Most Long Term Durable Pen?

[palapiku]

Hello, I'd like your opinion on how should a pen be designed for maximum long-term durability - let's say, centuries of use. Let's also suppose there are no spare parts anywhere.

 

My own thoughts:

 

* Eye dropper construction - pistons have gaskets which can't possibly be very durable.

* Metal body, metal threads, interior lined with some kind of high-tech modern plastic. Not sure on this one. Maybe a metal like titanium could resist corrosion without a lining? Solid gold would, of course, but gold is a bit too soft for threads anyway.

* Either a really tough clip, or no clip at all.

* Of course, the nib and the feed section should be easy to extract and the entire pen easily disassembled for cleaning.

* Plastic feed section (ebonite is brittle and probably less durable than good modern plastics).

* Hooded nib?

* Rigid, broad, 18K gold nib I suppose?

 

 

I'm a total newbie to fountain pens - please correct any misconceptions I might have.

 

Do any existing pens approach these requirements?

[Oranges and Apples]

The Pilot M90.

 

Cartridge converter filling system. Either fill with a cartridge or converter and either one can be filled via eyedropper.

 

It has a full stainless steel construction.

 

The clip is a large piece of stainless steel.

 

The nib is the body but you do not need to fully disassemble this pen to be cleaned but if needed the body and the nib is a single piece and the feed could be punched out.

 

The feed itself is of a plastic and is not made out of ebonite.

 

Not sure what a hooded nib has to do with durability.

 

It is stainless steel. Yes, rigid. Broad, I do not believe it comes in this size but does come in a medium point.

[Bigeddie]

I would argue the opposite to most of your materials criteria.

 

Durability includes the ability to absorb shocks; if you look at most of the existing 'old' pens most are some kind of plastic and vac or sac fillers. The reason there aren't more old piston fillers around is that the piston heads before the 50's were made of cork. I'm not sure if modern seals and sealants would be more durable than those in the 1950's Snorkels I have been repairing.

 

Ultimately the most reliable pen is probably the simplest, so a dip pen (with some kind of tipped nib), or a wood case pencil would be quite high on the list.

Edited January 21, 2014 by Bigeddie

[Moshe ben David]

  On 1/21/2014 at 7:49 AM, Oranges and Apples said:

The Pilot M90.

 

Cartridge converter filling system. Either fill with a cartridge or converter and either one can be filled via eyedropper.

 

It has a full stainless steel construction.

 

The clip is a large piece of stainless steel.

 

The nib is the body but you do not need to fully disassemble this pen to be cleaned but if needed the body and the nib is a single piece and the feed could be punched out.

 

The feed itself is of a plastic and is not made out of ebonite.

 

Not sure what a hooded nib has to do with durability.

 

It is stainless steel. Yes, rigid. Broad, I do not believe it comes in this size but does come in a medium point.

 

+1 Also note very well balanced. Cleaning is a breeze. Very consistent writer. Like other Japanese pens, an M nib is more like a western F nib.

[jar]

Removing nibs for cleaning is counter productive.

 

http://www.fototime.com/EE01FC2CD9F2C61/large.jpg

[martinbir]

  On 1/21/2014 at 8:23 AM, Bigeddie said:

 

a wood case pencil would be quite high on the list.

 

Only until it's sharpened away. Or have I misunderstood?

 

The Parker 51 is often referred to as the most reliable pen ever and there certainly seem to be a load of 50-60 year old models around in original condition. Maybe that answers the question.

[Inkling13]

There is a problem here. You say centuries, but many vintage pens here have outlasted their original owners. You say taht you need a durable nib, but nib tipping only lasts so long, and retipping would be the only option. Retipping is only currently done with gold nibs, but gold makes the pen vulnerable to the greed of man when the price goes up for gold. The best way to survive the ages, would be through proliferation and tenacity. It's like the Landrovers and other cars, who by their popularity, have survived some 20-30 years past their discontinuation all due to the availability of replacement parts. Nothing lasts forever, but if you can find a pen with easily found/reproducable parts, coupled with easy servicability, that would ensure the longest survival for working specimens of a pen. Accidents and other damages can and will happen to the pen, but being able to have broken parts replaced? that's priceless.

 

I would think that a Lamy safari would be one of these, as they are nearly bomb proof, with easily serviceable and accessible supply of extra nibs. Being well made and popular (who hasn't had or seen a Lamy safari?) I would think that replacement parts would be very easy to come by, if you ever needed them.

 

Something like a twsbi, on the other hand, would be a bit harder to keep, since the production run has not been years like the lamy, and they seem to be plagued by the propensity to crack....

Edited January 21, 2014 by Inkling13

[Pickwick]

I would classify a durable pen to be capable of lasting for one's lifetime. Providing of course one doesn't lose it, or through some unforeseen calamity. One's lifetime being limited, why would anyone bother to consider if a pen lasted for centuries?

[wallylynn]

My Ahab. It sits in the drawer, never seeing the light of day. (I kid, it's my EDC for the time being.)

[Pterodactylus]

  On 1/21/2014 at 3:56 PM, Pickwick said:

I would classify a durable pen to be capable of lasting for one's lifetime. Providing of course one doesn't lose it, or through some unforeseen calamity. One's lifetime being limited, why would anyone bother to consider if a pen lasted for centuries?

True, and almost every quality pens will last easily more than a lifetime, no matter which filling method, material or construction.

This is nothing special.

 

At the end time will destroy everything, sooner or later, but who cares......nobody.

 

Quality pens do have a very very long using period, so to be honest the question don't make sense for me.

[Wolverine1]

I have Parker Lucky Curve Duofolds that were manufactured in the early 1920s, and I use them every day and they are working just fine. Any modern pen will also last a lifetime or more, if cared for properly. What was the point of your question?

[Centopar]

Today I've been using a Mabie Todd 1500 that's a little over a century old for note-taking in the office. Works like a dream; it's as solid as a rock. Is that the sort of durability you're after?

[Steven]

I have many different style pens that have been in constant use over the last 35 years. From a Mont Blanc 301, to a Lamy 2000 to a cheapo Sheaffer 304, these pens are still in use. I have had other pens just fail, the plastic fatigues and cracks in high stress areas. I had a cheapo Pelicano that I loved in which the threads cracked where the body is attached to the nib/grip section. I also had a Pelican M400 Tortious Green hood crack at the threads. I had Pilot VP nib section which is steal corrode and crack. You would be surprised at how corrosive inks are over time. It is not the ink so much as the galvanic corrosion that liquids create with dissimilar metals.

 

How much you use a pen factors in a lot. If you buy a pen and it just sits around for 100 years it will be in good shape. If use it every day any weakness in design will become apparent. The constant capping/uncapping and writing does flex and fatigue parts of the pen. If I had to pin it down I would say that when the plastic areas that are flexed or in constant motion are not made think enough, these areas will fail. Brass and metal thread and bodies seem better than plastic in this respect. Pens with push cap seem more durable than threaded caps. I have never had a failure with my Lamy filler yet, but the plunger is a wear item. It is just a matter of time. On the other hand cartridges never wear out.

[balson]

hard rubber eyedroppers with a firm nib with lots of tipping would work well for over 100 years. only thing you would need to redesign would be be an improved cap. if you really want to improve durability a metal overlay will greatly improve how well the pen holds up.

 

i disagree with inkling to some extent though. i think if an item looks valuable it is more likely to be saved and treated with respect and passed down.

 

 

i think plastics are just as prone to deterioration as ebonite is and overall ebonite has held up better than many of the early plastics. this link has some interesting tidbits to consider for this discussion.

http://www.cci-icc.gc.ca/publications/notes/15-1-eng.aspx

[sandy101]

The plastic on my older FPs and ball points cracked. I'd probably go for an all metal pen.

[jar]

Or just buy one.

http://www.fototime.com/DC76AF0D6B93001/large.jpg

[Oranges and Apples]

The problem with silver is that it tarnishes in any humid condition.

[Sasha Royale]

Raise geese. The quill pen doesn't last, but you can maintain an endless supply, and there are many good

recipes.

[discopig]

I think most pens made of decent materials (acrylic, metal, cellulose, ABS) and with a decent tipped nib can last a long time. Fountain pens have very little parts and the only moving part is usually the piston or converter, and those can always be replaced, and in the case of a sac, those are easy to replace too.

 

The main reason pens seem to fail is due to misuse, loss or theft.

Edited January 22, 2014 by discopig

[wallylynn]

  On 1/22/2014 at 12:48 AM, Sasha Royale said:

Raise geese. The quill pen doesn't last, but you can maintain an endless supply, and there are many good

recipes.

Grow a black walnut tree. then you'll have both pens and ink.