Visconti Homo Sapiens Patina

[Drcollector]

Hello everyone. I recently purchased a (pre-owned) Homo Sapiens with bronze furniture. Upon receiving the pen, I noticed that the bronze features were a bit dirty and developing a patina. I personally wanted my pen to look new and shiny, so I used the Visconti cleaning cloth included in the box. I followed the instructions, dampening a corner of the cloth and subsequently polishing the bronze features with a dry portion of cloth. It worked perfectly for the bronze rings, but the clip emerged in less than satisfactory condition. It is now much darker than the bronze furniture. About half of the clip is dark brown and the other half is a reddish color that reflects a spectrum of rainbow colors when held at a certain angle. Strangely, this is not visible under an extremely bright light. In most situations, however, it sticks out like a sore thumb compared to the rest of the bronze parts. I do not know if I cleaned this pen incorrectly or if the previous owner ran some sort of chemical experiment on the clip. Please offer your advice for restoring the bronze finish. Thanks!

 

-Pen bought pre-owned

-Cleaned with Visconti cloth, adhering to instructions

-Clip is severely discolored

[Occipital Lobe]

I would try Brasso or a similar polishing product - HOWEVER - Be aware that the "Visconti" print on the sides of the clip is a decal that will probably be polished off in the process, if you don´t take care.

 

Here´s a link to a similar discussion from the watch-world: http://forums.watchuseek.com/f74/removing-patina-olivier-812405.html

 

I think the problem is that the clip is a different alloy than the rest of the hardware on the pen.

My Bronze age has developed a reddish-Brown patina on the clip, whereas the rest of the hardware is pristine looking.

 

Good luck with your project. I hope you enjoy your pen - tarnished or not...

[Drcollector]

Thank you for your suggestion. I realize that this is a fairly common issue with the HS Bronze.

[gclyn]

I have the same problem with mine...unfortunately, I don't think will get the furniture to be as pristine to look brand new. I too like to keep my pens in pristine condition. However, I think this pen is meant to have the patina so every pen will have a slightly different "look." I have grown to like the patina build up, but I continue to polish the bronze on it.

 

I agree with Occipital Lobe, that be very careful if you are going to use and abrasive like Brasso, as the Visconti logo on the clip may get damaged.

 

Maybe someone has another suggestion.

[debmitchmil]

Sunshine polishing cloths have worked very well for me in the past. They have been the best I have found for pen furniture and jewelry. My clip is also much more difficult than the rings to bring to a full patina-less shine.

[milojinx]

Bronze in general develops its patina from water. Want a darker patina, put water on it. It does this because it is an alloy of tin and copper. Copper darkens when exposed to humid air. It can turn green after a certain point... Again the copper. It is fun stuff!

[sarahfar]

Ketchup, no joke it less abrasive, Ketchup let dry and then buff with a soft cloth.....

 

Cotton swab and apply very gently and carefully. A cloth like the one that comes with the pen is fine too. The cloth is impregnated so you shouldn't need ketchup or any kind of abrasive if you use that. Just elbow grease......

Edited May 15, 2015 by sarahfar