We have decided that it's time to cut down the number of International Pen Shows we will travel to each year. Travelling such long distances doesn't get any easier, and of course the expense keeps increasing. For this year our second and last show will be Washington DC. Next year we will probably only attend the Los Angeles Show. We will miss the places, the camaraderie, the opportunity to meet our customers, and of course dining with friends.

Of the two biggest remaining names in "Pendom", one has been sending all its European repairs to the U.S. for more than a year now, and the other has just begun sending all its U.S. repairs to France! In Australia, both companies still retain a local service department, perhaps the only reason being the exorbitant cost of postage from Australia.

It appears that Parker/Sanford is no longer able to replace the caps of most International and Centennial Duofolds where the cap lip has split/cracked. We have had replacement lips made in black plastic. These are precision made parts, having an internal three start thread to suit the pen barrel, as well as an external thread to screw into the cap barrel. Whereas the original caps had a lip the same colour as the pen, the pen still had black top and bottom parts. The replacement black lip does therefore blend in.

So many vintage pens turn up for repair/restoration totally blocked with "India Ink". It's obviously from the "very last" time they were used! India Ink contains Shellac and has the effect of gluing and sealing the feed/section.

We use Shellac to glue new pen sacs onto the grip section.

One advantage of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.

AA Milne 1882-1956