Weird Bands On A 1950's Mb 146

[Ursus]

I have just got a Meisterstück 146 from the 1950's which otherwise looks pretty fine to me - but the three bands on the lower part of the cap are all brass and some of the letters are almost worn off. What worries me is that I can't imagine that it's really possible to wear down brass like that... It could be some kind of paint, its a weird brassy colour anyway. It certainly is not gold and its not even shiny. It even looks nastier in reality than on the picture. If its a fake band it has taken a lot of work without ever being able to fool anyone...

 

Any suggestions to what it is?

 

 

[dneal]

A lot of times that happens when people try to repolish their pens with a buffing wheel. You need to mask off the bands to keep from removing the plating, and prevent what you see there. Don't know for sure whether or not that's what happened by just looking at a picture though.

[jar]

Brassing and over polishing?

[Ursus]

Here is another picture that better captures the colour.

 

[Ursus]

A lot of times that happens when people try to repolish their pens with a buffing wheel. You need to mask off the bands to keep from removing the plating, and prevent what you see there. Don't know for sure whether or not that's what happened by just looking at a picture though.

 

I suppose that polishing the pen would remove the black colour long before the bands were ruined like that...

[dneal]

The celluloid is black all the way through. You can't remove the color by polishing. The plating on the rings is very thin and easy to remove accidentally.

[Ursus]

 

The plating on the rings is very thin and easy to remove accidentally.

It is polished pretty far down, though - the B even looks like an E because it is almost gone.

[dneal]

That's why I think a buffing wheel was used. There are a lot of variables, felt or cotton wheel, RPM, type of compound used, etc...

[orfew]

Looks like over polishing to me. By the way, nice pen.

[slippery when wet]

I never understand why people have the desire to see all things glossy and new again. To my sensibilities, a pen has even greater appeal when its left in original condition.

[CS388]

Like other posters, I can think of no cause other than excessive polishing.

 

Lovely pen, though. Hope you enjoy it.

 

The celluloid is black all the way through. You can't remove the color by polishing.

 

I thought the black was a coating on the celluloid models?

I have seen older examples which have lost the black and become quite transparent?

[talkinghead]

The celluloid is black all the way through. You can't remove the color by polishing.

 

You sure about that?

 

CS388 is correct in that the original celluloid rod was clear and the barrels painted.

Edited January 24, 2015 by talkinghead

[dneal]

 

You sure about that?

 

CS388 is correct in that the original celluloid rod was clear and the barrels painted.

 

Not sure at all. I thought the only part that was painted was the lines on the inside of the view window?

[talkinghead]

 

Not sure at all. I thought the only part that was painted was the lines on the inside of the view window?

 

I have read that the celluloid rods were originally clear/translucent in a few places. For only the ink window to be translucent, then the barrel would have to be made of two pieces if your supposition is correct. The "full black" majority of the barrel, then somehow welded/attached to a translucent piece of celluloid where the lines/strips were painted? All my celluloid Meisterstucks appear to be a single piece.

 

Max makes reference to this here in this thread, on page two:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/264057-146-green-striated/page-2

 

 

Let us say; who knows. Take a look at this L71 pencil, they made; but never sold this officially, only a prototype. What I know is that the 149 50's was also made from transparent Celluloid like the 139 I worked on. This is verified by Stefan W.

 

Rick

Edited January 24, 2015 by talkinghead

[jar]

I though the bodies were clear celluloid with the color on the inside, not outside, but I'm old and often wrong.

[zaddick]

I seem to recall reading they were transparent bodies and then dipped in some liquid on the outer surface to blacken. This is why you can create a "demonstrator" pen by over polishing.

 

I think I came across this in some thread on FPN a few weeks ago.

Edited January 25, 2015 by zaddick

[fountainbel]

Vintage 146/149 caps are always solid black celluloid, vintage barrels are transparent celluloid partly coated on the outside with a thin layer of black celluloid.

Francis

[Michael R.]

+1

 

Early barrels were coated from the outside, stripes for the ink window always from the inside; later barrels might have been coated from the inside.

 

This is is most important when it comes to polishing or when trying to remove an engraving. However the black coating can be recreated (even this is not easy).

 

Cheers

 

Michael

[CS388]

Excellent! We have the definitive answer and it turns out that both parties are correct! Not often that happens.

 

The cap could have been over-polished without losing colour - but barrels are transparent and coated with colour.

 

Thanks, Francis.

[Chrissy]

Brassing and over polishing?

Absolutely.