Do you use a fountain pen?

[Robbo 27]

AlexC1981 said:

I already put a sneaky bid on. I can't help myself

There is a blue/grey one here too, but there is a massive hole in the end of the barrel there's no saving that one. I couldnt help but notice that rather nice black Waterman in the bundle that doesn't look like it would need too much work


One of the nice things about this hobby is that I can enjoy using the pens at work, so when I'm writing at work I'm actually enjoying the activity. I write much more now and I'm always looking for an excuse to pick the pen up. The Osmiroid has been completely flawless today being used for fast note taking in a meeting and all day generally.

Repairing plastics, cracks, big chips and missing chunks is an interesting and next level repair skill. I am aware that some people use pieces of other pens, or sanding the plastics, collecting the powder to mix with strong glues to create a paste to apply to broken or missing parts, also using a mixture of baking powder and superglue.

I am pleased that you are getting so much out of the hobby, taking a wreck of a pen and transforming it into something very good looking and having value and also useful in your work. Learning new skills as you go.

[Hosenbugler]

Just a quick question, does anyone know if import duty is payable on pens bought from outside the EU?

I'm pondering a purchase stateside and assume I'll get collared for 20% Vat , but unsure as to the import duty scenario., or for any other taxes for that matter.

Its been some years since I've purchased from overseas so unsure as to what to expect.

TIA

[Justayellowbadge]

Hosenbugler said:

Just a quick question, does anyone know if import duty is payable on pens bought from outside the EU?

I'm pondering a purchase stateside and assume I'll get collared for 20% Vat , but unsure as to the import duty scenario., or for any other taxes for that matter.

Its been some years since I've purchased from overseas so unsure as to what to expect.

TIA

Yes, you'll be liable for VAT. Duty is negligible if it's a pen - pence, literally.

Depending on carrier, there will be a handling fee of £10-15.

FedEx will charge all the above, and either invoice you before delivery or after.

USPS and UPS generally just deliver, declaring and paying is down to you.

[ClockworkCupcake]

Justayellowbadge said:

Yes, you'll be liable for VAT. Duty is negligible if it's a pen - pence, literally.

Depending on carrier, there will be a handling fee of £10-15.

FedEx will charge all the above, and either invoice you before delivery or after.

USPS and UPS generally just deliver, declaring and paying is down to you.

That is all true, but in the case of these £1-£3 Chinese pens tend to slip in under the radar, probably because the sums of money are so small and they always use China Post rather than a courier company.

Edit: Importing from the States is probably exactly as you describe though.

[Robbo 27]

ClockworkCupcake said:

That is all true, but in the case of these £1-£3 Chinese pens tend to slip in under the radar, probably because the sums of money are so small and they always use China Post rather than a courier company.

Edit: Importing from the States is probably exactly as you describe though.

Thats right, I think there is a £15 start point in assessing duty.

[julian64]

Hi I'd just like to ask a bit of advice. I now have two parker 61's after a very kind birthday present was given to me. Is there a useful guide as to how to take two incomplete pens apart to make a working one?

I was a little bit surprised by the fact that the barrel thread was different on the two pens. I would've thought the barrel thread would be the same across parker61's but obviously not.

On pen (silver and blue) has a crack in the nib end but is otherwise complete, and the new one is all gold signet looking version but with no filler and a missing arrow.

What I would like to do is cannibalize one to make a fully working one.

[ClockworkCupcake]

julian64 said:

I was a little bit surprised by the fact that the barrel thread was different on the two pens. I would've thought the barrel thread would be the same across parker61's but obviously not.

The Parker 61 changed during its lifetime, and it's not uncommon for the thread to change, presumably so you can't create frankenpens.

[Robbo 27]

julian64 said:

Hi I'd just like to ask a bit of advice. I now have two parker 61's after a very kind birthday present was given to me. Is there a useful guide as to how to take two incomplete pens apart to make a working one?

I was a little bit surprised by the fact that the barrel thread was different on the two pens. I would've thought the barrel thread would be the same across parker61's but obviously not.

On pen (silver and blue) has a crack in the nib end but is otherwise complete, and the new one is all gold signet looking version but with no filler and a missing arrow.

What I would like to do is cannibalize one to make a fully working one.

I think you have two different pens. Might be wrong but the threads being odd is the clue.

I think that one of your pens is a capillary fill model

and looks like is



The capillary part is an enclosed container full of plastic mesh that holds the ink. That container is not meant to be removed from the pen.

It probably looks like this when you take it apart



The other pen is probably a later model that takes a Parker cartridge or a converter and looks like this red pen



The capillary pen with a crack in the section needs a new section, you can do this yourself but I would not recommend it, also a new section will cost you about £20-25. Apart from the cap I dont think that any part is interchangeable with the Signet pen.

I think that the only problem with the Signet pen is the missing arrow?

It is possible that someone has broken off the capillary but it is much more likely that it is a cartridge pen.

It should look like this



This is an attractive and sought after pen.

You have a choice. You can have a new section with arrow fitted, Battersea Pen Home sells them and would fit them to your pen

http://www.penhome.co.uk/nibs/parker-nibs/parker-6...

A warning is that these darts tend to fall out as the material shrinks, so even a new section may only be in that pristine state for a short time. Parker screwed up using polystyrene which was the wonder plastic when these pens were first designed.

Or you could smooth out thye recess on the nib section as shown in the pic above. This is a time consuming process, I use the 4 sided nail buffer block to take material away and to leave a smooth perfect finish. Its not original and worth less than a perfect example but less annoying than seeing that recess everytime you used the pen. I have seen people try to glue the dart/arrow back into place but I havent seen it done satisfactorily.

In short you have one parts pen and another that is nearly there.

[Robbo 27]

If you didnt want to do anything with the Signet and wanted to sell up then it would probably fetch around £40-60 on ebay as it is.

[julian64]

Sorry can't post a picture at work but its the same colour gold but has longitudinal lines/grooves up it, and yes it is missing any filler apart from using cartridges and the arrow is missing. Its in a nice box though

[Robbo 27]

julian64 said:

Sorry can't post a picture at work but its the same colour gold but has longitudinal lines/grooves up it, and yes it is missing any filler apart from using cartridges and the arrow is missing. Its in a nice box though

As CC has said, there are few interchangeable parts, you can make a good pen quite easily out of the Signet but the older pen is for parts.

Before you do any work on the Signet I would check the plastic for any cracks.

[C&C]

julian64 said:

Sorry can't post a picture at work but its the same colour gold but has longitudinal lines/grooves up it, and yes it is missing any filler apart from using cartridges and the arrow is missing. Its in a nice box though

If you wanted an ink converter to fill it with bottled ink, they are under £5 on ebay.

As far as I know, all Parker pens that take cartridges/ink converters have a standard fitment, but it is Parker specific, so if using cartridges you'd need to get Parker ones.

[julian64]

Robbo 27 said:

If you didnt want to do anything with the Signet and wanted to sell up then it would probably fetch around £40-60 on ebay as it is.

Not sure it even is a signet. I will post a photo to identify when I get home this evening if that's okay

[Robbo 27]

julian64 said:

Not sure it even is a signet. I will post a photo to identify when I get home this evening if that's okay

If its a gold barrel and a gold cap it is highly likely to be a signet

[C&C]

AlexC1981 said:

I've got some pics to get up of my Osmiroid 65 that I've been working on. It's been a mission I can tell you!

Really nice job on the Osmiroid, Alex. Very impressive.

Did you use the Renaissance wax on it, and if so, what do you think of it?

I'm still a bit undecided myself - it does smell quite strongly when applying it, so I don't know if that implies it's mixed with some type of solvent? I know it says it's safe to use and has been used by the British Museum, so one would expect it to be ok. It does seem to give a nice finish though.

[C&C]

AlexC1981 said:

I already put a sneaky bid on. I can't help myself

Do you put bids on ebay directly or use a sniper site?

[Robbo 27]

[quote=C&C]


Really nice job on the Osmiroid, Alex. Very impressive.

Did you use the Renaissance wax on it, and if so, what do you think of it?

I'm still a bit undecided myself - it does smell quite strongly when applying it, so I don't know if that implies it's mixed with some type of solvent? I know it says it's safe to use and has been used by the British Museum, so one would expect it to be ok. It does seem to give a nice finish though.
[/quote]

There is a lot of confusion about polishing and waxing , both cars and pens. Polishing is to remove scratches and should therefore be removing a limited amount of material.

If a pen is lacquered or gold plated then you may wear through that surface coating which becomes unfixable. Plastic pens are easier but remember to blank off any imprints and I would also tape over any threads.

Using wax on a lacquered or a plastic pen is no problem or on celluloid as long as the wax contains no acids or petroleum distillates. Most car waxes should not be used on celluloid pens. I don’t use Renaissance wax but I know many people that do, looking forward to hearing the feedback from you guys on how you rate it.


I think that the safest option is to use Micro Gloss as referred to by Alex in an earlier post. I don’t really look for a high gloss finish on my pens, they all get used so I am happy with Meguiars Plast X polish, intended for clear plastic polish on car parts. I bought I container of this stuff about 5 years ago, just use a pea sized amouny so it lasts and lasts.

[C&C]

Robbo 27 said:

Using wax on a lacquered or a plastic pen is no problem or on celluloid as long as the wax contains no acids or petroleum distillates. Most car waxes should not be used on celluloid pens. I don’t use Renaissance wax but I know many people that do, looking forward to hearing the feedback from you guys on how you rate it.


I think that the safest option is to use Micro Gloss as referred to by Alex in an earlier post. I don’t really look for a high gloss finish on my pens, they all get used so I am happy with Meguiars Plast X polish, intended for clear plastic polish on car parts. I bought I container of this stuff about 5 years ago, just use a pea sized amouny so it lasts and lasts.

Hi Rob,
According to Meguires Plastx datasheet, it does contain 2 different petroleum distillates:

Ingredient	% by weight
Non Hazardous ingredients	50-70%
Petroleum distillates	7-13%
Aluminium Oxide	5-10%
Petroleum distillates	5-10%
Polydimethylsiloxane	1-5%

Only reason I had an inkling about this is people on FPN had mentioned about Carnuba wax and my first thought was whether I could use Meguires Gold Class as I have some for the car, but checking its data sheet shows significant petroleum distillate content, so out of interest I thought I'd look up the PlastX as well.


Interestingly, on the back of the above, I've also done some digging on Renaissance Wax, and from a datasheet on that, it apparently contains:
COMPOSITION OF INGREDIENTS
Chemical Composition
Blend of micro-crystalline waxes in white spirit
Hazardous component White spirit
HAZARD IDENTIFICATION
White spirit (naphtha/petroleum): approx. 80% by weight. Benzene content: less than
0.1%. Flammable, harmful if swallowed and dangerous for the environment.

Hence the strong smell.

Also, apparently it is most often used to preserve metals rather than plastics.

So, the question remains as to whether either of the above are potentially damaging to pens, although I suspect in both cases, the petroleum content evaporates quickly so is not in contact with the pen for long.

You might be right that sticking with the Micro-Gloss may be the way ahead.

[Robbo 27]

[quote=C&C]

Hi Rob,
According to Meguires Plastx datasheet, it does contain 2 different petroleum distillates:

Ingredient	% by weight
Non Hazardous ingredients	50-70%
Petroleum distillates	7-13%
Aluminium Oxide	5-10%
Petroleum distillates	5-10%
Polydimethylsiloxane	1-5%

Only reason I had an inkling about this is people on FPN had mentioned about Carnuba wax and my first thought was whether I could use Meguires Gold Class as I have some for the car, but checking its data sheet shows significant petroleum distillate content, so out of interest I thought I'd look up the PlastX as well.


Interestingly, on the back of the above, I've also done some digging on Renaissance Wax, and from a datasheet on that, it apparently contains:
COMPOSITION OF INGREDIENTS
Chemical Composition
Blend of micro-crystalline waxes in white spirit
Hazardous component White spirit
HAZARD IDENTIFICATION
White spirit (naphtha/petroleum): approx. 80% by weight. Benzene content: less than
0.1%. Flammable, harmful if swallowed and dangerous for the environment.

Hence the strong smell.

Also, apparently it is most often used to preserve metals rather than plastics.

So, the question remains as to whether either of the above are potentially damaging to pens, although I suspect in both cases, the petroleum content evaporates quickly so is not in contact with the pen for long.

You might be right that sticking with the Micro-Gloss may be the way ahead.



[/quote]

Well I never knew that, thanks for looking it up. I should have looked at the Meguiars data sheet for Plastx - nothing harmful is mentionned on the bottle, I know a number of people that use it too. I agree it is not in contact for long and I like the fact that it is more of an abrasive polish than a final wax.

I will need to look for an alternative, Micro - Gloss very possibly.

[motco]

The term 'plastic' is almost useless unless you know what polymer you are dealing with. Some are almost inert to all solvents, others will literally fall apart with just a sniff of the fumes. The old nostrum to try on an inconspicuous part is good advice. Some of the older rigid materials (and some newer ones too) will dissolve very readily in organic solvents - especially chlorinated ones like trichlorethylene or carbon tetrachloride. Suprisingly one of the toughest modern materials - polycarbonate - is among the most easily attacked with solvents. So it is with acrylics (Perspex, Lucite, Oroglas, etc) otherwise known as polymethylmethacrylate. Beware!