Restoring Ebonite color - Waterman 55

[FlexySouthPaw]

I have recently become somewhat of a vintage flex addict, and in particular, ebonite is my kryptonite.  In this process, I acquired a Waterman 55, which is by far my favorite pen due to its versatility and smooth nib.  It's usable as an everyday pen, but still has the flex when I want it. 

 

But my pen had a somewhat dark chocolatey brown color, quite noticable compared to my rich black Conklin 2 next to it. I didn't realize how brown it was until I got the Conklin pen.

I've tried soaking it in oxi-clean, soaking it in ammonia, soaking it with mineral oil, and lightly polishing it. I don't want to polish it too hard, because it does still have some chasing left, and I like the Waterman imprint. I keep reading on here of dyes for ebonite, but I can't find any actual examples of such dyes.  What are people using to dye old ebonite?  I know dying is controversial, so if there's any other way to make my Waterman 55 the nice rich color like my Conklin 2, please share. I'm somewhat new to vintage pens.  

 

[shalitha33]

I am no expert on vintage pens, but my advice would be to leave the oxidation (in this case what we have is not exactly oxidation) as it is. especially if its a valuable / rare pen. there are hard rubber dyes and other chemicals that can remove the top oxidized surface. If its not especially valuable or if it doesn't have a crisp imprint, then those can be used to bring it to a shiny surface.   


PENSBURY MANOR PEN POTION No.9 ~ BLACK HARD RUBBER DYE https://www.pensburymanor.com/product-page/ppensbury-manor-pen-potion-no-9-dye
I have used this in the past when I didn't know much about vintage pens or how to look after them. it brings the surface to a mat black finish in my experience , but that could be due to me not knowing what I was doing . it comes with instructions. over time it tend to peal off though, Again this could be a mistake I made when applying it to the pen.

 

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Mark Hoover's Hard Rubber Deoxidizer https://lbepens.webs.com/apps/webstore/products/show/6766975

This one is a chemical product that removes the top layer. It is said to be safe and doesn't remove chasing etc. Although I have no experience on using this. there are videos that show excellent results in YouTube. That said i don't know what side effects it would bring long term (i.e 30-40 years in time). 

 

Personally I would recommend not doing any of these. You can remove the top surface in many different ways but once altered, can never have it back the way it was. you can get the color back but that would cost crisp imprint / chasing or the smooth surface.
 

Article on hard rubber fading.

https://vintagepens.com/FAQrepair/reblackening.shtml#:~:text=Although many refer to the,so impervious to chemical action.

  

 

 

[max_hat]

Gradual fading of ebonite material frequently referred to as oxidation is a misnomer. Namely, while vulcanising the natural rubber into hard rubber (i.e. ebonite), a significant portion of sulphur is cross-linked into the polymer structure. Exposure to light (UV in particular) can damage this intramolecular structure, which results in surface discolouration. To my knowledge, this is irreversible process that only can be accelerated by exposure to humidity.

 

I have no experience with re-dying or deoxidation of hard rubber, but I know that it is possible to remove a "discoloured" surface layer (if damage is not deep enough) on ebonite by polishing. For this I recommend any good metal polisher such as Wenol or Simichrome and a microfibre cloth. Be sure to use masking tape on metal parts as any polisher will affect plating! Afterwards, dry clean the pen with a towel and rub in some linseed oil into the ebonite. Leave to stay oiled for at least 48 hours in a dry, cold, and dark place. Pat dry the residue oil and the pen is ready to resume its service.

 

I personally love grainy texture of discoloured ebonite. My impression has always been that most of the pen manufactures sacrifice the tactile feeling of a pen in favour of a glossy colourful surfaces. This is more evident today than ever before as many modern pen lovers see pens as a jewellery/accessory rather than as daily writing tools.

 

Just look at this beautiful century-old patina on this Mabie Todd Blackbird pen.

[es9]

I had thought Wenol was non-abrasive. Does it really work on discolored hard rubber? 

[DvdRiet]

Does anyone know if there could be any adverse chemical effects to using ordinary toothpaste to remove the sulphur discoloration? I saw this as a tip on a tobacco pipe collectors' forum (old pipe stems are usually ebonite) when I was searching for the best way to restore a cloudy black cap on a 1950s pen.

 

I have tried it and it works absolutely brilliantly to remove the discoloration, but I have no idea if there could be adverse long-term effects. I decided to go ahead and try it because I figured it was the least harsh abrasive option and I've known it for years to be a quick and easy jewelry cleaner that doesn't scratch. I opted for the most basic kind, not the harsher whitening ones. It worked great on the cloudy cap and I've used it to turn grey and chocolate milk-colored finials of other 50s pens back into shiny black buttons. I've also used it to turn a 1990s green ebonite pen that was very dull and dirty-looking (and stinky!) into a smooth, glowing beauty of a pen. I've never tried it with anything very old (I don't have any HBCR) or extremely valuable, and of course, I tested it on the least risky pens first. But I have been amazed at how well it works - and amazed at how much yellow sulphur comes off on the cotton swab I use to gently polish it off! Then I've usually used a vegetable oil, as someone else mentioned above, rubbed on and then buffed with a cloth to finish it off and make it glow and shine.

[GlenV]

It is a shame to damage an old pen, but is recoloring damage?, that is the question, I think it can be. The 55 is a great pen and doesn't look bad to me, for a better summary on reblackening a BHR pen see Reblackening of faded hard rubber (vintagepens.com)

 

Mark Hoover's goop is super nice for Red mottled hard rubber I can say, otherwise not sure...read above...

[FlexySouthPaw]

Thanks all, I appreciate the advice. I happened upon something today that restored much of the black color, but is reversible in the future. Actually, I guess it will eventually wear off.  Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic spray wax.  It gave the pen a good shine, and the oils in the wax brought back some color in a natural looking way (even though it's synthetic wax).

[FlexySouthPaw]

I removed the wax then coated the pen with nu-vinyl.  This stuff is meant for rubber and vinyl. I don't know how long it'll last, but it looks great, with nice gloss. My ebonite black Conklin 2 is below the Waterman 55 for comparison. The Conklin has no fading to speak of.

 

 

[Chris26]

Hello, anyone can tell me where to buy deoxidation and other fountain products made by Mark hoover?