Precious resin, ebonite, cotton resin, acrylic resin ...

[cmeisenzahl]

Precious resin, ebonite, cotton resin, acrylic resin, fairy dust, etc.

 

How much of this is legit, and how much is a fancy word for plastic? ;-)

[bgray]

Well, ebonite is not plastic.

 

There are subtle differences between some plastics, but the differences really are in how they work on the lathe.

 

My opinion is that there is very little difference in the durability, wear resisitance, and how well a pen takes a shine when you look at plastics that penmakers use.

[jbb]

Resin is plastic. The resin industry (which I'm in) is filled with euphemisms to make things not sound like plastic. Fillers are added to resin so "bonded bronze" can have real bronze powder in it but the amount can vary. Things like ground pecan shells are added to resin so that products can be represented as made of a more natural material. There are no consistent industry standards -- the names are made up for marketing purposes.

Edited January 19, 2008 by jbb

[tfwall]

Well, ebonite is not plastic.

Ebonite is plastic in that it is a synthetic polymer. I'll grant you, it isn't PVC or injection mold plastic, but plastic it is. Ebonite was developed to replace ebony. The process involves inserting a number of sulphur linkages into rubber to create a more structured material.

[bgray]

Well, ebonite is not plastic.

Ebonite is plastic in that it is a synthetic polymer. I'll grant you, it isn't PVC or injection mold plastic, but plastic it is. Ebonite was developed to replace ebony. The process involves inserting a number of sulphur linkages into rubber to create a more structured material.

 

Gotcha...thank you.

 

[Deirdre]

Well, ebonite is not plastic.

Ebonite is plastic in that it is a synthetic polymer.

It's not synthetic, but I'll grant you that it's semi-synthetic and thus still plastic. Ebonite is pretty much in the same category as rayon and lyocell.

[Luca]

plastic: a synthetic material made from a wide range of organic polymers such as polyethylene, PVC, nylon, etc., that can be molded into shape while soft and then set into a rigid or slightly elastic form.

 

resin: a sticky flammable organic substance, insoluble in water, exuded by some trees and other plants (notably fir and pine).

 

synthetic resin: a solid or liquid synthetic organic polymer used as the basis of plastics, adhesives, varnishes, or other products.

 

precious resin: ????

 

cotton resin: ???

 

acrylic resin = acrylic = synthetic resin: of synthetic resins and textile fibers) made from polymers of acrylic acid or acrylates.

 

ebonite: another term for vulcanite

 

vulcanite: hard black vulcanized rubber

 

rubber: a tough elastic polymeric substance made from the latex of a tropical plant or synthetically.

 

vulcanize: harden (rubber or rubberlike material) by treating it with sulfur at a high temperature.

 

fairy dust: ????

 

 

So, "resin" is not plastic, "synthetic resin" is plastic, and "ebonite" can either be natural or plastic. Then the question is, again, whether MontBlanc, Omas, etc., they mean natural resin or plastic, as the terms "precious resin", "cotton resin", and "ebonite", could very well mean "plastic". This is a very good question...

 

Edited January 19, 2008 by Luca

[tfwall]

It's not synthetic, but I'll grant you that it's semi-synthetic and thus still plastic. Ebonite is pretty much in the same category as rayon and lyocell.

Any ebonite from after the second World War is almost certainly fully synthetic, a petroleum derivative. Any ebonite pens you may buy today, perhaps with the exception of some high-end artisanal Danitrios, are synthetic. The cost of harvesting rubber, purifying it, and then treating it at a chemical plant is price prohibitive vs just synthesizing the whole item in-house.

[Luca]

It's not synthetic, but I'll grant you that it's semi-synthetic and thus still plastic. Ebonite is pretty much in the same category as rayon and lyocell.

Any ebonite from after the second World War is almost certainly fully synthetic, a petroleum derivative. Any ebonite pens you may buy today, perhaps with the exception of some high-end artisanal Danitrios, are synthetic. The cost of harvesting rubber, purifying it, and then treating it at a chemical plant is price prohibitive vs just synthesizing the whole item in-house.

 

I quote that for "resin", and then, again, are they selling us expensive "plastic"?

 

 

[tfwall]

It's not synthetic, but I'll grant you that it's semi-synthetic and thus still plastic. Ebonite is pretty much in the same category as rayon and lyocell.

Any ebonite from after the second World War is almost certainly fully synthetic, a petroleum derivative. Any ebonite pens you may buy today, perhaps with the exception of some high-end artisanal Danitrios, are synthetic. The cost of harvesting rubber, purifying it, and then treating it at a chemical plant is price prohibitive vs just synthesizing the whole item in-house.

 

I quote that for "resin", and then, again, are they selling us expensive "plastic"?

No, no, no. Montblanc pens are meticulously crafted from precious resin for a high lustre finish with outstanding scratch resistance. A discerning customer like yourself can clearly see that our precious resin isn't related to plastic...

[Luca]

It's not synthetic, but I'll grant you that it's semi-synthetic and thus still plastic. Ebonite is pretty much in the same category as rayon and lyocell.

Any ebonite from after the second World War is almost certainly fully synthetic, a petroleum derivative. Any ebonite pens you may buy today, perhaps with the exception of some high-end artisanal Danitrios, are synthetic. The cost of harvesting rubber, purifying it, and then treating it at a chemical plant is price prohibitive vs just synthesizing the whole item in-house.

 

I quote that for "resin", and then, again, are they selling us expensive "plastic"?

No, no, no. Montblanc pens are meticulously crafted from precious resin for a high lustre finish with outstanding scratch resistance. A discerning customer like yourself can clearly see that our precious resin isn't related to plastic...

 

I like MontBlanc's resin, do not get me wrong. However, one cannot ignore the general doubt, given that MontBlanc does not specify what "precious" means. There is also a good number of people, also at FPN, that raised the same question. Then, again, is MontBlanc's "resin" natural or synthetic?

 

 

 

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

Precious resin is probably a synthetic material with glass filler. Maybe someday we can get a definitive answer, but we'll leave it at that for a moment.

 

Dillon

[Deirdre]

Any ebonite from after the second World War is almost certainly fully synthetic, a petroleum derivative. Any ebonite pens you may buy today, perhaps with the exception of some high-end artisanal Danitrios, are synthetic. The cost of harvesting rubber, purifying it, and then treating it at a chemical plant is price prohibitive vs just synthesizing the whole item in-house.

Okay, I'll grant you that ebonite after some period is fully synthetic.

 

On the natural vs. synthetic resin front: of course there are natural resins, such as those traditionally used on bows. Shellac and natural lacquers are others. That said, most resins these days are synthetic.

[HDoug]

I'm a fan of acrylic. Okay, it's cheap, but it's also strong, stable, light, and can vary from transparent to very colorful. There are desirable qualities of other materials that acrylic can't replicate, but based on acrylic's characteristics of goodness and cheapness I have to regard it as a winner.

 

Doug

[cacao]

The Sailor King of pens is advertised on Sailor's website as being manufactured of "natural rubber", so is it not really?

[tfwall]

The Sailor King of pens is advertised on Sailor's website as being manufactured of "natural rubber", so is it not really?

If they name it so, it may well be. It is more expensive and they are showcasing its origins to make up for this. If you just buy run of the mill ebonite though, or most plastics for that matter, you are most likely buying a petroleum distillate product.

[FredRydr]

The Sailor King of pens is advertised on Sailor's website as being manufactured of "natural rubber", so is it not really?

Naturally!

 

(And who's on first?)

 

Fred

[FredRydr]

Does ebonite (real or synthetic) absorb or hold ink in its structure to assist in the flow of ink to the nib?

 

Fred

 

[tfwall]

Does ebonite (real or synthetic) absorb or hold ink in its structure to assist in the flow of ink to the nib?

 

Fred

There has been discussion that ebonite feeds do so, whether this is from the ebonite itself or from the manufacturing process, I don't know. I'm sure someone on here has got the answer though!

[cmeisenzahl]

And what about Casein?!