Celluloid Smell = Trouble ?

[siamackz]

My celluloid 149 smells rather strongly of camphor when Inopen the cap. Is this something to worry about? My other celluloid pens dont smell this strong. For now Ive put a piece of microchamber paper rolled up in the cap with the pen. But does this smell mean that some sort of celluloid serious degradation process is underway?

[Cyber6]

My celluloid 149 smells rather strongly of camphor when Inopen the cap. Is this something to worry about? My other celluloid pens dont smell this strong. For now Ive put a piece of microchamber paper rolled up in the cap with the pen. But does this smell mean that some sort of celluloid serious degradation process is underway?

 

 

Nope... nothing wrong. All my vintage celluloid have a strong smell of Camphor. I will say that it depends on the content (or purity) of the celluloid. I have noticed that some celluloid have much less smell. and maybe is a coincidence, but the "less smell " celluloids are usually in more modern pens (my experience only).

 

 

 

C.

[siamackz]

Thats reassuring Cyber6, lets hope the others say the same

[PaulS]

I notice that when I open my drawer of Mentmore f.ps. in particular, there's a faint smell of camphor, though I'm not aware of any problems with these pens, so would agree with Cyber6 that this is nothing to be alarmed about. The smell of camphor is far preferable to the unpleasant smell when I open the drawer of 1950s - 60s Platignum pens - though what exactly causes that I'm not sure - possibly cheap plastic.

[CS388]

Just smelled the caps of my celluloid Meisterstucks and they all have a smell. I'd say: camphor and ink?

Even the 142, which is never inked.

Indeed, all my celluloid pens in use, also have that smell, to some degree.

Sometimes, you have to sniff quite hard to find it.

 

So, I probably wouldn't worry.

 

Celluloid decay is something I've only experienced once, and it had a much stronger smell.

I've never heard tales of celluloid decay in Montblanc pens.

(There's always a first time, of course.)

 

Great pen! Congratulations.

[siamackz]

Thanks for the reassurance,

Phew!

[Honeybadgers]

most of my really old celluloid stuff doesn't smell of camphor, but some does.

Just depends on the batch, celluloid varied by batch to batch, dry times varied, enough variables in there for me not to worry.

Now if it just catches fire spontaneously, then you gots a problem.

[PaulS]

when cleaning the oxidation from a BHR pen, the smell is quite vile at times - on the other hand the smell of camphor when cleaning celluloid can almost be addictive, and I do occasionally breath in quite deeply

[mitto]

 

Paul, how do you clean the oxidation from a BCHR pen?

Edited August 26, 2018 by mitto

[PaulS]

to be truthful Khan - I've done this only rarely, as the job is unpleasant - or the way I do it is. No clever alchemy involved I'm afraid, just old fashioned w. & d. paper in decreasing grit sizes - somewhere around 4000 to 13000 - and finishing with Micro-Gloss liquid abrasive - there are two or three grades in liquid form I think, and they're produced by Micro-Surface Finishing Products in Iowa (States), depends on how shiny you want your pens.

As you'll know there is a proprietary treatment for this BHR oxidation, sold in the Sates, and there have been earlier chats related to that product on FPN - apparently it works well so I'm told - it's down side I believe is the length of time taken to remove the brown surface, and I probably lack the patience.

With my method of w. & d. the obvious problem is loss of imprint, but you can't have it both ways I suppose - either you don't buy pens that show any hint of oxidation or you learn to live with slight discolouration - some folk don't object to this, others want their pens to look beautiful - it's a free world.

Pens from some manufacturers who produced during the first half of the C20 seem more prone to this problem than others - no idea why.

[siamackz]

to be truthful Khan - I've done this only rarely, as the job is unpleasant - or the way I do it is. No clever alchemy involved I'm afraid, just old fashioned w. & d. paper in decreasing grit sizes - somewhere around 4000 to 13000 - and finishing with Micro-Gloss liquid abrasive - there are two or three grades in liquid form I think, and they're produced by Micro-Surface Finishing Products in Iowa (States), depends on how shiny you want your pens.

As you'll know there is a proprietary treatment for this BHR oxidation, sold in the Sates, and there have been earlier chats related to that product on FPN - apparently it works well so I'm told - it's down side I believe is the length of time taken to remove the brown surface, and I probably lack the patience.

With my method of w. & d. the obvious problem is loss of imprint, but you can't have it both ways I suppose - either you don't buy pens that show any hint of oxidation or you learn to live with slight discolouration - some folk don't object to this, others want their pens to look beautiful - it's a free world.

Pens from some manufacturers who produced during the first half of the C20 seem more prone to this problem than others - no idea why.

Ive found that using the hoover product is best for chased hard rubber, it allows you to take off minimal material while keeping the chasing as relatively intact as possible. Many threads on FPN regarding different techniques to restore oxidised HR