Best Methods For Cleaning Pre-1907 Ebonite?

[egglorru]

Hi guys, I just got myself a beautiful near-mint Mabie Todd & Bard Swan, which the internet informs me means it was manufactured somewhere between the last patent date on the barrel, 1895, and Mabie Todd's name change in 1907.

 

This makes it the oldest pen in my collection by far, and I wasn't sure if the composition of ebonite was different in the "olden days" compared to somewhat later ebonite pens like most vintage Watermans. Since it's an eyedropper, I'd like to know what's safe to use to clean it out thoroughly whilst keeping its condition as good as when I bought it.

[Cob]

Never easy this one.

 

The main thing is to keep water away from the exterior otherwise the colour will fade - to a café au lait shade or olive green.

 

If you want to clean the interior you must use water sparingly and a barrel brush and be very patient. A little vinegar added to the water can help to dissolve old iron gall ink residue. Whilst it would be nice to use a little ammonia to dissolve other ink residues, one would have to be very cautious indeed as any ammonia soultion on the exterior would cause horrible discolouration very quickly.

 

For the exterior I have used various metal polishes successfully. Some people like to use a wax product to protect the surface but others have disputed this - again I have had no problems.

 

Best of luck

 

Cob

Edited May 30, 2016 by Cob

[egglorru]

Thanks so much!

[Greenie]

Not much to add. Keep the outside away from water. Clean the inside with water, Qtips, and a lot of time and patience. Koh I Noor Rapido Eze is very nice for helping clean out old ink, and it tends to not discolor the outside instantly if you have a little accident.

 

For the outside, I have a lot of success with a lot of rubbing with a microfiber cloth, or a gentle polish with Simichrome. Use the Simichrome evenly all over the pen, polish gently, and then clean it all off well with a microfiber cloth or all cotton cloth.

[Goudy]

Simichrome's ingredients (https://jp.misumi-ec.com/pdf/msds/en/PPST.pdf) include kerosene and ammonia, so there's potentially a risk in applying it to the outside of hard rubber pens. I haven't tried it myself, though.

 

I have tried Renaissance wax and would not recommend it. It discoloured a BHR pen almost instantly. My policy now is to avoid using waxes and polishes on ebonite.

[Greenie]

RE Simichrome on hard rubber:

If you get a little on just part of a pen, it can discolor that area.

If you spread a little on the whole pen, polish gently with microfiber cloth ( or pieces of my old all cotton undershirts - unless that it TMI )

It comes out nice and even and a bit blacker and a bit shinier.

 

I sometimes do this twice, but you have to take care not to wear down the chasing. Then again, heat can bring the chasing back up a little bit (but not a lot).

 

After polishing and wiping carefully and totally clean, I use a clean microfiber cloth and lightly and rapidly buff the surface, slowly moving around the pen.

 

The has done a nice job of making my old BHR pens a bit blacker, definitely shinier, and much more even in color.

 

As with any repair, try it on a junker first and see what you think.

[egglorru]

The only discoloration I've personally managed to accumulate on an Ebonite pen so far is from an ink with sheen that left the sheen behind on the section from where ink trickled down from the inside of the cap. Water and polishing don't seem to do much good. That is on my "junker" Waterman Sleeve-filler, which came to me in the loveliest shade of bland brown you can imagine. It's lucky it has such a nice wet noodle on it. I think I'll give Simichrome a try on it, see what happens

[Cob]

You have reminded me: I did notice that effect with SImichrome on one occasion. I have not had that problem with Autosol metal polish.

 

This is the only severe example with which I had any success - I used a sort of pipe stem restorer and for once it worked:

 

 

 

I wish I hadn't sold that one!

 

Cob

[Greenie]

Not to be disgusting, but my skin oil seems to also bring out the darker color and add shine. I rub my finger along the sides of my nose or behind my ears and rub on the BHR pen. I seem to remember someone on FPN also saying they do this for pens as well as for old pipes, so I doubt I am the only one to discover this. I just might be one of the few to admit to it.....

 

Cob, any idea what the pipe stem restorer product is?

[pen2paper]

In addition to chemicals, light is a problem for HR.

[Beechwood]

I am always wary of sentences that begin:

 

'With the greatest of respect', or 'I am not trying to be difficult but.'..

 

I can now add Not to be disgusting.

 

Is this a marketing opportunity? If there is anough to be bottled it could be a wonderful product for the Classifieds although we may need need to change the name from Greenie Skin Oil.

 

 

However, I have found that simply using hard rubber pens does seem to improve the finish, so the idea of oil from your skin does seem to work and without the false newly refurbished hard black look, which doesnt suit all tastes.

Edited June 1, 2016 by Beechwood

[egglorru]

Cob, what is pipe stem restorer?

 

Does anyone have thoughts on the other half of my question: has the patented composition of ebonite changed in a significant enough way over the years that proper restoration of older (100+ years) ebonite varies from proper restoration of later (50yo) manufactured pens?

[Vintagepens]

Then again, heat can bring the chasing back up a little bit (but not a lot).

 

Note that heat's effect on worn chasing is to *reverse* it. That is, what was originally impressed into the surface will be left standing in relief instead.

[Greenie]

I am always wary of sentences that begin:

 

'With the greatest of respect', or 'I am not trying to be difficult but.'..

 

I can now add Not to be disgusting.

 

 

Another favorite is "No offense, but...."

 

And as for the oversharing of bodily stuff, I am a urologist and spend my day hearing about and discussing all kinds of personal functions, so I might have forgotten where the line is generally believed to be in normal polite conversation

[egglorru]

And as for the oversharing of bodily stuff, I am a urologist and spend my day hearing about and discussing all kinds of personal functions, so I might have forgotten where the line is generally believed to be in normal polite conversation

 

Heh, and I work in a river authority lab running regulatory parameters on sewage, so I feel ya on that front, Greenie.

 

As an aside, I continue to fail to convince the Powers On High that bulletproof and/or document ink is an acceptable alternative to indelible ballpoint on laboratory documents. Every day is pain.

[Greenie]

So back to the question no one is addressing:

 

This makes it the oldest pen in my collection by far, and I wasn't sure if the composition of ebonite was different in the "olden days" compared to somewhat later ebonite pens like most vintage Watermans. Since it's an eyedropper, I'd like to know what's safe to use to clean it out thoroughly whilst keeping its condition as good as when I bought it.

 

I want to acknowledge your question, but my answer is "I have no idea." Sorry! In my experience, the pens all seem to act the same and I treat them the same.

[Cob]

Sorry for the delay, I have been away - just got back.

 

The product is Italian and called Savinelli Stem Polish.

 

Please note it only worked that one time!

 

Rgds

 

Cob

[missuslovett]

Sorry for the delay, I have been away - just got back.

 

The product is Italian and called Savinelli Stem Polish.

 

Please note it only worked that one time!

 

Rgds

 

Cob

 

 

I think I'll give it a go. I don't have too many ebonite pens but I'll be interested to see if it works the oracle, even a small oracle.

[Cob]

I am convinced that MT's post-war ebonite was different from the earlier type. Here's a snap of a 3261. I polished the barrel but left the cap as original so that you can see the result. I think that the barrel could be improved further but as the cap has a crack I doubt I'll bother for now.

 

 

Cob

Edited June 19, 2016 by Cob

[egglorru]

It looks good! Which war are you talking when you say post-war, by the way?