Stefan Fink selects all woods himself, and he favours those that retain their
own individual character, their own special history.
As a first step, he cuts the wooden blocks into squares and stores them for one year in a suitable environment, to see whether it will still warp - after all, wood is a alive and headstrong, sometimes even stubborn material.
Then, the wooden squares are turned, pre-drilled and stored on high shelves for drying, a process which takes another one or two years. Just like champagne bottles, the timber is turned over up to ten times during this period and works its way up from the bottom to the top shelf, which offers the warmest environment. Only the best-quality material can make it through to the top without splitting. Sometimes, up to 90% of the material does not stand this test.
About eight months after the last treatment, the wood is fully dried and is then turned by hand into its final shape. The next step is taking a bath: the wood is put into in a special hard oil bath for one day until it is completely soaked in the oil. After about seven days of hardening, the wood is polished. An individually adjusted stainless steel grip is mounted, and the ink feed is built in. The crowning moment of the manufacturing process is when the handmade golden nib is added to the final product.
When such a miraculous object, created from a symbiosis of traditional craftsmanship and state-of-the-art technology, is screwed shut, the grain of the wood of course runs homogeneously along the full length of the fountain pen - another detail ensured by Stefan Fink, striving for perfection. And each time you open your fountain pen again, you will be welcomed by a soft and pleasant "plop".
All in all, it takes around three years, at least twelve hours of handiwork and 300 different working steps and movements until we can admire a unique and beautiful "Fink".
As a first step, he cuts the wooden blocks into squares and stores them for one year in a suitable environment, to see whether it will still warp - after all, wood is a alive and headstrong, sometimes even stubborn material.
Then, the wooden squares are turned, pre-drilled and stored on high shelves for drying, a process which takes another one or two years. Just like champagne bottles, the timber is turned over up to ten times during this period and works its way up from the bottom to the top shelf, which offers the warmest environment. Only the best-quality material can make it through to the top without splitting. Sometimes, up to 90% of the material does not stand this test.
About eight months after the last treatment, the wood is fully dried and is then turned by hand into its final shape. The next step is taking a bath: the wood is put into in a special hard oil bath for one day until it is completely soaked in the oil. After about seven days of hardening, the wood is polished. An individually adjusted stainless steel grip is mounted, and the ink feed is built in. The crowning moment of the manufacturing process is when the handmade golden nib is added to the final product.
When such a miraculous object, created from a symbiosis of traditional craftsmanship and state-of-the-art technology, is screwed shut, the grain of the wood of course runs homogeneously along the full length of the fountain pen - another detail ensured by Stefan Fink, striving for perfection. And each time you open your fountain pen again, you will be welcomed by a soft and pleasant "plop".
All in all, it takes around three years, at least twelve hours of handiwork and 300 different working steps and movements until we can admire a unique and beautiful "Fink".
