Strange Question

[siovale]

Sometimes, when you ask a "strange question", you get strange answers. I will be watching, at pen shows,

for people rubbing fountain pens against the face and side of the nose.

Seriously, however, your inquiry is more a woodworking one. My brother makes music boxes, and humidors.

He once hand-carved a set of wooden stocks for a heavy, revolver. Custom contours, and the wood warming

to his hand, made the gun very pleasant to shoot.

 

RAMBLE-RAMBLE-RAMBLE . Get to the point ! I support the "no treatment" position. Enjoy the natural feel of

the precious wood. Let the natural oils of your hand impart the patina and personal character.

 

Write with joy.

 

Thank you. I'll be patient.

[georgeb]

http://www.fountainpenstudios.com/fountain-pen-info

[Wolverine1]

Siovale- while I dont own the F-C pen that you have, I have 2 F-C e-Motion mechanical pencils, which have the entire barrel made of wood. I asked a friend who is a skilled luthier (makes custom guitars) about how I should treat my pencils. He applied a touch of carnuba wax (he used a very, very small amount of the wax) and buffed the barrels. It has been about 10 years since, and I have had to do no maintenance. Like he said, just use the pencils, the oils from my hands will be enough to keep the barrels maintained.

[hbdk]

This:

http://www.vintagepensacsandparts.com/product.php/264/3/renaissance_wax_65ml_can

excellent for protecting wood and it leaves a very nice smooth and shiny (not super shiny) finish.

[siovale]

http://www.fountainpenstudios.com/fountain-pen-info

 

 

Hadn't thought to use lemon oil. Of course, I use it on all my fine wooden furniture and it is beautiful. Thank you for the link.

[siovale]

This:

http://www.vintagepensacsandparts.com/product.php/264/3/renaissance_wax_65ml_can

excellent for protecting wood and it leaves a very nice smooth and shiny (not super shiny) finish.

 

Looks like the perfect wax. Thank you for the link.

[Tinjapan]

A student of mine is a master of Japanese tea ceremony. Some of her implements and small furnishings are of precious woods. She wipes them down with her hands and nothing else. "Palm" oil, I guess you could say she uses.

[siovale]

A student of mine is a master of Japanese tea ceremony. Some of her implements and small furnishings are of precious woods. She wipes them down with her hands and nothing else. "Palm" oil, I guess you could say she uses.

 

Thank you. I will definitely take the advice of a master of Japanese tea ceremony.

[siovale]

Faber Castell got back to me and said, of all things, that a little Vaseline is what they recommend. (Petroleum jelly...? I couldn't believe it, but it's not without sense).

[flipper_gv]

 

 

Hadn't thought to use lemon oil. Of course, I use it on all my fine wooden furniture and it is beautiful. Thank you for the link.

 

DON'T USE LEMON OIL!!! It darkens the wood and it doesn't last very long.

 

As an owner of a non-finished bass guitar (Warwick Thumb 5), please use bee's wax. It gives a nicer shine to the wood and protects it for much longer. BUT, if you use the pen every day, the oil from the hand should be enough to protect. But, if you want to make it nice, use bee's wax.

Edited April 3, 2015 by flipper_gv

[Sandy Fry]

Try Renaissance Wax. It's what all the major museums use for restoration.

 

David

[siovale]

Try Renaissance Wax. It's what all the major museums use for restoration.

 

David

 

Great tip. Thank you.

[senzen]

Wow, the things you can learn. I'm attracted to FC's ambition in pearwood, this is one of the things that prevents me from getting it, I just seem to have "corrosive" hand sweat, things just get stained...

[Fountain Pen Mike]

As an amatuer instrument builder, and having not read this entire thread, I offer this to the OP's original question.

If the wood is finished, you really don't need to treat it with anything to maintain it. If it has a good finish on it, whatever you think you're rubbing into it is not penetrating that surface.

As to bare wood, on a large unfinished surface, you might need something, but on something as small as the portion of a pen where you grip it, the natural oils on your hand are probably more than enough to keep it in good shape. MHO.

[jsolares]

You could try with linseed oil, it could darken the wood a lot, and once you apply it there's no going back specially in a pen.

[AAAndrew]

I'm with fountain pen Mike.

 

Another world which I periodically inhabit is the world of wood working hand tools. As FPMike said, if there's already a finish on it (which there is) then most likely anything you put on the wood will not be absorbed and, at most, sit on the surface. (not a good thing, especially for some of the non-polymerizing oils like lemon oil)

 

Since I'm sure the manufacturer already finished the wood in a good, durable finish, there's no need to do anything except try and keep it from getting scratched, and use it often. Your oils will age the wood much better than anything else.

 

Carnauba and other waxes, Renaissance is a carnauba blend, are good top coats on wood, but not at all needed in this case. Traditionally, for tool handles, a light coating of boiled linseed oil is all that's used.

 

I would leave it as is and let it age with you.

[siovale]

As an amatuer instrument builder, and having not read this entire thread, I offer this to the OP's original question.

If the wood is finished, you really don't need to treat it with anything to maintain it. If it has a good finish on it, whatever you think you're rubbing into it is not penetrating that surface.

As to bare wood, on a large unfinished surface, you might need something, but on something as small as the portion of a pen where you grip it, the natural oils on your hand are probably more than enough to keep it in good shape. MHO.

 

 

Thank you. I would imagine the wood used on pens, even if it looks untreated to a layman's eye, would be, so natural (finger) oil is probably enough.

[siovale]

I'm with fountain pen Mike.

 

Another world which I periodically inhabit is the world of wood working hand tools. As FPMike said, if there's already a finish on it (which there is) then most likely anything you put on the wood will not be absorbed and, at most, sit on the surface. (not a good thing, especially for some of the non-polymerizing oils like lemon oil)

 

Since I'm sure the manufacturer already finished the wood in a good, durable finish, there's no need to do anything except try and keep it from getting scratched, and use it often. Your oils will age the wood much better than anything else.

 

Carnauba and other waxes, Renaissance is a carnauba blend, are good top coats on wood, but not at all needed in this case. Traditionally, for tool handles, a light coating of boiled linseed oil is all that's used.

 

I would leave it as is and let it age with you.

 

 

Thank you. I've decided to follow the "leave it" advice, and, especially, the "use it often" one, too.

 

I dropped the pen the other day and it fell on the nib, completely bending it beyond repair. I love the pen, even if it's not the kind of pen I usually buy - I'm partial to gold accents and even gold nibs -, so I've ordered another nib for the FC. I do like its shape, the pear wood and the chrome cap.

 

Besides, it doesn't look like many manufacturers put broad or very broad nibs on their pens, which are the only ones I like, so I have to save my FC.