With over two decades of experience in restoring vintage fountain pens behind me, I take a lot of pride in my craft. Each pen that rolls across my workbench receives a thorough inspection, filling system overhaul, nib tuning, and cosmetic restoration. The result is a pen that comes as close as one can hope to filling, writing, and looking like it originally did when inked for the first time. A pen that's ready for another lifetime of service.

Accordingly, the fountain pens to be found here are all guaranteed to fill and write as designed. Nibs are guaranteed to be smooth with consistent flow – no scratchiness, skipping, railroading, or other undesirable traits. And unless otherwise mentioned in the item details, they are guaranteed to have no cracks, chips, personalizations, loose or missing parts, bent nibs, misaligned tines, broken/worn off tipping, or threading issues.

If a pen falls short of this guarantee in any way, the customer may contact me by email up to 7
 days after delivery to request a return for a full refund that includes the cost of return shipping if shipped promptly (within 7 days of my return authorization). The durability of filling systems can be diminished by such factors as choice of inks, failure to follow the filling instructions, or disassembly of the pen by the customer. However, I do stand behind my work. If you feel your pen's filling system has failed prematurely through no fault of your own, please contact me and I'll make it write/right. Refunds are issued within 2 days of receiving the pen back in the same condition as sold.

Nib widths are designated according to the measured line width produced by the nib as follows: XXF (<.2mm); XF (approx .2-.3mm); F (approx .4mm); M (approx .6mm); B (approx .8mm).

Nib flexibility is determined by variation (max line width under pressure) and softness (amount of pressure required to spread the tines). Flexibility designations based on these 2 considerations generally run as follows for an XF/F nib:

Semiflex produces a 2B (approx. 1mm) under moderate pressure

Flex produces a 3B+ (approx. 1.2-1.9mm) under moderate pressure 

Superflex produces a 4B+ (approx. 2mm+) under light pressure

Wet Noodle is a term we use conservatively, reserving it for nibs requiring minimal
pressure to spread the tines and produce variation (typically with a
max line width of 2mm+). A Wet Noodle fountain pen nib is generally
comparable to a soft dip pen nib.


All line width measurements are taken with a digital caliper but should be considered approximations providing a general guide. Width may vary slightly depending on type of ink and paper used as well as amount of pressure applied.



PLEASE MAKE SURE THE REGISTERED ADDRESS ON YOUR CREDIT CARD MATCHES YOUR SHIPPING ADDRESS. IF IT DOES NOT, PLEASE CONTACT US BEFORE PLACING AN ORDER.

All orders are shipped within 2 business days of purchase. Pens that do not come with their original boxes are packaged in PVC or thick plastic tubes to protect them in transit.

Domestic Shipping
For orders totaling less than $500 customers may choose USPS Priority Mail (est. 1-3 business days) or UPS 3-Day Select. All orders totaling more than $500 will be shipped UPS 3-Day Select.

International Shipping
Canadian customers may choose to have their order shipped by USPS or UPS. All other international customers may choose between UPS Worldwide Expedited and UPS Worldwide Saver.

Many countries charge customs fees on shipments from the United States. These cannot be estimated or paid in advance. It is the customer's responsibility to pay these fees when billed by their country of residence.

Returns not covered by the Penchantment Guarantee are subject to a 20% restocking fee.



Returns may be requested within 7 days of delivery of item(s). After this 7-day request window, refunds are no longer available.



All returns must be granted prior authorization, which may be requested through the Contact form or by email to: penchantment.vintagepens@gmail.com



After receiving authorization of a return request, the customer has another 7 days to ship the Item(s) back. Refunds will not be issued if the customer has missed this shipping deadline.



To qualify for a refund, item(s) must be returned in the original packaging and received back in the same condition as sold. The customer assumes responsibility for return shipping costs. For items valued at over $100, customers are encouraged to use a shipping service with tracking and insurance for the full value of the item(s). Penchantment assumes no responsibility for returns that are lost or damaged in transit.




Mailing address for return shipments:


Penchantment


6052 Linden St.


1st Floor


Ridgewood, NY 11385

If a refund is approved, it will be issued through the customer’s original method of payment within 2 business days of return receipt. Note that processing times vary by credit/banking institution.
 

For vintage fountain pens with latex sacs/diaphragms or transparent barrels, I recommend avoiding highly saturated, bulletproof, and high-sheen/shimmer inks such as those from Noodler's and Private Reserve – particularly reds and greens. They can be fine to use now and again, especially if the pen is written with often and isn't stored with ink for weeks or months. But regular use or long-term storage with these is known to lead to premature deterioration of latex parts and staining of transparent barrels.




As with modern fountain pens, iron gall inks should also be avoided. These were made for dip pens and can easily clog the feeds of fountain pens. 



I recommend and have long used inks from Diamine, J. Herbin, Aurora, Waterman's, Montblanc, and others from major pen manufacturers. I've never encountered any problems with these and all garner praise from top pen mechanics. I'm less familiar with Japanese inks but I've been hearing lately that the high pH of many of them can also cause problems.

When in doubt, a search in r/fountain_pens on Reddit or the Inks, Inc. subforums on the Fountain Pen Network usually brings up a host of results detailing people's experiences with particular inks in vintage pens.


penchantment.vintagepens@gmail.com