What Is Ebonite And How Does It Compare To Other Materials?

[TSS4LSU]

Somewhat new to the FP world and I really like the Edison LE ebonite pen for this year. I am wondering what the pros and cons are to ebonite. It seems not alot of pens are made of this material. (hopefully I didnt miss finding a big discussion on this already)

[jar]

Ebonite is the remains left over from the explosion of the planet Ebon. It is often used to create Ebon Knees. It's said to be deadly to the Reggae Super Hero SuperMon.

[JK71]

I like his definition but it's a very hard rubber. Think bowling balls. I think it was used more before plastic was so prevalent.

[PAKMAN]

Ebonite is a hard rubber pen. I guess it sounds better to say Ebonite. Same with most plastic pens, they are "resin" or 'acrylic' or some trade name instead of plastic because it sounds more interesting!?

[chris burton]

It's Hard Rubber. About one hundred years ago most fountain pens were probably made from it. Ebonite may have been a brand name for hard rubber at some point, but nowadays they're interchangeable. It tens to be a very stable material, over the long term, but you want to mitigate the amount of direct sunlight it gets as it will oxidize on the surface. It makes for a very nice material for fountain pens as it has a pleasant feeling in the hand.

[pienaar]

It is a hard rubber that is adjustable with heat. When it comes to a feed it works as a feed without the need for a acid treatment. Like with plastics.

[madzaxmax]

There are a few Indian manufacturers still working with Ebonite. Search on FPN for references to Deccan, Guider, Ratnam, Ratnamson, etc. They are cheap too. Most of them can be had for less than US$ 25 if you know where to look.

[krz]

+1 on the tactile nature of ebonite. Yes very pleasant. Too bad about the planet Ebon, their loss our gain!

[Moondust]

I thought it was called ebonite because it is black and could be thought of as ebony wood..... internet search.....

According to wikipeia it was even intended as a replacement of ebony wood.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebonite

[richardandtracy]

Anyway, it's a tough, durable material that smells like rubber when new or when you rub it. It's also used for pipe stems.

 

When machining, it turns beautifully and polishes nicely. However, it's a good idea to have a blocked nose while machining!

There is plenty of evidence that it will last 100 years or more.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[Bo Bo Olson]

The Ebonite feeds handle ink better than modern plastic.

 

They are also bendable with light heat in case the nib requires it; for home repair.

 

Unfortunately needs more hand labor to be made, so plastic feeds came in as cheaper....thought I think the Noodler pens have Ebonite feeds, along with Indian pens.

[Hex]

My 1st made-to-order bowling ball was an Ebonite Tornado made for me in 1956.

It quickly became the reason for my horrible scores.

[vondauster]

Good advice to keep ebonite pens out of strong UV conditions - they can oxidize or discolor over time. The smell can also be annoying especially compared to, say, real celluloid, which smells rather nice. As for modern pens made with it, Edison comes to mind right away. They made a limited edition ebonite pen for the Goulet pen company, a few are still available, and will make almost any of their pens with it if custom ordered. I think the new Morgan based limited edition has ebonite as one of two materials available.

 

It feels nice in the hand, but on balance I would generally choose celluloid or celluloid acrylic. Ebonite has no translucency at all.

 

Will