Recycling Mangled Nibs

[Hooker56]

Having acquired enough pen lots and bundled estate sale pens... I have a few nibs that are in worse shape than 'bent,' as in broken tipping, or 90+ degrees.

 

I have made many mild nib repairs to make them serviceable, but I've also replaced a fair number of steel and 14k nibs.

 

The obvious recycle answer to 14k nibs is salvage gold value, but I'm wondering if there is any value to nibmeisters and restorers for mangled gold and/or steel nibs? I'm sure the dollar value is low, but I'm questioning whether there is any advantage to sending them somewhere other than for salvage (gold) or trash heap (steel)?

 

Thanks,

 

Clayton

Edited July 25, 2016 by Hooker56

[FarmBoy]

Clayton,

The answer really depends on the amount of damage and the type of nib. For harder to find nibs retipping is an option as is crack welding. For gold nibs figure out the weight and what you could get by scrapping them after deducting the margin and then send me a picture and I'll either buy them or say scrap it all.

[Ron Z]

I agree. A Waterman #7 pink, a Duofold Sr nib, or an OS Balance nib has value on its own. Not so much a Waterman #2 or a Sheaffer 33. The former you hang onto to retip, the later you scrap. In between..... depends on the nib and the pen it goes into.

[welch]

Keep in mind, as well, that a 14k gold nib is about 58% pure. Trade-able gold is about .9950 pure or slightly higher. By "trade-able gold", I mean the gold bars that are traded through the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA), "physical" gold, or through the futures market, which was in New York (COMEX?) when I did a computer system for precious metals about 20 years ago.

 

Current price of gold on the LBMA is about $1,300 an ounce...considering the "fine-ness" of 14k, it will take more than a couple of nibs to get an ounce of $1300 gold.

[Hooker56]

Thanks Todd, Ron, & Welch.

 

I have some Duofold Jrs., but no Srs. (among others).

 

Todd, just so you know, I'm not looking so much for monetary value as whether you can make them usable again.

 

In the next few days I'll get them out and take some pics.