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The gold plating is coming off !


Underskoterskan

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Lads and ladies !

 

The goldplating on my M200 nib is coming off. I noticed it when cleaning the pen earlier today, the silverish steel is becoming more and more visible and now you can see the that the plating has disappeared at the breather hole and along the slit down to the tip. I've been using this pen more or less on a daily basis for several years now and it has always been inked with "friendly" inks such as Waterman Blue-Black/Florida Blue or Pelikan 4001 Köningsblau.

 

I don't think it really matters when it comes to the function of the pen, it's after all relatively new and advances in modern metallurgy makes me think that the risk of rust is rather non-existant so it's merely a question of aesthetics in my humble opinion. I have several other M200s, and a bunch of pens in the M400-M800 range aswell but this particular pen is...well, it's special. :embarrassed_smile: It was my first "real" pen, once given to me as a gift in high-school. Has this happened to any of you fellow FPNers aswell ? I assume the gold plating must be very, very thin on the M200.

 

Regards

Undersköterskan

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It does happen sometimes. Bear in mind the M200 nib can be replaced, new, for a whopping $25.

 

I'd say, continue to enjoy your fine writer.

"how do I know what I think until I write it down?"

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I have an old style M200 (pre 1989) with the same issue and it writes absolutely fantastic. I believe this is a cosmetic issue only, and I don't think yours is an isolated case, especially if it has had a lot of use over the years.

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I have an old style M200 (pre 1989) with the same issue and it writes absolutely fantastic. I believe this is a cosmetic issue only, and I don't think yours is an isolated case, especially if it has had a lot of use over the years.

 

I experience the same with my M150. Like Penfisher's M200 it is Pre 1989 and writes like a dream. I believe it might be the best nib I've ever tried, which is a bit ironic since it looks very much like a ragged leopard. :)

*****the dandelion blog is right here*****

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Have two of them as well. Those are old, pre 97 nibs and write perfectly.

The new nib that has not been used much does look great but writes not as good as the old nibs .....

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Think of "brassing," i.e., the wearing off of plating and/or paint to the point where the base metal is exposed, as a badge of honor. I think that's the way most photographers think of it.

 

Your pen is developing character. As well as proof that it's being used as a working pen, not as a museum exhibit or a piece of jewelry.

--

James H. H. Lampert

Professional Dilettante

 

Posted Image was once a bottle of ink

Inky, Dinky, Thinky, Inky,

Blacky minky, Bottle of ink! -- Edward Lear

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Consider it as a battle scar in the years of dedicated service......... Be proud of it.

 

It happened to my gold plated pen of 8years in writing service and still active. Every pen has it's story.... well, with my pens. :)

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Think of "brassing," i.e., the wearing off of plating and/or paint to the point where the base metal is exposed, as a badge of honor. I think that's the way most photographers think of it. Your pen is developing character.

 

 

Consider it as a battle scar in the years of dedicated service......... Be proud of it.

 

Stunning replies ! Almost poetical ! :blush: And such a wonderful way of looking at it. Thank you, gentlemen !

 

Regards

Undersköterskan

 

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Stunning replies ! Almost poetical ! And such a wonderful way of looking at it. Thank you, gentlemen !

We aim to please.

 

And anybody looking at the pens in my pocket can tell their relative age, and how heavily they're used: the blue M200, with the blue ink, has the most brassing, scarring, and wear; the black/charcoal M150, with the black ink, has only slight brassing; the red demo M200 and the green M200 (red and green inks, respectively) look almost brand new.

 

Take pride in the fact that your fountain pens aren't just for show!

 

 

--

James H. H. Lampert

Professional Dilettante

 

Posted Image was once a bottle of ink

Inky, Dinky, Thinky, Inky,

Blacky minky, Bottle of ink! -- Edward Lear

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People get so uptight with fountain pens, if you use your fountain pens as something more than a desk beauty queen, then it is inevitable that your FP will end up with wear and tear.

 

Brassing adds character. It shows that your FP is a well loved an well used pen. Your Pelikan should last you at least 2 decades, maybe more. The light scratches or brassing are inevitable after years of use and add to the mystery and character of a pen. Enjoy it and use it! :thumbup:

Ball-point pens are only good for filling out forms on a plane.

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The gold plating on my 120 has worn off but now it matches the sterling cap dome i made to replace the plastic one that broke. I've never had a 150 or 200 and don't really like the 400. I got the 120 in the '70's, put it away for several years and recently started using it again. I had forgot what a nice pen it is.

 

 

And the end of all our exploring

Will be to arrive where we started

And know the place for the first time. TS Eliot

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Yesterday some nibs came back from Pelikan. And my old M200 that I have for at least 20 years. The barrel had a small crack and I had asked if it is worth a repair. Pen came back with a completely new body.

 

Now I have a strange problem: brand new body with worn cap and a nib that looks closer to plain metal than goldplated :hmm1: Maybe I should get the pen a nicer cap and screw a gold nib into the body ....

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Yesterday some nibs came back from Pelikan. And my old M200 that I have for at least 20 years. The barrel had a small crack and I had asked if it is worth a repair. Pen came back with a completely new body.

 

Now I have a strange problem: brand new body with worn cap and a nib that looks closer to plain metal than goldplated :hmm1: Maybe I should get the pen a nicer cap and screw a gold nib into the body ....

 

Don't do it, piembi :) Over the period of 20 years, the nib should have accustomed to your style of writing. I bet that a new nib, though nicer, wouldn't be such a "nice" nib.

 

Regards,

gyrosan

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  • 6 years later...

I know it's an old thread, but thought I would add my experience: the gold plating on my Pelikan M200 (F) came off---completely---within about a month and a half. Still writes fine of course, but felt a little cheated. I was using Waterman Intense Black. I now steer clear of plated nibs, and am happy with steel.

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With plating, it is critical that the bonding be good.

I have completely deplated gold plated nibs in an ultrasonic cleaner. And NO the nib was not touching the side of the USC, I was holding pen pen so that the nib, feed and section were in the cleaning solution.

San Francisco Pen Show - August 28-30, 2020 - Redwood City, California

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This is a common problem with the M200 series. From experience, it wont affect function, some people would even say it adds flair to the pen as being well used. I personally do not like gold plated nibs. I would like to have either a steel one with no plating, or a gold one. Thats why the 205 has become my favourite pen from the 20x series. it also matches nicely with bigger brother, M805 Black.

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If you look to the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi you can better appreciate the trend of these objects gracefully showing their age.

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If you look to the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi you can better appreciate the trend of these objects gracefully showing their age.

Some pens are very conducive to this aesthetics; they wear well, like good denim. Pelikan is one of the few pens that have that quality, which makes them so collectible!

"If you can spend a perfectly useless afternoon in a perfectly useless manner, you have learned how to live."

– Lin Yu-T'ang

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When this happened on my M200 I just polished all the gold off and I now mainly use it in my Pels with silver coloured trim .

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