Jump to content

Restoring Faded Hard Rubber - Ripple Patterns


Bunny_Police

Recommended Posts

Hello,

I've been doing some research into how people can restore the shine to faded bhr fountain pens and bring out a stronger colour again. Whilst doing my research though, I haven't found anything out about how to restore a fountain pen with a red ripple design, for example.

 

I currently have two Waterman pens in red ripple and in olive ripple which have faded quite badly over the years.

 

Does anybody know a way that these types of hard rubber can be restored?

 

Also, is there a type of wax that can be applied to the surface to prevent fading again?

 

Many thanks in advance,

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 9
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • FarmBoy

    2

  • c4bb0ose

    2

  • gweimer1

    2

  • dneal

    1

-They could be polished, but that is best left to a good professional.

 

-No, never use wax on a fountain pen.

Edited by Wahl
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Traditional ebonite should contain linseed oil and likes being handled so it comes in contact with skin oils. You could try polishing the pens with 1 (I mean one and less is really more) drop of food grade olive oil on a soft cloth. Please try this method on the inside of the cap first to check if you like the result before applying such a cloth on clearly visible pen surfaces. I would avoid using linseed oil since it might contain other ingredients/solvents ebonite does not like. Linseed oil is nowadays often sold to finish wooden surfaces.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I recently had a Waterman 52 1/2 V red ripple that needed to be spiffed up. I dug through the archives here, and followed the olive oil recommendation. One little drop (I actually used EVOO...) on a soft cloth and then gently went over the outside of the pen. It brought out the color nicely, and I didn't notice any degradation of the pen or the surface feel.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just a note about vegetable oils in general, they go rancid. Olive oil is full of good tasting functional groups that are anything but inert. If you must oil a hard rubber pen use a high grade paraffin oil, nothing but -CH2-s and -CH3s.

San Francisco International Pen Show - The next “Funnest Pen Show” is on schedule for August 23-24-25, 2024.  Watch the show website for registration details. 
 

My PM box is usually full. Just email me: my last name at the google mail address.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just a note about vegetable oils in general, they go rancid. Olive oil is full of good tasting functional groups that are anything but inert. If you must oil a hard rubber pen use a high grade paraffin oil, nothing but -CH2-s and -CH3s.

I would have thought that kerosene would be the last thing you would want to put on a hard rubber pen? :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would have thought that kerosene would be the last thing you would want to put on a hard rubber pen? :P

You need more -CH2-s. Kerosene is to light.

San Francisco International Pen Show - The next “Funnest Pen Show” is on schedule for August 23-24-25, 2024.  Watch the show website for registration details. 
 

My PM box is usually full. Just email me: my last name at the google mail address.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Just a note about vegetable oils in general, they go rancid. Olive oil is full of good tasting functional groups that are anything but inert. If you must oil a hard rubber pen use a high grade paraffin oil, nothing but -CH2-s and -CH3s.

 

Is this essentially what lamp oil is?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Is this essentially what lamp oil is?

 

 

"Lamp oil" is a generic term. Outside of the U.S., "paraffin oil" is sometime used interchangeably with "kerosene". Don't put kerosene on your pen.

Edited by dneal
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33494
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26624
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...