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Barrel Imprints


Dr Cardinal

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Found a couple of nice pens this weekend at an antique mall. After cleaning them up a bit and putting in a new sac in the Sheaffer OS, I decided to fill in the imprints with a wax marker. Worked very well on the Waterman 32. I'm just curious...how many of you do this? I've done it a few times, but generally lately haven't.

 

Also, I wanted to try to post a picture as I've got some pens that I'm going to be putting up for sale soon, so this was also an excuse to try posting.

 

BTW, Cacao du Brasil bottle just happened to be there on the table and, happy little accident, I think made for a nice background.

 

Hope everyone had a Happy Easter!

 

---Phil

 

http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j371/petippen/pens.jpg

"It is better to be both right and consistent. But if you have to choose--you must choose to be right."---W. S. Churchill

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You might do it for pictures but, I wouldn't see any other reason and I wouldn't leave them that way.

 

Roger W.

Would the wax damage the pens? Otherwise I would say keep them like that if you wish. Also nice snag on the OS Balance, I just wish my luck was that good.

The Pen Is Mightier than the sword.

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You might do it for pictures but, I wouldn't see any other reason and I wouldn't leave them that way.

 

Roger W.

Would the wax damage the pens? Otherwise I would say keep them like that if you wish. Also nice snag on the OS Balance, I just wish my luck was that good.

 

No, it won't damage them by and large. You could have them highlighted all the time. You could drill little holes and add diamonds. You could paint them as they might be prettier. You could do any number of unoriginal number of things to pens - that's my point - they weren't originally highlighted. To leave them so would probably mean rehighlighting them when it wears or fades which would cause only marginal damage so it is the lack of originality that I'm getting at.

 

Roger W.

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I seem to remember that back when I got started into collecting, there was a period in the early '90s when highlighting imprints was all the rage. Over the years, I've seen less and less of this going on almost to the point where it's rare to see one highlighted these days.

 

I'm on the fence about it. On the one hand, highlighting like this really brings out the imprints, even shallow/warn ones on a pen. I like to see how the pens are marked as some manufacturers had some really interesting wording and artwork. I also like how the highlighting shows up when photographed. On the other hand, I've become more of a purist when dealing with my vintage pens. I like them minimally restored (i.e. - just clean them up, carefully buff out the surface scratches, and get them in proper writing condition) rather than over restored, and/or modified. The more of the history that we can preserve, the better.

 

Now, I don't want to get into a deep discussion of the amount (or lack) of damage that highlighting does to the pen. I'm assuming if an innocuous enough agent is used, then no-harm, no-foul. It's nice for documenting the imprint in photos, but I'd just want to make sure that whatever was used was easily removable without having the removal process cause additional damage.

 

Personally, I don't own any pens with highlighted imprints, and I don't know that I'd shy away from purchasing one, but given the choice, I'd rather have it original.

Collection Counts: Cross-4, Esterbrook-15, Eversharp-1, Graf von Faber-Castell-1, Jinhao-2, Kaweco-1, Lamy-6, Levenger-2, Monteverde-1, Pilot/Namiki-3, Noodler's-1, Parker-18, Rotring-10, Sailor-1, Sheaffer-19, TWSBI-1, Visconti-4, Waterford-1, Waterman-7

Favorite Inks: Diamine, Levenger, Private Reserve, Noodler's Lexington Gray

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If I want to read an imprint more readily I'll rub talc over it. It's a good non-permanent way to read it. For a permanently enhanced imprint I'd use Rub 'n Buff.

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I certainly wasn't suggesting any sort of permanent change to the pen. Just a quick rub with a wax crayon. I don't do it to all my pens, but the imprint on the Waterman is attractive in my opinion and I like to be able to look at it without having to turn it just so to catch the light, hold it up to my eyes, etc. All it takes is a light rub with a soft cloth and the wax comes out. Yes, I know if I did that over and over again, I would rub off a few molecules of celluloid each time and eventually wear down the imprint. It was just something that struck me with the nice, crisp Waterman imprint and I wanted to see it easier, that's all. Out of the 40 or so pens that I have, these are the only two that I've highlighted.

"It is better to be both right and consistent. But if you have to choose--you must choose to be right."---W. S. Churchill

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I think that 32 looks great with the white lettering! Doesn't hurt the pen, so why not? If you sell, you will either remove the wax or tell the buyer. No big deal.

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Yeah man, why not. Looks cool, no lasting damage. Go for it.

 

Some may view us as custodians of older pens, fair enough, but while they're ours, let's enjoy them.

 

A little bit of wax crayon shouldn't dismay future generations.

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I have to ask, since I have a Duofold with a filled in and now dirty imprint- how do you REMOVE it?

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  • 5 years later...

I assume that barrel imprints where originally filled in since I have seen a few vintage pens on-line that still have bits of white imprint.

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I've often wondered about this and I'm quite glad to see this thread resurrected.

Regarding the removal of the wax I imagine that a bit of buffing will do the trick so long as it isn't too rigorously done.

My question was about putting the wax in the imprint. I'm quite tempted to try it, but haven't quite decided yet. If it is done with a crayon, does it not leave a waxy mark across the whole of the imprint? Is there another way to do it?

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