Death Of An Omas

[AoKiu]

On 5/26/2022 at 4:03 PM, jchch1950 said:

Arlecchino, Galileo, Urbano,Roma 753 , are all gone. Only the nibs can be reused . Omas company is also gone. 😡😡

I feel with you! Thank God I didn't buy the OMAS Arlecchino, I already had it in my hand but I wasn't thrilled by the flashy celluloid.

But I've many more celluloid pens to lament for.

[AoKiu]

On 5/20/2022 at 6:16 AM, Uncial said:

That would be quite something if they did.

My Galileo seems to be slowly liquifying. It feels very oily and has a very strong acrid stink. I think it's time to pull the nib and feed and ditch the rest.

Both, my Galileo and the Urbano already rotten ...

Only my 360 Wild is still alive. 

Careful if the celluloid is 'sweating' - the droplets are nitric acid!

[georges zaslavsky]

On 5/19/2022 at 7:11 PM, Michael R. said:

@Seney724:

 

Here are some images of my gone pens:

 

P1550430 by pensninks, auf Flickr

 

P1550429 by pensninks, auf Flickr

 

P1550427 by pensninks, auf Flickr

 

P1550431 by pensninks, auf Flickr

 

The Lucens shown below started to looking no good as well (showing all signs...):

 

P1550432 by pensninks, auf Flickr

 

P1550433 by pensninks, auf Flickr

 

P1550435 by pensninks, auf Flickr

Cheers

 

Michael

This is heart breaking 😢I have a paragon extra lucens that I have used in the past and always non saturated inks. I had the same problems ofcelluloid breaking on a Visconti with a 90's Voyager. I have also a 360 extra lucens but never inked it.

[georges zaslavsky]

On 6/2/2022 at 2:47 AM, Jason Oliver said:

Like most things in life, celluloid pens must be enjoyed while they exist... their eternal value lies in their vulnerability

this is correct. Use and enjoy the pens as much as you can

[gregorius60]

I have a dozen Omas and Visconti celluloid pens from the 90's period and agree that the celluloid of that time is unstable.  It has a lot to do with the environment in which it is stored and the maintenance status of the pens.  Some pens were stored in a closet that during the summer would climb to the high 80'sF.  after a few years the fittings began to corrode and the celluloid cracked in multiple locations. Even though the pens were not inked, the celluloid off-gassed and the beryllium copper fittings corroded as a result...Rubber gaskets also deteriorated.  Nothing can be done except to replace pen parts but alas those celluloids are long gone... my advice store celluloid pens in cool, dry location with NO INK RESIDUE

[ak47]

I have two omas 360 limited in celluloide and both are dieing.

Do you think that is reasonable still use or not?

[Uncial]

They can still be used but it will eventually get to a point where the grip will feel oily and the pen will give off an unpleasant smell. At that stage its best to salvage the nib but its very difficult to find other pens that will house Omas nibs. 

Starting right now keep the two pens well away from all other pens. The bands will degrade quite quickly so dont leave them sitting in or on something you care about.

[ak47]

Thanks. I use them and i wait their death. 

[jchch1950]

Shocking experiences.😡  My own experience has been sad and expensive. I still have the gold nibs waiting to find suitable bodies to use them.

[ak47]

6 hours ago, jchch1950 said:

Shocking experiences.😡  My own experience has been sad and expensive. I still have the gold nibs waiting to find suitable bodies to use them.

I am thinking to buy old damaged 360 to put my nibs when it will occur

[Karmachanic]

My understanding is that the OMAS celluloid degenerations is peculiar to colours other than black.  Is that  correct?

[ak47]

3 hours ago, Karmachanic said:

My understanding is that the OMAS celluloid degenerations is peculiar to colours other than black.  Is that  correct?

Mine are 360 lucens, that is gold and blue. I have one 360 in blue and a paragon in Burkina, named victoria moss, that are safe till now

[Uncial]

The 'wild' celluloid is basically black

[como]

Today I got a private message from another member re this thread. I decided to come back and re-read all the messages out of nostalgia. This indeed has been a great (though sad) thread. I hope that everyone has been well. Happy 2026!

 

I can't believe this thread is over five years old now. Recently I bought an Omas New Paragon ballpoint in Wild from a pen dealer. I love this celluloid too much to not have it, but I don't want to spend a heartbroken amount of money on it for a fountain pen because it will be heartbroken! The ballpoint version is very beautiful, as beautiful as a ballpoint can possibly be 😉. The good thing is that I get to see it, use it and leave it outside of my pen cases. I don't need to baby a ballpoint, so this Wild can be enjoyed without guilt.

 

@sansenri Sansenri, I just thought of another idea: How is the cap of this Galileo? If it's still intact like in your photo, perhaps you can find a body of a normal black celluloid or resin Omas old style Paragon to fit it? It would still be beautiful and a good memory 🙂

[Uncial]

I salvaged my nib and feed. The body of the pen sits on a set of drawers in my living room. It still feels oily but has stopped emitting that acrid smell. Its like its taunting me to put the nib and feed back in. 

 

Sadly I have not found any pen (other than Omas) that the nib and feed will fit in and the other Omas I own have perfectly good nibs. Its such a good nib that I can't let it go. Maybe one day I will find a pen turner who will be able to make a body for this nib and feed, but my hope is drying up at this point.

[MattyTheSilly]

While this isn't a solution per se, it might be the door for one. There is this Reddit user called "Mr-PFM" who I spoke to some weeks ago, depending on the type of OMAS nib you guys have... There is a chance he might be able to fit it in a regular Jowo N6 collar, making the nib compatible with quite a huge amount of modern pens

It is pricey and might not be possible depending on the nib but, it is worth a shot

[jchch1950]

2 hours ago, MattyTheSilly said:

While this isn't a solution per se, it might be the door for one. There is this Reddit user called "Mr-PFM" who I spoke to some weeks ago, depending on the type of OMAS nib you guys have... There is a chance he might be able to fit it in a regular Jowo N6 collar, making the nib compatible with quite a huge amount of modern pens

It is pricey and might not be possible depending on the nib but, it is worth a shot

A solution for many Omas nibs.

[Uncial]

Is the N6 Jowo unit available in steel (as a cheaper option) and if so, what pens can it be fitted to?

[MattyTheSilly]

I'm sorry if my words were misunderstood, english isn't my first language.

 

What I meant to say is, this user can take your OMAS nibs (Not all of them, it depends on the size) and fit them inside a Jowo N°6 housing.

That makes that nib compatible with a huge range of pens (Ex: my Schon P6 is one). Now, you must pay him for such a job of course, but still... An option to salvage what's left of a (mostly) dead pen

[sansenri]

On 1/3/2026 at 12:26 AM, como said:

Today I got a private message from another member re this thread. I decided to come back and re-read all the messages out of nostalgia. This indeed has been a great (though sad) thread. I hope that everyone has been well. Happy 2026!

 

I can't believe this thread is over five years old now. Recently I bought an Omas New Paragon ballpoint in Wild from a pen dealer. I love this celluloid too much to not have it, but I don't want to spend a heartbroken amount of money on it for a fountain pen because it will be heartbroken! The ballpoint version is very beautiful, as beautiful as a ballpoint can possibly be 😉. The good thing is that I get to see it, use it and leave it outside of my pen cases. I don't need to baby a ballpoint, so this Wild can be enjoyed without guilt.

 

@sansenri Sansenri, I just thought of another idea: How is the cap of this Galileo? If it's still intact like in your photo, perhaps you can find a body of a normal black celluloid or resin Omas old style Paragon to fit it? It would still be beautiful and a good memory 🙂

hello como, glad you are well, I stopped following FPN too deeply for a while due to other engagements, things are more back to normal now, so I am back here every now and then. 🙂
My Wild Paragon which died some years ago is still there off gassing as I don't really have the heart to throw it away, although I should... The cap has not deteriorated, however I doubt it's a good idea to try and compose a new pen with it, I think too risky as off gas can corrode metal parts and spoil a new pen too.
I did recover the nib before it was too late.
I would not be too concerned with your ballpoint, use it and enjoy it, although  I agree with the precaution of storing it outside your pen cases 😉. It may even be that it's a perfectly ok batch of wild celluloid (I know some friends who own a Paragon in wild just like  mine, and their pen is just fine!)