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Showing results for tags 'wild'.
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OK, so, I knew this was coming. Perhaps I was not expecting so soon, but I knew this was the direction things had taken. I was actually discussing about this pen, and the status it was in, in another thread here not too many days ago. When I bought this pen in early 2015 I knew something was wrong with it, because the price was so cheap, and some deterioration was already evident. Then again I liked it so much and was not prepared to pay the above euro 1000 it was selling mint already at that time (and earlier). The Galileo Galilei pen was released in 1993 in a limited edition of 4,692 pieces to celebrate the 650th anniversary of the University of Pisa, but the wild celluloid used is one of those for which deterioration issues have been reported often. I was not wise enough not to pick this up then, the visible defect was mostly aesthetic and I though I could easily live with it for such a nice pen. The first issue showed up immediately, when the pen arrived the nib in the section was loose, and came out. I had the pen checked by Brunori, a respected shop in Milano (now closed...), the nib collar in ebonite had disintegrated, but he had spares and replaced it for me. Due to the defect I obtained a further extra discount from the seller (a now untraceable noushop1963 not sure whether on the bay or on some other local site) making this purchase as cheap as a resin Omas, back then. Now I know that disintegrated collar was probably the first alarm bell I should have listened to. I'm not complaining, though, I've happily used the pen, and the slight warping in the celluloid sort of reminded me the pen was actually alive... It was. Here a couple of pictures of the pen still in relatively good health... If you enlarge the photos (click on them) you can see however that degradation had already started. The brass ring on the finial is corroded and green, some corrosion is also visible on the greek on the cap. It's really difficult to spot the warping in the celluloid in the middle of the barrel, but you could feel it under the fingers. At any rate, when I started noting the corrosion I documented myself more about the problems with decaying celluloid and out-gassing, and the specific issues with the wild celluloid (in some specimens, not all, note there are still quite a lot of wild celluoid Omas pens that are perfectly fine) and sure enough I convinced myself that it what was happening to my Galileo. I cleaned the pen from corrosion and isolated it from other pens (especially other celluloid pens). I started using it more regularly, to sort of better enjoy it's uncertain health, but I noted that corrosion would continue, and the pen would start forming a slightly sticky patina on it's body... I also noted that the pen had started acting strangely on my inks... one of the blue inks I put in it became purple... Water I put in it turned yellowish... The pen, stored in an open carboard box on a shelf, stained the cloth inside the box, forming a pen shaped greyish stain... (I've called it my personal sindone...) I had not totally given up using it, so a couple of days ago I picked it up for a washing and refill. When I tried turning the filling knob the celluloid body snapped in half in my hands... This is the poor body I'm sorry for these heartbreaking images. I'm feeling as in loss of a close relative (well, ok, almost...). Probably the nib needs to be salvaged, I have not yet managed to pull it out, I think I need to unscrew the section, I've noted it turns although it's very stiff. For the moment though I just need some comfort...
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