Gold Or Gold Plated?

[londonbooks]

I would like to know if there is a way to tell if a nib is solid gold or just gold-plated (without scratching the nib)?

[PAKMAN]

A gold nib will generally have 14K or some such marking whereas a plated nib will not. A plated nib is also usually steel and you can check it with a magnet.

[Samthor]

What he said. K or C indicates (or claims to) solid gold of whatever Carat purity, while KGP indicates gold plated. None of the above means there's probably no gold in or on it.

Edited June 19, 2014 by Samthor

[balson]

the magnet test is the best one available but there are plated nibs out there that will not respond to the magnet.

 

on vintage nibs they would often hide the word "plated" on the nib so that the section covers it. there are a couple clues that are usually a clear sign the nib is plated. if a vintage nib has a dark black oxidization that does not rub off the raised surface with a little bit of water it is likely plated. plated nibs will often have oxidization with a texture. if the nib is clean check along the sides of the nib because these are one of the first places the plating will start to go. look closely at the shape of the tipping and the area where the tipping meets the gold of the nib. on a plated nib the tipping is often just rolled steel and it will look quite different than iridium tipping. there are a couple phrases that will often appear on plated nibs "iridium point germany" "durum tipped"

 

hope this helps

[londonbooks]

the magnet test is the best one available but there are plated nibs out there that will not respond to the magnet.

 

on vintage nibs they would often hide the word "plated" on the nib so that the section covers it. there are a couple clues that are usually a clear sign the nib is plated. if a vintage nib has a dark black oxidization that does not rub off the raised surface with a little bit of water it is likely plated. plated nibs will often have oxidization with a texture. if the nib is clean check along the sides of the nib because these are one of the first places the plating will start to go. look closely at the shape of the tipping and the area where the tipping meets the gold of the nib. on a plated nib the tipping is often just rolled steel and it will look quite different than iridium tipping. there are a couple phrases that will often appear on plated nibs "iridium point germany" "durum tipped"

 

hope this helps

 

That definitely helps and I thank you.

[onepuff]

The response to a magnet test depends on the type of steel used. Martensitic and austenitic steels have both be used for nib manufacture. Martensitic steels will tend to show an attraction to a magnet whereas austenitic steels either have a weak draw or none that is detectable. The best way to determine if a nib is plated is to look for a marking such as 585 or 750 (for 14 karat and 18 carat respectively) or indeed the Karat. If the number is preceded with a fraction such as 1/20 this indicates it is plated, the fraction being that of gold to the substrate metal. If there is no mark showing the Kt of gold, this may indicate it is plated, though with older nibs, the markings may have been polished off over time. As balson says above, visual inspection can often give a clue in such situations.

[cellmatrix]

If the iridium tip is gold instead of silver then it's most likely plated

[Garageboy]

Also, helps to know what pen it is...

[william2001]

A gold nib will have a Karat markings on it.

If it doesn't have a Karat marking, it might be plated.

-William S. Park

Edited June 24, 2014 by william2001

[Jerome Tarshis]

A gold nib will have a Karat markings on it.

 

 

Not true. It would make things simple if it were true, but alas, not so. Speaking as an American, I can say that because American law doesn't require the labeling of gold in that way, many American gold nibs carry no indication that they are made of gold.

 

To make things just a little more confusing, there are nibs that appear to say, for example, "14K," but if you remove the nib entirely from the pen you will find the word "PLATED," neatly hidden under the section when the pen is assembled.

 

In this world there is a lot to know, and we all learn one day at a time.

[Lyander0012]

 

Not true. It would make things simple if it were true, but alas, not so. Speaking as an American, I can say that because American law doesn't require the labeling of gold in that way, many American gold nibs carry no indication that they are made of gold.

 

To make things just a little more confusing, there are nibs that appear to say, for example, "14K," but if you remove the nib entirely from the pen you will find the word "PLATED," neatly hidden under the section when the pen is assembled.

 

In this world there is a lot to know, and we all learn one day at a time.

 

Very clever, that. Sneaky, but you have to admire their cunning

 

Anyway, yeah, the magnet test is usually what I fall back on, if researching the pen doesn't turn up anything. For the most part though, you'll be able to tell whether a pen is gold or steel by the springiness of the nib, though that'd take some level of familiarity with both types of nibs.

 

 

Kevin

[richardandtracy]

There are a lot of JoWo nibs that are stainless & plated that are not magnetic.

 

If the nib says 'Iridium Point Germany' or just 'Iridium Point', it is more likely to be plated than not. Gold nibs usually like to say so..

 

Regards,

 

Richard

[nagod]

what American nibs are gold but arent marked as gold?

[Garageboy]

Vintage Parkers/Sheaffers/Eversharps