I am thinking of getting a 400 pelikan... the classic green and black color. My concern is that the Pelikan's seem to have a gold ring around the front near the nib, and I am worried that will corrode over time as ink gets on it through refilling it. Does anyone have this problem?

I don't think modern inks are corrosive -- I might be wrong but this is what I seemed to have picked up here at FPN. I've got a few pens with that ring near the nib, and so far, so good. I like that ring because it helps in letting you know if there is ink on the section after you've filled the pen. I've got a couple of Pels, an M200 w/out the nib ring, and a M605 with a silver ring. Both are pleasures to look at, hold, and use.

Doug

I agree.
It is nothing to worry about.
Buy the pen

some people hate any and all trim rings near the nib. I doubt corrosion is an issue. If you are overly aggressive with cleaning/wiping after dipping, you may in time lose plating on the ring. Thus far with my Pels that have section rings I've had no plating loss but I do a quick wipe to avoid staining of fingers and section and not obsessive wiping. if you tend to grip the pen *on* the ring there may be greater risk of the oils in your hands causing brassing or plating loss. But I'm just guessing. It just hasn't been an issue for me.

I have the M400 in the Green/Black. Great pen, smooth writer. You won't be dissapointed.

Bob

I am not really sure, but I have the impression that the guys at Pelikan know a couple of things about pen making. If they believe modern inks could corrode gold parts, they would stop using gold for nibs and rings.

Oh, and one of the BEST writers EVER in my life is one of the two Waterman Expert II I have, which I think uses a goldplated steel nib. The plated on the nib started to corrode, and when I discovered I was worried. Then I said to it: "you are suppose to go ahead and continue writing". It's what it does happily...

You won't be dissapointed with your Pelikan and just don't worry about the ring...

FWIW, I've had three Pels, an 800 and two 600's, for the past two years plus. They get constant use, and there is absolutely no sign of corrosion on the section ring. So my advice is to get the 400 and not to worry for two years. Put a tickler in your 2008 calendar that says, "Don't worry for the next two years." Do the same in 2010, 2012, etc.

I know : If the idea of the ring really bothers you, consider getting a 200 instead of a 400. It's the same size pen, sans section ring. I just purchased one from Richard Binder the other day -- green marble barrel and black cap, gold-plated steel M nib, for $64 plus shipping. It ships on Wednesday -- can't wait. (Edit: For a bit more $$, you can get a gold nib on the 200. Or... you can always buy a gold nib later. Richard has great deals on Pel nibs, regular and customized. And they're all "Binderized"!)

Either way, you can't go wrong. Have fun!

I have had a 400 Tortoise for 8 years and there is no corrosion nor tarnishing, but there is always this nice wet-flowing line of ink that springs from the flexible nib every time I lay it on paper.

I've not had any problems either, and I've had one of my Pelikans in almost constant use for a few years now. That said, I did read on FPN somewhere that someone had contacted the Pelikan folks about this and the person they spoke to said that they were planning to stop putting the rings at the nib because of a concern that they might eventually corrode. I don't know if that is the case for sure, but I thought I would mention it.

The reason old pens have so many gold parts is that gold does not react to acid or alkali and does not corrode. The metal underneath the gold (brass?) is the only concern.

After I posted my last message I felt like I needed to add a clarification. The post I read did not indicate that anyone had actually seen a Pelikan corroded, only that it was possible. Reading DrPJM's comment about 8 years of use leads me to think that the Pelikan people were just erring on the safe side, as lots of things are "possible".
p.s. I love Pelikans!