Pen Care

All of our pens are made from the finest components but as with all things they require some care and maintenance.

WOOD PENS: All the finishes I use are hard finishes but woods can be scratched with daily use. To protect the finish use a good furniture polish every so often. Never leave your pen in a hot car as the heat can damage the finish also. One more word on wood. Wood expands and contracts, some more then others. Some of the prettiest most exotic and expensive of woods tend to expand and contract more than others causing them to crack. I season these woods for at least 6 months after I receive them before using. I do not warrant any wood not to crack.

ACRYLICS: As with wood, some maintenance is required. You can use any plastic or auto polish to keep and protect the finish. Avoid dropping as these products can be brittle. Dropping could damage the product.

ANTLER, HORN, OTHER NATURAL MATERIALS: Treat the same as acrylics. Antler if not aged will crack, Water buffalo also could crack.

FOUNTAIN PEN CARE:

• HOLDING A FOUNTAIN PEN - Writing with a fountain pen is a little different from the ballpoint experience. You need to customize your pen's nib. Before you put ink in your pen, hold the pen as you normally would and "write on" a brown paper bag. This will wear the end of the nib to conform to the angle that you normally hold your pen. Do this for several minutes until the feel is smooth and comfortable. DO NOT apply too much pressure as the weight of the pen should be sufficient.
• USING AN INK CARTRIDGE - Select your ink with care. Private Reserve ink flows smoothly and gives a nice line. Insert the ink cartridge nipple end onto the nib assembly and push on firmly. Scribble with the pen nib to start the ink flowing. You may have to gently squeeze the cartridge to start the ink flowing. When the written lines fill completely, you are ready to use your pen. Don't be impatient; this may take a minute or two for the ink to begin to flow.
• CHOOSING INK - Be sure to use only high quality ink made for fountain pens. DO NOT use calligraphy ink as it will damage your feed.
• CLEANING YOUR FOUNTAIN PEN - Remove the cartridge or converter and rinse the nib under tepid water. It may be necessary to soak the nib in some cases if the nib feed is severely clogged. DO NOT use hot water or chemicals as this will damage the feed.