The best pen polish....

[scutterdav]

Can I just say that Simichrome is amazing. It just worked a miracle on my carmine Sheaffer Balance. The thing is shining like a star right now. If you need a pen polish, look no further. Simichrome is the way to go. It takes care of tarnish, minor signs of wear, cloudiness...you name it.

[kirchh]

Can I just say that Simichrome is amazing. It just worked a miracle on my carmine Sheaffer Balance. The thing is shining like a star right now. If you need a pen polish, look no further. Simichrome is the way to go. It takes care of tarnish, minor signs of wear, cloudiness...you name it.

I hold the opposite opinion of Simichrome; I despise it. Its abrasive action strips gold plating and thin gold fill without evidence this is occurring until the exposed brass begins to brown, its cream consistency causes it to become lodged in every crevice of a pen, and it contains chemicals that I am concerned about with regard to the plastics of pens. A great number of the pens that cross my bench have been "taken care of" with Simichrome by an owner or restorer, and without fail there is powdery residue lurking on the edges of lever boxes, in seams between parts, in nib slits, feed fins, and under clips.

 

--Daniel

[penmanila]

what would you recommend in its stead, daniel? thanks!

[kirchh]

what would you recommend in its stead, daniel? thanks!

It depends on the specifics of the pen and the part(s) needing treatment. For an honest vintage look, trim parts rarely need more than a gentle wipe with an untreated Selvyt® cloth. I avoid nearly all liquids/creams/pastes; they're like sand at the beach -- you find them everywhere...

 

--Daniel

[Vintagepens]

That white residue I hate with a passion. As Daniel says, it gets everywhere, and is such a pain to clean out.

 

I think a lot of people tend to go for the too-aggressive polishes, since they give such fast, eyecatching results. But less really is more, and especially if you are working on pens that are your own, that you intend to keep and cherish. That super-high-gloss Simichrome polish is hard to maintain on an article used regularly -- unless, of course, you are constantly re-polishing, with inevitable bad results for the trim and eventually everything else. A more satin-finish polish is both more maintainable and more accurate, at least for the prewar era. There is an interesting reference to the old-time polishing methods included in passing in that memoir of Parker production at Newhaven, incidentally.

[Ron Z]

I can't tell you how many sterling Parker 75s on which I've had to reblacken the line because someone has cleaned the pen with Simicrome or some other polish. It gets everywhere. And then there are the nibs on which Simicrome has been used, that now have Simicrome down in the feed and under the heart of the nib.

 

[Aysedasi]

Hmmm. Perhaps I won't buy any after all....

[scutterdav]

Any polish will have bad results if used irresponsibly and hastily. But I can't get over the transformation in Sheaffer Balance. I wish I had taken before and after photos.

 

So maybe I should have clarified that I only meant that it was great for a one time thing. I can definitely see how repeated or aggressive use would be a catastrophe to any pen, especially a vintage one.

 

 

Edit: Here is a picture of the stunning results....

 

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_fU77Suqzlhw/Sd900AoyTzI/AAAAAAAAANQ/9ZGbYNNKZE8/s640/DSC04534.JPG

Edited April 10, 2009 by scutterdav

[publius]

I have a lamp with a transparent plastic body, which I have had to do some work on with Testors model cement. Not being the most careful person in the world (and trying to see if I could solvent-weld some of the surface crazing), I got cement on it, producing the usual clouding & surface-finish issues. I'm thinking I can clean it up somewhat with Simichrome — reasonable, or not?

[pen2paper]

'Ron Z'

I can't tell you how many sterling Parker 75s on which I've had to reblacken the line because someone has cleaned the pen with Simicrome or some other polish. It gets everywhere. And then there are the nibs on which Simicrome has been used, that now have Simicrome down in the feed and under the heart of the nib.

ditto to both Ron and Daniel's post on cautious cleaning..I'd rather find a dirty vintage/antique item with original patina, than one that's been zealously overcleaned..

In the 19thC many items were colorfully tinted, or black laquered..tedious working out simichrome/flitz etc, one needle scrape at a time, to preserve the original pattern, delicate transfers, giltwork, is a royal pain...when you add a dollar amount to the intensive labor, its for love only.

I regularly admit to my past history of getting too close to my 'work' and poof the silver was gone, with copper remaining :embarrassed_smile: in hopes that 'others' will learn and not strip their pens and other old items down to the knickers...sometimes the darkened silver/treble gilt, Is the history.. after all, once you get it shiny silver again, unless kept in correct environment, it will only darken again..so you need to know if its solid silver, or whether your going to clean down to the base metal.

that said..some 'old' pieces are in a state of ruin...old steels rust encrusted.. have seen some great restoration work.. but do strongly feel this restoration history ought to follow the piece as it travels to new owners..

btw, some entirely black pieces.. or black with chipped laquer, were blackened for official mourning/memorial periods..on some antique pieces such as my 2 small Lincoln pieces, this adds to their value, and should not be cleaned off...

 

also do read N.C.'s discussion on abrasives just below.. also, the 'oils' or whatever the abrasives are suspended in could make a difference to the integrity of the piece in the future. Truly, you want to use products that are as inert as possible.. without any continuing chemical action-a protective film that is non-reactive to the material its being applied to, as possible.

also consider where you will be storing your pens, the temperature, and humidity.

the recent post that including engineering student experiments -interactions of heat, chemicals, synthetics, ie cellulose nitrates pretty much explained possibilties..with a bang:D

testing for bakelite items (more$) vs celluloid with other chemicals, (yellow residue=not bakelite), or sticking hot needles to see if it sizzles makes me crazy :blink: .

 

fixed the code so that the quote stood out

Edited April 12, 2009 by pen2paper

[Nihontochicken]

Simichrome and Flitz and the like are very fine, but very hard and sharp abrasives (plus some chemicals I'm not sure about). For their fineness, they are very aggressive in their cutting action. Use of these and any sandpaper, no matter how fine (including micromesh) on Japanese swords will leave a near featureless mirror reflection on the blades. To see the yakiba (temperline) and hada (steel texture), one must use abrasives that are much softer and more rounded in shape, such as uchiko (a type of powdered rock), that will gently remove the steel without burnishing what remains underneath. Now this is probably not a concern regarding FP plastics and such, but I mention this to note that there IS a difference in the action of abrasives of apparently the same fineness. What I have noted that is very fine and still has decent cutting action, but does not burnish steel, is DuPont No. 7 Rubbing Compound (brown) and the finer DuPont Polishing Compound (white), available in 12 ounce cans in auto shops. I'm not sure of what these compounds are composed, I suspect some type of diatomaceous earth in a light oil base.

[hcsk8ter]

I dont recommnend simichrome either. It's too harsh.

 

I recommend these:

 

Dazzle Cloths

 

There are 4 cloths: silver, gold, technibond (gold plate) and gemstone (pen barrels)

 

I've used these without any issues. They are superb. Not like simichrome which will eat gold plate.

 

Great stuff.

[yachtsilverswan]

I am a Simichrome fan.

 

Simichrome took 30 years of daily writer wear off the cap and barrel of my MB 149. The pen looks new.

 

But, as others have wisely suggested, the polish does require some care.

 

I taped off all gold-plated parts before using the polish. The abrasive paste is too harsh for plated metal - it can easily abrade away the thin plating.

 

I taped off all joints and crevices to avoid leaving residue in the little nooks and crannies.

 

Used appropriately, Simichrome produces amazing results.

[jbn10161]

I'm gonna throw this post on this thread, because it is sorta kinda related.

 

Is it generally recommended to leave plastic pen bodies (celluloid acetate; vegetal resin; petro resin; acrylic) in their natural state for pens that are stored and for pens that are used, or would it be better to apply some super thin coating, e.g., wax, to preserve the material?

[Ray-Vigo]

I am a cautious advocate of Simichrome. I use it on my celluloid and modern plastic, but I have a decidedly "user" collection-- nothing expensive or rare. I do not use it on hard rubber.

 

That said, when I do choose to use it, I use very sparing amounts-- much less than one would think would actually work on the pen. A very small amount goes a long way. I also work in small sections-- that way when I am done with a given section I check that small area over closely for any of the annoying white residue the polish leaves.

 

A sparing treatment, when done in sections and carefully, along with being sure to clean up any residue, will indeed clean up a pen or pencil quite well. The shine will last awhile as you use it, but as David said-- the pen will revert back to a more satin finish. I'm perfectly okay with that-- usually even with the reverted "user satin finish", it's better than the condition when the pen came in. If you feel you're already at that "acceptable satin" stage when the pen arrives, then don't use the Simichrome in the first place.

Edited April 13, 2009 by Ray-Vigo

[publius]

Simichrome and Flitz and the like are very fine, but very hard and sharp abrasives (plus some chemicals I'm not sure about). For their fineness, they are very aggressive in their cutting action. Use of these and any sandpaper, no matter how fine (including micromesh) on Japanese swords will leave a near featureless mirror reflection on the blades… Now this is probably not a concern regarding FP plastics and such, but I mention this to note that there IS a difference in the action of abrasives of apparently the same fineness.

 

As a matter of fact, when polishing (not cutting) the fundamental rule is to use a soft abrasive for a hard workpiece, & a hard abrasive for a soft workpiece : diamond grit or carborundum for plastics, jeweler's rouge for sapphires, something like powdered soapstone for diamonds.

 

[kirchh]

As a matter of fact, when polishing (not cutting) the fundamental rule is to use a soft abrasive for a hard workpiece, & a hard abrasive for a soft workpiece : diamond grit or carborundum for plastics, jeweler's rouge for sapphires, something like powdered soapstone for diamonds.

Can you provide a reference for this fundamental rule of polishing, and for the use of jeweler's rouge for polishing sapphires and powdered soapstone for polishing diamonds?

 

Thanks --

--Daniel

[publius]

Can you provide a reference for this fundamental rule of polishing…

 

Thanks --

--Daniel

Not right away, but yes. I'm not sure if it's in my engineering textbooks, or possibly in a book on jewelery I got from the library once, or somewhere else… one of the perils of a retentive memory, I tend to keep track of the facts & lose track of the sources.

 

[kirchh]

Can you provide a reference for this fundamental rule of polishing…

 

Thanks --

--Daniel

Not right away, but yes. I'm not sure if it's in my engineering textbooks, or possibly in a book on jewelery I got from the library once, or somewhere else… one of the perils of a retentive memory, I tend to keep track of the facts & lose track of the sources.

I look forward to seeing the reference when you find it. The peril of keeping track of the facts and losing track of the sources is that the "facts" may become unknowingly misremembered due to the frailty of memory (even a retentive one), or erroneous information may be accurately recalled, yet this information can't be verified if the source is lost, leading to a condition where erroneous, baseless, or unverifiable information is innocently disseminated -- precisely what we see on an all-too-frequent basis in this hobby, unfortunately.

 

--Daniel

Edited April 13, 2009 by kirchh

[Vintagepens]

I'm gonna throw this post on this thread, because it is sorta kinda related.

 

Is it generally recommended to leave plastic pen bodies (celluloid acetate; vegetal resin; petro resin; acrylic) in their natural state for pens that are stored and for pens that are used, or would it be better to apply some super thin coating, e.g., wax, to preserve the material?

 

I would think that a thin wax coating would be of net benefit for preservation of hard rubber surfaces, but might prove detrimental for celluloid. On the plus side, it might reduce the volatilization of the camphor, thus slowing the aging of the material -- ditto for the potential effect of reducing exposure to moisture. On the minus side, it would reduce the ability of the material to outgas acidic aging byproducts, thus speeding up deterioration by trapping more of those compounds within the celluloid. On balance, I'd leave my celluloid pens unwaxed. Cellulose acetate, too.