Ebonite

[southpaw52]

The material Ebonite, what is the best description of what it is. Does Ebonite have benefits over other fountain pen materials? Is an Ebonite feed more advantageous over a plastic feed?

[Runnin_Ute]

Ebonite is a brand name for a type of vulcanized rubber.

As for its use on feeds, ebonite was the primary material for years. Then the plastic feed came along. Cheaper to make and the could still get good flow. Though generally drier than a pen with an ebonite feed.

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[calamus]

Vulcanized hard rubber was also used for the body of many older fountain pens. You see lot of old Watermans from the 1900s to the 1920s and thereabouts on eBay very often described as BCHR, which mean Black Chased Hard Rubber. There were also some red hard rubber pens produced.

[KKay]

It feels good in the hand. I like the swirly patterns the best. I have a few ebonite pens. I love ebonite feeds too. You can heat set ebonite feeds, that is a big bonus in my opinion. You don't want to let sunlight hit the ebonite, nor soak it in water. (especially the exterior) If you do get it wet, dry it off immediately. I like the feel of the older ebonite especially. Ebonite is light weight too, and it will last a long time.

[penwash]

Ebonite is my most favorite material for fountain pen.

They look good, unique, excellent feel in the hand, very stable, impervious to ink chemical, and from restoration (or pen making) perspective, it's easy to work with.

[FredRydr]

I grabbed some of mine, too:

IMG_1631.JPG

Left to right: Edacato (French), Wahl-Eversharp, Wahl-Eversharp, Edison (huge faceted pen), Noname (dip pen holder), Onto De La Rue, Conklin 3NL, Wahl-Eversharp military cap

The Wikipedia page on Ebonite has some general background, including bowling balls.

[calamus]

Gorgeous pens!

[Kulprit]

My preferred pen material. Ebonite can (and will) oxidize, so it’s not as bulletproof a material as modern resins, but it does feel nicer in the hand. The odor is also less offensive than most machined acrylics and some vintage celluloid (to my nose).

My only complaint is how light ebonite pens are, but that’s not so much the fault of the material as it is the fact that ebonite pens tend to be made entirely of ebonite, ie, no metal aside from the nib.

Some people still swear by ebonite feeds, but modern plastic feeds are purportedly every bit as good.


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[Empty_of_Clouds]

I love the smell and feel of ebonite. Alas I have no way of getting anything vintage in ebonite without help from the community.

Anyway, that woe aside, earlier in the thread someone mentioned no soaking in water. While I have heard of this before, it is not clear why this is an issue. The reason for asking about is twofold: firstly, ebonite feeds are or should be always wet (with ink), and secondly, if you use the pen as an eyedropper then the interior is always wet too.

So, in the interests of educating newbies and stupid people like me, what happens if the outside gets wet?

[Deb]

If the outside gets wet a hard rubber pen will fade. It's the UV portion of sunlight that causes the problem but immersion in water brings the fading out. Obviously this is of no concern applied to the inside of an eyedropper. Being mostly capped, feeds are less affected.

[amk]

Water, particularly warm water, will discolour ebonite. So it's not an issue for the inside of the pen - but it can make the outside of your sparkling black ebonite pen a nasty shade of brownish green.

[Empty_of_Clouds]

Ah, so it's only an aesthetic thing, it doesn't compromise the integrity of the material?

[Deb]

No, it doesn't but the fading can be pretty severe.

[jar]

There are only a few companies making Ebonite today, one in Japan, one in Germany and perhaps one in India or China. The fading issue is one of the reasons so many modern and even vintage pens were coated with Urushi but even urushi ages over time and with exposure to ultraviolet light. In the case of urushi that aging can be an advantage. Often contrasting colors will be layered and as the upper layer ages it becomes increasingly transparent allowing the lower color to show through.

There are still companies offering raw Ebonite pens today including some of the major makers like Sailor.

[Empty_of_Clouds]

Thanks Deb and amk for the info. It's good to learn.

[Kulprit]

I love the smell and feel of ebonite. Alas I have no way of getting anything vintage in ebonite without help from the community.

Anyway, that woe aside, earlier in the thread someone mentioned no soaking in water. While I have heard of this before, it is not clear why this is an issue. The reason for asking about is twofold: firstly, ebonite feeds are or should be always wet (with ink), and secondly, if you use the pen as an eyedropper then the interior is always wet too.

So, in the interests of educating newbies and stupid people like me, what happens if the outside gets wet?

As I mentioned in my post above, ebonite oxidizes. This is what causes the fading and discoloration. Anytime you expose it to oxidizing agents (bleach is an extreme example, but water falls in this category) you risk oxidation. Since it’s surface oxidation, it doesn’t degrade the material, so you’re really only concerned about the impact on the outer, visible surfaces.

When it comes to ebonite, treat it like you would a piece of iron or mild steel. Limit exposure to water; you can use water to clean it, but don’t leave it to soak; once you’re done cleaning, remove as much of the water as you can - don’t just let it air dry.


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[Deb]

I love the smell and feel of ebonite. Alas I have no way of getting anything vintage in ebonite without help from the community.

Anyway, that woe aside, earlier in the thread someone mentioned no soaking in water. While I have heard of this before, it is not clear why this is an issue. The reason for asking about is twofold: firstly, ebonite feeds are or should be always wet (with ink), and secondly, if you use the pen as an eyedropper then the interior is always wet too.

So, in the interests of educating newbies and stupid people like me, what happens if the outside gets wet?

If you let me know what you want I can try to find something for you. Most of what I handle are vintage pens, with a fair proportion of Hard Rubber (ebonite).

[Empty_of_Clouds]

That's a very kind offer, Deb. I am down to 5 pens left. The loss accrued from the sale and gifting of the others leaves me with no means to buy anything else for the foreseeable future. Even cheap pens are more much expensive here because of import and shipping. Again, thanks for the offer. I appreciate the thought.

[Pebblestationeryco]

did not know that about warm water and ebonite! Thanks for the tip!

[KrazyIvan]

Ebonite absorbs water which might aid in the aid capillary action. Plastic repels water so it is probably not as good with capillary action.