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Yellow Montblanc Stars Or "50 Shades Of Yellow"...

4810_

By 4810_
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4810_ Dipped Only

4810_

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Hello there,

 

Recently, I do a lot of pen maintenance mostly on vintage Montblancs. With this I realize the different colorations of some of the Montblanc stars on these pens which range from snow white over somewhat yellow to banana yellow. Here is a picture of a 344, a 252 and a 342 - all in different shades of yellow...

 

These pens are otherwise in excellent condition; however, the discolorations are a bummer. A micro mesh treatment and an intensive polish have not shown any results.

 

Does anyone of you have a suggestion on how to "revive" the original white of the stars?

 

Best Greetings!

4810

post-132650-0-26024700-1531423188_thumb.jpg

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Chrissy Museum Piece

Chrissy

Posted
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Whatever it was originally made from has turned yellow with age, and as they are vintage pens this is quite normal. There's no safe way to get it back to bright white, and it might not have started off as bright white anyway. It's best to just look on it as a characteristic of ageing.

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Tom Kellie Donor Pen

Tom Kellie

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Whatever it was originally made from has turned yellow with age, and as they are vintage pens this is quite normal. There's no safe way to get it back to bright white, and it might not have started off as bright white anyway. It's best to just look on it as a characteristic of ageing.

 

~ Chrissy:

 

Most of the Montblanc pens on my writing desk are recent models.

There are a few older pens.

After reading your helpful post above I placed the older pens in order of age plus several newer pens.

What you've mentioned above was clear, as there was a shift in snow star brightness with age.

It's 5 am here so insufficient light for a natural light photograph.

I may work on an image showing the aging. It will be anecdotal evidence from a non-representative sample, but perhaps useful for comparison purposes.

Thank you for your helpful comment.

Tom K.

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CS388 Antique

CS388

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Posted (edited)

 

Does anyone of you have a suggestion on how to "revive" the original white of the stars?

 

I don't think it can be done. As far as I understand it, it's not the surface which has yellowed, it's the whole thing?

I'm sure I saw a thread in this forum once, in which the caesin snowcap of a cap was replaced with a newly made one, so that's a possibility.

 

It's a personal choice, of course. I like the aged/yellowed look of the snowcaps on the vintage pens.

 

Good luck

Edited by CS388
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penparadise Collectors Item

penparadise

Posted
Posted

Whatever it was originally made from has turned yellow with age, and as they are vintage pens this is quite normal. There's no safe way to get it back to bright white, and it might not have started off as bright white anyway. It's best to just look on it as a characteristic of ageing.

 

+ 1

I used to have black hair, now it's silver. Do I dye my hair? No, why should I.

Axel

Montblanc collector since 1968. Former owner of the Montblanc Boutique Bremen, retired 2007 and sold it.
Collecting Montblanc safeties, eyedroppers, lever fillers, button fillers, compressors - all from 1908 - 1929,
Montblanc ephemera and paraphernalia from 1908 to 1929,
Montblanc Meisterstück from 1924 up to the 50s,
Montblanc special and limited editions from 1991 to 2006
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Azuniga Vintage

Azuniga

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Reading this post I wondered; Why Ivory or Casein, materials originally used by Montblanc should look as white as the material (what ever it is) used by Montblanc today ?

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SpecTP Collectors Item

SpecTP

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Reading this post I wondered; Why Ivory or Casein, materials originally used by Montblanc should look as white as the material (what ever it is) used by Montblanc today ?

polymers (plastic, resins, etc..) are susceptible to UV exposure and will yellow over time.

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Tom Kellie Donor Pen

Tom Kellie

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fpn_1531444290__snow_stars_in_white.jpg



Snow Stars in Shades of White




~ The approximate age of the pen caps shown above, from left to right is:



1. Late 1950s


2. Mid-1940s


3. 1967


4. 1970


5. 2000


6. 2001


7. 2015


8. 2016



Tom K.


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KJY Vintage

KJY

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Isn't this called patina?

Like with vintage watches this is the premium where people pays for?

I think it gives great character to the pen.

 

Like some writers editions where the star isn't bright white but a bit off white that MB did on purpose.

My preferred supplier (no affiliation just a very happy customer):

Appelboom

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KJY Vintage

KJY

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Here is a pic of some writers and vintage pens. I think it is just wonderful to have various white in my penholder.

 

post-44576-0-73751700-1531481527_thumb.jpg

My preferred supplier (no affiliation just a very happy customer):

Appelboom

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Tom Kellie Donor Pen

Tom Kellie

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Here is a pic of some writers and vintage pens. I think it is just wonderful to have various white in my penholder.

 

 

~ KJY:

 

Yes, the variety of colors is a delight to see.

I like the photo you posted as the pens show character.

May I please ask what is the small pen at the very bottom, between two diamonds?

Tom K.

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KJY Vintage

KJY

Posted
Posted

 

~ KJY:

 

Yes, the variety of colors is a delight to see.

I like the photo you posted as the pens show character.

May I please ask what is the small pen at the very bottom, between two diamonds?

Tom K.

 

Hi Tom,

 

Thank you for your comment.

I dont remember it now. It could be a 234 1/2 or 134.

My preferred supplier (no affiliation just a very happy customer):

Appelboom

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Rosetta59 Mint

Rosetta59

Posted
Posted

"Does anyone of you have a suggestion on how to "revive" the original white of the stars?"

Please, dont' do this ! Please !!

Retain the old patina, retain it !

This is the pleasure to have vintage objects...

:P

 

Greetings from Italy to you all !!

;)

 

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4810_ Dipped Only

4810_

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Posted (edited)

"Does anyone of you have a suggestion on how to "revive" the original white of the stars?"

Please, dont' do this ! Please !!

Retain the old patina, retain it !

This is the pleasure to have vintage objects...

:P

 

 

Ok, I see, there are some vintage purists here :D! Well, I find pleasure in getting life back into dirty, filthy, sticky, dried out, scratched and otherwise neglected Montblancs. Thus, I work with the objective of getting the product back to "as new" or at least "real good".

 

Maybe you are right, maybe I should allow the stars to age...doesn't seem to that we find an easy solution anyway :lol:...

 

Thanks to all for your replies!

Edited by 4810_
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1nkulus Collectors Item

1nkulus

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I confess I like the yellowing, especially when it goes to a deep ivory colour.

 

It's best to just look on it as a characteristic of ageing.

+1

 

The beauty of aging.

Engineer :

Someone who does precision guesswork based on unreliable data provided by those of questionable knowledge.

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Tom Kellie Donor Pen

Tom Kellie

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Maybe you are right, maybe I should allow the stars to age...doesn't seem to that we find an easy solution anyway :lol:...

 

~ 4810_:

 

This is what Hollywood film studio executives have said to each other for decades.

Tom K.

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Ghost Plane Ancient Artifact

Ghost Plane

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Posted

Consider it a sign of value. Users like me immediately gravitate to the aged stars knowing they’re often indicia of fabulous nibs. I’d grab a discolored star first just to see what nib it had.

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1nkulus Collectors Item

1nkulus

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I’d grab a discolored star first just to see what nib it had.

 

Not if I can get my grubby paws in first. :lol:

Engineer :

Someone who does precision guesswork based on unreliable data provided by those of questionable knowledge.

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