Ebonite Or Acrylics

[Bklyn]

Hi all:

 

Any insight into ebonite or acrylics as it relates to pen bodies? I am thinking of Ranga for my next pen and the have some very nice pens in both materials.

 

I am wondering if one is better than the other in any way. (Weight or feel or ability to write for long periods of time. Durability?)

 

I am also very interested in hard rubber as some of the Duofolds of old are hard rubber. Wondering if hard rubber is heavy. Love some help here because to me, after the nib on the paper, how the pen feels in the hand is most important.

[Tresconik]

Hi all:

 

Any insight into ebonite or acrylics as it relates to pen bodies? I am thinking of Ranga for my next pen and the have some very nice pens in both materials.

 

I am wondering if one is better than the other in any way. (Weight or feel or ability to write for long periods of time. Durability?)

 

I am also very interested in hard rubber as some of the Duofolds of old are hard rubber. Wondering if hard rubber is heavy. Love some help here because to me, after the nib on the paper, how the pen feels in the hand is most important.

I have found traditional Indian pens to be the most comfortable for long writing periods.

Get a medium sized pen with a section diameter of 10-13 mm, and have it fitted with a JoWo nib unit.

 

Hard rubber is ebonite, and I like ebonite more than acrylic.

[penmanila]

ebonite is warmer and firmer in the hand, and is less likely to crack, in my experience. given a choice, i would pick it anytime over acrylic.

[fountainpagan]

I love ebonite. And nowadays indian ebonites are enlarging the color choices.

 

Acrylics can be very nice, too.

 

But ebonite is warmer and I love it. So, I would go for the ebonite. And if your choice goes towards Ranga, you have a lot of beautiful colour combinations with them.

[Sergio 46]

Go with Ranga, not cheap , but considered as nice!

[Buzz_130]

I also like the feel of ebonite pens in the hand. Mine are light, and my vintage ones have withstood the test of time. Acrylic certainly has its place in modern fountain pens, but there's a different feeling with ebonite.

 

Buzz

[SteveE]

As the others have said, ebonite seems to absorb heat from your hands, thus it feels warmer in the hand when writing. I have quite a few Ranga ebonite pens, and really like them.

 

The "negatives" of ebonite, when compared to acrylic plastics, are that ebonite does not have the "depth" to its colors. There are no "sparklies" buried in the ebonite. It is a more conservative finish. Also, some of the ebonite materials can lose their surface "shine" more rapidly than acrylics, and they can scratch a bit more easily. I don't have any problem with these issues, though, as they give my pens "character." You could also, however, re-polish the ebonite, as the material is homologous (the same material all through the thickness).

 

Ebonite pen barrels often are made with greater wall thickness, and thus may be heavier. Most of mine are, but to me that just gives them the feeling of being substantial.

 

Given the choice of the same pen in acrylic or ebonite, I almost always go with the ebonite.

[Cob]

I'm surprised that no-one has mentioned Celluloid. Some of the most beautiful pens were made in the great years from this material - e.g Mabie Todd and Waterman's.

 

I suppose it is still available unless the "elf 'n' safety fascists have banned it of course?

 

Cob

Edited July 29, 2015 by Cob

[mehandiratta]

I'm surprised that no-one has mentioned Celluloid. Some of the most beautiful pens were made in the great years from this material - e.g Mabie Todd and Waterman's.

 

I suppose it is still available unless the "elf 'n' safety fascists have banned it of course?

 

Cob

Sir

 

Choice was between acrylics and ebonites....

 

Given a choice i would love to have celluloids only....

 

But i love ebonites more... because of the warmth they offer....

[amk]

Ebonite is also reputedly more brittle than acrylic. I say reputedly, as I have tried very hard not to put it to the test with my Indian (and other) ebonites!

 

By the way, if you're looking at Ranga, do look at the pay it forwards and group buy forum, as there's a group buy for the 4C Ranga pen going on right now (end date August 21 2015 if I remember correctly). https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/294355-ranga-model-4c-regular-ebonite-premium-ebonite-group-buy/

[Sergio 46]

ebonite is warmer and firmer in the hand, and is less likely to crack, in my experience. given a choice, i would pick it anytime over acrylic.

+ 1

[Bo Bo Olson]

Black Chased Hard Rubber...BCHR.

I have have a chased Waterman 52, from the teens-20's. But my other hard rubber pens are '30's-40's.

After Parker's forced formed plastic P-51, Hard Rubber became too expensive. Acrylics as far as I know had to be aged....again too expensive.

 

HR is no heavier than any other pen...that I can feel in my hand. Have not weighed them...don't expect them to be heavier by much over acrylics.

 

These are Böhler pens. 1938 the Böler brothers split their pen company Osmia. These are two Bölhler pens used the same model numbers as Osmia. I have BCHR Osmia pens also and a couple of others.

I had never expected to get any BCHR pens....thinking them rarer than they are.

 

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm300/BoBoOlson/B0ijpCWkKGrHqQOKioEWJJF95bBMvLLjW0w_3_zps48f0adfc.jpg

 

I don't know about the Parker Duafold swirled hard rubber pens...which could be large pens. Those Böhler are a standard and a medium large pens.

This is a medium large 'no name'. Late '30's or a War Pen, in it has no cap ring.

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm300/BoBoOlson/BgMTrDmkKGrHqUH-CMEsNj0IjBLEdKcYTg_12-1.jpg

Edited July 29, 2015 by Bo Bo Olson

[KBeezie]

Celluloid, as it feels nicer to me than most acrylics (except not too many modern productions of celluloid in the lower price range). But strictly between the two, I'd say ebonite, but as I tend to prefer vintage, BCHR as mentioned by Bo above.

 

Though they do make Black Chased Celluloid too (this swan 205/60 for example, would have to be /61 to be BCHR)

 

http://pens.kbeezie.com/content/public/upload/swan205uncapped_0_o.jpg

 

Celluloid in this case is a little more fragile than the equivalent hard rubber, but at least when celluloid is cracked, it can be mended unlike hard rubber.

[Cob]

Yes ebonite/BHR does feel nice, but despite what has been written here it is fragile - at least when it is very old; plenty of cracked ebonite around here...

 

And cracked celluloid, but as KBeezie says, one can fix that.

 

Nice SM205/60 by the way!

 

Cob

Edited July 29, 2015 by Cob

[Ernst Bitterman]

Part of the reason that HR fell out of favour as a pen material was it's relative fragility; you see ads from the '20s showing the new celluloid pens being flung out of airplanes and off buildings to "prove" the enhanced durability. That is, of course, advertising-- the difference in the materials lies in how likely it is that the pen will survive falling off a desk, which rubber is the most likely to fail, followed by celluloid and then acrylic. But ALL can break if they take a blow the wrong way (and the older they get, the more brittle, which is why the really old BHR pens make us all tremble to some degree at the thought of resacking).

 

From my point of view, the biggest drawback to getting a modern HR pen is that it is more likely to induce ambering in vintage celluloid, being all full of fresh vulcanizing. From a practical, relatively careful pen-user's perspective, the different lies in having to be a little more careful about storage and carrying; it's more likely to fade if left in light, and from being damp and warm in a pocket. Even if the user doesn't attend to this carefully, it's probably about a decade before the effects will start to show. If you're buying a new pen, the only real question is which one you like the look of more.

[KBeezie]

From my point of view, the biggest drawback to getting a modern HR pen is that it is more likely to induce ambering in vintage celluloid, being all full of fresh vulcanizing. From a practical, relatively careful pen-user's perspective, the different lies in having to be a little more careful about storage and carrying; it's more likely to fade if left in light, and from being damp and warm in a pocket. Even if the user doesn't attend to this carefully, it's probably about a decade before the effects will start to show. If you're buying a new pen, the only real question is which one you like the look of more.

Probably related to how using a latex sac in celluloid pens now days (Especially tightly fitted button fillers, or bodies that cannot vent) will lead to discoloration when the sac starts to break down.

 

But I'd imagine for modern HR to have this impact, it would need to be stored with celluloid in an enclosed space together that does not allow for venting (ie: some display boxes, etc).

[Ernst Bitterman]

You're probably right. I still segregate my rubber pens from the general population, because the Vacumatics and their rubber filler elements are a menace enough without getting an assist.

[markofp]

+1 for Ebonite. Shiny acrylic and celluloid pens leave me cold, I enjoy things that have the patina of age about them, so I love the beautiful 'retro' look of Ebonite. It reminds me of fine things from long ago. I have a black Ebonite Pearl from Edison with a duo-tone nib and I love it.

[Arkanabar]

I'd really like to have a decent solid black ebonite pen, and have considered getting one from ASAPens. I've briefly handled an ebonite Konrad, and there is a definite feeling of tack that my acrylic and celluloid pens lack. However, the problem with ebonite is that it will discolor if it soaks in water for too long.

[visvamitra]

Ebonite rocks! Acrylics can have stunning looks but ebonite has this amazing, warm feel. That;s why I keep back to using Gama Airbornes. The indian nibs aren't really good, but the feel of the pen in the hand is great.