Questions about ebonite pens

[carlos.q]

I recently bought a Ranga 4CS ebonite pen with a Sheaffer Imperial inlaid nib from Peyton Street pens:

ebonitesheaffer.jpg

This is a pen made in India and is relatively economical. On the other hand I have seen Japanese ebonite pens sell for very high prices.

So the potentially sacrilegious questions are: ¿What is the difference between Japanese and Indian ebonite? Are they the same quality? Can we attribute the price difference between these pens exclusively to the difference in their nibs?

[KrazyIvan]

I have the same pen in Marine Green ebonite. I also have a few other ebonite pens but not Japanese. The thing I notice right away is the fit and finish of my other pens is much higher. I understand that it takes quite a bit to get ebonite to a high luster. The PSP does not have that level of f&f. It doesn't make my PSP any worse of a pen. I think Ranga hand cuts these pens on a manual lathe so some imperfections are expected. I can see tooling marks on mine, again, not anything I hold against the pen, and my 4CS is a favorite pen. The cap could use a small cut-out so the clip does not make it look like like the finial is ever so slightly askew. It's just minor things but they say the difference between good and great is usually about 5% more effort. I think it would also translate to a much more expensive ebonite pen.

[Empty_of_Clouds]

As Lotuspens (for example) use Japanese Nikko ebonite I would say the difference comes down to the level of craftsmanship (real or perceived) and the nib if one has something significantly more expensive than the $12 Jowo version. Lotuspens are slightly more expensive than Ranga, but not by much.

[carlos.q]

As Lotuspens (for example) use Japanese Nikko ebonite...

I did not know of this pen manufacturer. I guess that Japanese Nikko ebonite is some kind of "premium" ebonite? Somehow better than Indian ebonite? I thought it was all hard rubber...

[catbert]

As Lotuspens (for example) use Japanese Nikko ebonite...

I did not know of this pen manufacturer. I guess that Japanese Nikko ebonite is some kind of "premium" ebonite? Somehow better than Indian ebonite? I thought it was all hard rubber...

I think Nikko is the company behind Eboya pens.

[Bold2013]

Price likely comes down to a combination of supply/demand for the premium ebonite, fit/finish and reputation.

4 of my 7 pens are Indian ebonite (Ranga 4cs with a semi flex waterman, 4cs with sheaffer inlaid, Deccan advocate with M800 CSI and an inbound lotus for my bock Ti nib). Maybe I should do a comparison of the three companies and Indian/jappenese ebonites.

[jar]

As Lotuspens (for example) use Japanese Nikko ebonite...

I did not know of this pen manufacturer. I guess that Japanese Nikko ebonite is some kind of "premium" ebonite? Somehow better than Indian ebonite? I thought it was all hard rubber...

Nikko is the last ebonite maker in Japan and supplies most of the Japanese ebonite pen makers. They do make great ebonite but they also age the ebonite before it leaves their shop and that is essential. They sell there own pens under the Eboya brand name.

[carlos.q]

Price likely comes down to a combination of supply/demand for the premium ebonite, fit/finish and reputation.

4 of my 7 pens are Indian ebonite (Ranga 4cs with a semi flex waterman, 4cs with sheaffer inlaid, Deccan advocate with M800 CSI and an inbound lotus for my bock Ti nib). Maybe I should do a comparison of the three companies and Indian/jappenese ebonites.

I agree that price is set by that combination of factors.

What I would really like to know is what is the difference between premium ebonite and the regular one. Does it feel different? If you could do a comparison that would be great, specially for those of us that are too far away from pen shows.

To top it all up there is also German ebonite with which some Cleo Skribent pens are made...

[carlos.q]

Nikko is the last ebonite maker in Japan and supplies most of the Japanese ebonite pen makers. They do make great ebonite but they also age the ebonite before it leaves their shop and that is essential. They sell there own pens under the Eboya brand name.

I am surprised that there is only one ebonite maker in Japan. After a bit of googling I came upon this statement from the "Made in Japan Magazine":

Only a few ebonite factories are left today: two in Germany, one in Japan.

So if this is true: Why aren't there any more German ebonite pens? Where does the Indian ebonite come from?

[jar]

Nikko is the last ebonite maker in Japan and supplies most of the Japanese ebonite pen makers. They do make great ebonite but they also age the ebonite before it leaves their shop and that is essential. They sell there own pens under the Eboya brand name.

I am surprised that there is only one ebonite maker in Japan. After a bit of googling I came upon this statement from the "Made in Japan Magazine":

Only a few ebonite factories are left today: two in Germany, one in Japan.

So if this is true: Why aren't there any more German ebonite pens? Where does the Indian ebonite come from?

Mainly because ebonite is a bitch to work with and not a great material for high volume. It's great when hand turned slowly and with care but was pretty much abandoned as soon as the newer plastics started showing up.

[Lloyd]

My Ranga, made in premium black ebonite with a bakul(matte brushed) finish is flawless. I can't say the same for several much pricier pens I own.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[Empty_of_Clouds]

My Ranga is made from premium orange ebonite. It has inclusions and the surface is neither gloss nor matte. It is not well-finished. I actually questioned the quality of the ebonite because of this, but I believe that the only thing that's premium about it is the price.

On the other hand, maybe all ebonite is likely to have flaws in it, and only the really dark colours or swirly patterns prevent the user from noticing them. Perhaps it is more easily seen on lighter solid colours.

[Pterodactylus]

I donˋt have a Ranga, but I have a Black Guider Marala.

The pen is well constructed and sturdy, but the finish is also not perfect.
It has some inclusions, the surface finish is ok, but quite away from perfect.

Donˋt missunderstand me, the pen is ok and I like it (for the purpose I bought it), I understand that these pens were made using quite simple tools and took quite a lot of manual work and that you can‘t compare it with a western high tech factory finish. (E.g. neither like a similar priced Pelikan with perfect finish on each pen nor a 1st tier vintage pen)

I bought it to host a vintage Degussa full flex steel nib (mainly because of the ebonite feed).
And it fulfil the task as a host for this great nib quite good.

But it has not a perfect surface finish.
The design is not what I would call elegant.
It has not the touch of upper class pens (neither vintage nor modern).
But to be honest I do not expect such properties from an Indian pen.



Show_response_470 by Ptero Pterodactylus, auf Flickr


Show_response_484 by Ptero Pterodactylus, auf Flickr


Show_response_473 by Ptero Pterodactylus, auf Flickr


Show_response_560 by Ptero Pterodactylus, auf Flickr


Frankenpen_Response_02 by Ptero Pterodactylus, auf Flickr

(Guider Marala - Degussa Vintage Full Flex Steel Nib)

[carlos.q]

My Ranga CS is "standard" ebonite, not "premium" (whatever the difference may be), and the finish is nice and glossy. However I don't like the clip which looks very cheap and creates a very noticeable separation between the derby and the rest of the cap. If I could find a suitable replacement for the clip I believe the pen would look a lot nicer.

[Empty_of_Clouds]

I've been having a couple of pens made and from what I've found out getting good clips is quite the problem. Some make their own.

Anyway, back to the ebonite. I also think the "premium" price was to access other colours, rather than reflecting any improved quality of the ebonite itself.

[carlos.q]

Anyway, back to the ebonite. I also think the "premium" price was to access other colours, rather than reflecting any improved quality of the ebonite itself.

This explanation is consistent with some of the prices I have seen. But I suspect there should be a difference the way the ebonite is "cooked".

[penwash]

Where does the Indian ebonite come from?

The fountain pen makers in India would not be able to offer a hand-turned product for the price that they are if they have to always import the material from Japan or Germany.

A quick google search turned out several manufacturers of hard-rubber (some of them use the word ebonite) in India.

But that's a good question, I'll ask Kevin (FPR boss) next time I meet him.