How To Know If A 52 Bchr Has Been Reblackened?

[Ben19]

Hello I would like to know if that pen could have been reblackened. Thank you in advance for your answers.

 

[PaulS]

Very nice Waterman, and love the result of the flex nib. MHO is that there might not be a foolproof way to determine if a pen has been 're-blacked' - though an honest seller should offer that information if asked.

Regret I've no experience of staining a pen which is possibly the process you are discussing, rather than the alternative of removing oxidation to expose the original black. I have tried Mark Hoover's product which works along the lines of removing oxidation from the BHR/Vulcanite, thus helping to expose the original black material, and successive applications of the 'remover' gives good results if you follow the instructions - it can be time consuming though, and your enthusiasm may be proportional to the value of the pen.

Removing oxidation can be unpredictable and isn't guaranteed to eliminate every trace of non-black appearance - I've had good results with Mark's product, but would add that - for obvious reasons - it works better on pens that aren't too heavily oxidized. I have some pens that have been sold to me as 'brown' - which shows how severe oxidation can be.

With this 'removal' approach it might be the case that sometimes it's possible to see a slight difference between the shade of black on the section which has remained hidden by the cap (and often remains pristine), as opposed to the rest of the barrel where the main problem is.

Just my opinion, but it's possible that pens treated by 'removal' might have a slight lustrous appearance, as opposed to a plain shiny look.

 

Are you discussing problems with staining, or removal of oxidation? If the former then hopefully someone here will be able to add more.

 

Your pen 'looks' very good, I'd certainly buy it - I'm seeing a good depth of black, and the chasing also looks to have good depth still.

Edited May 16, 2019 by PaulS

[FarmBoy]

From where did the pen come?

[northlodge]

Rub it with an alcohol wipe,

if it has been re-blackened it will likely remove it.

It will also ruin what looks like a nice pen.

 

I am curious why you suspect it has been re-blackened, I have seen a number of 52's in similar good condition.

[Left FPN]

Is this a pen you are using, a pen you are selling or considering buying.

[Ben19]

Hello, it is a pen I bought to a private collector ten years ago in uk. I have never had any suspicion about the pen was reblanckened, and I sold it in an auction already, the auction winner ask me if the pen has been reblackened, I told him that as far as I know it did not, and I told him that at list I never did that treatment to the pen. then the next day when the pen was delivered, he was complaining abut why he could not take off the barrel from the section nib, if i did glue them, ask me for advice to do that, I suggested a fountain pen pliers, and he said that it has been reblanckned. I just told him what I am sayin here, I asked him why he thought that the pen have been reblackened, and also I told him that if he was unhappy with his purchase just send it back to me and I would pay return delivery cost and of course a full refund with any kind of problem. The think is basicly I am curios about all that stuff now he mentioned it and I have been reading some posts about that subject, because before that, only I heard that some guy made a very good method called G 10 but you had to send the pen to him in order to do that reblacken. My concern is not the guy who bought the pen, as I told I offered him full refund and delivery cost on me with no problem at all, by the way with no answer from him at the moment after a week, my concern, as a collector, is the reblacken subject itself, if I am missing somthing, or something I have to know about all that, because to be honest as far as I know I never have seen or had a pen reblacken. Thank you for your answers.

Edited May 17, 2019 by Ben19

[Left FPN]

The parts were either damaged by the buyer during disassembly thus revealing faded material or once disassembled he/she was able to tell, by hidden parts being brown/green, that it had been blackened.

 

What was the reason for disassembly. Did you sell it as a working pen or one that required attention. After no contact for a week it sounds like he/she has accepted the pen as it is.

 

There have been a few topics on FPN relating to different techniques for this process. IIRC, some were successful and some not.