Main Street Pens

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Ron Zorn at work

Photograph © 2007 Daniel Falgerho

Hello!

I’m Ron Zorn. Thank you for visiting mainstreetpens.com.

After lurking and working in Upstate, NY for 32 years we moved to Western Pennsylvania in 2014.  I started collecting vintage fountain pens in 1988. But after spending $120 in a big city to have a $40-value Parker Parkette repaired, I decided that if I wanted to collect, I would have to learn to repair, and so plunged into the world of vintage pen restoration.

Having restored pens now since 1990, learning to make my own tools, and creating repair techniques, I have developed a deep and abiding respect for this hobby and for the people within it.

At the suggestion of a fellow pen collector and good friend, the “Vac Quack,” Main Street pens went “public” and began to do on-site complete pen restorations at vintage pen shows across the Northeast in 2003. It has been a pleasure to meet so many of you, known before through the mail or internet, alone.

While we started with a  focus on Vacumatic-filling (Parker Vacumatic and Parker “51”) pens, Aerometric Parkers, sac pens in general, and Sheaffer Vacuum fillers,  Snorkel and Touchdown pens, we've gradually expanded to the point where we are known for tackling the more advanced repairs and cdlluloid repair in addition to the more pedestrian services.  There are still a few things that we don't repair (including ballpoints) so it is a good idea to check with us first.  You'll find a general though by no means comprehensive list of services and  prices on our  restoration services page.

Cosmetic restoration such as external polishing of course is part of the restoration process. Your pen should write nicely, so we provide nib-smoothening and ink-flow adjustment services.

Our motto is, “We treat your pens as we do our own... and that’s a good thing!”

This motto has a light-hearted flavor but points to the heart of Main Street Pens’ operating philosophy. No one is perfect, and old pens are fragile beasts. We approach each project slowly, meticulously, and respectfully. To borrow what is commonly misattributed to Hippocrates: “first, do no harm.” Your pen will be cared for quite well while visiting.

Please feel free to ask questions about your vintage pens. Most pens can be made to work nicely, and most pens can be cosmetically improved to a great extent.

Thanks kindly,

Ron Zorn.

© 2007-2019 Ron Zorn

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