Any Way To Re-Blacken Browned/oxidised Hard Rubber?

[Jennings]

Does anyone have any tips or techniques for revitalising the black lustre of a hard rubber pen once it's started to go brown and dull? I've got a nice little Swan eyedropper (my first of that kind) and was wondering where I can improve the look any.

[FarmBoy]

A search should reveal that this is a hotly debated topic. Yes there are ways. Search for Pen Potion Number 9 as a start.

 

Hopefully you will get additional help before this turns into a debate on the ethics of re-blackening and the thread disappears.

 

Todd

[demeter]

I am amazed at what simply writing with the pen does for dispelling the brown/oxidised colour of the pen. I'm presuming the natural oils one has in the skin are transferred to the pen. While it doesn't make the pen midnight black, it certainly dispels the yuck brown, and leaves a nice finish on the pen. So my advice: use the pen, a lot.

 

Andrew

[tenney]

If there's something in our hands to help blacken some browned hard rubber, isn't there some over-the-counter oil or something that would do the same?

 

Does this "browning" happen to celluloid as well, or only hard rubber?

 

FarmBoy - does it take just a little bit of PP9 to do the trick or multiple applications? (having a pen with a browned area that I'd like to see more black again)

[Leftytoo]

Never used it, but old top quality pipes have ebonite stems, and a polish is made for that purpose.

 

Celluloid, in my experience, is very tough, hard, and maintains its shine for many years. Everyone should have a good cellulois pen in their collection.

[Jennings]

Thanks for the replies folks...I have been doing some searching around Pen Potion Number 9, and G-10, which seem like the main two options for pen owners. Although it's very encouraging to hear that my own hands might also go some way to helping, especially as I'm wanting to use the pen as it was intended. I've also read a few bits on restroing the colour and shine to hard rubber wind instrument mouthpieces...I'll try pipe stems and see what comes up.

 

It does seem to be a very passionate topic though...more so than other pen polishing or treatments, or repair techniques. And I certainly don't want to do anything that would remove layers or take away the character of a vintage pen in any way.

 

Thus far, since it's apparent got the same dye compound as originally added to the hard rubber anyway, I'm tempted to order the Pen Potion No 9...that and use my own hands too! The G10 treatment is interesting, but since I'm in the UK and the pen was inexpensive I'm not viewing this option as cost effective at the moment.

[red52ripple]

Pen Potion No 9 is merely a black coating that is painted on in an attempt to replicate the original appearance. From the examples that have come my way it's not especially successful. G10 was never generally available to the public and I believe it has been withdrawn.

 

Demeter's advice is very good.

[shrieku]

I am amazed at what simply writing with the pen does for dispelling the brown/oxidised colour of the pen. I'm presuming the natural oils one has in the skin are transferred to the pen. While it doesn't make the pen midnight black, it certainly dispels the yuck brown, and leaves a nice finish on the pen. So my advice: use the pen, a lot.

 

Andrew

 

My experience has been quite the opposite; rather dramatically so. I have/had a black CHR swan eyedropper which, after seeing regular use for only a few days in my sweaty hands, has turned uniformly brown, annoyingly so. In fact, everytime I write with it, it turns more shiny brown. It dres later to less brown, but never back to the original black I saw

[red52ripple]

My experience has been quite the opposite; rather dramatically so. I have/had a black CHR swan eyedropper which, after seeing regular use for only a few days in my sweaty hands, has turned uniformly brown, annoyingly so. In fact, everytime I write with it, it turns more shiny brown. It dres later to less brown, but never back to the original black I saw

 

I think Demeter's advice related to a pen that was already oxidized, rather than one that was perfect to begin with. That's a sad experience, Shrieku. Have you thought about wearing gloves?

Regards,

[shrieku]

I think Demeter's advice related to a pen that was already oxidized, rather than one that was perfect to begin with. That's a sad experience, Shrieku. Have you thought about wearing gloves?

Regards,

 

LOL; not yet; may be I will give it a thought now. Mind you, my hands don't seem sweaty at all, certianly not like some hands I ave seen. It is only after this pen that I have begun to think my hands are not that dry after all.

[tryphon]

Well, after ten years, this is still a hot subject, I see!

The following statements apply to my G10 process (no longer produced, by the way). People still ask me to re-introduce the G10, but I don't think I want to have the hassle of responding to the HR collectors who are dead against it. (I even came up with a variant for mottled red and brown HR, but I don't think I will ever produce it). The following comments about the reversibility and detectability of my G10 process were posted on a different forum many years ago: I am re-posting them here to clarify some very hot issues. These comments apply ONLY to my G10 process, by the way.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Does the hard rubber in a pen treated with the G10 process continue to age?

Answer: Yes. Even after application of the G-10 process, ageing and further deterioration will continue. In most cases the addition of a UV blocker and two oxygen barriers will slow down the deterioration. Some pens that I treated had gone into a cratering mode before I treated them: the surface had bubbled and was covered in a large number of tiny craters. I still applied the G-10 process and my subsequent observations confirmed that there was no ill effect as far as the mechanical strength of the surface material and the treatment would have prevented or reduced further chemical migration to the surface from the inner layers.

What about the issues of reversibility and fraud?

Answer: the process is not reversible when properly applied to hard rubber that has not previously been treated with a pore sealant. It is, however, in most cases, detectable. Let me explain: when applied to slightly discolored hard rubber that shows no increased surface graininess or mechanical decay, the process is, in fact, practically undetectable.
Most faded HR pens, however, suffer from surface deterioration that shows up as light random-oriented fissuring or even orange peeling. Application of the G-10 process can re-imbibe the oxidized hard rubber with an appropriate dye, but cannot reverse the mechanical surface deterioration. This was already observed and commented on by Antonios Zavalianos after his microscope examination of a treated pen and, I believe, by David Nishimura, who may have never seen a pen treated with G-10, but knows the surface of oxidized pens very well. I respect both these gentlemen very much. So, in reality, unless the reblackened pen was only slightly discolored or had an unusually unaffected surface texture, a close examination of the surface will reveal the presence of a deteriorated upper layer. The vast majority of pens that are being restored with the G-10 process are in very advanced stages of oxidization and their surface structure will show that the pen has been restored.

[Faisel]

I remember the furore on Pentrace and the Zoss list that accompanied your making G10 commercially available and fully understand your reluctance to make G10 commercially available today.

 

Thank you for depositing your explanation as to how G10 was detectable. I remembered both you and Richard stating that it was detectable but couldn't remember why.

[BamaPen]

Pen Potion No 9 is merely a black coating that is painted on in an attempt to replicate the original appearance. From the examples that have come my way it's not especially successful. <Snip>

I have used Pen Potion No. 9 on several badly oxidized BHR pens and have achieved a nice uniform black appearance in each case. I do not use these pens often, so I can't speak to its durability in daily use. My objective was to restore a few truly ugly pens to a reasonably good appearance, and PP9 did that for me rather easily.

 

Below are before and after pictures of one of the pens restored with PP9.

 

Please don't let this set off a firestorm about reblackening pens. I keep a detailed database about each pen in my collection and record every repair I've made to each pen, whether it is a new ink sac or reblackening with PP9. I realize that this record may not be transferred to some future owner, but I do my best in each case. I'm just trying to show the OP what PP9 can do.

 

[The Pensmith]

I acknowledge the truth of much of what has been said above. Literally, there is no seemingly perfect method for re-blackening black HR - a proposition I have adhered to for 30 or so years.

 

But, dispensing with chemical formulas, two of which I have tried with little or no success, the local tobacanist may be a salvation if he or she sells the material historically used to re-blacken the mouthpieces of smoking pipes. That particular product produces far better results than any other method I have seen. Come to think of it, does anyone smoke a pipe these days?

[tryphon]

I acknowledge the truth of much of what has been said above. Literally, there is no seemingly perfect method for re-blackening black HR - a proposition I have adhered to for 30 or so years.

 

But, dispensing with chemical formulas, two of which I have tried with little or no success, the local tobacanist may be a salvation if he or she sells the material historically used to re-blacken the mouthpieces of smoking pipes. That particular product produces far better results than any other method I have seen. Come to think of it, does anyone smoke a pipe these days?

If you mean Obsidian, it is a protectant only. Before applying it on a pipe stem, you need to remove the oxydized layer of hard rubber. This will destroy the surface markings of a pen.