When a pen first starts to exhibit crazing, what does it look like?. Is it always an orange color, a variation of the existing color, or just more transparent? Why do some pens do it and others of the same vintage and color not? Is there anything that speeds the process along? Is it related to light exposure (uv?), so that if stored in a drawer it would be protected, while a user might be at risk?

Any other information would be equally appreciated.

Dan

Crazing is the development of lots of very fine cracks in the material, resulting from stresses which exceed the tensile strength of the plastic. So color change isn't going to be an indicator except maybe it looking hazier.

Some solvents can accelerate crazing to actual failure because they rapidly release the stresses made by the formation/ molding of the material. Try putting acetone on a CD but stand far back!

I had a modern pen that had begun to craze and I sent it back to the manufacturer who sent it back to me doing nothing. Can't say that I did anything that would accelerate the formation of the microcracks

Kurt

Kurt---Thanks for your response. Maybe I'm using the wrong term, but I thought crazing often shows as sort of a fluorescents orange color, starting at the ends of a pen body or cap. Photos of what I'm concerned about can be found here: http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...&hl=crazing

I've been looking at a lot of pens on Ebay lately, and one often sees an amber to orangey color on visualated portions of the barrel or section. Is this related to crazing, or just a natural tendency of the clear material to darken over time? Also, if a marbled barrel is sort of transparent at the end, but there is no color change or hazy appearance, would that be cause for concern, or just a natural variation in the barrel material? Thanks.

Dan

Degredation of celluloid can involved the development of transparency, fluorescence and/or crazing. I am not a chemist, but my observations suggest the processes can be- but not necessarily must be- linked. Crazing refers indeed to very fine cracking/stress marks in the plastic preceding powdering of the involved area. Flourescence ( a loose term. I'm not sure the areas actually flouresce) refers to plastic taking on bright "neon" hues which seems to precede in many cases the micro cracking that is crazing. Need not be orange. Browns tend to shift orange. Some pens just discolor (may horribly discolored jade gone brown pens seem not to craze, at least not in our lifetime) or go "clear".

regards
david

Thanks David.

Dan