Is It Celluloid?

[WaskiSquirrel]

I recently purchased a Lanxivi Fuliwen from Amazon. The pen is listed as "celluloid" and with a "corrugated nib." All I can find about corrugated nibs, is something to do with horses, so I'm a little curious what that is.

 

However, what I'm really curious is whether the pen is indeed celluloid like an Omas Ogiva Alba or if it's a plastic like a Noodler's pen. At this price, I have a hard time picturing it as being celluloid, but I also recognize that it is made in China, so it is indeed possible.

 

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71JZbBuaZYL._SX522_.jpg

[tryphon]

It looks like a swirl acrylic resin. A bit like the one used for the Torino. NOT celluloid.

 

http://s26.postimg.org/xysl1kd7d/image.jpg

Edited February 21, 2015 by tryphon

[Florida Blue]

The new Omas Ogiva Alba is made from resin as well (Omas' "cotton" resin).

 

They have produced the Ogiva is celluloid, but the Alba isn't one of them.

 

Still, the resin on your pens looks nice.

[WaskiSquirrel]

Thank you for the responses. But now I'm curious: I always interpreted "celluloid" as a plastic made from cellulose, like the old film.

 

So, what does "celluloid" mean in the name of this pen? Or is it just a random word they threw into the description?

 

And, it occurred to me while I was working this morning that celluloid is clear (like the Omas), not marbly like mine. So even more it makes me wonder what "celluloid" means in the name of the pen.

[Florida Blue]

 

And, it occurred to me while I was working this morning that celluloid is clear (like the Omas), not marbly like mine. So even more it makes me wonder what "celluloid" means in the name of the pen.

 

Sometimes the term celluloid is misused by manufacturers and users. The celluloid plastic in fountain pens like a vintage Parker Vacumatic or a modern Omas Arco is made from cellulose nitrate and camphor. Celluloid can be clear, translucent, opaque, solid, marbled, striated and many other patterns.

 

The cotton resin plastics that Omas uses is different from celluloid. Sometimes it's referred to as "vegetal resin" as it's a resin produced from plant material.

[tryphon]

The cotton resin used by OMAS is very closely related to celluloid: it relies on the polymerization of cellulose, like cellulose nitrate (old type celluloid, very flammable) and cellulose acetate (modern celluloid, like safety film used in motion pictures). The resins we are looking at here are totally different: they are metacrylates and calling them celluloid is a misnomer. Some plastics manufacturer used names like celplastic that hint at celluloid, even though the material is, in fact, an acrylic.

[richardandtracy]

I agree with Tryphon. It is, without doubt, an acrylic.

People associate pearlescence in the blank with Celluloid, and mis apply it to any material with pearlescence.

 

Regards,

 

Richard

[fabri00]

In practice, if it smell of camphor is celluloid.

[tryphon]

In practice, if it smell of camphor is celluloid.

If it smells of camphor, it is cellulose nitrate (original, flammable celluloid), cellulose acetate (safety celluloid, as in "safety film") does not have the camphor odor.