I bought a lovely marbled Platignum with a separate metal clip thing and a nice springy nib. On soaking it overnight it attained a dubious bendy quality. It was a bit like those bones we had in science classes that had had all the calcium taken out of them. What could have achieved this. I've left other pens in water for days and it has done nothing to them.

Regards

Rabbi Zvi.

Hi Zvi,

Some Platignums in the 1930 and just after WW2 were made of some strange plastic like materials, they may have used casein but I wouldn't be prepared to bet on it.

I have encountered several Platignums that have had strange reactions to water, mostly these reactions had occured before I got the pens but being of an inquisitive nature I played with them to see what could have happened to them and some, on being soaked for a few hours acheived the rubbery bone consistency that you mention, all of these were marbled or blotched patterned pens, red and gold coloured pens it seem being particularly prone.
The material of these pens can also be very brittle
The reason why I wouldn't swear to it being casein is that is didn't smell the same as CS casein smell when polished, it didn't smell the same when wet either.

I'm not sure that this helps at all but there seems to be a lack of information, other than of anecdotal or random observational nature, concerning the materials used by the lesser sought after and investigated UK pen brands.

Cheers, John