"Unbreakable Permanite"

[Shangas]

I start this thread on a note of horror and panic after I dropped my Parker Duofold today for the second time since I bought it (Relax, Thomas, it's still in one piece and working wonderfully).

 

But this pen has now survived two drops, from the height of about two feet, and of about 18 inches, on the second one. And has returned unscathed, apart from original blemishes that came with the pen when I bought it (brassing and a small ink-stain that I can't seem to get rid of).

 

My question is - what exactly IS unbreakable permanite? Is it just a fanciful name for celluloid plastic? Or is it really a special material created specifically to be shock-resistant? Did the pens featured in those Parker advertising campaigns (being thrown from buildings, run over by automobiles, thrown from planes, etc etc etc) really survive those falls and survive unscathed?

 

How strong have users found unbreakable permanite to be, in so far as it won't shatter/crack if dropped accidentally? (So from say, a max height of about 6-7 feet).

[Ernst Bitterman]

...if dropped accidentally? (So from say, a max height of about 6-7 feet).

 

Good heavens, you must be quite tall!

 

As far as I know, it's just celluloid with an interesting name; relatively indestructible by comparison to hard rubber (which is all it was being compared to for pen bodies in the '20s), but not utterly impervious. I don't doubt the ads to the extent that they report the pen fell a great distance-- the question is one of what they fell onto. Heck, PEOPLE survive falling from airplanes if they land right and the ground is mucky enough.

[Shangas]

I'm five foot six, but I'm talking about someone who's holding it around eye-level. And I've met some very tall people in my time.

[darrenimo]

Do Parker Vacumatics count? Because, I dropped mine from a height of about a metre and it survived.

[Ray-Vigo]

Permanite is not "unbreakable". In the proper conditions a drop will crack, break, or chip. The hype surrounding the permanite material really was all about advertising and creating a comparison to hard rubber. Permanite is stronger than hard rubber, but it is far from unbreakable. Permanite really is celluloid and should be treated with care.

[skybird]

Pernamite is very strong indeed.

My big red went through a washing and tumbledry sequence without any damage. It did come a bit aprat, but I put it together and it is still perfect - writes instantly every time. The only damage is a tiny indentation made by the ball of the clip probably under the heat of the tumble dryer.

[RLTodd]

AIR, Permanite is DuPont's trade name for their Celluloid introduced in the 1920's. It is very tough and Parker made a big thing out of dropping their pens from great heights as a publicity stunt to show it as unbreakable (versus the then common Hard Rubber). Anything can be broken under the right conditions.

 

The main thing about Celluloid (or Permanite as DuPont branded theirs) is that it is Cellulose Nitrate and it is explosively flammable. This is the main reason it was quickly replaced by Cellulose Acetate.

 

 

[langere]

The main thing about Celluloid (or Permanite as DuPont branded theirs) is that it is Cellulose Nitrate and it is explosively flammable. This is the main reason it was quickly replaced by Cellulose Acetate.

 

 

Does that mean that I can light mine with a match and watch it flame out????

 

[Just kidding]

[George]

Does that mean that I can light mine with a match and watch it flame out????

 

Yes.

 

Very. Fast.

 

George

[Shangas]

Sweet. Now I have a makeshift signal-flare as well. Red for distress!!

 

Thanks for the replies, guys. Skybird, if my Duofold went through the wash, I'd be having multiple heart-attacks followed by cardiac arrest.

[kirchh]

AIR, Permanite is DuPont's trade name for their Celluloid introduced in the 1920's.

Permanite was Parker's trade name for celluloid. DuPont's trade name for their celluloid material was Pyralin.

 

The main thing about Celluloid (or Permanite as DuPont branded theirs) is that it is Cellulose Nitrate and it is explosively flammable. This is the main reason it was quickly replaced by Cellulose Acetate.

I was not aware that cellulose acetate quickly replaced celluloid for pens. When did penmakers make this switch, and what is the source of this information? Note, by the way, that celluloid is cellulose nitrate that is plasticized by the addition of another substance (typically camphor).

 

Thanks -

--Daniel