Rainbowed Stains on nib. How to remove?

[AceNinja]

My Lamy Vista's nib has developed a rainbowed coloured stain on the both side of the tine.  I suspect that the stains comes from long years of nib creep because that's where the ink always creep out and I normally never try to clean off the nib creep because it will just always creep.  Which means that the tine is almost always covered with (dried) ink.  This is my everyday work pen so it has so far only being inked with Lamy Black only, for around 2-3 years.  I never really clean the pen regularly because I always use the same ink.  Its only recently that I planned to change ink (finished up the Lamy Black 50ml bottle) and i give the Vista a deep cleaning (nib off, but I didn't take the feed out of the section), that I discovered that the stain is not removable.

 

What I've done to try to remove the rainbow coloured stain:

1. submerge the nib in water over night
2. submerge the nib in soapy water for a few hours, then try to finger rubbing the tine
3. submerge the nib in white vinegar for 2-3 minutes, and try to finger rubbing the tine, and rinse with water immediately (worried if it gonna corrode the nib)

 

All to no avail.  One thing I note is that when the nib is wet, then the rainbow effect is not visible, and one thought that the stain is gone.  But when I dried the nib with tissue, then the stain is visible again.  And it appears to stay just the same each time I try different method to clean it.

 

Anyone has faced this issue before?  any tip and tricks to remove the stain?

[A Smug Dill]

1 hour ago, AceNinja said:

I discovered that the stain is not removable.

 

That looks a bit like “heat tint” on stainless steel cookware or welds, due to oxidation of the chromium in the stainless steel.

 

1 hour ago, AceNinja said:

submerge the nib in white vinegar for 2-3 minutes, and try to finger rubbing the tine, and rinse with water immediately (worried if it gonna corrode the nib)

 

The general recommendation for removing “heat tint” is to treat it with acid such as vinegar and lemon juice and then rub off the chromium-rich compound (i.e. physically removing material from the surface of the object). The chromium isn't going back into the stainless steel no matter what, and the latter's corrosion resistance is already compromised, irrespective of whether you leave the colourful layer sitting on top.

 

I'd say just don't worry about it one way or the other. If it bothers you aesthetically, then try rubbing the tinted layer off with a Sunshine Cloth or some such; or you can just leave the nib as is, without the “stain” adversely affecting its function. Lamy Z50 nibs are relatively cheap to replace and readily available from many retail outlets, so just buy another if or when this one eventually gets corroded.

[AceNinja]

Okay then I guess I'll just leave it be.  Funny thing is when I tried to search google for a fix of this problem and to see if anyone has the same problem, the search result comes up mostly related to stainless steel cookware heat tint as you mentioned.

 

So I guess this is not a very common occurrence on fountain pen nibs.?

[A Smug Dill]

7 minutes ago, AceNinja said:

So I guess this is not a very common occurrence on fountain pen nibs.?

 

Not very common, but I've seen it; and the shapes of the ‘stains’ are usually consistent with ‘nib creep’.

 

Nibs, especially modern nibs, are generally quite resilient against various things inks can ‘do’ to the material. Iron-gall ink can erode steel and cause pitting on the surface; or, in some cases, ‘eat’ away gold-plating on the nib. Sailor Kiwaguro and Seiboku pigment inks can discolour or erode black coating on nibs (including the PVD coating on Lamy Z52 nibs) with prolonged and continued contact.

 

Those are things that you find out when you see them on your nibs. Short of not keeping your pens inked, the best way to minimise the likelihood of ‘nib creep’, forming of ink crud, etc. is to use pens with effective cap sealing, and wiping visible spots of ink off the nib face before capping and putting the pen away.

[Dione]

These nibs are so reasonably priced as spares most people would just buy another one. Check out Amazon or ebay but be careful to not buy a fake one on ebay.

[inkstainedruth]

I'm wondering what inks you're using, AceNinja.  Because if you're using "standard" inks (as opposed to iron gall inks) I can't see vinegar solution doing much to flush the ink off the nib (and it occurs to me that you might just be compounding the problem).  

My usual flushing regimen is distilled water, followed by EITHER a roughly 9:1 mix of distilled water and clear ammonia (for non IG inks) with a drop or two of Dawn dish detergent OR the same ratio but substituting white vinegar for the ammonia (for IG inks).  Flush and maybe take an old toothbrush to the the nib and feed, then flush out with more distilled water. then let dry in paper toweling, nib down, in a a votive candle holder (I use another votive holder to soak the pens, nib down as well and check back every now and then).  

Some people here will say they just use tap water, but where I live the water is very hard and I do NOT want the mineral buildup I see around my faucets ending up dunking up a pen....  If you're outside the US, the British equivalent to Dawn is apparently some brand called Fairy (not sure what the equivalent elsewhere would be). 

Some people would probably also tell you to use an ultrasonic cleaner.  I don't have one myself, and for the most part have not needed one.  But Ron Zorn just recommended it to me for some Pelikan waterproof drawing ink (probably an India ink) even if I try putting it in the Osmiroid "India ink" pen I picked up at an estate sale a couple of years ago (which came with a gadget to pull the nib and feed).  Ron wasn't sure that even THAT pen would be safe to use India ink in, and told me that the agitation (as well as LOTS of Rapid-o-Eze) was the safest way to go.  Ironically, he thought that ink would be safe to use in my old Rapidographs (which I'm not REMOTELY sure is the case -- I had someone I knew when I was in college tell me I should use it because it was "blacker" than the Koh-i-Noor ink and wasn't convinced it was a good idea even back then...).

Wondering if in your case whether Rapid-o-Eze might be the best option for you, AceNinja.  It's that or get a replacement nib (which will be WAY less expensive than an ultrasonic cleaner...).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Ron Z]

This is likely a surface stain.  With the nib cleaned and dry, use a Sunshine cloth to polish the nib.  This is what I use in the shop.  This will remove the stain without leaving any polish/residue behind, and will not risk getting polish into the slit and feed.  

 

A Sunshine Cloth costs about $5 plus shipping.  If the buyer doesn't care about it being sent flat instead of the tube, we can usually fit it into an envelope of one sort or another. 

[inkstainedruth]

And this is why Ron is the pro.  And I'm not.... 

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[AceNinja]

On 10/29/2021 at 10:15 PM, inkstainedruth said:

I'm wondering what inks you're using, ...

it was Lamy Black, from a T52 bottle.

On 10/29/2021 at 10:40 PM, Ron Z said:

This is likely a surface stain.  With the nib cleaned and dry, use a Sunshine cloth to polish the nib.  This is what I use in the shop.  This will remove the stain without leaving any polish/residue behind, and will not risk getting polish into the slit and feed.  

will try the shine cloth to see if it helps.  This is the type of cloth commonly marketed as silver / jewelry polish cloth right?  those that says have some polishing material/powder pre-embedded in on the cloth

[A Smug Dill]

38 minutes ago, AceNinja said:

This is the type of cloth commonly marketed as silver / jewelry polish cloth right?  those that says have some polishing material/powder pre-embedded in on the cloth

 

Sunshine is a particular (Japanese) brand of that type of polishing cloth, and has a number of variants in its product range. It in fact has ‘stuff’ embedded in the cloth; but when someone recommends you use a Sunshine cloth, that generally means specifically that brand, or even more specifically the yellow variant, based on their user experience. It's not synecdoche, and they're not vouching that other polishing cloths are just as good and relatively harmless, on account of the amount, type, and mildness or harshness of what is in different brands and variants of polishing cloths.

 

As it is, my yellow Sunshine cloth managed to remove the gold plating on my Pelikan M200 steel nib with just a few light rubs; and Sunshine cloth is usually considered quite gentle among polishing cloths.

[Dione]

5 hours ago, AceNinja said:

This is the type of cloth commonly marketed as silver / jewelry polish cloth right?  those that says have some polishing material/powder pre-embedded in on the cloth

Not necessarily. The Sunshine cloth is a specific brand that Ron Zorn uses and recommends for fountain pens.

[Ron Z]

You don't have to buy it from me - they're out there sold by a number of vendors.  Its just that I know that they work, and don't leave stuff behind that can cause flow issues in a pen.

[inkstainedruth]

14 hours ago, AceNinja said:

it was Lamy Black, from a T52 bottle.

will try the shine cloth to see if it helps.  This is the type of cloth commonly marketed as silver / jewelry polish cloth right?  those that says have some polishing material/powder pre-embedded in on the cloth

You're thinking of silvercloth.  That actually DOES have imbedded silver particles in it and is used for making bags and sleeves for silverware and the like to help prevent tarnishing.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Karmachanic]

On 10/25/2021 at 1:59 AM, AceNinja said:

any tip and tricks to remove the stain?

 

If you don't look at it it won't bother you. 😁

It's not uncommon that our efforts to improve things makes them worse.  As in ASD's post above. 

Accept the wab-sabi.  The nib has character!

[AmandaW]

On 10/29/2021 at 11:07 AM, A Smug Dill said:

Sailor Kiwaguro and Seiboku pigment inks can discolour or erode black coating on nibs (including the PVD coating on Lamy Z52 nibs) with prolonged and continued contact.

Do you know if that applies to Souboku too? I seek out PVD nibs because I like them and wouldn't want to risk damage when I can find another ink of a similar colour.

[A Smug Dill]

1 hour ago, AmandaW said:

Do you know if that applies to Souboku too?

 

I don't know, sorry. The coating on the underside of the Z52 nib on my Lamy cp1 is already compromised, and I haven't thought to replace it and also change the ink assignment for that pen from Seiboku to Souboku.

[InesF]

Sorry for coming late to this party.

If such a thing would had happened to me, I may had been surprised at first but after a minute or two I would had smiled and used my pen with this one-of-a-kind nib with joy!

🥰

[AceNinja]

Wow, this is actually my very first post here in FPN!

Here's the same nib, after about 2 years.

The 'rainbow stain' is still slightly visible, though to be honest, I didn't pay attention to it anymore.  The nib still writes great and this pen is still routinely in my rotation.

I think I've tried polishing it with 'sunshine' cloth last time, and I don't think it remove it, maybe it lightened it a bit, I don't remember.  I think sunshine cloth makes the nib surface more matte, less mirror like finishes.

 

I've since using different inks for this pen, mostly pelikan and diamine.

 

[Bo Bo Olson]

I have yellow sunshine cloth for gold. that i picked up at a jewlers.

This my wife picked up at some 'normal' store.

A blue cloth for silver,

and I have a multi color polishing cloth, it has different colors and can do copper/brass/bronze on a different colors.