Do Ebonite Pens Feel Different Than Acrylic/resin/plastic?

[TheRealScubaSteve]

Somewhere I seem to reading that ebonite pens have a certain "feel," to them that other pens do not. I have nothing to gauge this by other than an ebonite feed, which feels just like plastic to me. Am I reading too much into this "feeling," or am I missing something?

 

 

[FarmBoy]

Do Ebonite Pens Feel Different Than Acrylic/resin/plastic?

 

Yes

[zchen]

Brian Gray had an article on the feel of materials, here.

[Lovely_Pen]

I have a Noodler's Ebonite Konrad and it definitely feels different from my plastic, metal, and acrylic pens. It might be my favourite pen material though. My Konrad has a nice slight grippy feel to it--plus it looks beautiful!

[BrandonA]

Yes

 

Why?

 

When? Can you tell thro' filling or writing?

 

If writing, is it the extra weight? What is the weight difference?

Edited October 2, 2014 by BrandonA

[FoszFay]

 

Why?

 

When? Can you tell thro' filling or writing?

 

If writing, is it the extra weight? What is the weight difference?

Because it is a different material... Somewhat rubbery.

 

When touching the pen.

 

Yes and no. Obviously the weight affects how the pen feels, but that applies to every pen material, not solely ebonite.

 

Tom.

[Calamus plasticus]

Ebonite and celluloid sections feel very different than plastic/acrylic.

Ebonite is warmer and feels softer to the touch. At first you don't note it, but after using an ebonite pen for some time one feels the difference when switching to a modern plastic.

At least, it happens to me.

Also celluloid has its own "touch"...

Edited October 2, 2014 by Calamus plasticus

[Gaslight]

I have one ebonite pen, it's grippy and feels somewhat softer than resin. Also it seems to be a bit warmer to the touch.

 

It's definitely different from resin/plastic pens...

[Koyote]

I've read on FPN about ebonite feeling "warmer." What does this mean, given that it's temperature should be equal the ambient air temp, just like resin or any other material? Does ebonite more readily absorb warmth from the user's hand?

[jar]

I've read on FPN about ebonite feeling "warmer." What does this mean, given that it's temperature should be equal the ambient air temp, just like resin or any other material? Does ebonite more readily absorb warmth from the user's hand?

 

Probably just the opposite. Most metals for example are great conductors of heat and so initially feel cold to the touch. Ebonite is not a good heat conductor and so feels warm. Celluloid feels slightly tacky while plastics can be warm or cold, slippery or tacky.

[SteveE]

In addition to the "warmth" of ebonite, some of my ebonite pens have a feeling of "higher density" to them. In other words, they feel like the walls of their barrels and caps are thicker and heavier than others (leaving metal pens out for now). This density or heft is noted with all of my "better" ebonites. I do have a couple of really cheap Indian ebonite pens that feel just as light as the cheap plastic pens.

 

The heftier ebonite pens I refer to are from Dani Trio, Ranga and, to a degree, some of my ebonite Bexley's.

[tdzieman]

They can also have a different smell.

[TheRealScubaSteve]

Great article and thanks for all of the responses. I have been thinking about them for down the road and a slight softer feel sounds like something I'd like. I suppose it would be mostly moot unless the section was also ebonite, but interesting nonetheless.

[rammarur]

Somewhere I seem to reading that ebonite pens have a certain "feel," to them that other pens do not. I have nothing to gauge this by other than an ebonite feed, which feels just like plastic to me. Am I reading too much into this "feeling," or am I missing something?

 

 

 

Yes, there is a significant difference in the feel of materials. I have pens made from all materials barring wood, and my favorite is the Edison Glenmont made by Brian Gray. It looks great (may be the same color in celluloid would have had greater depth), it writes great (just the way I like it)- so, feels great!

 

For me, if you like the way a pen writes, if you like the balance, if you like the looks, just pick the pen irrespective of the material it is made of.

 

Acrylic is chemically and structurally toughest among the three we are talking about and hence can take more abuse, still look fresh-my two cents!

[richardandtracy]

Without doubt ebonite is softer than acrylic and its conduction rate is lower.

 

Regards,

 

Richard

[balson]

 

Acrylic is chemically and structurally toughest among the three we are talking about and hence can take more abuse, still look fresh-my two cents!

 

Acrylic has come a long way but i would still put my money on ebonite holding up better over time.

 

the early acrylic pens are incredibly prone to crazing, i would be willing to bet that most modern ones are made better now because the technology has come leaps and bounds since then, but i still have my doubts.

 

ebonite is a really tough material. parker used to drop big reds out of an airplane as a publicity stunt, and when the crowds picked up the pens they would still write.

[TheRealScubaSteve]

I ended up getting an ebonite Konrad a while back. It didn't feel as "soft" as I expected, but definitely nicer than the plastic pens. I own one celluloid (Delta Unica) that feels even softer to me. Thanks for the feedback.

 

Dropping pens from airplanes is an interesting notion, but not one I'd risk with my personal stash.

[watch_art]

Because magical elves.

[WaskiSquirrel]

I'm curious if there is a scientific way of measuring the "feel" of a pen. I don't like the feel of metal pens, but I don't know if it's just in my head.

[TheRealScubaSteve]

I'm curious if there is a scientific way of measuring the "feel" of a pen. I don't like the feel of metal pens, but I don't know if it's just in my head.

 

I'm sure it's not in your head, but non-FP people probably think we're all nuts, anyway. Metal pens are not my favorite - I am developing quite an intolerance to Monteverde's lovechild: the metal section. However, there have been plastics that felt harder than metal, strangely. The Platinum Cool comes to mind.