How easily do your pens get scratched up?

[techman]

I just recently purchased a lamy safari and this pen is getting scratched quite quickly. Now, I am worried about a sailor or other high priced pen. Will all pens get scratched up like this? I would hate for my nice pen to get all scratched up.

Edited December 4, 2008 by techman

[Ernst Bitterman]

This may come down to how one handles pens in general. I've got a couple of Vistas, and I know exactly when I blundered into putting the one scuff down the side of one of them. Most of my pens, when on duty, sit in splendid isolation in my shirt pocket (because I can generally get through a day on one pen), and don't get posted because I saw early on what a mess that can make of the barrel. Pens facing a more rough'n'tumble existence will get scars from it.

[richardandtracy]

With plastic pens it's very dependant on the plastic type. Polystyrene or ABS gets scratched quite quickly. The hard acrylic used in Parker 51's takes a long time to scratch, and my 50 year old P51's are in much better condition than my 25 year old P61's.

 

Regards

 

Richard.

 

[techman]

What about resins? Are they harder than plastic like my safari?I will be keeping my pen in my shirt pocket with other pens and an ipod.Or should I?My alstar is so much better for scratch resistance.Unfortunately, there are not too many pens like an alstar. maybe a VP.

Edited December 4, 2008 by techman

[wykpenguin]

Depends on what you consider a scratch. It is hard, if not impossible to keep the mirror finish of a new pen, but I won't call it a scratch if I can't feel it with my fingers.

 

Usually, enamel is very scratch resistant, my VP got its only major scratch because of intimate contact with a new key (fresh metal burrs that would carve stone. Ouch...). It usually resides alone in my pants pocket (ok, ok, I am from the lower rungs of the social ladder, I don't wear shirts and definitely not jackets. :roflmho: ).

 

Resin is a mystery material. Essentially it is the same thing as plastic, a polymer compound by definition, but resins (and PRECIOUS resins ) from different companies have different scratch resistances.

 

I would not have my pen bang around other stuff in a pocket, just a piece of tissue maybe.

[RevAaron]

"Resin" is just an expensive way to spell plastic. It doesn't refer to a specific substance. Some "resins" scratch easily, some don't. Celluloid, ebonite, polycarbonate, and Omas's "vegetal resin" all seem to be more scratch resistant, at least in my experience.

 

Funny, most folks seem to report the opposite of your experience- that the Al-Star scratches more easily (or shows scratches more easily) than the ABS plastic of the Safari. Not doubting, just an observation.

 

Aaron

[techman]

I have a magnifying glass at work so maybe I am being too picky. The brushed finish of the alstar hides scratches eaiser. At least so far. A big scratch may eventually show up. I am seeing small scratches on my safari which are not deep but annoying. I mean if I had a 200 dollar sailor I would be upset.Maybe I am being too anal about the whole thing.

[Zeroblade]

Very.

 

Counting microscratches, at least.

[EventHorizon]

Perfection ends the moment the pen is picked up but, I always keep my pens seperated during transit and so far, no noticable scratches.

[RevAaron]

Possibly anal, but that's how we are. Unfortunately, buying a $200 Sailor (or a $1000 Sailor) doesn't get your a sturdier pen- a lot of times, more expensive pens are less sturdy and usable on a day to day basis. I wouldn't say that about a Sailor, but in the end, if you want your expensive pen to not get scratches, then you should be more careful about how you carry it. Keep it in a small case lined with something soft- I often use an Omas slip case which comes with newer Omas pens.

 

I also buy used, so that someone else put some scratches on it. I don't mind scratches per se, but it does drive me nuts to watch scratches accumulate on pens that were new, especially expensive pens.

[HDoug]

I recently got a small polishing kit from Tryphon Industries (I think tryphon.it) which has really worked wonders for my pens. Get a tiny jar of their carnuba wax and you can disappear small scratches and put a really DEEP shine on your pens that you didn't even know was there.

 

Doug

[yachtsilverswan]

... Will all pens get scratched up like this? ...

 

Carrying your pen in your trouser pocket with keys, coins, and your phone is the quickest surest way to scratch up the surface.

 

Carrying your pen in your shirt pocket, jacket pocket, or clipped to the placket of your shirt will better preserve the finish on the pen.

 

Carrying the pen in a sleeve or case is the best protection.

 

If the scratches happen anyway, they can be buffed out of most pens with a lightly abrasive polish like Simchrome.

 

[techman]

I guess that is the price you pay when you want nice things. I do the same on new cars. One day I will walk by and see a scratch that wasn't there and it ruins my whole day. I should get a nice soft carrying case. That is a good option.By the way the magnifying glass only came into play because I was looking at my nib and then saw the scratches.Honest.

[Robert Hughes]

What is this obsession about? Why does it matter if your new pen gets scratched up? Of course it will - if you use it. You'd eventually wear down a pen just by breathing on it. You can polish out the minor scratches, and the major dings add character.

 

Perhaps this is some sort of grab for immortality by those who feel that life is slipping by, that the vigorous years of youth are inevitably sliding onward to the grave, the worms, ashes and dust. But owning a nice pen won't slow down the Grim Reaper; it just leaves another trinket for the family to paw through after you're gone.

 

So enjoy your pens and don't worry about a chink or blemish on that fine celluloid. Nobody else does.

Edited December 5, 2008 by Robert Hughes

[daveg]

A few thoughts: things that tend to be hard don't scratch easily but they also tend to be brittle so they crack or break. Scratches are way more obvious on dark and polished surfaces - ie a white matte surface of the same material will make scratches far less obvious than a black polished one. Complicated colors fool the eye - marbled or swirly or striped barrels hide scratches. Polished plastic surfaces are easy to polish back up with something like Novus plastic polish. If scratches really bug you. you're probably better off sticking with disposable items for the daily objects and saving the big bucks for something that is looked at but never touched.

[techman]

What is this obsession about? Why does it matter if your new pen gets scratched up? Of course it will - if you use it. You'd eventually wear down a pen just by breathing on it.

 

Perhaps this is some sort of grab for immortality by those who feel that life is slipping by, that the vigorous years of youth are inevitably sliding onward to the grave, the worms, ashes and dust. But owning a nice pen won't slow down the Grim Reaper; it just leaves another trinket for the family to paw through after you're gone.

 

So enjoy your pens and don't worry about a chink or blemish on that fine celluloid. Nobody else does.

Hey, How did you know I just turned 50? :embarrassed_smile:I am not OCD or anything. A scratch is a scratch. When they break I can get a new one.

Edited December 4, 2008 by techman

[HDoug]

I cringe when I read posts about how some people treat their pens. I worry about everything else in their house, and their cars and tools and spouses and kids and pets. I mean, if you put a pen in the same jeans pocket with your keys and coins etc. it will get scratched, and ugly scratched. There is a kind of wear or wear pattern from using a tool correctly that imparts a certain charm to the object and shows the masterful use and appreciation for it. Then there are scratches that expose careless use, bad luck, and lack of attention. Just my opinion, of course.

 

Doug

[Scrybe]

I cringe when I read posts about how some people treat their pens. I worry about everything else in their house, and their cars and tools and spouses and kids and pets. I mean, if you put a pen in the same jeans pocket with your keys and coins etc. it will get scratched, and ugly scratched. There is a kind of wear or wear pattern from using a tool correctly that imparts a certain charm to the object and shows the masterful use and appreciation for it. Then there are scratches that expose careless use, bad luck, and lack of attention. Just my opinion, of course.

 

Doug

 

+1 to that, completely.

 

[Iskender]

What is this obsession about? Why does it matter if your new pen gets scratched up? Of course it will - if you use it. You'd eventually wear down a pen just by breathing on it.

 

I agree. Wear and tear from use is not only fair game but inevitable. Actually, I think one should be proud of the scars ones pens bear (as long as they don't result from outright abuse...). It is a record of "what you have been through" with your pen. It gives a factory made object that has perhaps thousands of identical twins some character and uniqueness: THAT is my pen!

 

Which is not to say that I am not carefull with my pens, but it is more about being careful not to break them rather than not to scratch them.

[Usui]

'Yall, in my opinion, are weird. Cringing about how other people treat pens.

 

My Lamy Safari is my jeans pen... it goes in my pocket. It goes there because it's clip is easier to deal with whatever, especially when I don't have a shirt pocket available. Safari on my polo colar, safari in my jeans, safari holding a set of plans together, safari cleaning my teeth, safari for mixing the cream in my coffee...

 

I would steer very clear from someone that was worried about little, incendental scratches on their safari pen. I give my safari to people to write with... I like the way they are confused about how to use it.