How long will gold plating last?

[Koyote]

Hi all. First post, so please be gentle.

 

Am thinking about buying a Sheaffer Legacy Heritage with 22kt gold plating - body is brushed finish, trim is shiny. I have read that gold plate is one of the least durable finishes - but since I have not owned such a pen before, I am wondering HOW durable (or un-durable?) it will be?

 

This pen will be a daily user. I'm looking forward to your input. Thanks, all...

[jar]

Generally the plating on a Sheaffer lasts a long time, but it can wear through. Under normal usage I would doubt that will happen in your lifetime.

[ToasterPastry]

It all depends on how long the part was plated, i.e. how many microns thick the plating was applied. I have some 70-year-old pens that look like they came off the show-room floor. On the other hand, I once bought a brand new Sensa Meridan where the gold plating came off within the first 15-minutes of me handling the pen. I hate to say your mileage may vary, but YMMV.

[Koyote]

It all depends on how long the part was plated, i.e. how many microns thick the plating was applied. I have some 70-year-old pens that look like they came off the show-room floor. On the other hand, I once bought a brand new Sensa Meridan where the gold plating came off within the first 15-minutes of me handling the pen. I hate to say your mileage may vary, but YMMV.

 

Yes, I know that the answer is largely that "it depends." I guess I am looking for people's experiences, like your input above, so thank you.

 

The pens (I ordered two, they are on the way) are the Legacy Heritage Rollerballs in gold plate, and they were only $49 each (don't know why they were so cheap, but Amazon pricing is sometimes idiosyncratic), so I suppose I shouldn't worry much about longevity.

[jar]

It all depends on how long the part was plated, i.e. how many microns thick the plating was applied. I have some 70-year-old pens that look like they came off the show-room floor. On the other hand, I once bought a brand new Sensa Meridan where the gold plating came off within the first 15-minutes of me handling the pen. I hate to say your mileage may vary, but YMMV.

 

Yes, I know that the answer is largely that "it depends." I guess I am looking for people's experiences, like your input above, so thank you.

 

The pens (I ordered two, they are on the way) are the Legacy Heritage Rollerballs in gold plate, and they were only $49 each (don't know why they were so cheap, but Amazon pricing is sometimes idiosyncratic), so I suppose I shouldn't worry much about longevity.

 

If it makes any difference I have several Sheaffer gold plated pens that are 40-60 years old and look great. I also have many Sheaffer pens with gold plated furniture and trim, some over 70 years old and the plated parts still look great. Some others from the same period do show brassing so it does wear away over time.

[Chris]

Welcome to a place where so many experts freely provide their help and advice to people like me!

 

Indeed, with a good quality pen like Sheaffer, I would say that unless you maltreat your pen (by rough handling and so on) the plating will last so long that you will never give it further thought.

 

Chris

[Juan in Andalucia]

It seems goldplating last longer than goldfilling.

 

I think that with some care it should outlive the most optimistic fp user.

 

Juan

[cuza]

It seems goldplating last longer than goldfilling.

 

I think that with some care it should outlive the most optimistic fp user.

 

Juan

 

 

 

---------

Actually, gold-filled is a "better" process since plating can be done in terms of molecules of thickness. I've have lost the plating on a nib in the ultrasonic. It simply washed off because it was so thin.

 

Generally, older nibs will have a much thicker plate than most current nibs. Gold-plate is created using an electro-chemical processes. Gold-filled, or gold-overlay, is created by heat-and-pressure-bonding a thin layer of gold to the surface.

 

In any case, gold-filled is a much more durable product than gold-plate. Google "gold plated" versus "gold filled" for a full explanation.

 

-- cuza

[offbase]

It seems goldplating last longer than goldfilling.

 

I think that with some care it should outlive the most optimistic fp user.

 

Juan

 

 

 

---------

Actually, gold-filled is a "better" process since plating can be done in terms of molecules of thickness. I've have lost the plating on a nib in the ultrasonic. It simply washed off because it was so thin.

 

Generally, older nibs will have a much thicker plate than most current nibs. Gold-plate is created using an electro-chemical processes. Gold-filled, or gold-overlay, is created by heat-and-pressure-bonding a thin layer of gold to the surface.

 

In any case, gold-filled is a much more durable product than gold-plate. Google "gold plated" versus "gold filled" for a full explanation.

 

-- cuza

 

I agree. You can actuallly scratch old gold plating and often not get down to the base metal. I had a 1920's Wahl Gold Fill pen that despite prominent posting marks could not be told from perfect, 10k gold. I would much rather see gold fill than plating on modern pens, but it's much more expensive, both in terms of material cost and in the cost of production, as gold filling is a much more arduous process.

 

Like others have said, gold plating is done by applying "microns" of gold to base metal. In other words, very little gold at all. There are tons of variables involved in how long a specific example would last: quality of the base metal, quality of the plating process, the environment the pen is stored in (corrosion), how well the pen is cared for, etc. I've yet to see plating problems on a quality product, such as a Pelikan, MB, Visconti, Parker, Bexley, etc. Like others, I have been given cheap "luxury" pens that have had the gold plating dulled, corroded, worn off, etc. in a matter of weeks or months. If you take care of your pens, I don't think you need to worry about buying a "name" brand fountain pen like Schaeffer.