - do I have any chance of refilling this pen? Does anyone know if I can modify it to use any type of filling system? Maybe even use the lever again?

I bought this pen purely because I knew nothing about it - and thought that maybe it'd be a nice little 'renovation' project for me as I start getting into fountain pens - modern as well as vintage. I suppose I just want to know more about it; and how best to use it. Any advice would be much appreciated!

Cheers,

Trent

NB: I will hopefully post some photos soon!

Congrats, matthewst1, a fine pen. Bit of info here:

http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...926&hl=greg

bit more here:

http://www.ftic.info/Donahaye/ConwayStewar...page5.htm#cs388

From the last site you should be able to date your pen from the engraving.

CS lever fill pens are among the simplest (and most reliable) there are. Any reputable mender should be able to sort it out with a spare pressure bar, if that's what's missing.

Lets have some pics, the 388 is a great looking pen and, like all CS pens, should write beautifully so a sample would be nice too!


Greg

Thanks for that, Greg. My pen is definitely the one from the second link you provided; the c1950-1955 one. As for the filling, the pressure bar AND rubber sac are missing. I don't know where I can find a mender here in Perth, Australia... maybe I'll ask around at the one and only pen shop that exists here :S

I hope to get some photos up by this evening; latest tomorrow.

Thanks again,

Trent

Trent

For repairs, assuming you're in Oz, try here:
http://www.penshop.com.au/index.html

If he can do the pressure bar he will certainly be able to put a new sac in.

Ink sacs are easy, if you wanted to do this bit yourself;
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/NEW-Fountain-Pen-In...080714106a16846

Not sure what size though, could try 12 or 14. Better too small than too large.

Lets get that 388 on the go!


Greg

Greg, you are a bloody legend. I'm going to contact those folks soon, thanks to you!

And here are some pics! Excuse the mediocre quality and my shaky hand.



and



and



and finally



As you can see in the above picture, that is all that remains of the pen. Hopefully I can send it on over to Sydney for a renovation; we'll see what happens.

Cheers

Very nice, great colour, definitely worth bringing back to life and being able to use it.

Nib is typical of the type, not as flexible as the older nibs (sometimes like a paintbrush!) but not as soulless as some modern nibs. Plenty of expression there, nice and easy to use.

The gold plating looks like it could do with a gentle clean, if its tarnished the pen will look like new, if its worn then it will still brighten up nicely. Best not to use aggressive polishes like Brasso though.

Let us know how you get on if you send it away for repairs.


Greg

Thankyou very much for your continued feedback Greg, it's much appreciated.

I'll get on to polishing the gold - I'll just need to find a suitable product.

Also, I got a return email from the pen shop; I'll hopefully be sending them the pen in a week or so for a new ink sac, pressure bar and 'overhaul.' I'll keep you posted.

Cheers

Well, slimnib, with my new found toy, here's some completed sales from the dreaded:

http://completed.shop.ebay.co.uk/items/Pen...Q_udhiZQQ_udloZ

Even includes one (not so, but still quite) expensive Buy it Now!

You can make up your own mind, based on condition, colour, etc.

An interesting discussion would be how common certiain colours are. Seems to me marbled red 388s come up more often than marbked green. But that's just a personal impression.


Greg
Greg

Hey all,

I sen my pen to the pen shop in Sydney for repairs - no reply yet; but its only been a couple of days. Can't wait to have it back!

In the interim, I acquired a vintage 84 in green and gold marble with matching 26 pencil; in their original box with guarantee and its looks like the FP has never been used. The sac (which is also original) has obviously hardened up and snapped off - but everything else is still intact. This is a perfect opportunity for me to try my hand at restoring!

I've ordered 2 new sacs (just in case) - and I'm going to try to attach it and get the pen working as soon as they arrive. Any tips?

Cheers

Sounds like the bug has bitten!

Any pics of your new aquisitions always appreciated!


Greg

More good news - I've received a fully restored BLACK 388 from the UK - its great. I'm going to use this pen as a guideline for restoring my 84. The reason I didn't want to restore the other 388 by myself is because it needed a new pressure bar too. I think I'll just stick with sacs and nibs for now.

I'll post pics of the 84 and new 388 soon! And of the green 388 when I get it back - I haven't heard from the pen shop yet, though.

Cheers

Wow, you're certainly moving fast Matt!

Maybe you could save up for a CS with a Duro nib, for variation and to see the benefits for yourself.


Greg

Yeah I really want a herringbone 77 with a duro nib - that would be sweet.

Good news, last week I got my Green 388 back! It still writes excellently, and still look great. The only difference now is that I can fill it!

Need to get some inc sacs to restore my 84. I have removed the residue from the old sac and am ready to go. Looks like quite a thick part below the section; so I'd imagine that it would require a size 18 or thereabouts. I saw a 14; and it was way too thin in diameter.

Cheers