In one of the pen discussion groups (we won’t say which one) someone posted before and after pictures of a well-chewed pen.  He had made an absolutely perfect job of removing the bite marks.  Not unnaturally, several contributors asked how he had done it.  He replied that it was done by a proprietary method and he was not at liberty to divulge how it had been done.

Thankfully, this attitude is rare in our hobby.  Most people are happy to share the knowledge.  Certainly, it is probably the case that pen repair is how this person makes their living, but one repair technique will not make their fortune; it is their entire skill-set and the reputation for good work that they have developed that is their bread and butter.  Trying to corner a part of the market by being secretive is unlikely to work.

Every day, in all the pen discussion groups, you can see people sharing information freely with each other.  Quite often, that information isn’t in the public domain, but it is shared because it’s good for our hobby, brings more people in and ensures that those who are learning about pens and their repair will continue to do so.  The benefits of freely sharing knowledge vastly outweigh any tiny individual gain made by selfishly guarding a technique or knowledge.

In other news, unusually for the Highlands of Scotland we’ve had long days of unbroken sunshine.  It tempts one outside, and I and my assistant have spent the day installing trellises and preparing for the arrival of climbing roses.  Well, to be precise, I fixed up the trellises while she lay on the shed roof, watching me and napping.  All good things must end and I had to go in and get some pen work done.  I invited her to come and help – after all, she is my assistant – but she yawned and licked her paw and stayed where she was!