John Holland pen help

[saraw946]

Hello everyone,

 

I’m reaching out to inquire about pen restoration services. I have a very old pen and a mechanical pencil that were gifted to my great uncle in 1917. Both were made by John Holland.
 

Unfortunately, my mother accidentally broke the upper tip (barrel?) of the pen a million years ago, and the piece was lost. 

 

I’m wondering whether there is anyone in this country (US) to restore these, including fixing the broken tip of the first one. I presume they could find the same or similar material and kind of fit it? I am not looking to create something perfect, just a working pen because I like it.

 

Someone once told me the pen does not have a nib? I think it does, but I am really clueless about pens. I am attaching photos of the John Holland pen and pencil. It would be great if someone could tell me what they are missing and what could be done with them.

 

Thank you very much for your help and advice!

[Sailor Kenshin]

It does not have a nib.  That part sticking out is the feed.  You might possibly find a replacement for the nib.

 

A moderator could move this topic to Repairs... might get more responses.  Good luck and welcome aboard.

[saraw946]

Thanks. Do you think the tip in the back (barrel?) can be fixed?

[VacNut]

Great family story…

Unfortunately the pencil was not made until the early 1930’s. Perhaps only the pen was given at that time?

 

The pen may be repaired by a splicing a replacement end reinforced with a sleeve and hiding the joint underneath the gold overlay, but it will not likely match the brown-black of the pen. The entire pen could be re-blackened to a more uniform color, but that would require removing the overlay.

The pen can be repaired, but it may be difficult to find a restorer willing to take on the challenge. You may get lucky if you can convince them the pen has great sentimental value.

 

I would be curious to see the opinion of others.

 

 

[GlenV]

Those are really cool! I don’t have a John Holland hatchet filler, and with an overlay is an awesome pen, too bad about the damage. A bit harder to fix than some with the moving parts so close.  Rare and expensive ( or lucky😊)  to find a replacement original part.  But nearly anything can be repaired to user pen status.  Very cool pen. I would love to see that one in person. 

[GlenV]

Looking at this pen it broke where there is a hard rubber pin I do think that is repairable either with a matching diameter barrel end or a fabricated one.

[saraw946]

On 3/10/2025 at 9:43 AM, GlenV said:

Looking at this pen it broke where there is a hard rubber pin I do think that is repairable either with a matching diameter barrel end or a fabricated one.

 

Thanks! This reminded me of another family story that might offer a solution for the pen too! My dad bought an amazing Philips radiogram in 1960, which holds tremendous sentimental value for me, but it’s literally a wreck. I found a fantastic radio repair store in Binghamton, NY, and they told me they can fix everything. If they don’t have the parts, they can actually 3D-print them!

 

I’m wondering if the same could be done for the pen—perhaps someone could fix it by printing the missing part?

 

Incidentally, what material is the pen made of?

 

As for the pencil, it’s probably not from the 1930s for the following reasons: it was originally sent by my great uncle in San Antonio, TX, to my other great uncle in France. The latter was an architect, used it for his work, and died in 1927. He had also been gifted the gold pen, which bears an inscription with the initials of my two great uncles and the date (1917). I presume the pens were either sent by mail or brought by another great uncle who visited San Antonio. The next time the family got together was in 1939, when the American uncle visited and had to be evacuated by the American Embassy due to the outbreak of WWII.

[GlenV]

These early pens were made from hard rubber, and I and others with a lathe can make parts from the same material, with an overlay the broken end can be cut off under the overlay and a new part epoxied in place, a Holland nib of same vintage is a bit spendy and uncommon, but a warranted nib or similar quality vintage 14 k gold nib would be available usually under 50$ and there you are! Definitely worth it for that rare pen. 
(Note: I don’t do repairs for a living, just for the fun and challenge, but others do this professionally)

[saraw946]

On 3/22/2025 at 11:15 AM, GlenV said:

These early pens were made from hard rubber, and I and others with a lathe can make parts from the same material, with an overlay the broken end can be cut off under the overlay and a new part epoxied in place, a Holland nib of same vintage is a bit spendy and uncommon, but a warranted nib or similar quality vintage 14 k gold nib would be available usually under 50$ and there you are! Definitely worth it for that rare pen. 
(Note: I don’t do repairs for a living, just for the fun and challenge, but others do this professionally)

 

Wow! I'm super impressed!