The best pen polish....

[jd50ae]

These photos are of a broken Vacumatic that was on the way to the trash can. Maybe 10 minutes and unrinsed. Something I am experimenting with and I have a few "materials" to try it on.

PRE POLISH

POST POLISH

 

[scutterdav]

These photos are of a broken Vacumatic that was on the way to the trash can. Maybe 10 minutes and unrinsed. Something I am experimenting with and I have a few "materials" to try it on.

 

POST POLISH

 

 

Just thought I'd add that when I polish a pen with threads I often get a white residue in the threads like this picture, but after some careful attention with a few dental tools the polish is easily removed.

[pathobby]

I have read here of the 'Selvyt' cloth as a polishing medium.

 

Here in the UK it is advertised as being the right thing for polishng anything from jewelery to Sandhurst cadet's army boots!

 

They are cheap enough on Ebay 'to buy to try'. Does anyone who has used these cloths have anything to say about when they should be used?

 

Would they be used from scratch (no pun intended!) i.e. "dry" as a first polishing medium with no pastes like Simichrome or museum waxes or would one polish with a paste/cream before using the 'Selvyt'.

 

Although I like buying (when I can) pristine 'new' vintage pens if I get an old used pen and I can get it to write well I do not want to buff it up too much as I think they tend to lose character. It seems that the 'Selvyt' might be right for these pens. Any views?

 

PH

[OcalaFlGuy]

Just thought I'd add that when I polish a pen with threads I often get a white residue in the threads like this picture, but after some careful attention with a few dental tools the polish is easily removed.

 

Even less attention before you polish with some masking tape over those threads and you won't have to worry about

that pesky white residue. A very carefully cut piece to just cover the imprint isn't a bad idea either. I like the green auto

masking tape, I think it holds better and doesn't leave any residue when you take it off.

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

 

[scutterdav]

Just thought I'd add that when I polish a pen with threads I often get a white residue in the threads like this picture, but after some careful attention with a few dental tools the polish is easily removed.

 

Even less attention before you polish with some masking tape over those threads and you won't have to worry about

that pesky white residue. A very carefully cut piece to just cover the imprint isn't a bad idea either. I like the green auto

masking tape, I think it holds better and doesn't leave any residue when you take it off.

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

 

Great idea Bruce. I do that for the imprint already and don't know why I didn't think to do it for the threads as well.

[jd50ae]

Tell me which one was on the way to the trash can. Pen spent two years in the bottom of a rubber bin covered in dirt and mud. Less then 5 minutes of polish time and wiped with a micro-fiber cloth.

 

 

[OcalaFlGuy]

Tell me which one was on the way to the trash can. Pen spent two years in the bottom of a rubber bin covered in dirt and mud. Less then 5 minutes of polish time and wiped with a micro-fiber cloth.

 

(Hey, it was my FIRST restoration, so please excuse the Scotch tape in the pics...And this was even before I got GOOD

at polishing.)

 

BEFORE (And yes, Simichrome was part of the process.)

 

 

AFTER

 

 

One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet.

 

Sure, admittedly, Simichrome comes with its own caveats and warnings, but Richard Binder not only uses it, he

reccomends it AND sells it on his site. I don't think ANY of those would be the case if it had more detrement than benefit.

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Fred Kozub]

Simichrome in the threads, on the nib----easy solutions---use an old splayed childs soft toothbrush--soft, clean and the right size to get the stuff out with GENTLE brushing. On the nib--a little water soak and the toothbrush treatment. Gets 'em clean every time. and no residue left. By the way, if you're going to polish the nib, take it off/out, gently do both sides, clean off the polish and reinstall. Undersides get pretty cruddy too.

[Garageboy]

I prefer slightly patina'd to overpolished.

As a watch collector, cases that are polished so that none of the original grind lines are there totally irritate me

I don't like polishing anything, though, scraping off material sends shivers down my spine

[gyasko]

Sure, admittedly, Simichrome comes with its own caveats and warnings, but Richard Binder not only uses it, he

reccomends it AND sells it on his site. I don't think ANY of those would be the case if it had more detrement than benefit.

 

It's a business for him and the issues are different for a business, e.g., does a shiny pen sell quicker or at a higher price?

 

The issues are also different for users and collectors. If someone puts a shiny, polished pen in a case and leaves it there, fine, probably not much harm done. A user will scratch up the pen anew. How many polishings can the pen take?

[bossy]

For my already shiny pen, car wax seems to work good. wouldn't want to

scratch it up using semichrome.

[kirchh]

Sure, admittedly, Simichrome comes with its own caveats and warnings, but Richard Binder not only uses it, he

reccomends it AND sells it on his site. I don't think ANY of those would be the case if it had more detrement than benefit.

 

It's a business for him and the issues are different for a business, e.g., does a shiny pen sell quicker or at a higher price?

This analysis is too crude by far. One issue is the aesthetic result obtained through the use of Simichrome or other products that produce a high polish; some prefer it, some prefer a more muted appearance that may be truer to the original finish. Richard does not use Simichrome merely because shinier pens sell better; I think he prefers the results, and he gives his clients' pens the same attention that he gives items destined for his own collection. Whether or not one agrees with that preference is one thing, but Richard does not as a matter of course tart up pens for sale.

 

A separate issue under discussion is the dangers of employing Simichrome -- unintentional removal of gold or other platings/coatings, possible chemical attack -- and as a related matter, the after-effects, such as the residue finding its way into every crack and crevice. Obviously, experiences and assessments differ. In my opinion, Simichrome is not inherently bad (putting aside the question of possible chemical attack), but it is exceedingly easy to use it badly. Therefore, I do not use it, as it serves no function not better served by other products and/or techniques, and I discourage its use because it is so easily used in a way that damages pens and that leaves excessive residue.

 

A typical pen that comes into my shop that has been Simichromed has whitish powder behind the clip, embedded in the clip ball seams, in the barrel threads, on the inside edges of the lever box, on the sides and underside of the lever, in the cap's vent holes, inside the open end of the cap, inside the cap around the vent holes, inside the barrel around the lever cutout, on the pressure bar, around and under the cap band(s), between blind cap and body, in the nib slit and pierce, and on the feed. Can it all be removed? Of course. Is the effort involved worth it for the results obtained? Not in my experience.

 

--Daniel

Edited April 16, 2009 by kirchh

[kirchh]

For my already shiny pen, car wax seems to work good. wouldn't want to

scratch it up using semichrome.

Simichrome won't "scratch it up"; it is a high-gloss polish. Note the spelling, as well; for some reason, the product is often misspelled as "Semichrome" or "Semi-chrome".

 

--Daniel

Edited April 16, 2009 by kirchh

[Garageboy]

But polish IS abrasive

[kirchh]

But polish IS abrasive

Some polishing methods are abrasive, some are not. But, of course, even abrasive polishes can produce high-gloss finishes. You said your pen is "already shiny". How do you think it got that way? Do you believe that polishing it with an abrasive polish that produces a high-gloss finish would "scratch it up" more than it was scratched up by the previous polishing process it underwent?

 

--Daniel

[jd50ae]

Tell me which one was on the way to the trash can. Pen spent two years in the bottom of a rubber bin covered in dirt and mud. Less then 5 minutes of polish time and wiped with a micro-fiber cloth.

 

(Hey, it was my FIRST restoration, so please excuse the Scotch tape in the pics...And this was even before I got GOOD

at polishing.)

 

BEFORE (And yes, Simichrome was part of the process.)

 

 

AFTER

 

 

One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet.

 

Sure, admittedly, Simichrome comes with its own caveats and warnings, but Richard Binder not only uses it, he

reccomends it AND sells it on his site. I don't think ANY of those would be the case if it had more detrement than benefit.

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

 

 

You did a fine job and the pen looks very very nice.

 

The 3 pens I posted were all done with something completely different, and the one in the middle would not have cleaned up as nice with any of the standard stuff. I am not kidding when I said I was going to toss it in the trash. I have cleaned and polished a number of pens and none looked as bad as the Sheaffer no nonsense. I tried the "new" method as a joke, the joke was on me and I will not use anything else from now on.

[ianmedium]

Sunshine polishing cloths are fantastic as a gentle polisher. They are low abrasive dry impregnated soft yellow cloths from Japan, though Richard binder sells them in the US.

 

I found out about them on one of my watch forums, they bring a beautiful lustre to shiny finishes and remove tarnish very gently. I have used it on all of my vintage pens and it brings a lovely natural shine up, not too much but enough.

 

It works wonders on plating and nibs, brings the gold of a nib to a lovely high shine with no scratching. Also it is soft enough to get into the tiny crevices on cap clips like the vacumatic. It requiers almost no pressure adding to the gentle cleaning action.

 

It won't remove deep scratches but it will buff out minor swirls. A bargin at $3 a pop in my opinion!

Edited April 18, 2009 by ianmedium

[eckiethump]

I don't know how Wenol compares with Simichrome, which I have never been able to get hold of, not tried very hard right enough.

 

Wenol, which I just recently come by, is very good, used I would assume in moderation. Good end results with less time and effort than other polishing methods and compounds I have employed. I have heard Wenol is no longer avavilable. The amount I have, and you need to use, should see me for quite a while though.

 

Any comments or warnings on this, my polishing is very sympathetic to the pens and materials, gf, celluloid etc

 

et

[Bo Bo Olson]

Polish of any type contains particles to remove a light layer of material. Wax does not have those particles.

 

With my last new car, I wanted to keep the little sports fltzer looking sharp, so I asked the German head mechanic what polish was best, and he told me use wax. Polish was for five or more years down the road, when I wanted to take off a touch of sun haze, or smooth our a scratch.

So with no experience yet with pens. I think that should be thought about. As soon as you have polished it to a minimum, try waxing it, with a fine wax.

I have some old pens coming in, and will try that.

[kirchh]

Sunshine polishing cloths are fantastic as a gentle polisher. They are low abrasive dry impregnated soft yellow cloths from Japan....

It works wonders on plating

Sunshine cloths, in my experience, are not low-abrasive, and I would advise against using them on plated items.

 

--Daniel