Visiting Franklin-Christoph
Yesterday, I had the immense pleasure of visiting the home of Franklin-Christoph in Wake Forest, NC. They are a fine accessory brand that has existed in the Franklin family since 1901 and as a fountain pen brand since 2001. You may know them from their table of bright prototype fountain pens at Pen Shows with testers of all of their nibs! All of their pens are manufactured in North Carolina and designed by CEO Scott Franklin. I was able to visit their offices with my friends Sandra (thanks for letting us crash your house!) and Matthew (of HeyMatthew.com).
Read on to see photos and more information! Thank you so much to Scott for taking the time to show us your place and talk to us about your brand!
I purchased a classic black 45L fountain pen (my favorite model) and Scott tuned the broad SIG nib for me (ground by Audrey Matteson).
Franklin-Christoph manufactures their pens in house using CNC technology for added precision and consistency across their pen models.
Though most of the process is done via CNC, still some of the processes are done using a manual lathe. Watching this rod stock be turned to a round piece was so satisfying!
Franklin-Christoph makes pens out of innovative and exciting materials, including these new nuclear colors. I love the nuclear green!
When you purchase a pen or nib from Franklin-Christoph, the nib is tuned for you by one of their Nib Specialists. Pictured here is Audrey Matteson, the queen of nibs and known on instagram as the Nib Doctor. She does all the SIG grinds as well as most of the tuning. Here you can see Audrey tuning an online order as well as Scott tuning the pen I purchased.
The brand is more than just pens and includes leather goods, inks, and now a watch as well! But I couldn’t help but be enamored with all of the pen things. The photo of the X-box controller is how they control their CNC machines.
When guests arrive for an appointment at Franklin-Christoph, they get to sit and try writing instruments and see the full offering of the brand at this desk, which belonged to Scott’s grandfather and has been with him for decades. It is a brand with a history and you definitely feel it there!
This was a wonderful experience and cannot say enough nice things about Franklin-Christoph! I loved being able to see what they’re built here in the US and the amazing process each writing piece goes through before it makes it into your hands. Thank you for everything Scott and the FC team!
