tompens - vintage fountain pens sale & repair

The soul of the fountain pen

if it exists

I recently came across an interview with a fountain pen maker in a daily newspaper (print) called "Pens that have a soul". Since I have been working with pens, I have regularly come across similar sentiments that pens have a soul. In connection with this title, I decided to investigate the question and, if the pen has a psyche, to dive into the subject as a pen psychologist. The question is a tricky one, since if the conclusion of my reasoning is that pens are soulless, I could easily burn myself with the same diagnosis. So I will make it clear from the outset that whatever the outcome, the question is unprovable. But there are a few things to ponder about whether any object has a soul.

pen in heaven

Hungary's fountain pen restorer lives in Budapest, and was received by Viktor Orban

interview by Tünde Tálas

We met Tamás Szűcs in the centre of Budafok, on the outskirts of Budapest, in the Spiller confectionery, where he brought the smallest and largest piece of his fountain pen collection. In our report we introduce the country's only pen restorer, who takes his own photos of his antique pens, which he assembles while reflecting on aesthetic issues and the abstract things in life. Statistically, there is no data on the percentage of the population that uses fountain pens, but it is safe to say that they are mainly used by intellectuals, so don't be surprised if the country's only fountain pen restorer presents the Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban with an antique pen and even initiates a correspondence with Queen Elizabeth II.

Szűcs Tamás hungarian pen restorer

Stanhope, the medium hidden in a pen

When I was a primary school student in the early 1980s, my friend Lisa brought a strange pen to school. There was a tiny hole at the end of the pen, into which, when glanced, erotic images with content incompatible with socialism appeared. It had a rotating ring, which meant that several enlightening slides appeared when a tiny ring was wound around it. At the time, I had no idea that I was holding the last reminder of a fashion that was almost 100 years old.
stanhope pen

Ringed Eversharp

repair of a broken Eversharp fountain pen

Some objects we are so attached to that we would give anything to have them repaired. Especially if a gift from our parents or grandparents is damaged. That's not the case here. The Eversharp pen in the picture was recently purchased from me by my client, but two weeks later it broke. The seemingly hopeless situation was resolved. I will detail the repair of the fountain pen below.

repair of a broken pen <

Waterman Carene fountain pen nib repair

French-based Waterman pens have been a hallmark of high-quality writing instruments for decades. I use the past tense because I have encountered numerous cases of inferior quality modern Waterman pens being used for fountain pen repairs. Most of the time, either the inside of the nib was eaten away by rust or the metal quality was poor and easily warped. Many of the inscriptions are laser engraved by the Waterman company, which also seems to be a poor quality job compared to other brands. The Carene type is one of the higher quality pens, although the 18 carat gold tip is also laser engraved. However, gravity acts on all nibs, meaning that if dropped, the damage cannot be sustained by even the best quality nib. This was the case with the nib in the picture, but someone had previously tried to repair this nib without much success (the nib would not come out), but the repaired nib had to be repaired again because it often had a problem writing. The top picture is the one taken, the bottom picture is the one of the finished nib. But the work was not easy...

Waterman Carene fountain pen nip repair

Kivi-Lyme biopen

creative use of the tick

At the temporary exhibition of the National Museum, I came across the aerial photographs of Milán Radisics, entitled Our Footprint - Man's Impact on the Planet (worth seeing as part of the World Press Photo exhibition). Because we rarely look from above, aerial photography alienates and beautifies our environment. From above, only the play of colours, lights and shadows prevails, and only we on the ground suffer the fine details. From a distance, distracting details disappear, but up close, a slice of reality can be shocking. That's how we might see this pen, which looks like a cheerful, lively kiwi, but on closer inspection...

Kivi-Lyme biopen with ticks

Handwriting after printing the book

The inspiration for my short story is the exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts (Szépművészeti Múzeum) in Budapest. In some of El Greco's paintings, we can see some of the handwriting of the period, and we also have the opportunity to observe the master's handwriting on a page. After seeing the pictures, I wondered how handwriting could have survived in the 15th and 16th centuries after the invention of printing. Surprisingly, it made a big difference!

A man write a letter in 16th

Eversharp Skyline pen from 1944

Caran d'Ache Madison Clou Paris rollerball pen (1980)

Visconti Room in Arles fountain pen (2011)

Caran d'Ache Dunas Shining fountain pen

Eversharp Skyline fountain pen - 1943