M200 Smoky Quartz

[TheRealMikeDr]

Just came back from PW Akkerman. They managed to polish out the scratches from the barrel

 

From now on, I won't post my pen anymore

 

A happy ending! Very nice!

 

As an FYI - it takes almost zero skill to polish a pen and eliminate those micro scratches. I recommend giving it a try should the need arise again.

[arthurm]

Very glad it turned out well. What did they use to polish it?

Didn't ask that. They went to a separate room and polished it there.

 

What wax should I use (preferably sold by a Dutch (web)shop like Appelboom or Akkerman) to keep my M200 in mint condition?

[Bo Bo Olson]

Any CARNAUBA CAR WAX.

A wax is not a polish....it is a protection.

 

Over the years here, certain waxes have fallen out of favor big time, Renaissance Wax, that was used by museums for decades proved to be a mistake. It was once recommended here, until the truth came out.

There are some who refuse to wax no matter what.

I wax, and have not had a mar because I wax.

 

You don't have to wax like a religion weekly, once every 4-6 months does well enough. I'm sure I have pens that are not always in use that I've not waxed for a year or two.

If a soft flannel rag don't add a tad of shine to the waxed pen, then it's time to wax it again.

[ian1964]

Oh, what is the issue with Renaissance wax? I have been using it for years. Now I am worried

[Bo Bo Olson]

Renaissance wax had been on my to get list, when I read here two-three years ago, that museum stuff waxed with it decades ago show unexpected damage/corrosion etc from that wax.

 

So suddenly it went from the wax to get to the wax to not get.

Carnauba wax became the next wax.....by those who wax.

 

I buy mostly old used pens (97%).....vintage is pre-70, semi-vintage pre'97, so they can need some finger polishing with something like Semi-Chrome or a better three stage polishing set whose name I forgot, but is used to polish the plexiglass of fighter plane domes.

I don't go OCD and try to make them look brand new, very well maintained does for me, they are after all old pens.....and I'm lazy. A bit of wax then helps the pen look very well maintained. (Like it's still the One Man, One Pen it once was.)

 

I have been waxing my pens for the last 7-8 years. Just hitting it with the flannel cloth when getting dull, unless that don't bring back the shine, then a bit more wax.

The small amount of wax on a pen will last a long time.

 

Don't use car polish in it has particles to remove dull paint. Pure car wax, has no particles, is only protection, not a polish.

[ian1964]

Thanks Bo Bo

[Erik Dalton]

Just noticed that Massdrop is offering the M-200 + bottle of Smoky Quartz ink for $134.99. Shipping in US free. Will not ship t'll end of October.

No affiliation, just passing on a good deal.

[AndyLogan]

Hello everyone,

 

Just wanted to add to this thread, got my Pelikan Smoky Quartz about 2 weeks ago in an "EF" nib, a bit scratchy for my taste, the proprietor of the shop here in Adelaide encouraged me to use it for a while and if I wasn't satisfied with it, I could go back and have the nib changed, now that's good customer service! Here are a few pictures of a writing sample and a comparison of the size of the pen against a Pilot & Lamy FP.

 

 

 

 

(L-R) Lamy Safari; Lamy All Star; Pilot Penmanship, Pelikan Classic M200

[Claud]

I installed a Pelikan factory "I" nib on my M200 Smoky Quartz yesterday. Now it is a fancy signing pen in Smoky Quartz ink.

[AndyLogan]

I installed a Pelikan factory "I" nib on my M200 Smoky Quartz yesterday. Now it is a fancy signing pen in Smoky Quartz ink.

Hi Claude, could you show us a writing sample? I might actually have an M400 nib installed next week. But I am enjying the nib on this one and might in the end keep it.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I bought mine years ago, before I was aware of so many Meguiar waxes.

 

 

M16 Professional Paste Wax....in you do not want ANY oils or synthetic junk.

 

I paid E-30 some years ago....back before this happened (thinking gee that's $xpensive...then you show me expensive wax for my Rolls Royce). Someone showed me a 2,000 pound wax.

 

, "RARE. HARD TO LOCATE IN THE U.S.A.. Thanks to VOC regulations, Meguiar's Professional Paste Wax is no longer available in the U.S.A. It is still available in other parts of the world. I reckon they breathe different air than we do."

Is on German Ebay.....try Amazon. @ E33 now.

 

You should be able to divide what's left with your grand children, if you use it only for pens.

[Claud]

Here is the writing sample requested.

[AndyLogan]

Here is the writing sample requested.

Wow that is nice, I might actually go for the broad or italic nib instead.

[invisuu]

Wow that is nice, I might actually go for the broad or italic nib instead.

Italic nibs are really nice. I got one for M400 and one for M800. Lots of line variation. But be warned, its a 1.5mm thick line on the verticals. Its a huge nib. And its amazing.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I like the '50-65 era stubbed semi-flex obliques.

They give very nice line variation....even the regular straight nibs of that era do, do to being stubbed and semi-flex.

Edited March 18, 2018 by Bo Bo Olson

[chromantic]

Here is the writing sample requested.

 

omg! The line width, especially in scale with the size of the pen, looks gargantuan.

[invisuu]

I bought mine years ago, before I was aware of so many Meguiar waxes.

 

 

M16 Professional Paste Wax....in you do not want ANY oils or synthetic junk.

 

I paid E-30 some years ago....back before this happened (thinking gee that's $xpensive...then you show me expensive wax for my Rolls Royce). Someone showed me a 2,000 pound wax.

 

, "RARE. HARD TO LOCATE IN THE U.S.A.. Thanks to VOC regulations, Meguiar's Professional Paste Wax is no longer available in the U.S.A. It is still available in other parts of the world. I reckon they breathe different air than we do."

Is on German Ebay.....try Amazon. @ E33 now.

 

You should be able to divide what's left with your grand children, if you use it only for pens.

Bo Bo it would be really nice if you would be willing to write up a guide of sorts; exactly what to buy and how to do it - polishing and waxing. It would probably be a lot of work for you, but I know for mysef Id follow it.

[Claud]

Bo Bo it would be really nice if you would be willing to write up a guide of sorts; exactly what to buy and how to do it - polishing and waxing. It would probably be a lot of work for you, but I know for mysef Id follow it.

 

Me too!!!!!

[Matlock]

 

Over the years here, certain waxes have fallen out of favor big time, Renaissance Wax, that was used by museums for decades proved to be a mistake. It was once recommended here, until the truth came out.

 

 

The problem was with a Benin bust which was made of metal and required considerable effort to remove the wax build up. That problem should not concern us with pens.

[Bo Bo Olson]

It's simple....and I learned it here, ages ago.

Don't palm slam your cap on if you post, there is no need to screw it on if it don't have a screw mechanism as some pens do. Medium-Small, Standard, Medium-Large pens were made to post, in that is where the balance was.......the only Large pens I've found that post with great balance is the Snorkel (could be a Touch Down also) and the P-45 has good balance...both need to be posted for best balance.

So if you wax your pen you will have no mars.............do check the cap threads for roughness. I've not had any but my old pens were 'worn in'.

Back then we had Semi-Chrome a lighter metal polish......never ever use Brasso.

It's much too rough.....something to rip a polish on military brass....

 

Then something called Nova (I think) came along, a three step polish, that actually from my reading, only the first two are needed on pens. Nova refused to mail to me in Germany :angry: :angry: ....back in the day. It is or was used to polish the plexiglass of jet fighters. So will be best.

You might or might not need the third and last polish level.

 

Even an Esterbrook could be ruined if you go at it with a Dremil. It's finger polish....not finger in a rag polish.

Rub in the metal polish into the pen body with just your fingers, which Semi-Chrome was and is....very much used in the old days....Let dry for a couple of minutes, buff up with a piece of flannel. Often enough I had to polish a pen twice. occasionally a third time...........but I was only after the 'well maintained' look for a 50-70 year old pen.............not NOS..........which being lazy was too much work. If you want to do that, repeat the finger polishing a few more times.

Nova may be the trick with it's third level of polish.

 

 

Where ever you have a imprint cover it with a just enough masking tape.....(You can always chalk and cheat the imprint to give more a NOS impression)....I don't, so don't know if the wax will hold it well, which I think it would. If you just polish and chalk and wax and then sell it as that, good. There is nothing wrong with selling a first class refurbished pen....if sold as refurbished and not NOS.

 

You could mask the gold plated cap rings too....take off the clip, if possible.....some older pens it's not.

For gold plated cap rings and clip....even if a bit brassed.....try a gold cloth first.

 

If the cap rings and clip are well brassed.....OK....then you use your Semi-Chrome...(or similar) or Nova and polish the brass. You will have to do that more often than if there is still gold plating on the parts.

If you wax the brassed parts after polishing, it will keep tarnish at bay.

It is not the end of the world that your pen is so old it brassed....and the some I have I don't have to go at it all that often to have it still look good.

If I would have to go after the brass, to make it shine again...it's only a couple of minutes....one application of Semi-Chrome.

 

M16 Professional Paste Wax....in you do not want ANY oils or synthetic junk....if in the States or perhaps anywhere Amazon would be a good bet.

 

 

Sterling Silver P-75 Cisele or any other....well I like gunmetal silver tone of patina.......I don't like the shined till someone asks, is that Chrome?

But every once in a while if the pen is not used often, silver will get sort of grungy. A light polish of the silver cloth...if you polish a bit too much that the dark lines of the cross hatched blocks...Cisele vanish, they will come back with in weeks. They come back first. The best way if you don't want to have a Chrome pen, and have some patina, is to use the pen regularly. The finger oils are enough to keep grungy tarnish at bay......... gunmetal silver patina is Not Grungy!!!

 

I once had a chrome pen..... what a finger print trap.....spent more time polishing the finger prints off than writing...some three weeks later I released it back into the wild. A Waterman Graduate I believe it was. I have no idea if wax would keep finger prints off of it.