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Health And Safetey


balson

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hello, i am just starting out learning pen restoration. it occurred to me as i was heating up a pen to loosten the shellac that i should check to see what health and safety concerns there are with fixing up old pens. should i have on a mask when heating up shellac? am i likely to run into parts made of lead or other heavy metals? just how high do flames from a cellulose pen fire go?

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Don't use a flame, a heat gun or better a hair dryer is better. I'm not sure how the flames go up, but they go up quickly. I don't wear a mask, but others might.

 

Good luck,

 

danny

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Just common sense rules of thump when working with chemicals and tools :

 

Always read the manual and take the precautions mentioned. Additional:

 

If it stinks, ventilate. If it stinks much, ventilate and use a (dust)mask. If necessary, do it outdoors.

 

If it makes noise, protect your ears.

 

If a tool causes splintering, use eye protection.

 

If a tool makes dust, use a dustmask.

 

If you use fire (for heating, soldering)have a proper extinguisher at hand. Anything stinking is likely to burn suddenly and fiercely. Dust may even explode. Protect your eyes.

 

Have a suitable first aid kit at hand.

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Add to the above to be very careful when using any type of solvent. Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) on most modern products are easily found online for most of the chemicals you use for pen repair it you are concerned about fumes. Be especially cautious if using MEK aka methyl ethyl ketone. Inhaling that stuff is really bad news.

 

Returning nibs and feeds to sections can produce puncture wounds if you aren't careful. Celluloid parts can become lovely torches if heated too much.

 

Worst of all is that restoring old pens can become terribly addictive. Be careful.

Dave Campbell
Retired Science Teacher and Active Pen Addict
Every day is a chance to reduce my level of ignorance.

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Add to the above to be very careful when using any type of solvent. Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) on most modern products are easily found online for most of the chemicals you use for pen repair it you are concerned about fumes. Be especially cautious if using MEK aka methyl ethyl ketone. Inhaling that stuff is really bad news.

 

Returning nibs and feeds to sections can produce puncture wounds if you aren't careful. Celluloid parts can become lovely torches if heated too much.

 

Worst of all is that restoring old pens can become terribly addictive. Be careful.

 

 

thanks for all the advice.

i have a solvent sensitivity from working with oil paints, thats why i wanted to check before i got too serious into fountain pens.

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