Removing Cosmetic Scratches From Phileas

[TwelveDrawings]

If you use only vintage, high-quality fountain pen, please move on. This subject matter is strictly for people like me who mess around with "genuine, non-imitation" plastic fountain pens.

 

Plastic pens can receive minor or major scratches. So can metal pens, but many metals can be polished to remove most scratches.

 

My Waterman Phileas began life as an inexpensive student pen. No lacquer finish. No solid-gold nib (at least that I've seen). No wood, glass, or ivory inlay. It was and still is a molded plastic pen cast in one solid color (and others bear a faux-marble appearance).

 

I shouldn't be finicky about this, but it bothers me when my favorite pen suffers cosmetic scratches or gets that hazy patina resulting from countless small scratches. I have tried buffing it back to a glossy shine using toothpaste. (Hey don't laugh—toothpaste is a very gentle polishing compound that works on certain plastics without creating new scratches.) But considerable work was required to produce any visible improvement.

 

I have one "freebie" Phileas that shows sings of a previous owner's butchery. They must have attempted to use a coarse grit sandpaper because the "polishing" left more scratches than it could possibly have removed. I would post photos but I seem to have used up my limit of download space.

 

Has anyone had any luck polishing or buffing scratches out of their Phileas? If so, please share. If you think it is absurd to put this much effort into a low-end plastic pen, please refer back to the first paragraph.

 

—www.twelvedrawings.com

Edited August 29, 2013 by TwelveDrawings

[RMN]

Personally I do not bother with this, but I think you can use the stuff to repair scratches in cellphone windows.

 

D.ick

[Left FPN]

In the UK I would use T-Cut which is an auto body polish for removing dull areas of paintwork or lacquer coating.

 

 

Ref pictures, use the Upload feature.

Edited August 29, 2013 by Force

[mbankirer]

Simichrome? Basically auto polish/rubbing compound works to get a nice patina....rub lightly or you will go right through!

[TwelveDrawings]

Simichrome? Basically auto polish/rubbing compound works to get a nice patina....rub lightly or you will go right through!

By "patina" do you mean a smooth, glossy shine or a slightly dull appearance? Just curious. --TD

[welch]

I use sun-shine cloth, a very mildly abrasive cloth, and sometimes add a bit of simichrome.

 

However, there is a point at which I stop shining a pen. I probably use the sunshine cloth and simichrome more to remove grime from old pens than to smooth out minor scratches.

 

Scratches mean you are using the pen. That makes the Phileas happy...nothing sadder than a workable fountain pen that sits always in the back of a drawer!

[J English Smith]

I would try Novus plastic polish #2 or #3. It works wonderfully for Parker 51 barrels. Work in gently with a small Chamois cloth.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Think of it as 'patina?'

 

The toothpaste was and is a good idea. If there's a flavor I don't like, I keep it around to scrub sinks.

 

Unless you're careful you could end up with a scratch-free but matte Phil. Is there a similar material you could practice on?

[TwelveDrawings]

I would try Novus plastic polish #2 or #3. It works wonderfully for Parker 51 barrels. Work in gently with a small Chamois cloth.

Thanks to YouTube, have been able to review each of the solutions suggested here. Each is, of course, intended for another purpose. Some make me anxious because their intended use is polishing metal or paint. Others are made for specific plastics, such as plexiglass, but I cannot determine what plastic my Phileas is cast from.

 

My wife has suggested that I experiment with the polish used to remove scratches from DVD disks. That seems like a safe first step...considering that toothpaste did not have the right polishing effect. I will post my results, if any are worth sharing. -- T.D.

[lovemy51]

In the UK I would use T-Cut which is an auto body polish for removing dull areas of paintwork or lacquer coating.

 

 

Ref pictures, use the Upload feature.

i use something similar, but can't remember the brand -a friend gave it to me... it works well!

[dduran]

Cellphone screen polish -- displex. Though, personally I prefer Novus. Displex is good for "some" demonstrator pens. Careful though, it can cause haziness is some vintage materials (ex. Sheaffer Craftsman)

[TwelveDrawings]

Cellphone screen polish -- displex. Though, personally I prefer Novus. Displex is good for "some" demonstrator pens. Careful though, it can cause haziness is some vintage materials (ex. Sheaffer Craftsman)

I will try the cellphone screen polish first, because it sounds the least abraisive. Starting mild and progressively getting more abraisive is probably a safe strategy. That, and using my worst-case pen as a guinea pig.

 

-- www.TwelveDrawings.com