Ebonite Feed Vs Plastic Feed

[Tweel]

I've had no trouble (so far) heat-setting plastic feeds. Rather than using hot air, as you should do with ebonite, dip the nib and feed into near-boiling water for 20 or 30 seconds (test the feed's pliability along the way), then hold the end of the feed against the underside of the nib until it cools (or cool it under a stream of water from a tap if your fingers are burning!). Don't pinch hard, or you could squash the top of the feed (same for ebonite).

Edited April 18, 2017 by Tweel

[FriendAmos]

I've had no trouble (so far) heat-setting plastic feeds. Rather than using hot air, as you should do with ebonite, dip the nib and feed into near-boiling water for 20 or 30 seconds (test the feed's pliability along the way), then hold the end of the feed against the underside of the nib until it cools (or cool it under a stream of water from a tap if your fingers are burning!). Don't pinch hard, or you could squash the top of the feed (same for ebonite).

 

Good for you. I have tried hot water and did not get far. I then looked at heat-distortion ("softening") temperatures for most plastics and figured out a thing or two. On the other hand, I did well with hot water on *ebonite*.

[jar]

Good feeds are better than poor feeds. Ebonite and plastic are different but whether one is better than the other depends on far more than just the material.

[Ron Z]

Tweel is right. The way to set a plastic feed is with boiling water. Not hot, boiling, for 20-30 seconds. Dry heat from a heat gun can quickly exceed the 201 F temperature of boiling water. Too much heat can burn plastic feeds before the heat reaches the center of the feed. It's usually the corners and edges of the collector fins that burn or melt first. It won't ignite in boiling water.

 

The preferred method for heating hard rubber is dry heat. Though hard rubber can burn, it has to get a heck of a lot hotter than plastic to ignite.

 

 

 

Ebonite and plastic are different but whether one is better than the other depends on far more than just the material.

 

Very true. You may find this article to be enlightening.

[OMASsimo]

In my opinion the prevalence of plastic feeds today is simply due to economy and not due to the intrinsic quality of the material. It's just more expensive to make an ebonite feed, that's all. Today it's cheaper to compensate for the inferior material properties of the plastic by a more complicated feed design. The amazing qualities of ebonite feeds are more apparent with vintage pens when the feed designs were less elaborate.

[FOUR X FOUR]

For what ever it's worth, I know that Nathan puts Ebonite feeds in some of his Charlie pens

[FOUR X FOUR]

The guy that owns Wahl Eversharp, I think his name is Sid. Doesn't he use an Ebonite feed in his Deco Band feed. Also, he paints it red, which looks awesome.

Just alittle info from your uncle Allan

[FarmBoy]

The guy that owns Wahl Eversharp, I think his name is Sid. Doesn't he use an Ebonite feed in his Deco Band feed. Also, he paints it red, which looks awesome.

Just alittle info from your uncle Allan

Syd not Sid.

[FOUR X FOUR]

Syd not Sid.

Thanx farmboy

[flipper_gv]

The guy that owns Wahl Eversharp, I think his name is Sid. Doesn't he use an Ebonite feed in his Deco Band feed. Also, he paints it red, which looks awesome.

Just alittle info from your uncle Allan

 

Yes because Bock #8 nib units come with ebonite feeds IIRC and they are Bock nib units.

Edited April 19, 2017 by flipper_gv