I have a couple of modern pens, both celluloid and plastic (eg. Pelikan M800 cap), that have minor scratches and wear marks . I have some scratch removal products (simichrome, Tryphon) but I'm not sure if they are safe for using on celluloid. Any tips, experiences, etc., would be appreciated.

Thanks!
Ashley

I've found that the Novus three step plastic polish works quite well. #3 is a coarser polish, for getting out semi-major scratches. #2 gets out more minor scratches, and cleans up after #3. #1 is a cleaner/light polish. Generally, the best way to go about it is to clean the pen with #1, move up to #2 to see if the scratch can be removed with that, then #3 if the other two don't work (then go back down in reverse order).

The whole three step system can be had for around $15 on eBay. Off hand, I don't know if any online retailers offer a better price.

I know some others have used Simichrome, but it was originally designed for metals (and is thus pretty aggressive). I would only use Simichrome if Novus 1-3 fail to work (ie: you could get Simichrome to act as a Novus #4).

Still others have used dremels with buffing wheels, but as a rule I shy away from any mechanical devices when polishing plastics/acrylics/celluloid, as the margin for error becomes very small.

I was going to recommend against Semichrome Polish for the opposite reason. I don't think it is aggressive enough to remove deep scratches.

Tryphon scratch removers can safely be used on celluloid - at least according to their web site. Haven't actually tried them on celluloid myself so I can't vouch for it.

If you use their scratch removers wet, they are considerably less aggressive than if you let them dry before buffing.

Todd