1. Do only what you absolutely have to.
2. If there is damage, halt it; if possible, reverse it.
3. Use original parts and methods, if possible, and make your repairs as invisible as possible.

In short, restoration is care, patience, and research. It’s the fiddly details. It’s all about making sure that, after you have spent hours labouring over something wonderful, no one will ever know you were there.

All services include: disassembly in the context of the specific repair, cleaning & polishing of metal furniture (such as clip, cap rings, lever, &c); lubrication as required. All pens are fill- and write-tested by us before we return them to you.

Important Note: antique and vintage items have often led a varied and colorful life; as a result, they may acquire damage that is unnoticed. In the course of restoration, damage may be uncovered, or parts may fail unexpectedly. Restoration may go over estimate, or even be impossible, depending on the circumstances of the individual item.

Pre-approval of unforseen charges

We consider any repairs sent to us to be pre-approved for $150 of work, if necessary. That is not to say that your bill will be always inflated to that amount, but that you need to be aware of the possibility.

While we have tried to list most common repairs in our price list above, often minor issues come up when carrying them out. For example, a pressure bar inside the barrel may be rusted apart (about $15), or there may be a slight scratchiness needing slight nib smoothing or adjustment (about $40).

If these minor defects come up, we will simply repair them, and include it on your invoice. It saves both time and effort, for something that is, really, not optional. (A bit like your mechanic discovering that, in addition to the new front end, your back tire has a leak. Are you going to be upset because he didn’t call you? Or would you be grateful he found it before you picked the car up?)

Bench Fee

We charge a $75 bench fee.

Bench fees are standard practice across most repair industries. A bench fee is a non-refundable fee that convers several expenses incurred by repairers, such as:

• time spent receiving & unpacking your pen;
• time needed to make an assessment of condition;
• time spent documenting assessment & repairs;
• time spent communicating with you;
• time spent, and materials used, packaging for return shipping.

Because these activities are universal to all repair situations, it is a flat fee applying to all items sent to us, whether they can be repaired or not. However, if you decide to proceed with repairs, we are happy to apply the bench fee as a credit towards the work we do for you. (I have been told this is a terrible practice, which makes no financial sense. This is true, but we are not heartless greedy people just out to make a buck.)

As a note of additional explanation, some customers bring multiple pens to us, and expect a detailed estimate. These are often pens in bad repair, and the person will then decide not to have any work done on any of them. They will then take the estimate information to another repair person, or try to do it themselves, for a lower cost. They are, in essence, trying to mine us as a source of information, using our time and experience for their own gain, at no cost. A bench fee helps to protect us from that sort of situation. Sorry, but this is ‘why we can’t have nice things’.

Payment

We generally send an invoice once we are finished work on your items and have sent them back to you. This keeps things simple, as we can include the exact cost of return shipping.

We accept payment via Paypal, using bank e-transfers, or personal cheque if that is most convenient for you. We have no extra charges for any of these services. Our invoicing is done in Canadian funds by default, but we accept payment in any currency, and can invoice correspondingly by request.