M800 Woes...

[praxim]

Sometimes, threads get a life of their own, until we just watch them make their own way in the world while hoping for the best.

 

In more practical terms, I have yet to see a thread closed because it was "finished" rather than to cut off overly-vigorous contention which grew on it, and that is up to moderators' judgements.

[minddance]

Wax your pens.

 

Wax your pens to prevent mars.

Or be happy with pens too big to post....and forget the word balance.

What do you wax your pens with?

[Bo Bo Olson]

A carnauba car wax will do the job. If it dulls after a while a flannel cloth will bring back the shine. It takes quite a while to have to re-wax a pen.

 

Don't use car polish....two different animals.

 

Folks use to recommend Renaissance wax, used until recently in museums, but that wax has caused problems. There was a big surge of when that came out, here on the com.

Edited November 2, 2017 by Bo Bo Olson

[Erik Dalton]

What do you wax your pens with?

Oh boy...you opened a pandoras box with that one.🙃 we debate this all the time. Im still using Renaissance wax, but moving toward pure Carnuba Wax instead.

I dont believe waxing will prevent indentations in the barrel on all pens. Sometimes the resin of the barrel is just not hard enough to fend off scratches and indentations from the threads of the cap.

 

I confess to having a thing for Both Tortoise, and Burgundy Pens. The photos below are of my all time favorite pen. Its a special edition Sailor 1911 Tortoise, with a broad nib. I also have a twin which is pristine with no damage.

I bought this one used. Writing with it is near orgasmic..lol..The resin warms to your hand and actually feels as though its holding onto your skin.

Here are some photos showing how somebody abused an absolutely beautiful pen. The indentations are deep in the barrel. Ive tried to polish them out, but they are just too deep.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Semi-Chrome will finger polish that out.

There is something called Ner...something, that comes in three grades, used to polish jet fighter plexiglass domes that is well liked by many.

Perhaps you might want to run a bit of micro-mesh around the inside of that cap.

 

Well, I don't go for the brand new look when finger polishing with Semi-Chrome...in I'm lazy and a well maintained look does for me with vintage pens.

Most of my pens are old....and therefor cheaper.

They did often enough need a touch of polish, but that is expected in 50 year and older pens, that sat in the dark of a drawer for a generation or three.

[Erik Dalton]

BoBo,

My objective here was to show that not all plastic, resins, or ebonite pen bodies should be posted. You need to know your pen. This one is a special edition. You can’t go out and buy another. Scars like the ones on this pen would not occur on most standard Sailor resin pens. My personal preference, is not to post at all.

I’ve used pen polish, and wet micromesh. The grooves from the cap threads are so deep into the resin that it would create an even greater divot in the barrel In order to smooth them out.

 

It’s an older pen that I love and use regularly. I would never have disfigured it like this. But, It is, what it is... A scarred veteran with smile lines from a life of writing fun.

[Bo Bo Olson]

The main thing is good balance and a nib you enjoy....as with any pen.

[minddance]

Thank you for the replies, I shall have fun waxing my pens.

[Kalessin]

Novus Plastic Polish is the one that comes in three grades. All polishes are abrasives, so be careful.

Novus #3 is for very deep scratches. Use with caution on any fine writing instrument. I used it to polish scratches out of my motorcycle windshield.

 

Novus #2 is gentler, and I've used it occasionally on pens.

 

Novus #1 is not abrasive, it's a cleaner and adds a bit of shine if used as a final step.

[Calabria]

For what it's worth, I'm often unhappy with a new pen but after a few weeks or months get really attached to it. I don't know the reason for this other than perfection being a state of mind.

 

That said, I wouldn't consider using an M800 for daily note taking at a conference; it just takes up too much space (in my mind?). I'd probably go for a much cheaper pen like a Safari. Otherwise, I agree with what everybody else says about the threads and posting.