King Of Pen Ebonite Maintenance

[Katsoccer92]

Hey everybody!

 

I've been a long time user, but first time ever posting anything on FPN. You guys are all great resources.

 

Anyway, I've recently bought a Sailor King of Pen Ebonite (still not here yet), and I wondering what's the best way to maintain the pen so it doesn't discolor or smell, and the usual do's and dont's of having an ebonite pen.

 

Thanks for all your help so far!

 

Katsoccer92

[Mulrich]

I didn't realize there was extra care needed for ebonite beyond good general pen maintenance. I'm interested in what people say.

[Pendel]

Unless ebonite is lacquered, it is prone to fading if exposed to sunlight, and it will definitely smell (part of the charm!).

 

:-)

[zaddick]

Minimize exposure to direct sunlight and prolonged indoor light (like leaving it on display for a long time), do not soak it in hot water, and get used to the smell. The only way to avoid most of this is to have it coated with a lacquer like urushi.

 

Otherwise clean with cool water, wipe with a cloth and enjoy. It will change over time but it will age with you like an old friend. Or you can just sell it when you don't like the color any more.

[langere]

Also, I have found that ebonite discolors rose gold...

 

Erick

[Sakura FP Gallery]

You can polish the ebonite with a very soft cloth before it gets dull. I was also told you can maintain ebonite with a drop of olive oil to nurish the surface a bit.

[Katsoccer92]

Thanks for all your help everyone! Do you guys know if I can send the pen for urushi lacquer afterwards as well?

[Pendel]

Thanks for all your help everyone! Do you guys know if I can send the pen for urushi lacquer afterwards as well?

Yes, you can. A while back Ernest of Hakumin Urushi Kobo quoted $400+ to me for putting urushi onto a KoP ebonite.

[shuuemura]

Yes, you can. A while back Ernest of Hakumin Urushi Kobo quoted $400+ to me for putting urushi onto a KoP ebonite.

 

Very cool! Maybe I will ask Ernest if he can lacquer the clip with urushi too. Then it will be truly a one of a kind pen!

[Katsoccer92]

Awesome! May I ask, with $400+ was it a simple design?

[Pendel]

Awesome! May I ask, with $400+ was it a simple design?

Here is what Ernest said a year ago:

 

"The cost and time would depend entirely on what urushi technique you are looking for so I will need a better idea of what you are looking for to give you a definitive answer. However, to give you a basic idea initially, the most common technique I'm requested is the Tamenuri technique which will take me at the moment 5-6 months from the point I receive the pen and will be $450 to be done on a Sailor King of Pen that you supply me. Other techniques will vary in price and timing, but typically 5 months is the current minimum time."

 

Both the cost and the time frame may have changed since then. In the meantime Ernest did a great job repairing some scuffs on one of my urushi pens (which required re-coating etc.). He is not fast, but the results are very good.

 

:-)

Edited May 17, 2016 by Pendel

[Katsoccer92]

Thanks for getting back to me! I'm definitely going to contact Ernest then after a month or so. I have a feeling I'm going to love the ebonite version, but I might want to lacquer it down the road then.

[Katsoccer92]

One last question. Did you remove the nib unit on your King of Pen before you sent it in? If you did, how do you actually do that?

[Pendel]

One last question. Did you remove the nib unit on your King of Pen before you sent it in? If you did, how do you actually do that?

I did not opt for urushi. I am happy with polished ebonite, and with $450 one can hunt for another used Nakaya... :-)

[Katsoccer92]

Makes sense. Do you know if you can remove the unit though?

[katanankes]

Has anyone tried with ebonite pens the cream used for the maintenance of pipes stems (usually made of ebonite as well)?

[Willis]

Makes sense. Do you know if you can remove the unit though?

The section on the ebonite king of pen is actually pmma resin, so I don't know if it could even be lacquered. I have an urushi kop and the section on that is resin as well. So you could just send off the barrel and cap. As to whether or not the nib can be removed, I haven't tried it on my kop, but the standard line sailor nibs are friction fit and come free with gentle rocking and pulling. They aren't attached to the feed as a unit.

[Katsoccer92]

The section on the ebonite king of pen is actually pmma resin, so I don't know if it could even be lacquered. I have an urushi kop and the section on that is resin as well. So you could just send off the barrel and cap. As to whether or not the nib can be removed, I haven't tried it on my kop, but the standard line sailor nibs are friction fit and come free with gentle rocking and pulling. They aren't attached to the feed as a unit.

Hmm, thanks for the info, I'll definitely have to think about it a bit more then. Thanks for getting back to me!

[gmax]

I hope no-one minds me reviving an old thread, but this seems the best place for some information I recently found on the Sailor France website ...

 

http://www.sailorpen.fr/blog/?p=39

 

The suggestion of using olive oil would apply only to the black polished ebonite pens, without urushi coating.

 

I have not tried this, but it seems to be endorsed by Sailor

[gerigo]

OMG, did not know about the olive oil. Thanks for this. My very first KOP is getting a little dull, and I was wondering how to get its luster back.