Two Tone Replating: Methods And Morals

[Ryuluce]

Okay, whoo boy, I'm probably going to open a controversial can of worms here.

So I want to talk a bit about the methods and morals of replating nibs on vintage pens. And specifically, I want to focus on two-tone nibs. I'll start with the more straightforward question: how to go about it.

I think there are probably four main materials that would be plated on old pens, rhodium, platinum, palladium, and gold? That's at least what I've seen thrown about. I personally haven't come across silver being mentioned as much. The main two I'm interested in are platinum and palladium, because those are what I want to replate the most. There are two stories to this:

 

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Sheaffer Tuckaway Sentinel in Carmine:

I bought an old Tuckaway where the distal white metal plating on the two-tone was extremely darkened/tarnished. I barely *touched* it with some light polishing compound, and well, it took it down to the gold immediately. (I should note that I *did* attempt to clean it thoroughly first) I left it at that, but now there's what I find to be an ugly spot of yellow on the nib, and the rest is still very tarnished looking. From what I read online, I'm under the impression that the distal plating on the triumph nib is palladium. In this case, I want to restore the distal palladium plating on a Sheaffer two-tone Triumph nib.

 

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Parker Parkette DeLuxe type 1A in Red Pearl:

When I bought this Parkette, the nib was covered in some kind of crud. The thick junk took a lot of work to clean off. Afterwards, the also was shown to be heavily scratched and the surface finish rough. This was before the Sheaffer Tuckaway, and so I mistakenly went to polish it immediately. The nib on this Parkette is one of the two-tone gold with proximal platinum plating (so the tines look gold). The platinum is almost entirely gone, leaving the nib chiefly looking gold.

 

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So I want to know how to replate the palladium on a Triumph nib, and the platinum on a Parkette nib. I had looked at a "pen plating" station like this one: https://pepetools.com/products/digital-pen-plating-station-3-pen , but neither palladium nor platinum are listed as materials that can be plated with it (it mentions *onto* platinum, but not platinum as the coating). I also have some other concerns:

• What would be the most advisable masking system to make sure the line between the tones is kept clean?
• What chemicals are needed? (In particular, for palladium and platinum, as mentioned)
• For distal plating, like the Triumph, what are the risks to the slit? Do I have to worry about sealing up or otherwise ruining the nib? (this is my biggest fear)
• And are there some other complications I am not considering?

 

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Now for the real controversy: the "moral" aspect.

First of all, I want to say this, I am aware some people say they prefer the patina or tarnished look on these vintage pens. I personally do not. I want the pen to have the same shine and look it would've had when it was made. I do not want to discuss that preference in this thread, because I think that's another topic.

No, what I want to cover more is the kind of "ethic" of replating when the plating is gone, especially on high-profile vintage pens like this. Is it better to leave a pen with the plating mistakenly removed than replated? Is that, in a way, "modifying" the pen beyond what it originally was? Is it no longer "restoration"?

Now, I guess for my personal satisfaction... it doesn't really matter. If I want to replate my pen for myself so I'm happy, that's my own prerogative. I do think I want to fix some of the bad cases of missing plating I have, just to make myself happier, no matter if it is "wrong". But I was just thinking about whether or not replating somehow crosses some line for restoration work. (I know gold-filled is more controversial since it's different than plating, but I'm specifically talking about worn-out plating here)

... and maybe I'm just over thinking this whole "moral" angle.

Edited October 14, 2019 by Ryuluce

[siamackz]

By re-plating you arent weakening or reducing the material in any way to affect its longevity significantly. So, Id say its a rather fair restoration. Its not like polishing barrels to make them super shiny while taking off material.

 

About plating different metals, I remember reading that different metals might require different plating pen attachments and voltages. Im not sure. You will probably want to look it up online. I would just pick one of those white metal solutions and use the same. IIRC palladium is easy to find and plate with.

 

All the best!

[Bibliophage]

One issue with plating is that some metals require _other_ metals before you can plate. For example, you can't chrome plate steel. You have to copper plate the steel, then chrome plate the copper.

 

I'd strongly recommend just having a custom jeweler do the replating for you. They already have the materials, the equipment, and the expertise. Many of the plating chemicals are controlled. (cyanide, for one)

[FarmBoy]

Seems it would be rather easy to replace either of these particular nibs.

 

For loose nibs mask the area to be left unplanted and bath plate. Id be inclined to vapor deposit the metal but that isnt something you do at home.

Edited October 14, 2019 by FarmBoy

[Ryuluce]

Now, I already knew there were some complications to certain plating scenarios, such as the need for a preliminary plate (in the case of Chrome) or dangerous chemicals (such as Cyanide and - some - Gold plating). To address both: as far as I'm aware, Palladium and Platinum can go directly on Gold. And when it comes to the chemicals... well I don't know, and that's one thing I was wondering. I did find listings online from "gold-plating-kits.co.uk" for both Palladium and Platinum solutions, but this is something I'm not too familiar with. I don't know what are in these solutions.

But, I will consider the advice of looking at a professional service. I do plan to contact some local jewelry stores and seeing if any might offer plating services. That still, however, leaves one question I want to re-emphasize:

What are the risks to the nib for distal plating? Are there any?

I'm wondering if plating directly onto the end of the nib could either A) create bridges of plated metal between the two tines or disrupt the surface of the inside of the slit, thus effecting flow. Are there any procedures - such as placing an insulating sheet of some material in the slit of the nib prior to plating - that need to be considered?

Has anyone done distal replating of a nib and can comment on if it made a difference to how it writes?

[Ron Z]

I regularly do plating and replating. Nib plating is done with rhodium, rather than platinum or palladium. Not all solutions are equal though. I had one that gave a bright finish, but it reacted with ink and left a black line down the slit. The stuff I use now works very well, a little darker than the other stuff, but plays well with ink. I've been using it for about 5 years now with excellent results.

 

You can plate gold directly over chrome or stainless if you have the right solution. I've been experimenting with it, and the results are quite good, and it seems to hold up well. I've used it on both chrome plated trim and nibs.

 

There are cyanide free solutions, though the cyanide seems be more common, and to work better.

 

The plating is not heavy enough to bridge the gap in the tines, nor does it introduce any flow problems. Sheaffer used to advertise that their palladium plated nibs had better flow characteristics. I don't know if it does or not.

[Addertooth]

To answer your question about masking, you have several good choices. Depending upon your plating temperature, colored wax can work rather well, as it makes it obvious where the plating will be blocked. Higher temperature plating solutions can melt lower temperature waxes. Clear nail polish can be used in a bind, and then nail polish remover can remove that resist after the plating process is complete. To go super fancy, Kodak KPR-4 photo coat is a photoreactive resist, which allows you to do complex and intricate resist work, most commonly seen in small pitch (smaller than 1/2mm pitch electronic circuit boards). You can also gain additional control by doing "brush plating" as versus "bath (or immersion)" plating. I agree that bridging of the two tines are extremenly unlikely, but if you still harbor concerns, then a thin piece of non-conductive material "flossed" between the tines will make an bridging completely impossible.

 

As for scary cyanide... there are many places which specialize in selling solutions which have no cyanide in them... they are easy to find. Your positive plate/rod/paddle will need to be monitored to make sure it has not etched through its coatings (if you are plating without a donor material), as once it gets through the coating, your solution will become contaminated and need replacement. This is one of the challenges of the Becker kits.

 

Also, plate longer than the minimum suggested, as you may wish to polish the nib again in a few years.... you will want the coating fairly thick.

[Ryuluce]

Update to my situation:

I've talked to multiple jewelers that are local, and have gotten nothing but big fat "no"s from them all. Most of the time it was "We don't do that"/"We don't work on fountain pens". However, one jeweler did explain that he doesn't plate thick enough for that purpose. He said he'd done it (or maybe something like it) once before, and by like the next day the new plating was already wearing off. None of the other jewelers said why they couldn't do it.

 

Also, none of them could name anywhere locally where I could get it done.

 

Frankly, I really don't want to send these off to a specialist online. I want to either do it locally or do it myself. I'm planning on looking a bit more around for a place that might do it, but I'm not confident.

 

Since one jeweler did explain why he wouldn't do it, I would like to ask a new question:

 

How thick a coating do I need? I understand "fairly thick" to mean thicker than normal compared to most jewelry, but are there some numbers that can be put to it? I don't know how jewelers express plating depth, but with whoever I ask next, I want to be able to convey what I'm looking for better. Plus, if the plating needs to be thicker than normal, I don't want to get it plated by a jeweler and it be to thin and wear off quickly. I'd rather risk knowing the plating I need and have no jewelers be willing to do the job than risk paying for a plating that won't last.

[Bibliophage]

I only know one jeweler in Houston that would probably do it. However, plating is often measured in microns. You probably need at least a mil. (thousanth of an inch)

[Ron Z]

I only know one jeweler in Houston that would probably do it. However, plating is often measured in microns. You probably need at least a mil. (thousanth of an inch)

 

The unit of measure is in microns - a thousandth of an inch would be too thick - and expensive. Most of the replating done is in the lower micron range. The plating on a nib does not have to be very thick to be effective. The rhodium solution is pretty wear resistant. I often test my work on a pen that I carry. I have a Pilot VP nib that I plated, and have been carrying for the last 5 years without noticeable wear, as well as some Lamy VP nibs.

 

This article may be useful....

 

According to the article even gold electroplate is only 0.175 microns.

 

FTC classification:

Gold Flash (10 kt.) = 7.0 micro-inches .175 microns Gold Electroplate = 7.0 micro-inches .175 microns Gold Plate = 20 micro-inches .50 microns Heavy Gold Plate = 100 micro-inches 2.5 microns