The original Conway Stewart Pen Company (CS) was located in England and was in operation for over 100 years. But, sadly, they had to close their business in October 2014. If you’re not familiar with the company and their pens, they were a British company that had been in operation since the very early 1900’s, with more than two dozen different pen styles to their credit over their many years in business. Their most famous tagline was “they made the pens for the Queen”.

Contrary to what many may believe, the name “Conway Stewart” did NOT come from the name of the founder of the company, but rather it was believed to have been derived from a popular vaudeville act of the day.

Eventually, the remaining material and parts were sold off, with some made available on the open market. Many of the original materials are still available today. The original manufacturer in the UK is even continuing to make some of the acrylic colors.

If you have an interest in having a replica of a CS pen made, please send me an email. If you would like to read more into the history of The Conway Stewart Pen Company, you can find additional information at wikipedia.org/Conway-Stewart.

Why make a tribute or “look-a-like” pen? I’ve always been an admirer of CS pens. So when some of the original material became available after they went out of business, I decided to try and make a few pens based on those original styles. Also, fans and followers still seek them. So although they’re not the real thing, it allows me to offer alternatives. Many of the styles were only available in a few limited materials, so I can offer pens in other CS as well as non-CS materials, allowing a customer to have a truly unique and one-of-a-kind pen.

Although it looks quite different at first glance, the Winston is actually very similar to the Churchill. The barrel is the same shape, except for the rounded blind bap. The section style is the same; it just has one wide band instead of two. The cap is the only major difference, which is why they look so different at first glance.

When I was first asked to make the Winston, I couldn’t get bands large enough for the cap. But eventually, I was able to find some. So the only major difference from the original is the clip style. My pen shares the same style as the Churchill. And since the two shared so many other similar features, I thought using the same clip was fitting. I hope one day, though, to get a clip made similar to the original. So if you’re interested in one with the original clip, please stay in touch.

Cap posting:
Because of the taller cap base (the part below the lower bands), it’s possible to post the cap, but with the weighted barrel, it would make the pen much heavier to write with. So in my opinion, I think posting would be impractical with this pen. And because the cap base is longer than the cap base on the Churchill, I was able to have the cap seat further down on the barrel like the original, giving it a shorter overall length than the Churchill.

To achieve this, they recessed the pen much deeper into the cap. So deep that the nib reaches into the finial. This isn’t possible on most smaller-diameter pens. Lastly, you’ll notice I used the same clip as on the Churchill (the original clip isn’t available). The rest of the specs are similar to the original. It has an uncapped length of about 5 1/2″. The minimum diameter of the barrel is .55″ (behind the threads), and it tapers up to a maximum diameter of .59″ before tapering down to the blind cap.

Weighted barrel:
Just like the original, the JEBs Winston is available with a weighted barrel as an upgrade. The additional weight is achieved with a brass sleeve placed inside the barrel. The sleeve is set behind the section threads, so it is not removable. The brass sleeve adds about 20 grams to the barrel weight, and is only available with the standard C/C (cartridge/converter) inking system. If you want to try out a weighted barrel, but not sure you’d like it, an option would be to order the pen with two barrels: one with the weight and one without.

Update June 2023: When I first made this pen, I couldn’t find bands that were quite large enough for the cap. So I made the cap diameter slightly thinner. But I was finally able to find a source for the correct size bands (17 mm in diameter). So I can now offer the cap in its original diameter. So I can now offer the caps in the original 18 mm maximum diameter with 17 mm diameter bands or the thinner cap with .66″ maximum diameter and 5/8″ diameter bands. The difference between the diameters is less than 1/16″ (1.125 mm).

Original CS material is available:
A few material suppliers have been offering the original CS material for quite some time now, and I’ve been keeping a small supply of the popular colors in stock. Some blanks are NOS, while others are newly manufactured, but they come from the original manufacturer that is still using the original CS formula’s. So if you had a particular favorite of the original CS colors but it wasn’t offered in the Winston, now may be your opportunity to get one! Contact me using the link in the Contact & Info tab (above right) for a list of the currently available colors.

Inking Systems:
Just like the JEB’s Churchill, the JEB’s Winston is available in several inking system options:

Standard C/C: The standard inking system is C/C (cartridge/converter. The pen comes with a converter and two disposable cartridges allowing you to start using your new pen right away. Please note: the standard C/C version is only available with the weighted barrel.

Other available inking systems: eyedropper, lever filler or button filler.
Eyedropper: The eyedropper version is fitted with a special O-ring that seals the section against the barrel. No silicone grease required!
Lever filler: Available with the same eared style level that’s on the Churchill.
Button filler: The button color will match the hardware finish: brass buttons with gold-tone hardware, steel button with rhodium hardware. You can also order it with a custom button that matches the material.
Vacumatic: The blind cap must be longer for the vacumatic system.

Nib: The Nelson comes standard with a #6 steel Jowo nib. It can also be upgraded with a 14k or 18k gold nib to make your pen really special!

Rollerball / Ballpoint: The JEB’s Winston can order with a companion rollerball/ballpoint version too! Inquire for details.