What does celluloid feel like?

[Kabe]

Quite straightforward

[HenryLouis]

intriguing. I too would like to know, as the celluloid M400 costs almost double than the plastic M200.

Quite straightforward

Edited June 12, 2009 by HenryLouis

[grimakis]

It feels a bit like Cellulose Nitrate that has been plasticized using Camphor....

[MidnightBlue]

It feels like all the other plastics that our pens are made of. Someone had a post just recently about "Can you tell the difference in the materials just by touch" I don't think so. I'm a bit over the importance people place on resin, cellulose etc.

Thanks

[Kabe]

I thougth uit would feel softer, rubbery

[MidnightBlue]

I have a number of rubber pens, Edison, Bexley etc and they don't feel remotely rubbery. They feel just like what they are coated with.

Thanks

[Inka]

It feels like plastic, just seems to have a slightly warmer feel to it than typical acrylics, a feeling that's difficult to explain, has to be felt/experienced.

There is a difference in how it "sounds", say if I tap the sides of a celluloid barrel with a pencil and do the same with a similar thickness of acrylic, the celluloid has a deeper, lower tone when struck, if that makes sense.

I'm being 100% serious here, take for example the sound bouncing or thumping a ping-pong ball makes and compare it to the sound an inexpensive acrylic or plastic ball makes [plastics have a higher tone/sound].

There is a difference in how the materials feel, side-by-side, the "ring/tone test" is the most obvious that I've experienced, more than just feel alone.

I hpe that helps, it is hard to describe but the difference is most definitely there when experienced, plus once experienced you know exactly what I mean.

[eric47]

The cellulose nitrate kind feels greasy and feel warm from the get go.

Edited June 12, 2009 by eric47

[errantmarginalia]

It feels like all the other plastics that our pens are made of. Someone had a post just recently about "Can you tell the difference in the materials just by touch" I don't think so. I'm a bit over the importance people place on resin, cellulose etc.

Thanks

 

I have to disagree. I can easily tell the difference between resin and celluloid. For that matter, my Aurora Optima feels completely different from all of my other, "real" celluloid pens. The latter material feels warm, and slightly oily, in a way that other materials don't. Best,

David

[Paddler]

There was a thread about this a few months ago. Someone came up with the information that celluloid makes a characteristic sound when you rub it with your thumb. "Scroop", or some such sound. A search may turn it up. There was more about the feel of it and the camphor smell when you rub it and lots of other arcane and eldritch information.

 

Paddler

 

[MidnightBlue]

The initial post was about how it FEELS , not how it sounds or how many pieces an MB breaks into when it hits the floor.

All the best.

Thanks

[eric47]

There is this thread which mentions the "scroop" test. But it's other plastics that make that sound, not celluloid (cellulose nitrate) because it's greasy.

 

I usually find the camphor smell the strongest when sniffing the inside of the cap after the pen's been sitting around for awhile, not from rubbing it.

 

There was a thread about this a few months ago. Someone came up with the information that celluloid makes a characteristic sound when you rub it with your thumb. "Scroop", or some such sound. A search may turn it up. There was more about the feel of it and the camphor smell when you rub it and lots of other arcane and eldritch information.

 

Paddler

[lapis]

My Aurora Optima (made of Auroloid as a subtitute for celluloid) feels somewhat smoother than all of my other (plastic) pens, but only a very little more smooth. Otherwise no really discernable diff.

 

Cliff

[RsqVet]

Feels like plastic. Slightly less dense plastic perhaps.

 

Various compositions of plastic will feel somewhat different.

 

I will leave all the flowing marketing inspired descriptions of celluloid to those who swear they can hear if their speakers are wired with regular cable or monster "low oxygen / high purity" cable.

[PigRatAndGoat]

Plastic is about all I can say. I don't think it feels all that special, but it is just a very traditional material and that's what makes it special. One practical use for celluloid was that many cool patterns could be made in it easily. Today it can easily be done with acrylics, so there really isn't much more need for celluloid to be used as pen making material.

 

PRAG

[RevAaron]

My Aurora Optima (made of Auroloid as a subtitute for celluloid) feels somewhat smoother than all of my other (plastic) pens, but only a very little more smooth. Otherwise no really discernable diff.

 

That's probably because Aureloide is acrylic, one of the most common plastics used in high-dollar pens.

[errantmarginalia]

Today it can easily be done with acrylics, so there really isn't much more need for celluloid to be used as pen making material.

 

Fair enough, but I've yet to see an acrylic that comes remotely close to replicating the depth and richness of some of the nicer celluloids out there: the Arco, the senape blue, the havana blue, the Impero material, and so forth. Not to mention, of course, the noticeable tactile difference.

 

David

Edited June 13, 2009 by cellulophile

[FrankB]

I agree that celluloid feels like plastic - for a while. It certainly does not have a squishy, soft, rubbery feel. It is firm to the touch. Yet, after a short while in my hand, celluloid has a warm, organic feel that is both apparent and pleasurable. I really can tell the difference, and I love the feel of celluloid.

[RevAaron]

Celluloid is a plastic. A plastic with specific properties. It isn't distilled happiness, but it is an exceptional material for making pens for technical, tactile, and aesthetic reasons. In the end, different people have different preferences- there's no "true" answer to this sort of debate.

 

There are a lot of plastics used in pens. In the hand, I can tell the difference between a lot of them. I don't know the names of many of them, but some I do. How do I tell? A sense of density and hardness of material. It's not a foolproof way to tell, but in the end my own subjective preferences are what determine if I like the material used in a pen, regardless of what the material used actually is.

 

It's hard for me to articulate how the process works for me. Some folks judge how a pen feels by how heavy it is; for me, the properties of the plastic triumphs. I don't really like heavy pens, but I do appreciate pens made with dense plastics. A 15 g pen made of celluloid feels nicer to me than a 20g pen made of a lighter weight resin and a metal plug for weight (modern Meisterstueck, Pelikan M800, many others).

 

* Celluloid: Dense and Soft. The sticky feel of celluloid (call "oily" by someone above) is great. Pens feel like they're hugging my hand, and stay in place even with a really light grip. A celluloid 146 stays in place if I hold it with almost no force around the section; a newer 'precious resin' 146 slides forward, falling out of my hand with the same grip despite a very similar distribution of weight. Great depth of material, even for solid colors. Takes scratches very well.

 

* Cellulose acetate: Dense and semi-soft. Modern replacement for celluloid. Often called "celluloid" by pen sellers and makers. A nice material, has most of the advantages of real celluloid. A bit more brittle, but no reason to reject it.

 

* Acrylic: Semi-dense and semi-soft. A good substitute for celluloid, IMHO. Neat patterns are available, though nothing (IMHO) as cool as the good old days of celluloid. Even solid colors have some of the appealing depth that celluloid has. Has a bit of that sticky feel in the hand.

 

* Polystyrene: Low density and soft. Not so hot. Feels brittle and thin in the hand. Doesn't take damage well, either.

 

* Precious resin: Low density and hard. Lack substance, has no stick, but it can take a shine well. Nice depth. Not scratch resistant, prone to scuffing.

 

* Polycarbonate: Mid-density and hard. Not used all that often, but I like when it is! Black Kaweco Sport Classic, for instance.

 

OK, I'm done. This is getting a bit silly!

 

[Inka]

I've not noticed a "camphor" [as in Grandmas' old moth balls, or urinal cakes?] smell to mine and I have a few pens made of celluloid.

I did, however, notice a smell much like deer antlers have, or fingernails, when they're heated or polished, notice the same smell when polishing celluloid until it gets warmer.

I can definitely feel a difference between my celluloid and acrylic pens, even if others say they cannot.

Even my wife can feel a difference and she's not really into fountain pens at all, only borrows one of mine to sign her greeting cards and fill out the envelope addresses.