What Is Precious Resin?

[fpSuperstar]

I often read about Mont Blanc's being made of "Precious Resin" when I researched it, it came up with Perspex. But when machine guards are out of the same stuff why is it called "Precious". I'm confused some one please explain.

[kawuska]

Topic covered many times here, "Precious Resin" is another expression for "Public Relations" also a different name for Plexiglass in this case

[erpe]

Well, the term 'resin' refers to synthetic materials with similar mechanical properties as the hydrocarbon secretion of some plant, 'precious' is a high-value expression for costly, so basically, 'precious resin' is just expensive plastic. That said, it is a bit more than the run of the mill household plastic. There is quality control, consistency and craftsmanship in manufacturing to consider. This adds value but the basic material is really just high quality, therefore expensive, plastic.

[Alex2014]

  On 6/30/2014 at 7:47 AM, kawuska said:

Topic covered many times here, "Precious Resin" is another expression for "Public Relations" also a different name for Plexiglass in this case

[Marco1900000000]

According to the German dictionary: "Edelharz" means "high-grade resin". The word "edel" in itself means "precious" (among other things naturally). The word "harz" means "resin". So there is a difference in using "edel harz" and "edelharz". What hitting a space bar can cause in a fountain pen community

 

By the way, Montblanc describes it as edelharz on their German website.

Edited June 30, 2014 by Marco1900000000

[The Blue Knight]

It's marketing speak for plain old Acrylic. They use the term to justify the £600 price tag on some there pens a bit silly I must admit.

 

If there people willing to buy it company's will sell it with some fancy marketing to go with it.

Edited June 30, 2014 by The Blue Knight

[kawuska]

I read in Parker salesman manual how they should explain the PR to the customer: "PR comparing to regular plastic is like crystal glass to window glass."Truth is that plexi is more scratch-resistant than other plastics and it's true to be more expensive to make than others.But "precious" sounds better than "expensive".

[Journaler]

Never considered this term before.

 

I've noticed that the material is remarkably resistant to scratching provided reasonable care is taken with it. Is that true of most acrylic pens?

[CS388]

  On 6/30/2014 at 7:47 AM, kawuska said:

Topic covered many times here

 

And will be again, I'm sure.

 

As long as Montblanc use the phrase in their marketing, the question will be asked.

 

Enjoy.

 

 

Edited to include quote.

Edited June 30, 2014 by CS388

[kawuska]

)

[Joane]

  On 6/30/2014 at 9:02 AM, Marco1900000000 said:

According to the German dictionary: "Edelharz" means "high-grade resin". The word "edel" in itself means "precious" (among other things naturally). The word "harz" means "resin". So there is a difference in using "edel harz" and "edelharz". What hitting a space bar can cause in a fountain pen community

 

By the way, Montblanc describes it as edelharz on their German website.

I buy this. After reading about this subject for a long time, I have come to the conclusion that it's more of a translation goof that took place a long time ago and stuck, than a marketing thing, because for marketing it doesn't work in English and comes across as pretentious. I think they intended the meaning denoting high quality, not realizing that in English we would be more likely to read the word "precious" as referring to the endearment or pretentiousness rather than the substance descriptor.

[meiers]

edel=noble, superior

Precious resin means high quality plexiglass or plastic.

Edited June 30, 2014 by meiers

[Mister Mont Blanc]

You hit quite a subject here for some! It's basically their own concoction used to create the plastic for the pens. Honestly it is very light but it has also gone through changes throughout the years in how it's made. As noted above, it's more of a translation lag.

[GTOZack]

I took an opportunity to do my Macgyver-ness. a friend had shattered older 1980s resin barrel. I had several test sample of plastics, metals, glass I had lying in my garage shelves I do keep them to compare and test their tolerances. ( long story )

 

so I wrapped a towel in bench vice grip, intentionally bent the barrel, it did not show white/clouding creases you would expect to see in plastics . rather it snapped after a slight nudge, about 20 or so pounds of pressure. So we established something, it IS brittle. upon close look the fresh sheared pieces showed many tiny shivers, It resembles to obsidian glass shards. So I may suspect they added silica into resin. to retain their shininess, sharp tone, and scratch resistant.

 

under a strong light it gleamed red-black. but I also put it under infrared light. the pictures revels it is completely invisible. So I had concluded that Silica and resin that's so pure that it is invisible under an infrared light.

 

So rule of thumb, If you are trying to detect fake Mb's put it under infrared to confirm it is completely invisible and only piston, nib housing and the nib is showing. that's one of the extreme ways to confirm genuineness.

 

other than sticking magnet to the nib and risking scratching ( tissue towel wrapped magnet is logical) and checking threading, and such. Checking the obvious German quality of the gold nib and I simply stick whole pen it under infrared light and peek.

 

Ive seen many counterfeits fail the infrared light. they show very subtle silhouettes.

Edited June 30, 2014 by GTOZack

[kawuska]

That's interesting IR-test, GTOZack, what's the source of IR beam?

[JonSzanto]

The very question, itself, is precious.

[GTOZack]

  On 7/1/2014 at 7:56 AM, kawuska said:

That's interesting IR-test, GTOZack, what's the source of IR beam?

some hoya IR lens for a friends nikon digitalized camera, i think a 7100 ? or so i got to ask him.

 

I had a blast checking random things in IR even my cat

 

it was set 700 to 900nm wavelength i believe

 

 

let me clarify this, when i meant by completely invisible, I think it was a poor choice of wordings, I was intending to describe Clear as crystal glass, or really clear as air with silhouettes. but the fake ones has hue and discoloration against the silhouettes

 

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/195503-mb-149-demonstrator/

Edited July 1, 2014 by GTOZack

[cakibler]

Precious resin is what Montblanc calls their injection molded plastic. Personally it's not all that break resistant as I can testify to

After dropping a 149 on the floor and seeing the cap easily crack. Precious in my opinion would be an early 149 made of machined celluloid plastic rather than the cheap injection molded stuff they use now. I am sure it's not cheapest either

[kawuska]

Injection-molding PMMA makes it even more prone to cracking (specific points of stress), also this type of molding is often used to join two pieces together (like different colors) which not always works.Correct me if I'am wrong but Pelikan seems to use this way to join grip with the barrel and these joint are likely to develop leakage or even part.

[RudyR]

  On 6/30/2014 at 9:02 AM, Marco1900000000 said:

According to the German dictionary: "Edelharz" means "high-grade resin". The word "edel" in itself means "precious" (among other things naturally). The word "harz" means "resin". So there is a difference in using "edel harz" and "edelharz". What hitting a space bar can cause in a fountain pen community

 

By the way, Montblanc describes it as edelharz on their German website.

 

 

  On 6/30/2014 at 6:58 PM, meiers said:

edel=noble, superior

Precious resin means high quality plexiglass or plastic.

 

These two explanations should be stickied somehow . And then people in the US wonder why we should study any other language other than English.