Fred Krinke's The Fountain Pen Shop Video. I Wonder If...

[OcalaFlGuy]

we have any eagle eye viewers here?

 

Maybe you'll smile.

 

Maybe you'll raise both eyebrows.

 

http://www.myfoxla.com/video?clipId=8872890&autostart=true

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL-Edit-Hopefully both

Edited May 22, 2013 by OcalaFlGuy

[Marsilius]

A great video of Fred Krinke and the Fountain Pen Shop!

[pen2paper]

Must SEE video!

[DanDeM]

The SoCal Pen Club of America will be meeting in Fred's shop in a few weeks. Gotta rag him about this.

He's a remarkable guy!

[OcalaFlGuy]

The more major of the Estie moments actually brings up a real good question for me that Fred could be nearly unique in being able to answer.

 

Anyone want to take a guess what that question might be?

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

[stubshaft]

Great video thanks for sharing.

[FarmBoy]

The more major of the Estie moments actually brings up a real good question for me that Fred could be nearly unique in being able to answer.

 

Anyone want to take a guess what that question might be?

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

You got any streaking rootbeer?

[pajaro]

I like Fred's blue shirt.

[Fabienne]

Great stuff!

[OcalaFlGuy]

The more major of the Estie moments actually brings up a real good question for me that Fred could be nearly unique in being able to answer.

 

Anyone want to take a guess what that question might be?

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

 

 

 

You got any streaking rootbeer?

 

 

 

The SoCal Pen Club of America will be meeting in Fred's shop in a few weeks. Gotta rag him about this.

He's a remarkable guy!

 

Interestingly enough, from the vid, it appears the answer is no on the Streaker Rootbeers.

 

There were 2 Estie moments in the vid. One was Fred polishing a Black LJ on his polish wheel. The other was his drawer FULL of Estie repair barrels, Lots of Tranny barrels.

 

Which begets the question that I would appreciate it very much if Blotto would ask Fred for me at the next pen meet.

 

Did Esterbrook actually send out repair parts to pen shops or are all those parts the shop has accumulated from other sources over the years. (I've always been under the impression that Estie didn't intend on broken pens being repaired, they were so cheap you were intended to Replace them. It would be interesting to know the factory actually DID send out repair parts if they did. )

 

There's not many pen shops that have been open as long as Fred's that would have First Hand knowledge of that.

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

[Larry T]

Very cool! Thanks for sharing.

 

Larry

[OakIris]

That was a wonderful video - thank you for posting it, Bruce. (And it is a good thing to know that the Sheaffer pens sold in Spanish speaking areas could make you pregnant! Wonder how much Sheaffer paid their translator for those incorrectly translated ads.....)

 

I of course can not answer your question, but Fred did state in the video that he had drawers full of vintage pens and pen parts that he had gathered through the years; maybe he just lucked out at a lot of estate sales, or was there at the right time, right place, when a drug store or jewelers went out of business and sold him their fountain pen inventory. Hopefully Blotto will get the answer for you.

 

Holly

Edited May 23, 2013 by OakIris

[OcalaFlGuy]

Or...as mentioned, if Estie sold parts to dealers who requested them.

 

Fred's shop has been around since Before there Were Estie fountain pens and seems to have had a repair area since inception.

 

Seems the very place that might get parts from the factory if that was possible.

 

(Honestly, my gut call is to go with the simplest answer being the most likely one, that The Fountain Pen Shop Didn't get the parts from the factory. For the reason I've thought so all along. That Estie didn't intend the inexpensive pens to be Repaired, they expected you to Replace them. I have also never heard of anyone mentioning or seen myself an Estie catalog where pen parts were also for sale. I have seen parts invoices from the Big Three. Though Fred's shop would be likely to have gotten any parts from the fractory if Estie did that.)

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

[FarmBoy]

I once owned a box of ESTERBROOK imprinted sacs and what appeared to be NOS j-bars. I also recall having seen someone selling a box of jewels long ago.

 

I suspect parts were available.

[Hobiwan]

(Honestly, my gut call is to go with the simplest answer being the most likely one, that The Fountain Pen Shop Didn't get the parts from the factory. For the reason I've thought so all along. That Estie didn't intend the inexpensive pens to be Repaired, they expected you to Replace them. I have also never heard of anyone mentioning or seen myself an Estie catalog where pen parts were also for sale. I have seen parts invoices from the Big Three. Though Fred's shop would be likely to have gotten any parts from the fractory if Estie did that.)

 

 

Fred did get parts from the factory, if what I saw was any indication. I was priveledged to have spent several Saturdays some 15+ years ago, helping Fred reduce his load of repairs (a unique opportunity to apprentice to one of the masters). I saw his full "stash" of Esty parts, which included new imprinted sacs, jewels of all sizes, J-bars and lever assemblies. These didn't come from "donor" pens. If memory serves, the parts filled 2 drawers of an 7-foot high steel cabinet loaded with thin drawers containing pieces and parts for all makers and models of pens. The cabinet had been in the shop since day one.

 

Which leads to...

 

A fantastic-but-true story. One Saturday, Fred went to the cabinet, looking for a part to fix a Waterman eyedropper. I went with him, always fascinated by the prospect of seeing all the great pen stuff. He fished around in one of the Waterman drawers for a bit, pulled out an item and asked, "Hmmm, what's this?" I looked over, my jaw dropped and my heart raced. I told him, "Fred, either that's a rusty railroad spike, or a red hard rubber Waterman Checkbook pen." (a rare, short #2 eyedropper with a cap that flares out like a nail head, made to carry in a person's checkbook). And so it was, missing nib and feed. Fred had said more than once that he wasn't sure what all was in the cabinet.

 

I suggested an immediate treasure hunt, and offered to help. Fred just chuckled......

Edited May 25, 2013 by Hobiwan

[JonSzanto]

Bruce, thanks so much for posting the link to the video! We *almost* went to his shop this last week, but things went too long in LA and we had to head home. Soon, soon...

[DanDeM]

The SoCalPCA meet was yesterday, and a fun day it was. At its peak probably forty

people gawking, hawking, talking. Jon Rosenbaum (www.vintagefountainpens.com)

did a wonderful show & tell on the history of vintage combos. Oddly enough,

happened to have a mate to one of his examples in the batch of pens I brought along.

 

A New Banker.

 

 

Fred was resplendent in a blue and white Hawiian shirt, and he kindly bored out a

Holland section whose nib and feed refused to reseat itself (brushing-off any idea

of payment for the work).

Asked him about his stash of Este parts. Fred said that they were all debris from

years of repairing pens, and definitely not factory issue. And he has a nice array

of J's for sale, including a really clean, red jewel SJ Nurse. (Sorry it wasn't a

green jewel...would have jumped on that.)

Fun afternoon. Pens and pizza. Can't go wrong.

Edited June 9, 2013 by Blotto

[pen2paper]

Gorgeous combo with the red!

Thanks for inquiring about the Esties.

Sounds like a meeting in fountain pen heaven.

[OcalaFlGuy]

Thanks Blotto for the report.

 

I would take that as support to my supposition that the factory didn't intend for the pens to

be repaired.

 

They probably didn't waste much time back then thinking that people might pay $50 for a nice J either.

 

.

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL