Casein Pen Id

[Le Vieux]

I have acquired recently a pen, part of a job lot, of which I cannot make head nor tail.

 

It is unmarked, without any traces whatsoever of an inscription or model number. Made from what I believe to be casein (smell is a give away), it had a generic nib (warranted iridium thing) and a non ribbed or finned feed. Re the smell, I initially attempted to soak in water for a bit, but noticed a deformation of cap lip and took it out of the water immediately. Stayed overnight in a sealed bag filled with rice. Now everything is all right, only the faintest smell of a chemists cupboard.

 

Under the blind cap, a filling button, made from plastic of some sort. The insides of the body are empty; no traces of a sac or accordion filler. The nib section has slight traces of cement or shellac, where the sac (or accordion) was glued on.

 

The cap sports 3 brass rings (at least appears to be brass), and the clip is made of steel, completely blank, no markings. Am however a bit confused about the brass and steel: would they not be made from the same material? I mean, I usually see brass rings with brass clip, steel rings with steel clip, and so forth.

 

As far as the filling system go, I would believe installing a new accordion sac (assuming this is the right thing to put in) is out of question. Scarce as hen's teeth, from what I gathered around here.

 

It came in a Watermans X-Pen box, in excellent condition. However, it obviously is not such. The pen presented here screams cheap, and because of the casein, I would only assume it is British made or made somewhere in mainland Europe? (this is something I picked up over the internet, Dave Nishimura I believe).

 

Anyone has any idea of what do I have here? Also, how suitable would this pen be to transform it into a, say, eye dropper? Would it swell in contact with the ink inside? Is casein prone to react in contact with ink, in the same way it reacts to water, for instance?

 

Any and all input would be greatly appreciated, thank you!

 

Regards,

 

JT

 

LE - just noticed a faint inscription on the body. It says "INTREPIDE". Perhaps this will help identifying the pen. Although English is not my first language, I know the word in this language is "intrepid", without the "e" on its tail.

 

However, I am a French speaker as well, and the word in French is "intrepide". Basically, both have the same definition. So would this make the pen a French one?

Edited September 27, 2016 by Le Vieux

[T4TEXAS]

I can not help, but that is one beautiful pen.

Edited September 27, 2016 by T4TEXAS

[PaulS]

certainly from what I understand this is very typical of the surface of casein when deterioration sets in........... it's possible the pen has been exposed to excessive heat and light over a longish period of time - and it's a problem that defeats most forms of restorative treatment.

However, according to Oldfield and Marshall, a thorough clean followed by a coat of clear cellulose varnish or thin superglue will seal and bond the surface by filling the cracks and the pen can then be lightly abraded and polished - how successful this is I've no idea, but imagine some improvement is likely. Casein is a natural polymer from rennet and skimmed milk, cured/hardened by formaldehyde treatment.

 

I'd have thought that using the barrel as an eyedropper would have stained/discoloured the casein and would defeat the object of cleaning the outside of the barrel.

Sorry if I'm being thick, but unsure from your wording as to why there are issues in using a standard type of sac attached to the section?

 

I think David N. is a cad if he has indeed suggested that this being of poor quality is an indication of British/Continental manufacture - these Parker collectors are all snobs:):) - am sure most countries have made (bleep) pens at one time or another. Would however agree with you that the word on the barrel does possibly indicate a French origin.

 

Sorry this is all rather unhelpful, and regret can't help with positive id - originally, this would have been an attractive pen.

[Le Vieux]

As I held it and handled it for a good time prior to immerse the pen in the water, I can say with a healthy dose of certainty that after the bath, the pen looked and felt the same as it did prior to the said bath. No change in texture, or appearance.

 

Re David Nishimura, I believe I spotted a paragraph saying that after Parker failed to use casein on a large scale, this substance was retained by England and some other European countries for making pens, undeterred apparently by the Parker decision not to use it. If I am wrong, then probably I have been reading this elsewhere, apologies.

 

Installing a sac would not be impossible of course. However, I am not versed enough as to what would need to be done; the pen was probably designed with this accordion thing in mind. Switching to a sac would be easy, would be hard to do? No idea; as said, I do not possess enough knowledge.

 

Anyways, this discussion has diverted from its initial purpose. My only desire was to find some history behind this object, or anyone who knows what is it , and where from.

 

Thank you!

[PaulS]

the lack of improvement after a simple immersion in water is to be expected - you have to remember that failure of the surface of the casein is a substantial physical deterioration - and although, generally, water does improve the appearance of coloured objects temporarily, the only permanent solution would be to remove at least several microns of the casein. Probably not worth the effort for a cheap pen.

 

Let's hope we haven't libelled David - my comments weren't remotely serious, of course - your pen may well be British or Continental.

 

You don't show a picture of the section, so unsure what you mean when you say 'accordion' - but as you say all that is immaterial - what you need is an id - best of luck.

[grainweevil]

Can't help with the ID I'm afraid, but is there any reason to suppose it's not a button filler that's simply lost its pressure bar?

[Le Vieux]

I only assumed it is an accordion filler, because it doesn't seem to be a large enough space for the bar and sac. But...it is only a guess. It may very well be a button for regular bar filler.

[peterg]

Can't help much but to my eyes it is European, not British or German in origin and made in the late 1940's/ early 1950's and probably a button filler.

 

The name suggests an Italian or French origin.

[rwilsonedn]

Agreed that the inscription suggests a French pen. And to me the threaded section (rather than a press-fit section) suggests a button-filler, in which the end of the pressure bar pushes against the top of the section when it works.

ron