Delivery, Taxes & Customs

All pens are made to order

Please allow up to 28 days from order date to shipping. However, we understand that at times there are urgent requirements for a birthday, retirement gift or special day, so we do have a PRIORITY PRODUCTION fast track service. To use the service, simply lets us know the date you need the pen by writing the date in the comments box at check-out. We will then do our best to get it to you by that date.

On orders for accessories please allow 2 - 8 days from order date to shipping.

We tend to use Royal Mail for all deliveries unless DHL Courier service is chosen at check out. There is an additional charge for using DHL.

UK Deliveries

For delivery to UK addresses we use Royal Mail Special Delivery, which guarantees delivery before 1pm the following day after despatch (Monday to Friday). You will normally need to sign for your parcel on receipt, although during COVID, the postmen have been taking photographs instead.

International Deliveries

For delivery to overseas addresses we use Royal Mail’s International Tracked & Signed service. Once the parcel arrives in your country, your local postal service takes over responsibility for delivery, although you can still use Royal Mail’s ‘Track and Trace’ system. You will normally need to sign for your parcel on receipt.

In some countries, you can use the Royal Mail tracking number we provide on your local postal service website. For example you can use Royal Mail Tracking numbers on the USPS website to track your parcel in the USA. In other countries you will need to check with your local postal service to see if they can track international parcels in this way.

VAT – Purchase Tax

All goods shipped to an address in the UK will be charged VAT. All goods shipped outside the UK will not be charged VAT.

Custom Duty

Some countries will charge customs duty and/or tax on any item imported, often dependent on the value of the goods. Such charges are the responsibility of the purchaser to pay.

Repair Service

IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

Eric Wilson 44/2 Belmont Road

Juniper Green

Edinburgh EH14 5DY

Tel: +44 (0)7977 559 646

IN THE USA

Vanness Pen Shop, Little Rock, AR 11610 Pleasant Ridge Road, Suite 106

Pleasant Ridge Town Center Little Rock AR 72223

Tel: +1 501-353-2362

IN AUSTRALIA

The Pensmith P.O. Box 177 Berwick 3806

Victoria

Tel: +61 407 377 160

Conway Stewart Workshop

We are offering factory-based repairs for modern Conway Stewart pens.

- Nib repair

- Cap service or replacementInk filler service or replacement

- General maintenance

Please get in touch with the form below if you have an enquiry concerning a repair to a modern Conway Stewart pen ie a pen made after 1990.

100% Satisfaction Guarantee

Guarantee

All our pens are manufactured in the United Kingdom to the highest standards of quality and workmanship, and each carries a 12-month guarantee against defect or fault.

The guarantee does not cover damage caused through misuse, negligent handling or improper treatment of the pen. In the event of the need to use this guarantee, please contact our workshop and explain the issue.

We will repair any defect free of charge, or replace the pen with a new pen of the same value. Please empty all ink from any fountain pens before returning.

Nib Exchanges

If you buy a pen from our website and find that the nib is not the correct size for your writing we will change it for you free of charge (subject to availability).

Please inform us within 14 days to arrange to return the pen or nib to us for exchange for another of the same value.

We can extend this period on request for pens bought as gifts. Note that nibs will only be exchanged if returned in as-new condition, and cleaned.

100% Satisfaction Guarantee

If you are not 100% happy with your pen, then you can return it to us within 30 days of receipt for a full refund. Goods must be returned in their original packaging complete with all labels and instructions and in the case of fountain pens, in un-filled condition.

If you are unsure about a pen at first sight, please just dip test it first using washable blue ink, just as you would do in a traditional shop. We reserve the right to reduce the refund if a pen has been mishandled.

Where do I send my goods?

Please contact us first and explain the issue before returning any pen or nib so we can make any necessary arrangements. Our workshop address is:

Conway Stewart / Bespoke British Pens Limited

Unit 11C

The Wren Centre

Westbourne Road

Emsworth

Hampshire

PO10 7SU

United Kingdom

We recommend that you send all items by Signed for Delivery (for example Royal Mail Special Delivery in the UK ) or other tracked method as we cannot be held responsible for goods that don’t arrive.

Please note we cannot accept returns of bottled fountain pen ink once opened. This does not affect your statutory rights.

Make sure you include a note so we know who it’s from, giving your name, telephone number and email address.

Caring for my fountain pen

How do I clean my fountain pen?

Dirt and grease in the atmosphere and on your hands mean that your pen will become dirty over a period of time. A build up of grease on the nib and feeder may also prevent the ink from flowing properly. That’s why we recommend cleaning your fountain pen three or four times a year. To keep the ink flowing simply flush out the filler mechanism, nib and feeder system with tepid water until the liquid runs clear, then dry gently. Holding a lint free cloth against the nib slit will help draw excess water out of the feeder system. Do not use detergents, solvents or hot water as this may damage the mechanism or finish. Do not put the whole pen under water as this will damage some filler mechanisms.

Flushing and cleaning the system in this manner should be done each time you change ink colour.

Ink soiling the interior of caps can be cleaned with a piece of damp paper tissue rolled around the inside of the cap. Alternatively a damp cotton bud may be used.

The exterior acrylic finishes may be cleaned by rubbing gently with the Pen Polishing Cloth which now accompanies each pen purchased. The cleaning cloths are also available to purchase from the Accessories page. The cleaning cloth is impregnated with a cleaner and anti-tarnishing agent so it’s ideal for giving gold or silver fittings that ‘just-out-of-the-box’ sparkle!

How do I look after my fountain pen nib?

The nib of a fountain pen imparts the quality of the writing experience and over time takes on the personality of its user’s handwriting. All the fountain pens included on this website are fitted with very high quality nibs with an iridium tip. This tip protects the nib and governs the width of the pen stroke.

Most Conway Stewart pens are available with a choice of Extra Fine, Fine, Medium or Broad. Customised nibs – italic, stub, oblique etc – are available to order for a small additional fee. The full range of nib availability is indicated on each product page.

The choice of nib is a very personal one but as a general guide – smaller, lighter and precise handwriting would err towards a finer nib and larger, more generous and flamboyant handwriting towards a broader nib. Most users decide that a medium nib offers the best of both worlds.

We ensure that our nibs are carefully fitted, aligned and polished during assembly of your pen to ensure a very high quality mark during use. It is good practice to place the cap onto a fountain pen in the upright position. If you drop the pen downwards into the cap ink spots can be deposited from the nib onto the interior surfaces of the cap.

How should I hold my fountain pen?

This is a very personal thing and should simply be at a comfortable angle for your writing style. Ideally the nib should receive even pressure on each half to avoid the risk of splitting the nib. Over a short period of time the malleable properties of the nib will allow it to contour to your writing style.

As the nib will be personalised by your handwriting it is best used only by one person. If you wish to gift your pen to someone we recommend you have a new nib fitted.

Is there a User Guide?

All Conway Stewart writing instruments are designed to give you a high quality writing experience for many years. Each pen is supplied with a comprehensive User Guide that explains how to look after your pen, and how to fill it with ink. If you have any further questions about your pen, please contact us.

Which inks can I use for my fountain pen?

We recommend that you use only quality inks, such as those available to purchase from our Accessories page, to ensure a quality writing experience. We recommend the use of ink that is less than a year old as residues may become a problem with inks that have been stored for lengthy periods.

What is best for left-handed writers?

Left-handed writers use so many different writing styles; overwriting and underwriting, writing uphill, writing horizontally, and writing downhill, that it’s not really possible to recommend any one nib. Experimentation on what works for you is the only answer!

Understanding Writing Modes

How do Conway Stewart line widths compare to Japanese line widths?

Please see below diagram.

Stroke Width Chart For Fountain Pens

Notes:

1. All measurements were made with a 50X microscope (metric reticle, line spacing 0.02 mm).

2. The Stroke Sample set was generated with a computer to give you a very accurate metric against which you can measure the strokes of the pens you’re evaluating.

3. Because no paper is perfectly smooth, parts of any stroke made with a real pen may be broader or narrower than the precise measurement. The measurements in this chart represent slow strokes drawn by nibs. A rapid stroke will typically be narrower than the width illustrated. Out of the box, many nibs are set too dry and will write narrower than shown here — but they may be prone to skipping or have starting problems. Different inks, different flow rates, and different papers will produce different results. Even temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure can affect a fountain pen’s performance. You should not expect your testing to duplicate exactly the measurements shown here.

4. Measurements for the example metric gel pens shown here were taken with the pens used lightly, as a fountain pen user might use them. Pressing harder will produce a stroke 0.2 to 0.3 mm wider than shown in the chart. Manufacturers’ measurements for these pens represent the physical sizes of the pens’ tips, not their stroke widths.

Special Nib Options: What are the 3 basic nib shapes or styles?

Round Nibs:

A round nib is ground and polished to have roughly a circular footprint, so that its line width is fairly uniform no matter what direction the nib is moving across the paper. Here is a magnified silhouette representing the basic shape of a round nib, together with a cross illustrating the uniform stroke width that this nib produces. All of our standard nibs are Round Nibs.

Stub Nibs:

A stub nib is elongated sideways, to have a footprint that is somewhat elliptical. This makes it lay down a slightly broader line when moving up and down (in relation to the nib itself) and a narrower one when moving sideways (again, in relation to the nib). The wider line is between 1.5 – 2.5 times thicker than the thinner line in our custom ground stub nib. The eccentricity of the ellipse isn’t too pronounced, and the nib is still polished to have nice rounded edges. This means that you can write with a stub just about as easily as with a standard nib. Here is a magnified silhouette representing the basic shape of a stub nib, together with a cross illustrating the slight variation in stroke width that this nib produces.

Italic Nibs:

An italic nib is far more elongated. This makes the difference between its broad (up-anddown) strokes and its narrow strokes (sideways) more pronounced than with a stub.A traditional italic nib has a perceptible straight edge across the tip, and relatively less rounding to the edges than a stub nib. This results in a greater tendency to catch on corners and to skip if the nib is not held straight-on to the paper. This can make the nib feel “scratchy”. However, there is a compromise grind called cursive italic, which has more rounded edges than a traditional italic. When properly ground and finished, a cursive italic nib can produce stroke variation almost as strong as an italic nib while the writing feel is nearly as smooth as a stub of similar width. All our custom ground italic nibs are cursive italics unless otherwise requested.

What

is a rollerball?

A rollerball is like a biro/ballpoint but has the free-flowing ink qualities of a fountain pen. Beautiful to write with, yet with the convenience of a ball-point.

What

are Calligraphy nibs?

Calligraphy nibs have the same shape as italic nibs (i.e. elongated), but might be even wider, and are finished with squarer edges. This square-edged grind and the wider footprint result in a greater tendency to catch on corners and a greater tendency to skip if the nib isn’t held straight-on to the paper (i.e. when one side of the nib lifts away due to the nib’s being rocked sideways). Writing too rapidly with a calligraphy nib tends to produce scratchiness and skips. However, by writing more slowly, calligraphy nibs give a very crisp and controllable line width, and with practice, some writers become very proficient with calligraphy nibs, producing beautiful text. We can grind specialist calligraphy nibs on request.

Writing Modes Writing Modes

WHAT ARE OBLIQUE NIBS?

An oblique is ground so that the writing tip contacts the properly when the pen is rotated in the user’s hand. This suits some handwriting better.

WHAT IS BEST FOR LEFT-HANDED WRITERS?

Left-handed writers use so many different writing styles, overwriting and underwriting, writing uphill, writing horizontally, and writing downhill, that it’s not really possible to recommend any one nib. Experimentation on what works for you is the only answer! However, the traditional thinking is a Left Oblique is more suited for a right-handed person, and a Right Oblique is more suited to a left-handed person.

Conway Stewart Related Questions

Can I see a comparison of the Conway Stewart models?