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Restoring Oxidised Bhr Body - Done!


siamackz

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I recently bought a beautiful Haro glass nib fountain pen. It was evenly brown when I bought it. See pics below. Then one day I thought I should polish it, so I took out some micromesh and was shocked! The area I tried to polish was turning black! A little research later, I realised that the pen must have originally been black and has oxidised to brown. So, I took on a mission to restore. Here's what I did:

1. Water and 4000 grit micro mesh - I started polishing the body

2. As soon as I started seeing the black come through, I switched to 12,000 grit micro mesh, to smoothen it out for a glossy finish

3. Lastly, I used micro gloss polish to give it the final polish

4. I took out the metal clip and polished with simichrome

5. I used a white wax/china marker to highlight the imprint on the barell (because I like it and it was light)

 

I was conscious to avoid any waxes, etc. that might have chemicals to affect the pen. I used water knowing that rubber doesn't love water, but I figured I didn't have another choice. I used micro gloss (water based) instead of simichrome on the body because I wanted to be very gentle to the rubber and avoid strong chemicals.

 

See before and after pics!

post-132845-0-46250300-1490749177_thumb.jpg

post-132845-0-76598900-1490749203_thumb.jpg

post-132845-0-34907400-1490749222_thumb.jpg

post-132845-0-60085000-1490749239_thumb.jpg

My Vintage Montblanc Website--> link

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I would avoid water in the process. If you need a lubricant try mineral oil.

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I would avoid water in the process. If you need a lubricant try mineral oil.

I have carried out this process on numerous occasions, water always being the lubricant as it cleans off the micromesh readily. Mineral oil would I believe clog the micromesh up and be difficult to clean off.The water is not left on long enough to cause long term damage, that we are aware it can cause to hard rubber

Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge (Charles Darwin)

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Thanks for the encouragement, all! I have a bunch of restoration projects lined up, including a Peter Pan, a few glass nib fountain pens, a Parker 52, 45s, and a few Waterman 52s. I will be seeking advice along the way!

My Vintage Montblanc Website--> link

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Fabulous job. How long did it take from start to finish.

 

David.

Thanks David! Considering it was the first time I did this, I was overly cautious initially - I started with 12000 grit micro mesh. I spent about 3 hours rubbing it over two days! Then I pulled out the 4000 grit, and it took another 2 hours, moving from 4000-6000-12000 and micro gloss. I think if I did another pen today, I'd just take 2 hours in total.

My Vintage Montblanc Website--> link

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Beautiful job!

Regarding the use of water, I've used cold water on a few hard rubber pens and parts, and never saw any negative effect. Hot water, on the other hand, can discolor BHR almost instantly (learned this the hard way :) ).

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Beautiful job!

Regarding the use of water, I've used cold water on a few hard rubber pens and parts, and never saw any negative effect. Hot water, on the other hand, can discolor BHR almost instantly (learned this the hard way :) ).

Thanks, and good to know!

My Vintage Montblanc Website--> link

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