--- title: "Black Forest Pen: The Small German Metal Pen Maker" canonical: "https://stationerytimes.com/stories/black-forest-pen-history/" description: "Black Forest Pen from its own pages: a family-run Black Forest manufactory founded by a retired toolmaker, its CNC-made metal pens, Schmidt nibs, US stockist." category: "Stories" published: 2026-10-26 updated: 2026-10-26 author: "Ellis Penhale" publisher: "Stationery Times" sources: 19 organizations: - name: "Meleck GbR" country: "Germany" brands: ["Black Forest Pen"] source: "https://www.blackforest-pen.de/en/Impressum/" --- # Black Forest Pen: The Small German Metal Pen Maker > Black Forest Pen is a small, family-run manufactory in Germany's Black Forest that machines metal ballpoint and fountain pens. A retired toolmaker founded it. It makes its parts in-house on CNC lathes and mills, buying in only raw metal and Schmidt nibs and refills, and Galen Leather sells its fountain pens in the US. - URL: https://stationerytimes.com/stories/black-forest-pen-history/ - Category: Stories - Author: Ellis Penhale - Published: 2026-10-26 - Updated: 2026-10-26 ![Three Black Forest Pen Minimo fountain pens drawn to scale beside the six steps of how the maker produces them](https://stationerytimes.com/images/raster/black-forest-pen-history-16x9.png) *Three Minimo fountain pens and the six production steps Black Forest Pen describes on its own site.* Original drawing (SVG): . Drawings © 2026 Stationery Times, reusable with credit under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). ## Key takeaways - Black Forest Pen says its founder trained as a toolmaker from 1980, then spent 20 years at a medical technology company and 12 years running it after taking it over, before founding the pen manufactory. - It makes its parts on a CNC automatic lathe and a CNC machining centre; only the raw metal, the nibs and the refills are bought in. - Its skeletonised pens have up to 75 milled openings, and its bronze is 92% copper and 8% tin. - Its shop listed 41 products in October 2026, from a €19 (about US$21) ballpoint to the €1,079 (about US$1,208) Metallicum fountain pen. - In the US, Galen Leather sells 11 Black Forest Pen fountain pen listings in US dollars, under the name Black Forest Pens. Black Forest Pen is a small German maker of metal pens that most US buyers meet as "Black Forest Pens" on Galen Leather's site. Everything below comes from the company's own English and German pages, with Galen's and another retailer's listings as support; we translated the German. ## What is Black Forest Pen? **Black Forest Pen is a small manufactory in Germany's Black Forest that designs and machines metal ballpoint and fountain pens.** Its home page calls it "a small manufacturer of high-quality ballpoint pens in the heart of the Black Forest", and the German version speaks of a "Familien-Manufaktur", a family-run manufactory. It compares its attention to detail with the Black Forest's watch industry. Every pen is made from metal, and each is designed so that a damaged part can be replaced. ## Who founded Black Forest Pen? **A toolmaker who started the pen manufactory after retiring from a career in precision manufacturing.** Black Forest Pen's "The manufactory" page says the founder trained as a toolmaker from 1980 and then worked for a medical technology company for 20 years, rising from skilled worker to production manager. The founder then took over that company and ran it for 12 years. During that time it designed and made ballpoint pens in small numbers as promotional gifts for its own customers and suppliers. After 35 years in working life, the founder retired and set up the small writing-instrument manufactory in the Black Forest. The site doesn't give a founding year. Its legal notice names the business today as Meleck GbR, a German partnership in Unterkirnach. ## How does Black Forest Pen make its pens? **On its own CNC machines, then by hand: it makes almost every part in-house and buys in only raw metal, nibs and refills.** Its production page says raw parts are turned on a CNC automatic lathe, and a CNC machining centre does the milling. The parts are then deburred, vibratory ground, glass bead blasted and polished, depending on their use, and cleaned after almost every step. Each pen is assembled only once it has been ordered, and a function and writing test ends production. | Step | What happens | |---|---| | 1 | CNC automatic lathe turns the raw parts | | 2 | CNC machining centre mills patterns and openings | | 3 | Parts are deburred, vibratory ground, bead blasted, polished | | 4 | Ceramic colour is laid into some engravings by hand | | 5 | The pen is assembled after the order | | 6 | Function and writing test | The colouring is the slowest step. Black Forest Pen says it fills milled engravings with ceramic colours from the jewellery and medical sectors, by hand under a microscope, and its skeletonised pens have up to 75 milled openings so you can see the refill. Even the small parts carry the brand. The clip screws are decorated with a fir tree and need a special screwdriver, the mechanism sits under a crown decorated with fir trees, and the wooden boxes it makes are branded with its logo. ## What metals does Black Forest Pen use? **Mainly bronze, stainless steel, brass and aluminium, plus titanium, nickel silver, silver and the plastic PEEK.** Its materials page gives the details: the bronze is a tin bronze of 92% copper and 8% tin, and the stainless steel has about 18% chromium and 9% nickel. It explains that every metal forms a protective oxide layer, that bronze darkens to a patina with use, and that aluminium can be anodised in colour. The FAQ recommends aluminium and bronze for people with a nickel allergy, and calls aluminium, PEEK and titanium its lightweights. It also argues that bronze is antibacterial because of its copper content. That is the company's claim, which we haven't tested. ## What does Black Forest Pen make? **Ballpoints first, and a growing range of metal fountain pens, sold in three lines: BasicLine, PremiumLine and ArtisanLine.** Its shop listed 41 products on October 26, 2026, including refills, boxes and accessories. The BasicLine ballpoint is reduced to three parts the company makes itself and is only slightly longer than its refill, at 115 mm and 10 mm across. The PremiumLine adds screw-on clips and more elaborate milling, and the ArtisanLine holds themed special editions. | Model | Line | Type | From | |---|---|---|---| | BallPoint Classic | BasicLine | Ballpoint | €19 (about US$21) | | Fountain Classic | BasicLine | Fountain pen | €55 (about US$62) | | Fountain Classic Minimo | PremiumLine | Pocket fountain pen | €69 (about US$77) | | Fountain Rhombus Minimo | PremiumLine | Pocket fountain pen, lozenge windows | €79 (about US$88) | | Fountain Rhombus | PremiumLine | Fountain pen, lozenge windows | €109 (about US$122) | | BallPoint Rhombus | PremiumLine | Ballpoint, lozenge windows | €135 (about US$151) | | Duo | ArtisanLine | Fountain pen with a nib at each end | €145 (about US$162) | | Artifex | PremiumLine | Fountain pen with a hammered texture | €159 (about US$178) | | Forest Twilight | ArtisanLine | Silver and bronze fountain pen | €379 (about US$424) | | Metallicum | ArtisanLine | Fountain pen with a second metal inlaid | €1,079 (about US$1,208) | Prices are the lowest in each model's range, including German VAT. The Minimo models measure about 85 to 87 mm closed and post to full length; our guide to the [Rhombus Minimo](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/black-forest-pen-rhombus-minimo/) has its sizes, weights and prices in every metal, and our [best pocket pens](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/best-pocket-pens/) covers other small pens. Its ballpoints offer two mechanisms, a bayonet and a wheel mechanism, and the Artifex can be ordered in blued steel, a controlled oxidation that gives a blue sheen. ## Which nibs and refills does Black Forest Pen use? **All of them come from Schmidt Technology, a refill maker that Black Forest Pen describes as being from the Black Forest too.** Its partner page names Schmidt as the supplier of its ballpoint refills, and its shop says its nib and cartridge rollerball units come from Schmidt and fit all its fountain pens. Fountain pens take steel or gold-plated steel nibs in F, M or B, a cartridge rollerball tip in F or M, and on some models an 18K gold nib in M. Its Crucius and Artifex pages say every PremiumLine fountain pen comes with a converter screwed in, which can be swapped for a cartridge; our [converters explainer](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/fountain-pen-converters-explained/) covers how they work. Ballpoints take Schmidt's easyFLOW 9000, MegaLine P950, Capless 8127 or 5888 ceramic roller refills, depending on the model, in G2 or G1 formats; our [pen refills explainer](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/pen-refills-explained/) covers the formats. For how nibs are made in general, see [how a fountain pen nib is made](https://stationerytimes.com/stories/how-a-fountain-pen-nib-is-made/). ## How does Black Forest Pen approach sustainability? **By making pens to last and keeping production local.** It says it buys materials from regional manufacturers and dealers where it can, separates its metal shavings by type for recycling, and gets most of its electricity from a solar (PV) system with battery storage. Because every part can be replaced, it offers a reconditioning service for worn or discoloured pens. It also engraves logos and motifs to order and takes custom production runs of 25 pens or more. ## Where can you buy Black Forest Pen in the US? **From Galen Leather, which sells a selection of its fountain pens in US dollars under the name Black Forest Pens.** Galen says the two companies met at the Dutch Pen Show and later became neighbours at the Istanbul Pen Fest, which led to the collaboration; our [Galen Leather history](https://stationerytimes.com/stories/galen-leather-history/) tells Galen's story. On October 26, 2026, Galen listed 11 Black Forest Pens fountain pens: the Rhombus, Rhombus Minimo, MultiMill, MultiMill Minimo and Classic Minimo in aluminium, grey anodised aluminium, brass and stainless steel. Its listings describe a #5 steel nib in fine or medium. Black Forest Pen's own shop is in euros and asks customers outside the EU to email their orders. The retailer Appelboom also lists Black Forest Pen fountain pens, priced in euros. Black Forest Pen is a small independent maker. Germany's older pen makers include [Kaweco](https://stationerytimes.com/stories/kaweco-history/); for the groups behind the bigger names, see [who owns which stationery brands](https://stationerytimes.com/stories/who-owns-which-stationery-brands/). ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Black Forest Pens the same as Black Forest Pen? Yes. The maker calls itself Black Forest Pen, singular, at blackforest-pen.de. Galen Leather sells the same pens in the US as Black Forest Pens and says they are made by Black Forest Pens. ### Who owns Black Forest Pen? Its legal notice names the business as Meleck GbR, a German partnership in Unterkirnach, and the home page calls the manufactory family-run. No larger group owns it. ### Where are Black Forest Pen pens made? In Germany, in the company's own manufactory in the Black Forest. It says design and production happen in its own factory, and that it buys in only the raw metal, the nibs and the refills, which also come from German or Black Forest production. ### Does Black Forest Pen make fountain pens or ballpoints? Both. It started with ballpoints, which still make up much of its shop, and now sells fountain pens in its BasicLine, PremiumLine and ArtisanLine, including the short Minimo pocket models. ### What nibs do Black Forest Pen fountain pens use? Nib units from Schmidt Technology: steel or gold-plated steel in F, M or B, a cartridge rollerball tip in F or M, and on some models an 18K gold nib in M. Black Forest Pen says the units fit all its fountain pens. ### Does Black Forest Pen ship to the US? Its German shop asks customers from outside the EU to send an email to order. The simpler route for US buyers is Galen Leather, which lists Black Forest Pen fountain pens in US dollars. ### Can Black Forest Pen engrave a logo? Yes. It engraves logos or motifs in different sizes and colours on request, and takes individual production orders for 25 or more pens. ## Sources - [Black Forest Pen: home page (small manufacturer in the heart of the Black Forest, family-run manufactory, up to 75 milled openings, Schmidt refills and nibs, non-EU orders by email)](https://www.blackforest-pen.de/en/) - [Black Forest Pen: Schreibgeräte aus dem Schwarzwald (German home page, Familien-Manufaktur)](https://www.blackforest-pen.de/) - [Black Forest Pen: The manufactory (founder's career, pens assembled once ordered)](https://www.blackforest-pen.de/en/manufaktur/) - [Black Forest Pen: Production and the individual components (CNC lathe and machining centre, finishing, mechanisms, branding, boxes)](https://www.blackforest-pen.de/en/herstellung/) - [Black Forest Pen: Metals used](https://www.blackforest-pen.de/en/materialien/) - [Black Forest Pen: Variants of refills (Schmidt easyFLOW 9000, Capless 8127, ceramic roller 5888 M)](https://www.blackforest-pen.de/en/minen/) - [Black Forest Pen: Production of individual small series (engraving)](https://www.blackforest-pen.de/en/individuelle-kleinserien/) - [Black Forest Pen: Our partners and suppliers (Schmidt Technology)](https://www.blackforest-pen.de/en/partner/) - [Black Forest Pen: FAQ (refills, nibs, custom orders of 25 or more, reconditioning, nickel allergy, weights)](https://www.blackforest-pen.de/en/faq/) - [Black Forest Pen: Store (41 products, read October 26, 2026)](https://www.blackforest-pen.de/en/shop/) - [Black Forest Pen: BallPoint Classic, BasicLine (115 mm, 10 mm, three parts)](https://www.blackforest-pen.de/product/basicblank/) - [Black Forest Pen: Metallicum (two-metal fountain pen, 18K gold nib option)](https://www.blackforest-pen.de/product/metallicum/) - [Black Forest Pen: Duo (fountain pen with a nib at each end)](https://www.blackforest-pen.de/product/duo/) - [Black Forest Pen: Artifex (hammer-blow texture, blued option, screwed-in converter)](https://www.blackforest-pen.de/product/artifex/) - [Black Forest Pen: Forest Twilight (silver and bronze fountain pen)](https://www.blackforest-pen.de/product/forest-twilight/) - [Black Forest Pen: Federn und Patronenroller Tripplets (nib units from Schmidt Technologie)](https://www.blackforest-pen.de/product/federn-und-patronenroller-tripplets/) - [Black Forest Pen: Imprint (Meleck GbR, Unterkirnach)](https://www.blackforest-pen.de/en/Impressum/) - [Galen Leather: Black Forest Pens collection (met at the Dutch Pen Show and Istanbul Pen Fest; 11 listings)](https://www.galenleather.com/collections/black-forest-pens) - [Appelboom: Black Forest Pen (Netherlands retailer listing)](https://appelboom.com/black-forest-pen-germany/)