Ray Walters, a former fashion buyer, is bringing his vintage fountain pen restoration skills to BBC's The Repair Shop. His first restoration in the barn involves a fountain pen with a deeply personal wartime history.
From Fashion to Pens
Walters was working in fashion buying and product development when a visit to the Miami Pen Show in 2012, discovered through an advert while touring the United States, set him on a different career path. "It blew me away," he told Abask's Aimee Farrell.
He left his fashion career to source and sell vintage fountain pens worldwide, working from a garden studio at his Hertfordshire home. He developed a collection of more than 80 vintage pens and now also teaches pen repair.
Restoring a Wartime Pen
Siblings Paul Murray and Josette Sellings bring in the pen their father, Frank, bought in Singapore before he was imprisoned following the Japanese occupation of the city. The BBC said: "Over 42 months in captivity, Frank used the pen to write a secret diary in the form of love letters to his sweetheart Eileen, the woman he would later marry on his return from the war. Decades later, the pen is damaged, incomplete and no longer functional."
Walters reflected on the experience on his business's Instagram page: "A pen with an incredible story. In The Repair Shop barn, I had the privilege of restoring a fountain pen for siblings Paul Murray and Josette Sellings...It was a pleasure to repair Paul and Josette's sentimental item with a very special history."
Walters' Journey and the Episode
Walters explained it was not until he invested in a decent pen himself that he realised how enjoyable writing could be. A business opportunity emerged when he commissioned a bespoke pen, and after repeatedly selling it to customers, he established his enterprise RAW.
Letters have also played an important role in his personal life. Born in Jamaica, he lived with his grandmother before joining his parents in England at age seven. While attending military school in Wales, he regularly wrote home. He has revealed a partner ended their relationship by letter when he was 17.
The Writing Equipment Society, founded in 1980, also celebrated his appearance on Instagram; he is one of its two repair course tutors. The episode also features teddy bear restorers Julie Tatchell and Amanda Middleditch, alongside Suzie Fletcher, Julyan Wallis and Brenton West. The Repair Shop: Beyond the Barn airs tonight on BBC One at 8pm.
