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About a month ago, I friend of mine sent his Duofold ballpoint for service to Parker. The pen didn't work for some reason and was just a few months out of warranty, so he decided to sent it directly to Parker in France in order to have it serviced. The pen returned just this week and much to his surprise, it was returned stating that Parker NO LONGER repairs pens or pencils. If under warranty, they might replace the product with a similar one; out of warranty they are offering a 50% discount on any other Parker, Waterman or Rotring product of his choice! Can you believe this?

Just more praise for the excellence of TWSBI service. My 580AL has been my everyday pen for over five years with NO issues. Love it. A while back I dropped it on the sidewalk, which cracked the barrel. I made an email request and TWSBI sent out a replacement barrel the next day. Only charged me $4.00. Wow. Thanks TWSBI!!!

I’ve bought my Aurora Optima 4 years ago, and it has become one of my favourite pens. 1st Experience - Just shortly after I’ve bought it, it suffered from a loose cap ring, which I sent to Italy for repairs. Communication was polite but scanty. After a bit of anxious wait, my pen came back 3 months’ time. 2nd Experience - 5 months’ ago, I have the misfortune of having my capped Optima dropped onto a carpeted floor, which in turn resulted in it shattering at the ink window. The nib was stuck in the cap. I contacted Aurora via their email contact as reflected in their website and they promptly replied. I’ve sent off the pen via registered mail and patiently waited. I knew from previous experience that there would not be any acknowledgement of the receipt of the pen. 2 and a half months later, I received an email informing that my pen was overhauled and repaired. I was tardy in checking my email and took about a week to reply. After settling the payment, I waited till recently when a FedEx package finally arrived – 5 months after I sent it off to another continent. The pen that came in was as good as new. My take home messages from my 2 completely anecdotal experiences: 1. Auroloide is fragile. I’ve heard of “precious resin” shattering and though not having the privilege of owning one, I think the fragility index of Auroloide comes close. I will baby the Optima from now on. As a side note, besides the Optima dropping out onto the carpeted floor as I accidentally flipped my shirt pocket over, a Pilot Prera and a Sailor Progear fell at the same time onto the same floor, with none of them showing any wear. 2. Aurora repair is top notch. My Optima came back as good as new, and I think the Auroloide glitters more than before. 3. Aurora communication is courteous but sparse. As pen owners we tend to be anxious about our expensive pens being away from our hands for long, especially with little updates on the status of the pen. 4. Be very very patient.

And now for a tale of frustration... I had to drop my GC Miles Davis (my first and only Montblanc) off at the local boutique today for another round of service after having just picked it up from the last round yesterday. In 2 years of ownership, this is the 4th time I've had to send it in for service. This time I'm genuinely frustrated with the work quality from the Texas service center. A little background... The first time it needed service wasn't more than a week after I bought it. After inking it up I noticed ink on my fingers every time I wrote, no matter how many times I flushed it out. After convincing the boutique that there was an actual problem, and it wasn't just left over from inking it up, or excess ink in the cap they sent it away for service. I don't think they really believed there was a problem though; after a 6 week sting at the service center the pen came back with a generic note saying the feed assembly had been replaced. Unfortunately I didn't have the pen for more than a day before it started leaking again. I immediately took the pen back and off it went back to the service center. Fast forward another 4 weeks and the manager of the boutique called me up, unfortunately the pen needed to be sent back to Germany. Turns out I wasn't crazy or just being a newbie...Montblanc had identified a defect in the manufacturing process and all Miles Davis FPs needed to be remanufactured. 6 months later I finally got a brand new pen....boy did I love it, it quickly became my daily writer for note taking and meetings. Fast forward a year... After working wonderfully for about 10 months the pen started experiencing hard starts and skipping....it was maddening. I tried everything, flushing it out, soaking the nib, different paper; all to no avail. So I packed it up and took it back to the boutique. Off it went, again...after another 4 weeks it came back yesterday. The service note that came back with the pen stated, "Replaced feed, feed assembly, reservoir seals, extensively tested nib". I inked it up and it seemed to work well. Took the pen home, and was copying out some notes when the ink just petered out...no ink was flowing; that's when I took a closer look at the underside of the nib. Here are some pictures... As you can see, the feed was installed completely off center. There is also something lodged in between the nib tines which I could not get out with brass floss. I have to say...I'm really bummed, it's my favorite pen and I think it's been out for service for just as long as I've been able to use it. This time the quality control person who "extensively tested" the pen was either asleep when they tested it or they didn't actually test it like they said in their note. Don't get me wrong, I know MB will make everything right, and the folks at the boutique were extremely apologetic...it's just that each round of this takes 4 weeks minimum and I would expect a quality control issue like this time to be caught before they sent the pen back. I'm also a little worried because whatever is lodged in the nib has been there for at least a week or so and I'm wondering if that will have permanently splayed my tines. Sigh....all I can say is, thank goodness for the warranty!

Hello, I have a couple of older fountain pens Mabie Todd, Wahl, and Waterman that have loose sections. One is BCHR, the others are celluloid. The section with the nib and sac are loose and you can easily turn them in the body or worse they can slide out with a little pressure and or come off with the cap being unscrewed and get stuck in the cap. I've read that in the olden days they used shellac but I don't want to make servicing the pen difficult. Especially on 70-90 year old pens that are now more brittle and delicate. Would a drop of shellac vs shellacking the whole section that fits in the body firm it up? What do you recommend?

There are lots of reasons why I like TWSBI pens. One is their outrageous price/performance -- other pens of similar quality are an integer multiplier more expensive.They are attractive. That's a second-order effect, but it's a plus, if you spend a lot of time using a pen.They are quality pens: well balanced, feel good in the hand, and they write well.Yet, if I damage or lose one, I'm only out fifty bucks. So I'm willing to stick a TWSBI in my pocket when I head out to work in a coffee shop; I'm not frightened into leaving the pen in my office. This makes them pens that you use, not simply pens that you admire in a showcase.A major reason I use them is that they are designed to be disassembled. This is critical for me, because I use nano-pigment inks. The whole point of using a pen, for me, is permanence. But inks that are waterproof, resist organic solvents, don't bleach, don't fade under sunlight and are highly saturated in color imply more maintenance and cleaning, else they will clog up my pen. It's easy to strip a TWSBI down to its component parts once a year and flush them under running water, soak them overnight in Koh-i-noor pen cleaner, or drop them in an ultrasonic cleaner. In particular, being able to do this to the feed of the pen is really valuable. TWSBI pens are perfect for people who want to use nano-pigment inks.But there's one more reason to buy a TWSBI pen: for $50, you get something like a personal relationship with the people at the company. It feels like the act of purchasing the pen bought you admittance to a private club. The service is incredible. I sent the following email to TWSBI support this morning: From: "E. K. Hornbeck" To: twsbiinc@gmail.com Subject: Seek spare parts for damaged pen Date: Sat, 04 Feb 2017 10:42:50 -0500 I have a TWSBI 580, which I have enjoyed very much -- it is a *great* pen. Tonight, my five-year old child destroyed it: somehow, she managed to shove the cap on so hard it jumped over the threads, jammed on the barrel, and then sheared off at the metal ring on the lip of the cap. Everything on the pen is perfectly fine except the barrel and the cap. This, to be clear, very much falls under the category of "not covered by warranty" -- my daughter is a destructive force who should rightly be classed as a weapon of mass destruction. Would it be possible for me to purchase a new barrel and cap? Thank you. Prof. E. K. HornbeckI sent this on a Saturday morning. I got the following reply: From: Philip Wang <twsbiinc@gmail.com> Date: Sat, 4 Feb 2017 07:44:03 -0800 Subject: Re: Seek spare parts for damaged pen To: "E. K. Hornbeck" E.K., no worries, what is your shipping address and phone number? We can send you a spare cap and barrel. You just have to pay for shipping. Note the time-stamp on Philip's message: that's a minute and thirteen seconds turnaround time. $900 doesn't get you that kind of relationship with Montblanc or Pelikan. Or free parts. Just sayin'. -E. K.

Hi I have a vintage MB no. 32 fountain pen, which was supplied partially dissembled. Having cleaned the pen, when I replace the part of the barrel with the top 'screw' part of the pen (attached to the piston plunger), it does not fully close on the bottom barrel (there is a gap of about 2mm). I attach some photos of the problem. Can anyone let me know why this is please? Thanks Paul

Well I pulled the trigger and bought a used montblanc 146. Others on board & elsewhere all felt it was legit. Seller says it was cleaned and stored dry but I am unsure how long it was stored. So now my question: what if anything should I do with the pen prior to filling it with ink? It is scheduled to arrive tomorrow and I of course want to write immediately but want to make sure I don't screw anything up. Thanks so much for any words of experience.

Wondering if anyone has information on where to send an almost 20 year old Waterman Ball Pen for repair. This pen is very special, given to me as a gift and heavily used (as you can tell from the picture). I believe this is a Waterman Hemisphere Ball Pen (Model 22002W?), not a 100% sure... The twisting mechanism is broke, it no longer twists (almost as if the inner tube snapped off from the main tube). Thanks Craig

Just wondering... Does a late 70s NOS Montblanc 149 needs some special attention or service before putting it in use? Any recommandations?

Ever since I came back to the fountain pen world, I've been attached to the Lamy brand to the point of collecting more than 22 examples of Safaris and Al-Stars. Unfortunately, my experience with the Al-Stars has been very disappointing recently and so has been the poor quality of their customer service. The first issue I had was with a Bluegreen Al-star that had been inked for the first time with Emeraud de Chivor. While trying to swap the nib, the entire feeder came out causing a big mess over my work, a jammed feeder (while trying to push it back in a hurry, remember the pen was leaking) and a damaged nib. I promptly send pictures to Lamy Germany to tell them about this, they in turn, send my request to the local Lamy distributor which contacted me to sell me replacement parts. The way I see it, I didn't do anything odd or wrong with the pen so it was their responsibility to fix this under warranty (the pen was not even a year old) and yet, I discovered to my dismay that locally Lamy offers only 3 months of warranty! I was using tape to swap said nib, something I've done quite frequently with all my Lamy pens in our 3 year story. Never before with a feeder coming along with them. I thought I might have gotten a lemon, so I kept purchasing their pens. Then the other day, I noticed that my fingers where full of ink while using my Pearl Al-star (again, first inking). Turns out, the pen leaks all of the converter's ink into the cap even when the pen is left unused and in an upright position on my pen holder. I have cleaned the pen, reassembled everything back and used another ink to see if something changed, but no, still leaks ink like hell. Both the converter and the pen are brand new, so normal wear and tear need not apply. But what really made me steer away from Lamy, was Kaweco's outstanding customer support that dealt with me directly and until a happy outcome was reached. Customer support elsewhere might be better, but a Global brand is supposed to give the same brand experience everywhere, not only in selected areas, let alone same warranty terms.

Hi everyone, This is my first post here and I know others must have asked the same question before but please indulge me. About two days ago, I had to deposit my one month old yet sadly defective Meisterstück 149 at a Montblanc Boutique here in Paris in order for it to get serviced and repaired (under guarantee). Since I'm intending to also send it periodically for maintenance, as they recommend, I think this is as good time as any to ask the following questions: 1. How is the Montblanc Repair Service in general? Did any of you have to deal with the one here in Paris (in which case your feedback would be VERY valuable)? 2. Should I expect problems such as misaligned nib tines or scratches on the body of my pen (which was in perfect condition when I handed it to them) when it comes back? Any of you had this kind of situation happening? (if yes, how did you handle it?) P.S. I'm really a maniac when it comes to my valuable possessions. I obsess about very tiny micro-scratches on my pens and gold nibs that sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night to check them up!

Well, the subject says it all, but still... I always had this love to fountain pens since school in that early days of my life, I had no chances of having a really luxury pen but I always wanted one. Until one day I received a special gift set of two Parker Sonnets. During my student years, I managed to destroy or lose serious amount of pens, but these two remained by my side. With the start of my career, they started received less attention (you know, keyboards) but they were not forgotten. In the recent times, however, I realized that keeping a solid set of skills is fundamental way to ensure myself I'll stay current, this is why I started enrolling in various MOOCs and spend more time on my professional knowledge set. I had to take notes on a daily basis for which I relied on my favourite ballpoint trio Jotter, Vectors and my lovely Sonnet. Not that there aren't any other good pens from other brands to pick but A: I had those for a long time and they were the few that lasted and B: Parker is basically what you get from any bookstore around. So far so good until I foolishly injured my hand that made writing with a ballpoint pen painful at times. And this is where I rediscovered my love to fountain pens as they allowed me to write longer without a strain. Until the day I had my lovely fountain pen experienced a "malfunction". Yes, I needed this pen because it was comfortable and still, I had some other ones, but they were all lower-end models and this one was special for me. In a condition of an emotional breakdown, I contacted Parker without much hope. Contrary to my expectations, I got prompt response with a UPS label attached and instructions how to send my pen on the other end of Europe to have it fixed. The communication was absolutely smooth and fantastic. And in no time, I had my pen fixed and sent back to me, and even the packaging was amazing - they have put even a fresh convertor and an ink cartridge... You might receive the same attitude and attention to details from your favourite local seller but hey, I'm living in a small country with miserable market compared to the "west". So, for me, this is impressive. What is the takeaway? Well, being happy that I can count on good aftersales experience, I ended up with 8 new Parkers in about a month, including two new Sonnets, to be on the safe side. I also decided to try some other brands I had no experience with, like Lamy. And I sourced some monstrous amount of various inks cos I'll need to feed all these pens with something. And Parker is not the only one to blame for my extraordinary expenses, this great forum is as much guilty! (Disclaimer: I'm not affiliated with Parker in any way and I this post is based entirely on my personal experience)

Hello, I was wondering if more exeprienced members and visitors of this forum know if many members are actually also employees from the large companies likes Montblanc, Parker, Cross, etc? I actually hope that this will be case. If i would be an executive at Montblanc or technician or nib mesiter, i would be extremely interested in browsing this forum. As company policy i would actually put a team on this forum. Helping people solving their issues but also learning from user experiences and as a result improving their service and company. I actually have a problem my self and I sincerely hope to solve it but I just can't imagine that respectable luxury brands as Montblanc, will not take their responsibily and solve any issue satisfactory. Anyway, I sincerely hope that real pen enthousiasts including people working for these companies will be present to help us out here and add something extra to the entire customer service. I think it would make 10 times more sense being present actively here than on Facebook or Twitter for that matter. To conslude I'd like to ask a question. Let's say the shop which returned my MB fountain pen doesn't do their proper job, can anyone tell me how I would be able to contact Montblanc directly myself? In my case I strongly suspect the store messing up my fountainpen so I fear that I need to take this up with Montblanc directly and explaining them in detail that the store I bought it really is ruining their customer experience. I think it's a shame that bad outlets ultimately destroy or can destroy a brand's image and reputation. Thanks!

Hello all! I want to tell you all about an issue with the Black (specifically) Monteverde Tool, and pass along a few tips. First, to be fair, I want to say Monteverde USA quickly shipped a replacement when I described the problem to them. Excellent customer service! Now, the problem. A couple of weeks after I got it, the pen's matte black paint began to disintigrate. When it got too bad to ignore, I found I could easily scrape it off with a fingernail. I've attached a picture. Clue: The clip side's paint remained as hard as ever. Clue: It's a tool. I keep it clipped to the inside of my T-shirt collar. This is when I contacted Monteverde and they sent the new pen. The service rep said "This occurred on part of a shipment." OK. Still, before taking the new pen out of its box (except briefly to admire), I decided to try wearing the old pen the other way 'round (clipped to a lanyard around my neck). Clue: After two days against my skin, the clip-side paint was soft too, except under the clip. Conclusion: The matte black paint can soften after prolonged skin contact! (For the record, the glossy black parts seem entirely unaffected.) Possible factor: I'm a type II diabetic and I try to limit my carbohydrate intake, so my sweat probably contains more acetone than is normal. (A little is normal, I gather, if you're burning fat.) If the acetone really is to blame, your mileage will almost certainly vary. It's worth wondering if the softening factor applied by brief skin contact is volatile enough to disperse over time. Maybe the paint, once softened, will harden again if not damaged first. I wouldn't count on it. I've asked the service rep if the new pen's paint is a different type that won't soften. It certainly seems the same. I'll tell you all what she says when she replies. But even then, I'm probably going to handle the new pen with kid (or rubber) gloves. Fortunately I still have my ratty old pen, which is, after all, a tool, and doesn't look bad stripped down to bare metal: Someday maybe I'll strip out the white paint and antique the engraving. Quick Tips: (Seen elsewhere on FPN) Slide the cap under the clip to avoid losing it. Yes it marks the paint (on mine at least), but the mark is hidden. Don't overtighten the cap. If you're too strong, it's possible to turn the section, distorting the interference grooves that hold its angle. The screwdriver can hit the inside of the stylus dome if it's not secure. I worry it'll cause wear, so if the pen rattles, I immediately open the back and secure the screwdriver (push it in till it clicks). I will probably cut a couple of strategic grooves on the screwdriver, to give my thumbnail purchase to pull it out. My fingers are too big. Fill your Tool with Noodler's Blackerase Watererase ink. Then it'll mark plastics and metal (all those I've tried, more or less adequately). Try the back of the nib (low angle) to mark soft things. Someone mentioned you can't use the pen and straightedge/ruler at the same time. Yes you can. Pull out the pen section. It works well enough for making a mark. Cool: take out the screwdriver and shine your Noodler's UV light into the hole. The level lights up like a Green Lantern. (This works almost as well if you leave the back cap on and just shine UV into the level's slot. If you insist on being prosaic.)Thanks for reading! [mwb: Sorry for all the small edits. I like to refine, but I'm new here and I thought I might lose work if I didn't save a draft quickly.]

Hi Everyone.... I wanted to share this with you. I recently found this unique diploma / document. It was among a bunch of military documents. See attached photo of "W.A. Sheaffer Pen Company, Fort Madison, Iowa; This is to certify that John R. Hynes has successfully completed the factory course in fountain pen and writing equipment service and salesmanship as outlined by the officers and executives of the Company. For Madison, Iowa, this 11th day of Nov. 1947. Gold seal with ribbons and signed by Sheaffer, president.

Hello, so after years of "sobriety" from my pen addiction I've gone into a MB writers edition binge. The result of one of these binges was an apparently un-inked (Boxes/papers) Dostoevsky which I received with a broken piston. I attempted to then drown my sorrows with my Oscar Wilde which I've had for many years and the entire piston assembly came off. So the Dostoevsky has been shipped back to the seller while the Oscar Wilde will probably be visiting his birthplace in Germany. By the way I took a photo of the "precious resin" of the Wilde. It appears to be a thin acrylic or maybe celluloid acetate with a solid inner liner (What do you guys and gals think). All the best! Jose Garcia

Dear All: Is Montblanc North America the best place to service a Montblanc pen? What is the safest way to send it and how does one calculate how much insurance is required? I have two pens. A Meisterstück 149 Fountain Pen and an unknown fountain pen shown below. What is the name of this pen? I received ths as a gift about 15-20 years ago and it was purchased in Europe. I have looked at many photographs of pens and was unable to identfy it. Thank you, Jeff

Hi - I bought a new Lamy 2000 Makrolon edition with a F nib, off of ebay, for about $130. After receiving it, I found the ink flow to be very dry and the pen to be quite scratchy. After a few weeks, I mailed it using regular postal mail to Lamy Germany ( the Heidelberg address on their website) with a letter detailing my name/ address and complaints. Note I didn't include my purchase invoice or any warranty paperwork (don't think Lamy issues any). 2 weeks elapsed with no acknowledgement or return of the pen. So, I emailed the email address on the website asking for an update. Within a day I had a response back including a copy of the shipping invoice for the pen's return to me. A week later I had the pen in my hands. They replaced the ink feed and cleaned the pen. There was no charge to me and then pen was returned via DHL parcel post. I'm quite happy with result. Still not at MB or Pelikan levels of smoothness but the ink flow is now rich & smooth. Would highly recommend sending your pen to Germany if you have any problems with it. R

Hey All, Just wondering if anyone has had experience getting a Montblanc pen ''serviced'' at a boutique in Australia, specifically Sydney? Do they do it ''in shop'' or are the pens sent overseas? Lastly, what timeframe and were the charges similar to international ''services''? Thanks, Tom.

Last February I placed an order at Goulet Pens for a couple of bottles of Bernanke Blue. Two months passed and I have not received the order. The Brazilian post tracking system informs the package never reached Brazil, what I don’t believe, since they provide such an awful service. I contacted Goulet Pens that sent a new package (no questions asked) which was delivered 28 days later. The package came with the bottles, two ink samples, a very kind letter and… a lollipop! Far exceeded expectations – that’s how a company make loyal customers! Marcelo

Hello all! I know this has been answered on a few other threads, but I could use some more help. So I bought a Sheaffer vac-fil with a triumph nib and was wondering the best way to go about making it write. The pen is in semi working order, but the piston hasn't been greased in about 50, so it's stiff (don't want to force it) From what I have read, it sounds like the nib unit needs to be removed, so how is the best way to do this (without a ton of fancy equipment)? Also what is all this about "packing material" what is it? does it need to be replaced? Thanks, Alexander

Dear members, I come back with a new task that was given to me lately. I had previously used this forum when I serviced an old Paker 51 by cleaning it completely, changing the ink sac and using new shellac to seal it. It turned out great and It became my everyday pen. Today I received from my Grand Pa, a beautiful Silver Montblanc Meisterstuck 144 that needs quite a bit of servicing. I would like to get your advice on the following points (I provided a few pictures so that you get an idea of the pen's current state): - I wanted to polish the silver, should I use a silver polishing cloth like this one (I read that advice on this forum) : http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/2128708.htm ? Or will it damage the pen? what about the gold? - I would like to take off the numerous ink spots on the pen, how should I do this without damaging it? - I want to clean the Nib, feed and section (get rid of the dry ink), should I just flush it with water? If you have any other advice on what i should do before using it, please let me know Thank you very much!

I thought I'd post about my recent experience at the Montblanc boutique on New Bond Street in London. I had bought a 147 from the early 90's off eBay a couple of weeks ago, and although the nib was excellent it would run out of ink at times. I took it in to Montblanc and was treated extremely well, had a great chat with the sales person and he insisted I give the pen in for service. I received the pen exactly 10 working days after I gave it in for service, the service cost me £44 and it appears like they changed the feed, there are a few tiny new scratches on the nib but I do have a bit of OCD when it comes to my things, and I've decided to let it slip as the pen works brilliantly. They've provided me with an additional year of warranty, which for £44 and a new feed seems extremely reasonable to me. So all in all an acceptable experience, would have been great if not for the new scratches, but hey end of the day thats all they are (or so I keep telling myself )

Which Brand provide the best Customer service? Not authorised dealers but brands? For example the speed of repair, turnaround time etc. Thank you for your replies in advance. I am new here