I need advise on polishing a Montblanc and it's "Black Precious Resin" (their words, not mine).

Up to now, I've searched this forum for prior posts, got a ton of information, but mostly for Parkers and the like. Do I treat the MB like any other in regards to polishing? Are all plastics equal except in name? Help please.

I'd think so.

Some people use power polishers, but I'd be scared to as there is too much chance of local 'burning'.

You can go to your local airstrip and buy kits of sandpapers that go all the way up to 4000 or something - they use them for making scratched and fogged plexi canopies clear again. Worked like a hot damn on the two cars I have that needed that treatment and I expect it would alos work on just about any plastic pen - precious or not.

Plastics have different hardness, different surface characteristics, etc. Power buffing a pen is the express train to wearing away the plating on the metal trim. There are polishes for plastics that may do just what you want.

The precious thing about MB plastic is the marketing hype.

Plastic polishing materials, in liquid, solid, or grit-on-backing form, all work by removing material from the plastic. Be aware of this when you're doing the work. I like liquid-based polish.

My favorite plastic polishes are made by a company called Novus. I learned about Novus when working with a friend on her vintage pinball machine (oh no.. yet-another expensive and time-consuming hobby!)

Novus comes in #3, #2 and #1, in ascending order of fineness. #2 is what I use for most plastics, and what I've used on pens. #3 is for big scratches (like, say, on my motorcycle windshield), and then move to #2 and then #1. #1 is non-abrasive, it's a mild cleaner and puts on the final shine.

The best part about it is that it's fairly cheap by mail-order compared to other polishes. Novus polishes at the Pinball Resource.

If you are going to buff, use a 3/4" or 1" X 6" buffing wheel, and a plastic compund made by Dico. DO NOT use a buffing wheel on a Dremel. That's fine for metal, but it's really easy to burn plastic when you use a Dremel. The contact area is too small, and the speed too high.

If you use a buffing wheel, keep the work piece in the lower front quarter of the wheel. Use light pressure and let the compound and wheel do the work. Make sure that the nap of the wheel lays back with the rotation of the wheel. Having it wrong is like rubbing a cat's fur the wrong way, and can grab the pen out of your hand. You can feel the nap by running your hand along the edge of the wheel.

For hand polishing I really like Giovanni's polishes. The celluloid polish is great for celluloid pens, the scratch remover and pen polish, followed by the carnuba wax are excelent. If you have to sand, use a buff stick which both Giovannin and Martin Smith sell - the gray side is 12000 grit micromesh, which does an excellent job.

FWIW, I recommend that you hand polish Parker VS and Eversharp Skylines. The plastic really doesn't like to be buffed. Hard plastics like acrylic, the MB plastics and most celluloids buff up quite nicely.

Short notes, but I think you get the idea....

Whatever you do, seriously limit your polishing. Every stroke removes some of your pen.

I should have noted that the heavier abrasive series is only necessary to remove fine scratches - if that isn't an issue, go straight to the polishes the other guys recommended.

We also use Novus products on the plexi.