Recommend a Scratch Remover

[Aperture]

I just got a slightly used Montblanc 149 fountain pen.

A wonderful pen that's in excellent shape.

 

The pen is black and you can see some minor scratches on it.

I wanted to ask if you could please recommend a product that I could use to buff out the scratches.

 

Thanks for your help

 

A

[Rogue Puppy]

I'd like to know of a good polish myself. This link may be helpful to you, as it advertises several polishes along with many other goodies.

 

http://www.tryphon.it/catalogo.htm

[cakibler]

I use Micro Mesh sanding sticks and the Micro Mesh refinishing kit available from

Martin at woodbin.ca. The polish I use is Micro Gloss and it works well on both plastic

and hard rubber pens. Micro Gloss is available as part of the Micro Mesh kit Martin sells

and can also be found at skygeek.com.

Edited April 13, 2010 by cakibler

[badcaps270]

In a pinch, auto polish on a cotton disk will do as well.

To be sure you don't leave any solvent on the resin,

clean it up afterwards with mildly abrasive toothpaste.

Careful on the plated metal parts

 

Enjoy.

[rogerb]

I think you'd be wise to await input from a one of our 'professional pen-restorers' on this..... it is all too easy to use something too 'aggressive' and to make matters worse.

 

As you say they are only 'minor scratches', there is probably a DIY solution, and people like Ron Z, eckiethump and Richard would probably to be happy to advise, (rather than suggesting you put it in their 'queue'!)

 

(My mother used to say "take all the advice you are given and sift it through a ladder....the proportion which sticks to the rungs is probably worth following" )

Edited April 13, 2010 by rogerb

[Ron Z]

I recently bought a polish called Quixx, which is a product designed for removing scratches on acrylic and plexiglass. I am quite impressed with the results when used on acrylic pens. It removes fine scratches, and leaves a very nice finish on the pen.

 

I did receive the MSDS sheet. It is non toxic, and appears to be quite safe. The two ingredients are miscible in water, with the working ingredient being a very find aluminum oxide.

 

Note, this product is intended for use on acrylic. While it does work on the plastic of Sheaffer Imperials, this is not a universal plastic polish. I have tried it on a couple of scrap celluloid barrels, and have not been as pleased with the results. I suggest using it only on pens not made from celluloid.

 

Another option is the Novus line of plastic polishing products, which have proven to be safe for most pens.

 

Edited to update MSDS notes and Celluloid comments.

Edited April 13, 2010 by Ron Z

[freehand]

A set of MicroMesh abrasive sheets, 2400, 3200, 4000, 6000, 8000, and 12000, works well for smoothing pen bodies. The more severe the scratches, the coarser the starting point (and you might want to mask the barrel imprint for the first few cuts). The finer grades also are good for polishing nibs and gold-filled metal parts. For final cut I use a secret violin polish (limited supply as the man who mixed it for me is dead) or the vintage pen polish from Fountain Pen Hospital.

 

A good source for pen restoration tools is a modelmakers' supply:

 

MicroMark

 

Some caps and barrels (e.g. on old Sheaffer Flat-tops) are quite thin, and leaving some wearmarks is better than to weaken them with too much sanding.

[Left FPN]

Go to FPN General Pen Topics, Repair Q&A

 

they say Tryphon Pen Polishing Products

[dnb]

Richard Binder has a polishing cloth. It is very good. http://www.richardspens.com/

[Dutchpen]

i'm using silver polish to polish almost every surface with light signs of use, i did a couple mb's with this.

 

be sure that you remove all the polishing fluid after you're done.

[TrevorML]

Mothers (the auto polish folks) Clear Plastic polish works a treat on all "plastic" pens... celluloid, acrylic, polystyrene, etc and even HR... likewise for all of these... make sure to remove all residues of the polish in case there are any nasty solvents in there... but I have to say that I have not had any issues over the 3-4 years I have been using it

 

and also nail buffers... the 4 sided foam blocks with a micromesh style of abrasive/polishing cloth in 4 different numbered grades do a brilliant brilliant job... like this one but can pick them up in beauty supply shops for around the same price (altho may get similar on the Bay for much cheaper)... use this first and then the Mothers

 

for all manner of scratches/personalisations/etc on "plastic"/HR pens I use a 1200 wet and dry aluminium oxide paper first up if needed for serious removal work.... then use the nail buffing block progressing through the different grades coarse to ultra fine... and then give the final polish with the Mothers... get one very sweet job out of that combo

 

[EDIT: added link for the nail buffer]

Edited April 15, 2010 by TrevorML

[Jared]

How do you recommend removing any trace of polish residue? I have purchased many pens with white polish residue in the cracks, threads, etc. which detracts from the otherwise restored pen.

[jor412]

Sorry if this is a dumb question. This is my first attempt at removing scratches. I'm doing this by hand. I'm going slow, checking my work under the loupe, etc. When I get to the 12000 grit micromesh, what should I expect to see under the loupe? When I look under the loupe, I see the signs of buffing. Should I proceed or stop since the pens are already shiny to the naked eye? Or should I go use one of the recommended polishes? (Tryphon, Novus, etc.)

[banjofox]

Thank you for the tips

 

It looks like Novus (thanks Ron Z!), has a set that covers heavy scratches to very fine/polish. If you search for "NOVUS 7100 Plastic Polish Kit" it should come with all three grades, as well as a couple of polishing cloths. Going to order some, and give it a shot on a couple of practice pens

[Chrissy]

Sorry if this is a dumb question. This is my first attempt at removing scratches. I'm doing this by hand. I'm going slow, checking my work under the loupe, etc. When I get to the 12000 grit micromesh, what should I expect to see under the loupe? When I look under the loupe, I see the signs of buffing. Should I proceed or stop since the pens are already shiny to the naked eye? Or should I go use one of the recommended polishes? (Tryphon, Novus, etc.)

 

You shouldn't routinely be using micro mesh to polish out faint scratches. You will always see those signs of buffing. Use a plastic polish as recommended instead.