degrading OMAS celluloid?

[omasfan]

- Yet another argument for the Bic Crystal.

 

If this is supposed to be funny, then I am not getting the point. How about posting something helpful regarding the topic at hand?

[omasfan]

Improperly cured celluloid of new celluloid?

 

I personally don't believe so. I took a look at the pictures on pentrace again, and the clips are covered in a verdigris-like thick coating. This must have been a harmful process at work that not only attacked the celluloid but also the trim.

Although Omas trim plating isn't the best as we all know, their clips are fairly similar to other clips in terms of material and workmanship. Maybe not identical but at least comparable. Verdigris on, for instance, copper points to the presence of sulfur. I don't exactly know whether this is true here, too. However, the process at work here heavily attacked the trim. I cannot imagine that instable cellluloid and the resultant disintegration (or even rot) would corrode trim like that.

[Titivillus]

Hi,

 

If you know elastics, a lot of elastics rot and degrade faily quickly. Not a good thing.

 

Dillon

 

Some plastics do degrade if exposed to UV light but there are additives to prevent this. Cheap elastic falls apart don't lump all flexible plastic in with them please.

 

 

 

[omasfan]

I had a look for this, and found a good article on plastics conservation. Very nasty things can happen with celluloid (of either variety), but with proper treatment, there's no reason it should degrade to the extent seen in the Horror thread.

 

Great and useful link! Thanks for posting. The article says that degrading celluloid can produce highly acidic substances that can corrode metal. Mmmhhh...

[Robert Hughes]

I had a look for this, and found a good article on plastics conservation. Very nasty things can happen with celluloid (of either variety), but with proper treatment, there's no reason it should degrade to the extent seen in the Horror thread.

 

Great and useful link! Thanks for posting. The article says that degrading celluloid can produce highly acidic substances that can corrode metal. Mmmhhh...

Very good. You've caught up to what we said a week ago in the Horror thread.

 

[omasfan]

Very good. You've caught up to what we said a week ago in the Horror thread.

 

Who is "we"? Are you speaking for yourself or others? As far as I remember the issue in the horror thread was by no means cleared up. There is still lots of speculation on whether the pens have been stored correctly or not or whether Omas' material was problematic. So far, nobody really knows what the reason for the pen disaster was. Nobody from this site has really seen the pens in the flesh or knows enough about them in order to pass a definitive judgment. I am a bit hesitant to jump to conclusions although the arguments in the threads you mentioned are mostly good ones.

 

At any rate, the concern of my thread was to find out if other Omas celluloid owners have experienced/witnessed any similar phenomena with their pens (fading, crystallization, corrosion etc.). So far nobody has reported anything. If you want to start a discussion on the Bic Crystal, this thread is not the right place. No offense!

 

Best, Wolfgang

Edited December 1, 2008 by omasfan

[georges zaslavsky]

I own some vintage celluloid pens which are not omas pens and they are well cared and I can testify that a well cared celluloid pen will last you for many decades.

[jskywalker]

My Blue Royal is turning Purple and the piston knob ring is corroded... 😭

[Seney724]

There are numerous reports of the spontaneous deterioration of the Arlecchino celluloid.

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/107092-omas-arlecchino/page-2

 

This has occurred in the collections of some of the most experienced and knowledgeable Omas celluloid collectors.

 

In addition to the hazards of "off gassing," and improper collection storage conditions, evidently improper curing of the celluloid during its production was a significant source of the problem. Sadly, this is generally thought to be the case with the Arlecchino.

[sansenri]

As I have mentioned in another thread recently, my Galileo Galilei is corroding the metal trim (particularly the ring on the bottom finial, which I believe is brass, and not gold plated) which has turned green (although I have cleaned most of it off).

The pen celluloid is also warped in the middle of the barrel, but was already like that when purchased (some years ago) at a highly discounted price.

It is probably a pen in which the celluloid degradation started time ago.

My current attitude is: use it, use it, use it. If it has to die it has to live well as long as it will.

The above assumptions are all most probably true, off gassing is worse in closed storage, I keep the pen on my desk and do not store it away any longer, particularly with other celluloid pens. It is likely that improper curing may be causing the problems with some modern celluloids, I too have experience of much older celluloid pens which have no issue whatsoever...

I do not have the royal blue celluloid Omas, but have seen other samples turning purple, and have also heard of the Arlecchino issues.

[jskywalker]

Yes the 'gold' ring at the piston knob had turn bluish green and corroded. I removed it totally. Cleaned up the whole pen and lubricate the piston.

[jchch1950]

As I have mentioned in another thread recently, my Galileo Galilei is corroding the metal trim (particularly the ring on the bottom finial, which I believe is brass, and not gold plated) which has turned green (although I have cleaned most of it off).

The pen celluloid is also warped in the middle of the barrel, but was already like that when purchased (some years ago) at a highly discounted price.

It is probably a pen in which the celluloid degradation started time ago.

My current attitude is: use it, use it, use it. If it has to die it has to live well as long as it will.

The above assumptions are all most probably true, off gassing is worse in closed storage, I keep the pen on my desk and do not store it away any longer, particularly with other celluloid pens. It is likely that improper curing may be causing the problems with some modern celluloids, I too have experience of much older celluloid pens which have no issue whatsoever...

I do not have the royal blue celluloid Omas, but have seen other samples turning purple, and have also heard of the Arlecchino issues.

Expensive pens and short useful live.

[mongrelnomad]

I had a pen made by a custom maker with Omas celluloid, purchased from the same stock ASC uses.

 

It shrunk and warped multiple times, the result of insufficient and/or improper curing. Though it now seems stable, I cant attest for that remaining the case.

 

I would be very very wary of ASC pens following my experience.

[Michael R.]

I've heard similar stories :-(

Insufficient curing can be a problem on those pens. But this is a problem in manufacturing the pens.

 

Degrading celluloid is a different problem from manufacturing the celluloid.

 

Cheers

 

Michael

[jskywalker]

I always tell myself... not to get another celluloid... they are expensive... they are not reliable...

 

 

… but I can't resist the temptation....

[como]

The heart wants what it wants . A little bit of knowledge will cut down your unlucky chance by quite a bit. Hope you still enjoy celluloid pens. The vast majority are beautiful, trouble-free and live far beyond our mortal life.

I always tell myself... not to get another celluloid... they are expensive... they are not reliable...

 

 

… but I can't resist the temptation....

[OMASsimo]

Every single pen lost by celluloid degradation is a disaster of course, at least for the owner. But I think that at least among high quality manufacturers that was a minor issue. Most pens died of mechanical failure. I have a lot of celluloid pens in my collection dating all the way back to the 1930s. On average, my OMAS pens are the most trouble-free ones among them. But I agree that certain batches of celluloid probably had manufacturing issues leading to premature disintegration. Let's hope the best...

[Intensity]

How's pearl grey's reputation on the "liable to go bad" scale? It's my only celluloid Omas pen, and I worry about it. It's been in perfect condition, and I store it uncapped (when not inked) with some ventilation as a precaution.

[Michael R.]

no problems with pearl grey celluloid so far!

[sansenri]

me neither, and never heard of any issues on pearl grey! I think it was one of the earlier modern celluloid and curing was probably done with due patience and care.