Looking For A 1St Gen Doric Cap In Morocco Material

[cunim]

I have a lovely flex Morocco Doric that lost the end of its cap because of crystallization. Anyone got a spare cap or a parts pen?

[sidthecat]

Do you have any idea of the size? I’d sell you one but it has the same problem.

 

Let me suggest you reach out to Syd Saperstein - he’s working the LA Pen Show this weekend but he’s the go-to gent regarding W.E. pens.

[cunim]

Do you have any idea of the size? I’d sell you one but it has the same problem.

 

Let me suggest you reach out to Syd Saperstein - he’s working the LA Pen Show this weekend but he’s the go-to gent regarding W.E. pens.

 

This is the large Doric, 14.5 cm capped. The cap is about 68 mm from lip to end. This is a nice pen and nib from Mauricio Aguilar. Certainly worth some expense to set it right. Good idea about Syd.

 

I attach a sad picture. From my limited reading about Doric rot, the cap end is the most susceptible spot. Odd really. There is no obvious rot elsewhere on the pen, just that cap end. I got the pen a week ago and noticed a cloudy crystallized area with a very fine crack bounding it. Needed a magnifier to really make out the crack and the material seemed stable, so I hoped for the best. Then the pen fell from a side table onto the floor. The dog's fault! Bad, bad dog. Not even a sympathetic whimper as he walked away.

 

I suspect this minor fall would not have made any impression on a solid pen, but the rotted area shattered. Sob.

 

[sidthecat]

My deepest sympathies. That's a heartbreaking picture.

[pitonyak]

Now that is highly disturbing. I would be very very sad.

[Polanova]

Some of these colored Dorics will be be soon among the rarest pens given the fact how many are starting to disintegrate My condolences

As some discoloration at the cap`s end is highly suggestive of the first stages of celluloid desease, I find it a bit disconcerting that it was sold to you by a professional seller!

Best to post a picture of the other end of the pen, as it seems likely that the celluloid there is affected as well. Please do so to make sure before hunting down a spare cap. Because if it also shows signs of celluloid rot, it should NOT be put together with other celluloid pens (contagious!) & in that case it`d be best to buy a complete pen and just keep the metal parts.

[Polanova]

addendum:

Hope you got a good discount on this pen as the problem with some Dorics is very well known-

One cannot be too paranoid about these pens. To illustrate my point, here is a pic from ebay - condition looks alright to most people but if you know what you`re looking at you can clearly tell that the pen on the left shows those maleficious first stages of crystallization:

 

 

 

 

[Gloucesterman]

I believe there is another term for this condition. It's called crazing and is contagious to other celluloid pens when stored together in a more confined environment.

 

As for a personal experience, I had a beautiful green one with an awesome flex nib. I sold it to a very pen knowledgeable friend who understood the condition better than I did.

 

Although I lost money on the deal overall we were both satisfied with the results. (I think he had another cap that was in good condition).

 

I have seen a number of Dorics with the "crazing" condition on ebay. Most of the time they are represented by the seller in a way which does not recognize or mention the crazing condition or its implications. Once again one should be aware of the term - caveat emptor, "let the buyer beware.

 

Sincere sadness for the condition of your pen.

[cunim]

Thanks for all the kind comments and sympathy. This pen was provided by a reputable seller, who made no mention of the rot. Was that ideal? No, and I will be more careful in the future. I am finding that seller's descriptions rarely match what you get - see my next post in this forum. I guess the pen market is like any other and caveat emptor is the order of the day.

 

I don't blame the seller in this case. He priced the pen in accordance with its overall condition. It was expensive, but I expect it would have been more without the rot. I should have been more careful in asking about condition and about selecting a material that is more stable than the Morocco. I certainly should have been more careful to avoid dropping the pen.

 

It is not a big thing. My interest centers on the flex nib and on using that. The shattered area does not affect that use and, at some point, I will have a new cap end made. Won't be original but it will work fine. In the meantime, I can keep looking for a cap or a replacement body to swap the nib into.

[penjog]

hello,

 

I own serveral Celluloid - Dorics. They are intact.

 

But one, a Doric Morocco, (only) the cap end has crystallized. It could be repaired.

But do I really have to keep the fountain pen from now on separate from others? Which gas evaporates there (camphor, which makes the mass moldable?) and why should this affect the other celluloid fillers?

Is there a chemical explanation?

 

Hansjürgen

[sidthecat]

I have a Morocco ringtop with one ugly spot of discoloration. I look at it periodically to see if it’s spread.