What Leather Pen Cases Will Not Tarnish Silver?

[DavidCampen]

I bought a Pelikan leather pen case. I put in it a fountain pen that has silver and gold plate which became badly tarnished. Are there any makes of leather pen cases that will not tarnish silver?

[cattar]

Silver will tarnish with exposure to air.
Regular use and exposure to your hand oils will slow the process. So will placing it in a fabric wrap before putting it in your leather case, or using a fabric lined case (particularly one lined with silvercloth), or leaving it wrapped in silvercloth at home when not in use.
You can rub off the silver and gold plating by being overly concerned and polishing the pen.
Use the pen, let it tarnish.

[my63]

Hi David

I have been making pen cases for some time now I have heard rumours of some cases made in the Far East causing damage to pens but have never had direct contact with anyone who has been effected.

I would appreciate seeing some pictures and will help if possible.

I know that cases made in Europe and the U S have pretty stringent testing

Incidentally I source all of my materials from the UK where certificates of conformity are available in particular the suede which is usually in direct contact with the pens is clothing quality. My own pens have been wrapped in it for many years.

[cattar]

Beautiful work. That red suede makes a lovely lining. Delightful that you show the design and work process.

Edited February 5, 2017 by cattar

[Tweel]

From what I've read, chrome-tanned leather is the culprit, and vegetable-tanned leather won't cause tarnish.

 

I don't know what tanning method was used in their manufacture, but I've had the Pilot Somès box and case covered in this review for something like 4 years and they haven't caused any sort of problems. On the contrary -- the 3-pen case has not only done an excellent job of protecting my pens from any sort of marring, but after being in my jeans pocket on a daily basis for all this time (think about that), the case still looks virtually new! It's definitely expensive, but also seems to be a case of actually getting what you've paid for -- it's really top-quality. This is the maker, BTW.

Edited February 5, 2017 by Tweel

[DavidCampen]

Yes, I have pen collecting Parker 75 Sterling Silver pens for several decades. I am familiar with normal tarnish but the effect of this leather pen case was far beyond anything I have seen before and is not merely the effects of human handling. In fact, the tarnish on the tassie seems to be underneath the gold plate and I sincerely doubt that it will polish out without first removing the gold plate..

Silver will tarnish with exposure to air.
Regular use and exposure to your hand oils will slow the process. So will placing it in a fabric wrap before putting it in your leather case, or using a fabric lined case (particularly one lined with silvercloth), or leaving it wrapped in silvercloth at home when not in use.
You can rub off the silver and gold plating by being overly concerned and polishing the pen.
Use the pen, let it tarnish.

[DavidCampen]

Hi David

I have been making pen cases for some time now I have heard rumours of some cases made in the Far East causing damage to pens but have never had direct contact with anyone who has been effected.

I would appreciate seeing some pictures and will help if possible.

I know that cases made in Europe and the U S have pretty stringent testing

Incidentally I source all of my materials from the UK where certificates of conformity are available in particular the suede which is usually in direct contact with the pens is clothing quality. My own pens have been wrapped in it for many years.

Thank you for this information. I will do some more testing, take some photos and get back to you.

[DavidCampen]

_{I took a new look at the pen that was in the leather case. It was a Parker 75 vermeil. It is actually mostly only the gold plated top ornament (tassie) and gold plated clip that show discoloration, the vermeil body seems ok. I will have to find a piece of sterling silver that I care less about than one of my Parker 75 pens and try placing that inside the pen case in question to see if it will tarnish.}

 

_{The gold plated tassie acuired significant black and multicolor discoloration while in the pen case.}

Edited February 7, 2017 by DavidCampen

[my63]

I am big fan of Parker pens and would not put any of mine in a case I was unsure of either.

Silver will tarnish and turn black over time as Cattar said earlier as Vermeil is the term for silver gilt, gold plating over silver I wonder if it is the silver under the gold plating that is tarnishing.

[Barkingpig]

I assume it is the Sterling trim UNDER the gold plating that is attracting the tarnish; my Delta Dolcevita is a prime example. The cap band is pretty ornate & remains darkened, until I clean it, despite the other trim on the pen retaining it's obvious gold plate sheen.

 

I presume it is a VERY thin gold plating over the sterling band because Sterling Silver flatware has long used Vermeil for portions of the flatware that would be in contact with known tarnish producing foods. I have never seen any old flatware suffer tarnish where vermeil exists, yet this Delta pen is like a magnet.

[EclecticCollector]

From what I've read, chrome-tanned leather is the culprit, and vegetable-tanned leather won't cause tarnish.

 

Montblanc leather goods, including their pen cases, are advertised as chrome-tanned. Should we be concerned?

[my63]

I thought this topic might get around to this point there are two distinct types of leather tanning chrome and veg tanned.

Veg tanned is quite self explanatory. chrome tanning is the chemical variant there are lots of different chromium salts here is a good explanation.

 

http://www.blcleathertech.com/information/chrome-tanning.htm

 

Leathers that have been treated correctly are quite safe for pens if the tannery has cut corners in the process then this is where problems may occur.

Tanneries in Europe and the U S are covered by very strict rules on the chemicals they are allowed to use there are other areas of the world where there are no rules

[Tweel]

Thanks. The page you linked, though, addresses the toxicity to humans of two forms of chromium, but not their effect on metals.

[PaganArcher]

Chrome tanned leather is usually on the acidic end of the scale, somewhere around pH 3.6 - 4. How this effects the speed of oxidation on silver, I'm not sure. I slept through most of chemisty, a decision I regret highly now.

[ArtofEricGunty]

From what I've read, chrome-tanned leather is the culprit, and vegetable-tanned leather won't cause tarnish.

 

I don't know what tanning method was used in their manufacture, but I've had the Pilot Somès box and case covered in this review for something like 4 years and they haven't caused any sort of problems. On the contrary -- the 3-pen case has not only done an excellent job of protecting my pens from any sort of marring, but after being in my jeans pocket on a daily basis for all this time (think about that), the case still looks virtually new! It's definitely expensive, but also seems to be a case of actually getting what you've paid for -- it's really top-quality. This is the maker, BTW.

I've been working with leather for about a year now and I've heard this same complaint about chrome-tanned leather. I make all my products from veg tan leather which also allows me to give each piece a unique look when I hand dye them.