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If There Are Steel Nibs, Why Can't Pens With Steel In The Barrel Be Made Into An Eyedropper?


Bluey

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Seems a little illogical to me. :wacko:

By the time the nib has corroded the threads or other metal parts in the barrel would have done so, but I've not heard of anyone having to replace their pen because of a corroded nib. I assume that this corrosion will take place over decades, so why the warnings not to convert pens with metal threads into eye droppers when the steel nib is in contact with ink as much as the threads.

 

Yours confusingly

 

B

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One of the reasons is that steel nibs are a special alloy of stainless steel, while most pen metal bodies are brass.

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I have had to replace a few BADLY corroded nibs, but as you mentioned, these are old pens, so who knows how long the ink was in contact with the nibs, and what the base metal was.

 

I think it is the selection of the metal. And there are MANY different stainless steel alloys. The barrel would have to be made of a corrosion resistant stainless steel alloy. The metal barrel pens that I have and have seen are made of stainless steel (Parker flighters), brass (Chinese pens), plated iron/steel, aluminum (Lamy pur), and unknown. Some metals will corrode faster than others, and some barrels are thinner than others.

Edited by ac12

San Francisco Pen Show - August 28-30, 2020 - Redwood City, California

www.SFPenShow.com

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Thanks for the replies!

The pens in question that I'm considering turning into eyedroppers are pens which are mostly plastic with the only metal being the threads and a small ring where the blind cap is (this appears to be made of stainless style according to some reports).

So I gather that it could be pot luck as to how long they take to corrode unless I found out the technical details of the metals used.

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Hi,

 

Most of the time metals such as threads in the pen or in the body or barrel are made out of plated brass. Stainless steel can be more expensive to machine, so it is very rarely used for those things. I have seen a large number of corroded brass parts in pens, so I don't think it is advisable to submerge brass parts in ink. There are also many different kinds of stainless steel. Depending on the composition of the steel, some stainless steels rust or corrode aggressively in certain conditions.

 

Dillon

Edited by Dillo

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Dillon

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Thanks Dillo

A quick google suggests that brass is quick to corrode from inks. Oh dear, that's not good!

I initially assumed, or perhaps hoped is more the word, that the threads were made of stainless steel.

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Also don't get fooled by chrome plated steel, such as used in some trim rings. It may look good, but it is NOT non-corrosive stainless steel.

San Francisco Pen Show - August 28-30, 2020 - Redwood City, California

www.SFPenShow.com

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One reason will be that steel, even stainless steel reacts very differently when constantly wet then it does in the air.

 

When in the air the surface forms a protective layer and doesn't oxidise (corrode)further - all things being equal that is.

 

Under liquid this protective layer doesn't form and the steel will corrode.

 

It's easy enough to see with simple experiment of leaving a knife or fork under water for a while (esp if there is dissimilar metal present or a little salt in the water to liven things up)

 

I've been a very long time lurker and finally decided to join - so hello everyone also :-)

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Metal is also a very good termical transmitter.

it could bring to a lot of burping.

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And you also have to watch out for dissimilar metals in close proximity. Two different metals with an aqueous path between them is actually a battery and one of the metal parts will corrode quite quickly. The other metal part won't necessarily stay pristine either.

Bill Sexauer
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And you also have to watch out for dissimilar metals in close proximity. Two different metals with an aqueous path between them is actually a battery and one of the metal parts will corrode quite quickly. The other metal part won't necessarily stay pristine either.

Thanks for that Bill!

Coincidentally I've recently been considering a pen with a unique nib from an Italian manufacturer where a 18k gold tab is 'fused' onto a stainless steel nib, but I'm really not sure because of various reports of them becoming 'unfused' which may be due to your explanation give there. The marketing and science of them about increasing the ink viscosity is pure BS, of course, believed only by the least educated amoebas, but most all reviews claim that they write awesomely.

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In the case of gold bonded to stainless steel, it would be the steel that would corrode. For gold over brass, the brass would corrode and we've seen a lot of that on the Waterman Man 100/200 series of pens. I've never really looked at that Italian pen/nib, it just sounded too much like all hype and no science to me so I just put it down as a pen to be ignored.

Bill Sexauer
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Okay, now I have to ask, why the reluctance to name the "Italian pen maker" and the "that pen model or nib"?

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Okay, now I have to ask, why the reluctance to name the "Italian pen maker" and the "that pen model or nib"?

 

Indeed. Is the Fusion design now some dark secret? Hype or no, I've just never cared for the look, moreso having heard of the gold falling off in some cases.

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Seems a little illogical to me. :wacko:

By the time the nib has corroded the threads or other metal parts in the barrel would have done so, but I've not heard of anyone having to replace their pen because of a corroded nib. I assume that this corrosion will take place over decades, so why the warnings not to convert pens with metal threads into eye droppers when the steel nib is in contact with ink as much as the threads.

 

Besides what the others have said metal will wet while plastic is usually hydrophobic. Even with silicone grease the ink will keep on trying to get down those threads. Silicone grease will work, but if there's a flaw in the grease protection the ink will find it.

 

I've been a very long time lurker and finally decided to join - so hello everyone also :-)

 

:W2FPN:

 

On a sacred quest for the perfect blue ink mixture!

ink stained wretch filling inkwell

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Besides what the others have said metal will wet while plastic is usually hydrophobic. Even with silicone grease the ink will keep on trying to get down those threads. Silicone grease will work, but if there's a flaw in the grease protection the ink will find it.

 

Well I have copious amounts of silicone grease.....

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