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How to restore Gold lettering in Parker engravings


IThinkIHaveAProblem

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I have several Parker pens that have names engraved in them, some of them have the names in the same typeface, in the same size, and all of these ones are coloured in with gold.

 

My assumption at this point is that the names were all hot stamped in, and they were hot stamped over gold foil.

Maybe I'm wrong, maybe it was a gold paint, I donno, but I imagine this was a Parker Dealer thing which would explain the identical typeface used. 

 

Is there any insight into how this was done? Methods and materials used?

 

I don't feel any need at all to remove these engravings, in fact, it's the opposite:  they all have SOME degree of damage to the gold filling and a couple are quite bad.

 

How have any of you restored the gold lettering that has been damaged in this way? My goal is to get it as close to original as possible. Obviously, finding a set of the original letters used to imprint in the first place would be ideal, but it is also likely impossible/un-affordable. I've considered rubbing Gold crayola crayon into the engraving but the more I think about it, the less I want to do that, and the more I want to find a way to use whatever it was that Parker used.

 

Has anyone attempted this restoration? What did your results turn out like?

 

 

Here are two of my "51"s with this engraving: black 1946 DJ with Heirloom cap; this pen is the best preserved one I have, it's also the only one of the 4 I have that has the text "upside down" and Cedar Blue Single Jewel Vac 

I also have two Vacumatics with identical typeface but I haven't gotten around to taking their "mug shots" yet.

 

IMG_3664.thumb.jpg.7e878e66f6f109db25beee2d98906c9b.jpgIMG_3655.thumb.jpg.e415d3654523c72baeebbcb1038d77fc.jpg

Just give me the Parker 51s and nobody needs to get hurt.

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Parker Pengraver.  The fill is a waxy crayon like stick. 

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14 minutes ago, FarmBoy said:

Parker Pengraver.  The fill is a waxy crayon like stick. 

 

How did they make it more durable than the typical china marker?  Did it have some sort of lacquer applied on top of the color during the engraving process?

 

Thanks.

 

Glenn

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47 minutes ago, FarmBoy said:

Parker Pengraver.  The fill is a waxy crayon like stick. 

Awesome. Thank you so much.

Is there a source for a match for their wax? Or is a crayola, or some other gold coloured wax, my best bet?

Do you have a recommendation? I want to try and do this the right way.

 

My internet search for Parker Pengraver turned up almost nothing.

Was it a hot stamp as I suspected? Because, to my eyes at least it doesn't look "engraved" so much as "melted in"

 

(I think I've seen wax sticks for engraving listed in a Sheaffer parts/tools catalog... and yet I've seen so few engraved Sheaffers... weird)

 

 

31 minutes ago, GAtkins said:

 

How did they make it more durable than the typical china marker?  Did it have some sort of lacquer applied on top of the color during the engraving process?

 

Thanks.

 

Glenn

 

Here are two that I have filled in over the last couple of years with Crayola Crayon wax, one sliver, one white. The teal pen was my very first vintage pen and is the root cause of my addiction to Parker "51"s. The crayola crayon is of a harder wax than my china markers. I gently warmed the barrel and then rubbed the crayon against it and wiped off the excess. Admittedly, neither of them seems to have the smoothness/evenness of finish or shine of the Parker filling.  

 

That may be down to any combination of:

1) my inexperience/incompetence

2) the wax used

3) the amount of heat used

4) Glenn, you may very well be right WRT some sort of clear coat sealing it in.

 

They are holding up ok, but I don't think they would necessarily hold up as well as the Parker filling has.

 

 

 

 

IMG_3657.jpg

IMG_3666.jpg

Just give me the Parker 51s and nobody needs to get hurt.

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Michael's and other craft stores sell a product called Rub-N-Buff, available in gold and silver.  It's typically used on picture frames and such.  A little bit on your finger tip can be rubbed into engraving, excess that doesn't wipe off completely can be cleaned off with a cloth dampened with naphtha. 

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17 hours ago, Nethermark said:

I have sometimes used acrylic paint to restore the color in engravings.

 

16 hours ago, Ron Z said:

Michael's and other craft stores sell a product called Rub-N-Buff, available in gold and silver.  It's typically used on picture frames and such.  A little bit on your finger tip can be rubbed into engraving, excess that doesn't wipe off completely can be cleaned off with a cloth dampened with naphtha. 

 

Thank you both for the suggestions :) 

 

Just give me the Parker 51s and nobody needs to get hurt.

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I use Pelikan Plaka (a bit diluted with water)... wait until it dries and then remove the excess with a toothpick or a soft wooden popsicle stick

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18 hours ago, FountainNewbie said:

I use Pelikan Plaka (a bit diluted with water)... wait until it dries and then remove the excess with a toothpick or a soft wooden popsicle stick

From what I can tell, Pelikan Plaka looks like an acrylic paint. Am I understanding that correctly?

 

Thank you for the suggestion. :) 

Just give me the Parker 51s and nobody needs to get hurt.

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As far as I can see, Pelikan Plaka is based on a casein emulsion, while acrylic is based on an acrylic polymer emulsion. So if by 'looks like', you mean 'is the same as', than that is not quite true. I have never used Pelikan Plaka, so I can't tell you whether the appearance of the two paint is similar. However, Plaka is descibed as giving a matte finish, whereas acrylic paint typically gives a more glossy finish.

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Thank you. That clears up my confusion. :) 

Just give me the Parker 51s and nobody needs to get hurt.

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I can confirm it gives a matte finish. I use it because it matches the matte finish of vintage pelikan 400/100N 👍

 

 

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29 minutes ago, FountainNewbie said:

I can confirm it gives a matte finish. I use it because it matches the matte finish of vintage pelikan 400/100N 👍

 

 

Cool. Thank you for the first hand experience. 

 

 

Just give me the Parker 51s and nobody needs to get hurt.

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