Today I was listening to podcast #74: "Pen Repair Do's and Don'ts". I learned that some fountain pens are made of ebonite/hard rubber. It was mentioned in the podcast not to leave the pens in direct sunlight, as this can cause the ebonite to discolour when it comes into contact with water.
Maybe you already know this, or not, but tobacco pipes (I own several) are often outfitted with ebonite mouthpieces. Occasionally these mouthpieces need to be polished because a foul smelling discolouration appears because of sunlight. It is a compound containing sulphur, which is used during the vulcanisation of the rubber.
So when I heard some pens made of ebonite exhibit the same deterioration, I decided I wanted to share with you that a specialised tobacconist sells special ebonite polish for pipes. I've not done this myself on a pen, but I'm sure you can also apply it to an ebonite fountain pen. With minimal effort, the ebonite polish removes the sulphur contamination and restores the deep, wet gloss black of the ebonite.
As a last line of defense, diluted chlorine is also used to treat severly deteriorated ebonite mouthpieces. But this will really dissolve part of the ebonite, leaving it a little smaller and rough. But it can be polished to a nice gloss again. Be sure to mask anything you don't want to come into contact with the chlorine with petroleum jelly.
Thats it! I'm very curious to hear from you if you find this information useful.
Stefan
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