Originally Posted by
penwash
As a vintage pen restorer, I look for jewelers who are open to do fountain pen-related stuff.
I tried to approach a few jewelers locally and I haven't been successful (one flat out refused and actually took the time to "educate" me that fountain pens are the thing of the past and no one cares about those anymore).
There are several things that your friend can try to do before attempting to replicate a high-quality vintage flex nibs:
1. Replace missing cap rings.
2. Create replacement for missing pocket clip. At least for models that can be replaced. From the order of easy to tricky: Z-clips, Conklin see-saw clips, to Waterman style rivet-clips.
3. Create a custom rollstop. Finial ornaments, and other accessories that can be added to restoration to make a pen unique (I have samples of these).
4. etc.
Back to flexible nibs, your friend would have to either be able to come up with a flex nib that is far superior or cheaper than the best of the modern ones, and that means replicating the best samples from Paul Wirt nibs, Aikin Lambert, Wahl, of course Waterman, or the kind of flex nib that Pilot made before WWII.
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