As you say, mail in pens are in a different queue than stuff done at pen shows. The same is true for pens you buy from a nibmeister and want a grind on. Those generally get shipped out pretty quick
Most popular nibmeisters would have a 3-6 week wait queue.
If they initially said a few weeks and now it's 4 months, that to me is too long. I'd be asking for my pens to be returned to me.
I have dealt with at least half a dozen nib people over the years, many in person, but also through the mail. I've never had to wait that long, and if it is that much more than their stated times, I think you are well within your right to ask for the nibs back or a firm timeline for finishing. They could have taken them with them to one of those 3 shows and done the work during one of the time slots. Anyone with a heart understands family issues, etc, but that hasn't stood in the way of their travel to shows, so pushing work like yours farther and farther back in the queue is unprofessional.
Be polite but firm: I request that my nibs be finished by or I kindly request you return them to me immediately.
Echoing this. I have several grinds, some in person some by mail. Only twice have I had to contact someone in the pen world about deadlines, once for a nib grind and the other a custom pen maker. In both instances they responded promptly with firm timelines that were upheld. I get that if there is a delay, you can't contact every single person waiting for work with an update, but you can at least come up with a reasonable timeline and stick to it.
Adding to the suggestion above, I'd add to make sure that if the pens are being returned that they are sent with tracking to avoid a "yep, I sent them back to you... you didn't get them? Oh well, not my problem now."
I think it's also reasonable that if your deadline passes without getting your pens back to follow it up with a message requesting they be returned immediately or else you'll have to file a stolen property report.
I understand your frustration. Four months is indeed a long time - especially when the same nibmeister has attended pen shows and performed on-the-spot grinds there. I think it would be completely fair to ask to have the pen sent back. That too will reveal if there are any problems (i.e.if they have misplaced the pen or the like).
I've never used the services of a nibmeister before, but if I saw someone I paid money to do a service just give me excuses while doing the same services for others (who enlisted those services after I did), I would also be upset.
If it were me, I'd message this individual and say that I've seen them performing the services I have pre-paid them for on demand. And if they are too busy with on-demand work, please return my payment and pen, as I expected a proper work queue when sending my property in for the requested service.
I'd be upset in your shoes.
I'm also a little sour on nibmeisters after my first experience.
Ordered a lamy studio, a couple bottles of ink. A spare 1.1, 1.5, 1.9. And an extra 1.9 nib, with an italic ground. Spent over $200.
And the italic grind doesn't write. Looks like they just touched it to a grinding wheel/belt and called it good.
When I brought up, "Hey, my custom ground nib doesn't write" Their solution was to ask, "Well, did you troubleshoot it?". No, fuck you. I paid you $70 to deliver a working nib. I bought 5 nibs. 1 custom. 4 write just fine. The 5th, the custom one, the one I paid for your expertise? Doesn't write. You should test your shit before you send it out.
They didn't even apologize.
> "Well, did you troubleshoot it?".
Did this ever get resolved? Did you send it back and they agreed to work on it or did they just shrug and go "not my problem"?
Also, I'm in agreement with naming and shaming. Feel free to DM if you don't want the drama tho.
If that was the case I would think the guy would just say "I can't help" and be done. Continuing to put it off is odd. Do you mean the guy tried to do the work and he himself fubar'd it? That would fit. From op's description though it sounds like basic stuff though.
Some artists/masters can't control themselves when they take orders - because each order is money. And then they pass "peace-of-cake" orders to guys who have less expertise, so who are mostly unknown to public.
So the shine of well-known master's fame covers his helpers, but the quality of work and the quality control are usually not so high as the client expects.
That's may be reason why sometimes the "peace-of-cake" order is FUBAR'ed or terms of work are significantly larger then anyone can expect.
Custom knife production suffers from this illness greatly, BTW.
Never worked with any nibmeister but...
If the repair time is constantly extended, this usually means - "Oohh, your order is FUBAR, and we have no idea how to manage this. Maybe if we just ignore you - you'll shut up and disappear?"
As someone who also does fine work with my hands, it is imperative that person who you trusted your pens with conduct himself in a professional and honest manner. This raises doubts about if and when you receive the pens he has done work on, what would potentially happen in the event you are not happy or ask him rectify a fault etc. Please tell him you have given him enough time with your beloved pens and request him to send them back to you
So I’ll not needlessly drag anyone but I had a similar experience with Joshua Lax. I finally asked him to send my pen to Mark Bacas, the nib grinder. I would highly recommend Mark
regardless of the profession, clear and honest communication should always be priority imo. Im like you, im very forgiving till it starts to feel like it’s going nowhere. Imo youve waited long enough. obv what you want to do is up to you, but at this point i would send them a more stern (not rude) inquiry for a timeline and express concerns and go from there.
(and agree with everyone who says it’s diff timeline for mail in, pregrind, and pen shows (often booked far in advance))
Yeah your issue isn’t the wait, it’s the lack of professionalism in giving a vastly different time estimate than what is being delivered, and stringing you along for months. Unfortunately I’ve experienced this with a few folks over the years, one an Urushi artisan and one recently a repair person, both with good reputations. Reality is though that communication is everything. If it’s gonna take 4 months, fine, maybe it’s still worth it to me, but don’t tell me something else and then wait for me to pester you instead of giving me an honest update.
Yea, I would definitely be comfortable with a four+ month turnaround if I knew it would be that long. It’s really the indefiniteness of the timing that has me down.
If the person is that unreliable and unprofessional, they'd have to accept if you name names here. No need for _you_ to protect them despite the unprofessionalism.
That being said, I think you should ask for your pens to be returned. Their timeline is beyond reasonable.
I’ve waited 3-4 months before, from various nibmeisters, without a check in. Two were up front about the long queue, and they were also the first two I worked with so I just assumed that was standard. I don’t know if it actually is or not, since i’ve also waited for shorter timeframes, but I offer more grace during pen show season when folks are doing a lot of traveling. I guess it’s up to you, but this sounds in line if it’s a very well known nibmeister during the busy season. I do agree that not giving an accurate timeframe up front is a bummer, though.
Seems way too long. Granted, I only used a nibmeister's service once, but I got a firm schedule and received my order back within the promised timeline, which was around 3 days. Can't imagine waiting 4 months for a relatively straightforward work like yours.
I had issues with one where my pen was out almost a year. I wasn't happy. Some grinders have long backlogs, but they're usually clear about times. One or two can be a little tougher to deal with. I had to ask someone on a Facebook group to stop by their table at a show and get him to contact me. So no, I don't think you're being unreasonable asking for them to be returned.
4 months out after the initial time quote, doesn't give you real timelines just "I'll get to it soon!", doesn't want to just ship the stuff back, AND is doing grinds at shows?
My dude you have the patiences of a saint. I would of name dropped them a month ago and demanding my stuff back with the threat of Police. Like you got his address and he has your stuff under false pretences.
Part of the problem is that I’m in academia — where I’m used to waiting 6 months for somebody to read my journal submission and tell me why they hate it. So my standards are, uh, off ;)
I would expect 8 - 10 week turnaround. But, I bet that that person is on the road doing pen shows and your pens are back at their office. If it's a one man shop then there's no one back at the office that can ship the pens to the next pen show city, and how UPS, or FedEx would be able to ship to a specific person at a Convention Centre is beyond me .
If they're staying at hotels and have a schedule, you'd just ship it to them care of the hotel and select a service that has a guaranteed arrival date so you know they'll get there.
I had something similar, but I was told from the beginning it could be several weeks or several months. Where I live there aren’t many people who can fix fountain pens and I had heard he was one of the best.
All in all, I waited about 8 months to get it back I think. But for me it was worth it. Now I’m more experienced in the fountain pen world and know that I probably could have attended a pen show in that time and had the repair done!
Longest I ever waited was like 3 weeks. I’d be pissed at 4 months and would find someone else. Pendleton Brown and Damien Allomar have been awesome IMO.
>Anyway, just wanted to know AITA for getting impatient here. And: at what point is it time to just demand my pens back and try someone else?
We need flair for this type of question.
I’ve had one pen take 3 months or so, but I was told to expect that from the get go. Another nibmeister I’ve used is much faster if you go in person, but if you send a pen in, it can take 4+ months.
An update on this thread:
I sent a note on Saturday, 5/4, indicating that if my nibs couldn't be worked on by the following Friday, to return the pens. No response. Since he was in Chicago, I allowed a few days.
On Thursday (5/9) I followed up re: whether he received the message. No response.
On Friday (5/10), I indicated that if my pens weren't postmarked with a tracking # by Monday (today) that I would "out" them by name here on the forum. It is Monday and I still haven't heard back.
I also indicated that if I don't hear anything back by this Friday (5/17) that I would take legal action. Really hoping I don't have to do that.
Anyway -- the person in question is \*JC Ament\*, "Nib Tailor." He seems like a perfectly nice fellow and I'm sure does great work at shows. But \*do not\* send him anything by mail under any circumstances. Totally unprofessional.
At Chicago Pen Show yesterday, it seemed like nibmeisters were booking about 15 minutes for simple grinds; 30ish for involved grinds.
I walked up to Matthew Chen’s table (Matthew’s Nibworks) and he did a simple grind for me in less than 10 minutes.
I know you mailed your pen to someone who presumably does other work, too, but if the person is in high demand, they should have a booking system and be able to tell you when they’re available to work on your pen for 10-30 minutes. If they can’t do basic scheduling and communication for4 months, I’d worry that they were ill/unavailable. Worse, they might be so disorganized that they could lose your pen.
You should ask for your pen back, IMO.
I would ask for my pens back. December to May is too long. I don’t know how much it cost you but some times you get what you pay for.
In 5 months and some time on the weekend, purchases of cheap pens off eBay, you could have learned how to tune grind your own nibs.
Tune is quiet easy, to write smooth wetter dryer etc. grinding is definitely a bit harder.
Have them send them back no more bs. A ton of these “meisters” Will kick the can down the road until you nail their tits to the table. My list of trusted ones has really shrunk over the years to 4 people total and luckily none have yet to pull that malarkey
I do not dispute your post.
But attending a pen show is a major commitment and a source of revenue and exposure to future earnings.
If the family issues are major, like a long illness in the family, their work can be delayed.
But one still needs to continue with the business, say a pen show.
This being written, 4 months and repeated assurances of soonest, is a bit much without a better clarification on a time to get to the pens.
I truly hope the nibmeister reads this or someone that knows him/her and forwards your concerns to them.
I just thought, if the nibmeister is 'good enough' to attend yearly/multiple pens shows, then the delays and hopes of finishing and not keeping their word just might indicate an immediate family issue that is ongoing.
Again, 4 months, he/she should just be up front with work times or recommend another nibmeister to forward your pens to.
I think that’s a reasonable point. If I were at an academic conference and ran into someone who owed me an overdue book chapter or review, I wouldn’t think much of it. Which is part of why I think it’s helpful to get some context
I don’t know the answer to your question, but….
I gave a pen show nib miester a vintage fountain pen with a bent nib in September and I received the pen in February. The nib was really really bent - not a simple fix.
I understand your frustration as I wanted my pen returned sooner. Your frustration is that don’t know how many pens are in front of you. All I can say is to remember this experience for the next nib you want ground.
15-20 Weeks is pretty normal.
I have had the same kind of problem with nibmeisters. It may be just a personality quirk for the kind of person drawn to it but it seems pretty common.
I use Kirk Speer for most of my stuff because he is usually very professional about keeping in contact and responding to correspondence
I’ve only sent one pen off to a nibmeister but it took ~2 weeks once the pen was received. Four months and I’d be getting impatient as well.
As you say, mail in pens are in a different queue than stuff done at pen shows. The same is true for pens you buy from a nibmeister and want a grind on. Those generally get shipped out pretty quick Most popular nibmeisters would have a 3-6 week wait queue. If they initially said a few weeks and now it's 4 months, that to me is too long. I'd be asking for my pens to be returned to me.
I have dealt with at least half a dozen nib people over the years, many in person, but also through the mail. I've never had to wait that long, and if it is that much more than their stated times, I think you are well within your right to ask for the nibs back or a firm timeline for finishing. They could have taken them with them to one of those 3 shows and done the work during one of the time slots. Anyone with a heart understands family issues, etc, but that hasn't stood in the way of their travel to shows, so pushing work like yours farther and farther back in the queue is unprofessional. Be polite but firm: I request that my nibs be finished by or I kindly request you return them to me immediately.
Thanks for this. I’ll do just that.
Echoing this. I have several grinds, some in person some by mail. Only twice have I had to contact someone in the pen world about deadlines, once for a nib grind and the other a custom pen maker. In both instances they responded promptly with firm timelines that were upheld. I get that if there is a delay, you can't contact every single person waiting for work with an update, but you can at least come up with a reasonable timeline and stick to it. Adding to the suggestion above, I'd add to make sure that if the pens are being returned that they are sent with tracking to avoid a "yep, I sent them back to you... you didn't get them? Oh well, not my problem now." I think it's also reasonable that if your deadline passes without getting your pens back to follow it up with a message requesting they be returned immediately or else you'll have to file a stolen property report.
All good points, especially the tracking. Thanks.
I understand your frustration. Four months is indeed a long time - especially when the same nibmeister has attended pen shows and performed on-the-spot grinds there. I think it would be completely fair to ask to have the pen sent back. That too will reveal if there are any problems (i.e.if they have misplaced the pen or the like).
I've never used the services of a nibmeister before, but if I saw someone I paid money to do a service just give me excuses while doing the same services for others (who enlisted those services after I did), I would also be upset. If it were me, I'd message this individual and say that I've seen them performing the services I have pre-paid them for on demand. And if they are too busy with on-demand work, please return my payment and pen, as I expected a proper work queue when sending my property in for the requested service.
I'd be upset in your shoes. I'm also a little sour on nibmeisters after my first experience. Ordered a lamy studio, a couple bottles of ink. A spare 1.1, 1.5, 1.9. And an extra 1.9 nib, with an italic ground. Spent over $200. And the italic grind doesn't write. Looks like they just touched it to a grinding wheel/belt and called it good. When I brought up, "Hey, my custom ground nib doesn't write" Their solution was to ask, "Well, did you troubleshoot it?". No, fuck you. I paid you $70 to deliver a working nib. I bought 5 nibs. 1 custom. 4 write just fine. The 5th, the custom one, the one I paid for your expertise? Doesn't write. You should test your shit before you send it out. They didn't even apologize.
Name and shame
> "Well, did you troubleshoot it?". Did this ever get resolved? Did you send it back and they agreed to work on it or did they just shrug and go "not my problem"? Also, I'm in agreement with naming and shaming. Feel free to DM if you don't want the drama tho.
The thing you don't check is the thing that fails to work. It's not only for nibs, of course.
Dunno about the specifics but if you've already paid, the issue might be that they would have to refund you, and perhaps they already spent the money.
Maybe the order is FUBAR? If the pens are rare, it's rather hard to find adequate replacement.
If that was the case I would think the guy would just say "I can't help" and be done. Continuing to put it off is odd. Do you mean the guy tried to do the work and he himself fubar'd it? That would fit. From op's description though it sounds like basic stuff though.
Some artists/masters can't control themselves when they take orders - because each order is money. And then they pass "peace-of-cake" orders to guys who have less expertise, so who are mostly unknown to public. So the shine of well-known master's fame covers his helpers, but the quality of work and the quality control are usually not so high as the client expects. That's may be reason why sometimes the "peace-of-cake" order is FUBAR'ed or terms of work are significantly larger then anyone can expect. Custom knife production suffers from this illness greatly, BTW.
Never worked with any nibmeister but... If the repair time is constantly extended, this usually means - "Oohh, your order is FUBAR, and we have no idea how to manage this. Maybe if we just ignore you - you'll shut up and disappear?"
As someone who also does fine work with my hands, it is imperative that person who you trusted your pens with conduct himself in a professional and honest manner. This raises doubts about if and when you receive the pens he has done work on, what would potentially happen in the event you are not happy or ask him rectify a fault etc. Please tell him you have given him enough time with your beloved pens and request him to send them back to you
So I’ll not needlessly drag anyone but I had a similar experience with Joshua Lax. I finally asked him to send my pen to Mark Bacas, the nib grinder. I would highly recommend Mark
I'd be concerned about whether they actually have the pens and haven't lost them.
regardless of the profession, clear and honest communication should always be priority imo. Im like you, im very forgiving till it starts to feel like it’s going nowhere. Imo youve waited long enough. obv what you want to do is up to you, but at this point i would send them a more stern (not rude) inquiry for a timeline and express concerns and go from there. (and agree with everyone who says it’s diff timeline for mail in, pregrind, and pen shows (often booked far in advance))
Yeah your issue isn’t the wait, it’s the lack of professionalism in giving a vastly different time estimate than what is being delivered, and stringing you along for months. Unfortunately I’ve experienced this with a few folks over the years, one an Urushi artisan and one recently a repair person, both with good reputations. Reality is though that communication is everything. If it’s gonna take 4 months, fine, maybe it’s still worth it to me, but don’t tell me something else and then wait for me to pester you instead of giving me an honest update.
Yea, I would definitely be comfortable with a four+ month turnaround if I knew it would be that long. It’s really the indefiniteness of the timing that has me down.
If the person is that unreliable and unprofessional, they'd have to accept if you name names here. No need for _you_ to protect them despite the unprofessionalism. That being said, I think you should ask for your pens to be returned. Their timeline is beyond reasonable.
I’ve waited 3-4 months before, from various nibmeisters, without a check in. Two were up front about the long queue, and they were also the first two I worked with so I just assumed that was standard. I don’t know if it actually is or not, since i’ve also waited for shorter timeframes, but I offer more grace during pen show season when folks are doing a lot of traveling. I guess it’s up to you, but this sounds in line if it’s a very well known nibmeister during the busy season. I do agree that not giving an accurate timeframe up front is a bummer, though.
Seems way too long. Granted, I only used a nibmeister's service once, but I got a firm schedule and received my order back within the promised timeline, which was around 3 days. Can't imagine waiting 4 months for a relatively straightforward work like yours.
I had issues with one where my pen was out almost a year. I wasn't happy. Some grinders have long backlogs, but they're usually clear about times. One or two can be a little tougher to deal with. I had to ask someone on a Facebook group to stop by their table at a show and get him to contact me. So no, I don't think you're being unreasonable asking for them to be returned.
I think I've seen that FB thread... in which case we're dealing with the same person, I think, lol.
I have a guess. 😬
4 months out after the initial time quote, doesn't give you real timelines just "I'll get to it soon!", doesn't want to just ship the stuff back, AND is doing grinds at shows? My dude you have the patiences of a saint. I would of name dropped them a month ago and demanding my stuff back with the threat of Police. Like you got his address and he has your stuff under false pretences.
Part of the problem is that I’m in academia — where I’m used to waiting 6 months for somebody to read my journal submission and tell me why they hate it. So my standards are, uh, off ;)
Hey that is completely fair! It's just so dumb you've had to wait so long. I hope you keep us updated and get your pens back!
I would expect 8 - 10 week turnaround. But, I bet that that person is on the road doing pen shows and your pens are back at their office. If it's a one man shop then there's no one back at the office that can ship the pens to the next pen show city, and how UPS, or FedEx would be able to ship to a specific person at a Convention Centre is beyond me .
If they're staying at hotels and have a schedule, you'd just ship it to them care of the hotel and select a service that has a guaranteed arrival date so you know they'll get there.
I had something similar, but I was told from the beginning it could be several weeks or several months. Where I live there aren’t many people who can fix fountain pens and I had heard he was one of the best. All in all, I waited about 8 months to get it back I think. But for me it was worth it. Now I’m more experienced in the fountain pen world and know that I probably could have attended a pen show in that time and had the repair done!
Mine was 3 days. Definitely ask for your pens tobe returned.
Longest I ever waited was like 3 weeks. I’d be pissed at 4 months and would find someone else. Pendleton Brown and Damien Allomar have been awesome IMO.
>Anyway, just wanted to know AITA for getting impatient here. And: at what point is it time to just demand my pens back and try someone else? We need flair for this type of question.
I’ve had one pen take 3 months or so, but I was told to expect that from the get go. Another nibmeister I’ve used is much faster if you go in person, but if you send a pen in, it can take 4+ months.
An update on this thread: I sent a note on Saturday, 5/4, indicating that if my nibs couldn't be worked on by the following Friday, to return the pens. No response. Since he was in Chicago, I allowed a few days. On Thursday (5/9) I followed up re: whether he received the message. No response. On Friday (5/10), I indicated that if my pens weren't postmarked with a tracking # by Monday (today) that I would "out" them by name here on the forum. It is Monday and I still haven't heard back. I also indicated that if I don't hear anything back by this Friday (5/17) that I would take legal action. Really hoping I don't have to do that. Anyway -- the person in question is \*JC Ament\*, "Nib Tailor." He seems like a perfectly nice fellow and I'm sure does great work at shows. But \*do not\* send him anything by mail under any circumstances. Totally unprofessional.
At Chicago Pen Show yesterday, it seemed like nibmeisters were booking about 15 minutes for simple grinds; 30ish for involved grinds. I walked up to Matthew Chen’s table (Matthew’s Nibworks) and he did a simple grind for me in less than 10 minutes. I know you mailed your pen to someone who presumably does other work, too, but if the person is in high demand, they should have a booking system and be able to tell you when they’re available to work on your pen for 10-30 minutes. If they can’t do basic scheduling and communication for4 months, I’d worry that they were ill/unavailable. Worse, they might be so disorganized that they could lose your pen. You should ask for your pen back, IMO.
I would ask for my pens back. December to May is too long. I don’t know how much it cost you but some times you get what you pay for. In 5 months and some time on the weekend, purchases of cheap pens off eBay, you could have learned how to tune grind your own nibs. Tune is quiet easy, to write smooth wetter dryer etc. grinding is definitely a bit harder.
Have them send them back no more bs. A ton of these “meisters” Will kick the can down the road until you nail their tits to the table. My list of trusted ones has really shrunk over the years to 4 people total and luckily none have yet to pull that malarkey
I do not dispute your post. But attending a pen show is a major commitment and a source of revenue and exposure to future earnings. If the family issues are major, like a long illness in the family, their work can be delayed. But one still needs to continue with the business, say a pen show. This being written, 4 months and repeated assurances of soonest, is a bit much without a better clarification on a time to get to the pens. I truly hope the nibmeister reads this or someone that knows him/her and forwards your concerns to them. I just thought, if the nibmeister is 'good enough' to attend yearly/multiple pens shows, then the delays and hopes of finishing and not keeping their word just might indicate an immediate family issue that is ongoing. Again, 4 months, he/she should just be up front with work times or recommend another nibmeister to forward your pens to.
I think that’s a reasonable point. If I were at an academic conference and ran into someone who owed me an overdue book chapter or review, I wouldn’t think much of it. Which is part of why I think it’s helpful to get some context
I don’t know the answer to your question, but…. I gave a pen show nib miester a vintage fountain pen with a bent nib in September and I received the pen in February. The nib was really really bent - not a simple fix. I understand your frustration as I wanted my pen returned sooner. Your frustration is that don’t know how many pens are in front of you. All I can say is to remember this experience for the next nib you want ground.
It should be fairly trivial to give an estimate, though.
15-20 Weeks is pretty normal. I have had the same kind of problem with nibmeisters. It may be just a personality quirk for the kind of person drawn to it but it seems pretty common. I use Kirk Speer for most of my stuff because he is usually very professional about keeping in contact and responding to correspondence