fountain pens

[Shangas]

Yeah, unfortunately, heat will do it as well. Strong sunlight and high dry heat will damage HR pens, no matter what they look like. With jet black pens, you can repair the damage, but with mottled/woodgrain pens, I think the damage is permanent. I've not read of any process yet discovered, that will restore the lustre on pens like that.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

oh well. That's life. The pen still works and writes nicely. Just looks like a piece of crap..

bk

 

[Shangas]

Hey, it could be worse. You could've dropped it off your desk and watched it explode into fifty pieces.

Then it WOULD be crap.

 

[John in Covina]

There is a way to clean the haze with laundry chlorine bleach If i recall correctly...

 

[JimWagner]

Wasn't in sunlight. Was in a drawer in a very hot room that I had suspected would be air conditioned. :eusa_doh: Don't trust British workers!

bk

A trick I've used successfully on HR pipe stems that had oxidized greenish is to rub them with a little mineral oil. Might work on a pen barrel too, but I've not tried it.

 

[John in Covina]

There is a way to clean it up but I haven't been able to get the complete lowdown on it. In the past the pen guys would completely disassemble the pen and soak the hard rubber body and cap in a water and chlorine bleach soloution. I don't know how long or how strong it was. The caution was that metal can corrode very quickly in it so it's fairly strong.

The other thing is to get the automotive detailer's metal polish Simi-chrome which I think is from Germany. You put a dot of Simi-chrome on and smear it around a bit with a cloth using a little elbow grease. Set aside and then polish the haze off. This stuff is used by repair guys and collectors on a lot of pens as a gentle cleaner, but don't use on gold coated metal like nibs the gold will vanish like a magicians trick!

Reviving the finish on a waterman ripple hard rubber pen.

Stupidly I had imagined a massive University like University College London would be able to get an air conditioning system to work. I forgot that I was in Britain, where even the simplest tasks are beyond Estates and Facilities staff.

So, I left my 1929 hard rubber Orange Ripple in my lab over the weekend (Saturday afternoon and Sunday). Got into the lab this morning and the lab was stinking hot (It had reached a mammoth 65 Farenheit on Sunday ). All the ink had expanded out of the ink sac (no biggie), but horrifyingly the lustre of the hard rubber has gone matte. More of a dusty orange dusty grey ripple now. I assume a consequence of the rubber reacting to the heat. Is there any way to reinvigorate the shiny lustre? Does the rubber just need to be rehydrated?

I only paid $16 for the pen, and £30 for a re-sac and service, so it's not a great financial problem, but the pen doesn't look right. It bothers me. Any advice appreciated.

bk

 

[Shangas]

Hey John.

Yes, it's Simichrome, and it is from Germany. I use it to polish and clean stuff and it works amazingly. But be warned, it is VERY strong. A teensy dab is all you need. You *can* use it to polish nibs and levers and buttons and clips...but it should be done lightly. If the metal is solid gold (like the nib), then the simichrome won't harm it. If it's plated, then the Simichrome *might* damage it.

But with most vintage pens, the gold is either solid or it's gold-filled; which is thick enough to still use Simichrome safely (if sparingly).

 

[Subvet642]

There is a way to clean it up but I haven't been able to get the complete lowdown on it. In the past the pen guys would completely disassemble the pen and soak the hard rubber body and cap in a water and chlorine bleach soloution. I don't know how long or how strong it was. The caution was that metal can corrode very quickly in it so it's fairly strong.

The other thing is to get the automotive detailer's metal polish Simi-chrome which I think is from Germany. You put a dot of Simi-chrome on and smear it around a bit with a cloth using a little elbow grease. Set aside and then polish the haze off. This stuff is used by repair guys and collectors on a lot of pens as a gentle cleaner, but don't use on gold coated metal like nibs the gold will vanish like a magicians trick!

No, no, no! Do not use bleach for colored HR, only for black. The Simi-Chrome is enough to restore the shine.

 

[Highlander]

Ah, yes, I have a Sheaffer Lever pen that was my Great Great Aunt's when she was Post Mistress in Winslow AZ in the 30's. She gave the pen to my Dad who used it and then I ended up with it and it was my "lead" into my Fountain Pen Passion.... Looks much like a Mont Blonc, and writes very well. I think it sold for $3 or $4 in the 30's. Big bucks for the times...

 

[fluteplayer07]

Waterman 55 Mottled Hard Rubber

I just got my hard rubber Waterman 55 back from Richard Binder yesterday. I took it out to use it (as I needed something to write with, and of course I can't resist using a 1910's pen fresh back from the shop... and I hold it by the cap and the pen falls on the concrete driveway. It does not appear damaged... but now I'm unsure. I didn't pay close attention to it before, but looking at the nib closer, I see that some ink is pooled under the base of the nib where it meets on the sides with the feed, when I write. Is this bad? I'm not worried about exterior damage; I'm worried the feed got dislodged or something. But I feel terrible asking poor Richard considering he spent all that time repairing it, and I drop it the first day back. So I need to make sure that something is wrong, if anything, before I ask him.

Not to mention that after I sent it to him for a general tune-up, I now have almost $250 tied up in this one.

Would pictures of what I'm talking about help?

 

[John in Covina]

The problem is that when it comes to adjustments for the nib and feed the changes are measured by less than hair widths for proper flow. Does it write okay? Have you tried pressing the nib and feed back into the section? (Gently) Good luck.

Also - the moral of the story is don't fiddle with your fountain pens when you're not sitting down and ready to write. It's a real drag to drop a fine pen on cement, asphalt, tile and other hard surfaces. It's amazing how often the nib is going to be taking the brunt of the drop, and that's always a shame.

 

[Mid-fogey]

Ah...

...fountain pens. I almost think they could have their own forum section in the FL.

Few things are so emblematic of the change from the golden era to today as the fountain pen moving from serious everyday tool to something we now go out of our way to use. Probably only watches compare.

Few things also show the dedication to beauty that the golden era people gave to everyday items. The variety of colors, patterns, styles, shapes, and textures are almost magical.

I carry one of two “go-to” pens – a Pelikan 800 or an Aurora Optima – every day. I take page after page of notes in meetings and have two three inch binders full of 8 ½ by 11 note pages that I’ve take over the years.

Long ago I tried a fountain pen for business note taking as a lark, I then learned something interesting: that other types of pens feel like you are writing with a brick once you’ve written with a good fountain pen. The extra trouble and expense is worth it to me.

 

[John in Covina]

Long ago I tried a fountain pen for business note taking as a lark, I then learned something interesting: that other types of pens feel like you are writing with a brick once you’ve written with a good fountain pen. The extra trouble and expense is worth it to me.

Fountain pens are still considered the best for note taking. A fountain pen with a smooth nib doen't take any hand pressure to write. If the nib touches the paper it makes a mark so the pen needs only to be guided . A ball point pen has ink that is like a paste that must be PRESSED onto the paper creating hand fatigue. Roller ball and gel pens tend to write smoother and with less pressure so are an improvement but a fountain pen is still better. Many people have to unlearn all of that pen pressing to write well with a fountain pen.

With the exception of really cheap fountain pens the nibs tend to be smooth when new and only become scratchy when damaged. Most nibs can be repaired and many can be replaced.

 

[Mid-fogey]

Indeed...

[… QUOTE=John in Covina]...Fountain pens are still considered the best for note taking. A fountain pen with a smooth nib doesn’t take any hand pressure to write...[/QUOTE]

...I'm often in all day meetings and come out with 15 to 20 8 1/2 x 11 pages of notes. My hand would be dead if I didn't have a fountain pen.

People notice the pen. I can't begin to tell you how many times I've noted people staring at it.

I typically use Quink black, as it was suggested by a very old pen repair man many years ago as best for the pen over the long haul.

 

[Shangas]

To me, fountain pens ARE THE BEST writing instrument ever. I absolutely refuse to write with anything else. They're smooth, classic, comfortable and come in infinite varieties.

Flutey,

Post some photos of your fountain pen's problem. We may be able to tell you what (if anything) is wrong with it. And as it may help...what did Richard do to your pen? I know from personal experience that pens with worn out ink-sacs can leak, because the rubber loses its elasticity and causes problems with ink-flow (it's happened to two of my pens, which I have since repaired).

 

[fluteplayer07]

John, it still writes well.

Shangas, I'll get pictures up tomorrow, if I don't forget. But I probably will; so if I don't, remind me.

I don't think the ink sac is ruptured. I just got it back from the shop two days ago, and it should have been replaced. Unless it can break from a fall.

 

[Neophyte]

I recently got into fountain pens with the purchase of a $40 Cross fountain pen from the local Staples. It came with 8 ink cartridges, so I thought it was a great deal, especially because it was my first fountain pen.

The ink flow is somewhat smooth, but the tip of the nib is larger than some of the finer writing pens out there, which is unfortunate since I write very small (lots of note-taking in college). I love the pen, though.

I can't wait until I can afford a better one, though. My writing style tends to bear down hard, and I've developed a nice callous lump on my finger lol.

 

[moynihan]

Ah, a fountain pen discussion. Nice to see one going on outside of FPN
Any of you folks use that forum?

 

[fluteplayer07]

...

Flutey,

Post some photos of your fountain pen's problem. We may be able to tell you what (if anything) is wrong with it. And as it may help...what did Richard do to your pen? I know from personal experience that pens with worn out ink-sacs can leak, because the rubber loses its elasticity and causes problems with ink-flow (it's happened to two of my pens, which I have since repaired).

I asked Richard on it, and he says it should be fine. If there's no rattling, and the outside isn't broken, then it's probably fine... I'm feeling better about it.

 

[Shangas]

Richard is a real expert when it comes to repairing fountain pens. If he says what it is, then it is, what it is. I think you can rest easy.

But if it please you, I would like to see photos of your pen anyway