Ebonite Question

[Barry Gabay]

Good morning,

 

This is a serious though perhaps a dumb question. Am I compromising my ebonite fountain pens by using them outside in direct sunlight on very hot days? I love being outside on such days. Not concerned about fading, but damage to the ebonite's integrity. In particular, I worry about my ebonite King of Pens, plus very old BHR Watermans and RHR Parkers. They feel quite warm to the touch after an hour or so outside. When writing, I keep the paper covered in blotter, so I don't perspire all over it and run the ink. Also keep the pens shaded by a book or paper when not in my hand. I'm describing days of 90-100+ F in the US. Thanks in advance.

 

Have a nice weekend. Best wishes, Barry

[Joe in Seattle]

I am not an expert, but I believe fading is the only real danger. Ebonite pens – some of them – have been in use for 100 years. A couple days ago I accidentally dropped my favorite app and night and onto the hardwood floor – no damage, of course. YMMV

[Uncle Red]

The only real issue is fading. And burping of course.

 

When it's that hot all I think about is a cold drink.

[maverink]

i use indian ebonite pens in the hot climate of india no damage to the pens till date have no fear...

[stan]

Prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light light causes ebonite to turn brown. Note I said prolonged.

From what I have noticed, urushi can deteriorate from prolonged exposure too.

Too many times i have seen bubbling and flaking in urushi, almost always on the brown side of the ebonite.

Whether this is due to chemical reaction in the ebonite as it changes color or urushi failure, i do not know.

 

Sometimes the discoloration can work in your favor. I have several pens uniformly chocolate brown that did not come that way from the factory.

[Garageboy]

Vintage HR is definitely more fragile, especially the colored ones - keep them cool in the shade

[shuuemura]

I imagine that anything that is bad for your skin (UV light from direct sunlight for a prolonged period) will be bad for your ebonite/urushi pens as well.

 

Since I grew up in the hot and humid tropics where it's summer all-year round, I don't understand why people love staying out in the sun for extended periods of time. After getting enough sunshine for making Vitamin D, I always move to the shade and use my pens there as well.

Edited August 21, 2014 by shuuemura

[stan]

Don't sweat it.

This is bordering on paranoia.

 

Has anyone here experienced their pen turning brown or seen urushi flaking off from prolonged exposure to UV light.

Or, is everyone reiterating what can be seen on some fifty and sixty year old pens.

 

By the time, and if it ever happens, almost all of us will have moved on and resold our prized possession on eBay.

[maverink]

+1 to what stan says now we are getting into paranoia panic mode...

[Jerry Adair]

Prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light light causes ebonite to turn brown. Note I said prolonged.

From what I have noticed, urushi can deteriorate from prolonged exposure too.

Too many times i have seen bubbling and flaking in urushi, almost always on the brown side of the ebonite.

Whether this is due to chemical reaction in the ebonite as it changes color or urushi failure, i do not know.

 

Sometimes the discoloration can work in your favor. I have several pens uniformly chocolate brown that did not come that way from the factory.Here is what I don't understand after 754 posts and tons of information, Da Book, Marshall and Oldfield, Pennant, and missives by David Nishamura, and the Pen Hero we wonder about sunlight on an HR pen. These old pens are very robust and yes the colored HR pens are a little more fragile but this is/was good material and holds up. Biggest enemy is probably prolonged water contact. Use your HR pen outside just dont forget it on a table for a few days and the UV may discolor it. Is it not discolored now?

Jerry

[stan]

Jerry

I should noted those 'uniformly chocolate brown' pens are all 80 years old.

[shuuemura]

Don't sweat it.

This is bordering on paranoia.

 

Has anyone here experienced their pen turning brown or seen urushi flaking off from prolonged exposure to UV light.

Or, is everyone reiterating what can be seen on some fifty and sixty year old pens.

 

By the time, and if it ever happens, almost all of us will have moved on and resold our prized possession on eBay.

 

 

I have seen dulling on Chinese lacquered ST Duponts from being displayed in bright store lighting. No damage to the urushi-lacquered Namiki pens, though, although I suspect Namiki pens sell faster than ST Dupont pens in this particular shop (Fook Hing, Singapore), and the damage must have been caused by exposure to bright light for a couple of years. What this says about the quality of Japanese urushi versus the Chinese lacquer that ST Dupont uses, I can't say for sure. YMMV.

[Barry Gabay]

Thanks to everyone regarding the maintenance & health of both my ebonite fountain pens and my general health in tempting hot, sunny weather. Must mention that I also love sitting outside on the back deck when snow swirls and temperatures are well below freezing. Yes, I use fountain pens outside during winter extremes as well.

[discopig]

The sun (and UV) is generally bad news for mostly any vintage pen. Celluloid is prone to catching fire or just distorting and hard rubber is prone to discoloration and fading. As far as modern pens go, I think the hard rubber might be a bit more stable, but it could definitely fade over long periods of time.

Edited August 23, 2014 by discopig