Removing an engraving on a pen barrel

[Cam]

Quick question: just wondered if it is possible to remove an engraving on the barrel of a pen. I'd assume it's a specialist job, but is the end result worth it?

 

Cheers!

[KendallJ]

Cam -

 

Why? What sort of engraving is it and why do you want to remove it?

[Guest Denis Richard]

(...) the EMTs might be very confused by pulling out four pens that were inscribed "D.B. Smith", "Anna & Marie", "Dr. Harold G. Fineberg" and "Ruth Blood", but other than (...)

So... Did Anna and Marie share a pen ? Or did it come from Anna and Marie ? Or were these the names of the owners daughters ? Sisters ? Grand-mothers ?

 

See Cam, it's fun to have engraved pens

[Guest Denis Richard]

Makes me think I should have one of my pens engraved "John Doe"

[Cam]

Wow. Nice article, Rob. I guess I never really thought of it that was. I just simply thought that's not my name -- why would I want it on there but seeing them in a "piece of history" sort of light does make the name OK and adds a bit of interest.

 

Thanks for the thought-provoking responses!

[KendallJ]

Damn, Rob, I got all choked up reading that article.

 

I've only got 5 vintage pens, but I have to say, I feel a little different when I write with em. 3 are from family. 2 were purchased Parkers with only the date code on them. I like to think about who might have owned the pens before I did. One is '45 Duofold striper. 3rd quarter so I call it my Victory pen. WWII had just ended, and the pen might have been a present to a returning GI, who knows...

[Maja]

I personally would never remove an engraving from a pen, for the same reasons Rob gave...

When I was a newbie (well, I still am...but less of one now ) I would get frustrated when I acquired a vintage pen that was in great shape but that had a nib with almost no iridium left on it. It used to bother me that the pen was so well looked-after... and yet the nib was so worn! Now, when I start to think of a pen in that way, I stop myself and think: "Well, obviously the pen got a lot of use from its previous owner(s)....It was made to be used and it was...So stop griping, Maja!"

[PenHero]

I have to agree with Rob here. Some of my very favorite pens are engraved. My wife and I actually refer to them by their names, and in some cases, I've been sworn to never sell them.

 

Some engravings are simply works of art, as on this Mabie Todd eyedropper from the early 20th century. Everything on the pen is hand engraved, including, of course, the monogram. This pen is art:

 

http://www.penhero.com/PenGallery/MabieTodd/Pics/MabieToddEyedropper08.jpg

 

Other pens carry engravings of the original owner in a more normal way, such as on this Sheaffer Autograph owned by Alex McNab:

 

http://www.penhero.com/Calendars/CalendarCoverSolidGold.jpg

 

(Sorry if that shot appears to be a plug - I'm just being lazy) - I was given that pen by a friend and it's not going anywhere.

 

Other pens have very pedestrian engravings, but are interesting to have, nonetheless:

 

http://www.penhero.com/PenGallery/Sheaffer/Pics/SheafferTM10.jpg

 

Who can resist a pen owned by Richard Castle? That one is one of mine, too.

 

I can honestly say that I have many engraved pens in my collection and have passed over more pristine and unmarked examples in favor of them. I guess it's my love of history. Which is also what draws me to vintage pens (though Rob *hates* that term).

 

My wife and I have wondered if we would get a call from one of Alex McNab's relatives seeking to reclaim his Snorkel Autograph. There's a part of me that hopes not...

[Brian Anderson]

Nothing like opening a can of worms here....

 

A long time ago I acquired one of those standard black J Esterbrooks owned by Bell Systems. I took the pen to a buffer for quite a long time to remove most of the imprint. What I had left was a misshapen pen. Now I think it would be nice to have one of those (Yeah I know, they're everywhere, I just haven't gone out of my way to buy one). That was the first and last time I did that.

 

Now I frequently go after Esterbrook pens with interesting engravings. One of my favorites is for the Peter Brothers Rubber Co. in Brooklyn, NY. "Stictuit" it says.

 

Then there's one of my other favorites, a black 1957 Parker 51 aero owned by Wisconsin Senator William A. Draheim. Sen. Draheim was born in 1898, served in both WWI and WWII, worked his way from Private all the way to Colonel in both Army Reserves and the National Guard. After the war, he was elected to the State Senate in 1950 and re-elected again in 1954. It'd be a shame to buff off that kind of history.

 

Then there's my good friend D.T. Rosborough. I found him on a rare Esterbrook Doctors pencil, the earliest kind, round cutouts on the two hole clip, no color indicators on the top of the pencil like later, more common models. One day Lisa Hanes and I were sharing pictures when I noticed a familiar name on one of her pens. Yep, D.T. Rosborough, the matching pen. Interesting, since I got my pencil from someone in Washington State, and live in Wisconsin, and Lisa lives in Florida. What are the odds? Pretty astronomical I say.

 

Then there's the SM Deluxe I have with the engraving, "Esterbrook Pen Co." Hmmm.., must have been one of those pens used for work at the company itself, since I got it from a NJ estate with some demonstrators and prototypes.

 

Remove engravings? Not a chance. In fact, it's really a bonus for me as prices are often cheaper on engraved items, and the history behind them is priceless.

 

Best-

Brian

[Stompy]

A follow on question...

 

Would you ever have one of your pens engraved to add a bit more 'history' to it before passing it down a generation?

 

I ask because I have my late father's S T Dupont gold ballpoint with his initials right at the top and it's my weekend crossword pen. He used to use it, and now so do I, but it never leaves the house.

 

My father used to get given pens, but sometimes thought that they were too nice to use, and kept them carefully boxed up. I've got the gold Cross Signature (wet, medium nib which lives up to its name), and my brother has the Parker 75 silver chiselle (which he doesn't use). I sometimes think it would have been nice if they had been engraved, but I would have preferred it if my dad had actually used the pen rather than passing it down to me mint.

Edited January 26, 2005 by Stompy