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We are happy to announce that from now on all our fountain pens will be equipped with our own in house made piston filling system. Wishing everyone a great week! Andy.

Garcia-Deschacht “A&A” Sterling Silver Fountain Pen --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Andy Deschacht and Laura Garcia of “Garcia-Deschacht” collaborate on creating art in several forms. One of their endeavors is custom made-to-order fountain pens. I came across their website while looking for a large sterling silver fountain pen. Their site (www.garcia-deschacht.com) is a treat, with beautifully presented examples of their handmade custom pens in a variety of exotic woods, acrylics, and silver. I’m sure there are readers that will feel this pen is unreasonably large and heavy. For many people, that’s probably true. What’s important is that Garcia-Deschacht were able take a rough idea, add to it, and turn that idea into a perfectly finished hand made pen. It’s difficult for me to critique this pen. Once the dialog with Garcia-Deschacht got started, I found they could accommodate almost anything. If I were to rate this pen, it would have to be “exactly what I wanted”. That said, here’s my review. Appearance & Design I wanted a simple, clean, timeless, yet substantial design rendered in sterling silver. This pen has no ornamentation – no homage to anyone, no “theme”, no attempt to recognize an historical event. It’s simply a beautifully crafted functional piece made of high quality materials.I wanted to highlight the sheen of sterling silver. It has a white-ish color when compared to stainless steel, titanium, or tungsten. The simple polished finish shows this. I wanted to retain weight in this pen.I wanted the maker’s name visible. I have a lot of respect for individuals who can conceive and fabricate beautiful, high quality pieces out of simple raw materials. This pen’s barrel and cap were turned on a manual lathe. Other parts were fabricated from scratch. There was no numerical control here, just plain skill and experience. Construction & Quality (10) – Construction and quality look like perfection to me. The polished finish is gorgeous. Removing the cap and section reveals threads that are smooth and well fitted. A signature feature of Garcia-Deschacht pens is a clip attachment that has no ring or seam on the cap. I’m not sure how this is done, but I like this creative touch to keep the pen’s design simple. The clip is 18k gold, handmade by Garcia- Deschacht, and engraved by a jeweler they selected for this work. Weight & Dimensions Capped Length: 14 cm / 5.5”Uncapped Length 12.5 cm / 4.9”Diameter: 1.5 cm / 0.6”Weight: 198 grams / 6.98 oz. Yes, I prefer heavy pens. I don’t write a lot, but when I do, a solid, substantial pen is what I like to use. I understand that this isn’t for everyone. The cap does not post. Nib & Performance – I chose a Boch #6 14k gold fine point nib for this pen. It was wet and very smooth right out of the box. One key point – and a pet peeve for me – is that the cap of a fountain pen should be airtight enough that the pen can be stored for a while without the nib drying out. I asked Garcia-Deschacht about this before we got started. On their metal pens, they put an ebonite insert inside the cap and cut the threads in this insert. The cap threads off and on smoothly and with a slight bit of drag as you turn the cap. There’s no play and the cap appears to seal quite well. So far this pen, even when not used for several days, starts and writes perfectly every time. Filling System & Maintenance - This pen has a standard convertor which was my choice . I filled it with my favorite dark blue ink and started to write straight away. The pen was shipped with ink I hadn’t seen before but am interested to try: The “Hastings Caves” hue from Van Dieman’s “Wilderness Series” - a 30ml bottle of shimmering yellow gold color. Cost & Value – I exchanged emails with Andy and Laura on dimensions, nib sizes and materials, clip shape, engraving, etc. The cost of each specification was provided. I was able to judge the value and make decisions on how to proceed to get just what I wanted. Included with this pen was a bespoke wood box, a card with the pen’s specifications and completion date, a notepad, some fine writing paper, a silver polishing cloth, a drawstring pouch, and a handful of very tasty Côte d’Or Belgian chocolate candies. The pen box is a work of art. Garcia- Deschacht custom tailors a box for each of their pens. The wood used for this box is willow from an historical excavation in Roeselare, Belgium dated around the 14-17th century. The logo on the box was cast in .925 silver. Conclusion – I really enjoyed working with Andy and Laura and I’m delighted with the finished product!