Tools Of The Trade

If one pops by my shop and gets a look at my work space, they would be greeted by a curious display of chopsticks, pipe cleaners, automotive tools, watchmakers, jewellers, and dental equipment; unrecognizable self made or adapted tools, and queer, clearly specialized and machined precision tools. Yesterday I received another shipment from Dale Beebe at Pentooling, the maker of many of those strange precision items.

It’s always a treat to get a small package from this gentleman as he is an ingenious machinist who is very skilled at recreating tools made in pen manufacturer’s own stables as well as those designed by other repair professionals.

Today’s treat was a very special driver for the dis-assembly of Parker 51 caps. Until now, I have done so with a standard screwdriver I ground to fit the brass bushing that holds the cap clip. Over the years I have been ordering tools from Dale. He has continually improved his designs and they have become more refined and specialized, making my job much, much easier.

Some of you are clearly asking yourselves: “Why would he tell us who makes his tools if we can now just buy them and fix the pens ourselves?” Well, the answer to that is pretty simple. I subscribe to the belief that it takes many hours to master a skill. To quote my partner Sharon Townsend (a skilled pianist): “Just because you own a piano, it doesn’t mean you know how to play it”. Also, these tools aren’t cheap. They are specialized and many are built for specific repairs on only one model of pen.

I believe it is important to recognize the contributions of the people who have helped me reach some moderate level of expertise in this business.

And now I must remove myself to another part of the house to work at a machinists lathe so I can reproduce a part for another rare and very weird little pen…

Cheers from The Penden!