27 replies to this topic

[brando090]

Ingersoll was using aluminum. Don't know what else would be white and cheap.

Roger W.

Dunno. Tin? Base metal with chrome plating?

Does Aluminum rust?

-d

Im not sure, looks definitely like it has been used, and like the ebay auctions on these pens, it was gold plated at one time. Ive got a few aluminum pens, and there is no rust, and it gets pitted from ink before it rusts.

I doubt this was ever gold plated. The design was roll stamped onto it and it is not hand engraved. It is very like Ingorsoll pens.

Roger W.

Got it, not aluminum, but silver filled like i was suspecting.

http://cgi.ebay.com/...#ht_1800wt_1397

[david i]

Does the pen in the newer ebay ad confirm silver-filled, or is this just a claim?

So, base metal under the shiny. Wonder if the shiny is chrome?

[brando090]

Does the pen in the newer ebay ad confirm silver-filled, or is this just a claim?

So, base metal under the shiny. Wonder if the shiny is chrome?

I have no confirmation, im just taking the guys word on the ad. I think that pen is mint/NOS, or has been re-platted, because my pen shows a yellow sheen in the top cap, and the bottom of the barrel. So i dont know what to think anymore.

[Roger W.]

A lot of people do a lot of things to a lot of pens but....

This is a really cheap pen. Silver plated is about as low as it gets and even that should be marked silver filled - Wahl did it. Stamped engraving is low level production. It generally will not have been messed with. Corrosion associated with these pens is common as the materials are not of a high quality to begin with so the loads of imperfections inherent in these pens manifests itself easily over time. Every bit of the pen is really cheap construction except for the warranted nib which was probably added later as this would typically have a gold washed nib at best. The metal looks as if it was extruded which is easily done with this small of a piece. Sheaffer could do that with 14K solid because it is soft enough to get a quality piece but anything else was constructed with a separate end piece with a rolled edge because good material is too hard to extrude. Maybe the underlying metal is brass because it really looks like bullet casings.

Roger W.

[brando090]

A lot of people do a lot of things to a lot of pens but....

This is a really cheap pen. Silver plated is about as low as it gets and even that should be marked silver filled - Wahl did it. Stamped engraving is low level production. It generally will not have been messed with. Corrosion associated with these pens is common as the materials are not of a high quality to begin with so the loads of imperfections inherent in these pens manifests itself easily over time. Every bit of the pen is really cheap construction except for the warranted nib which was probably added later as this would typically have a gold washed nib at best. The metal looks as if it was extruded which is easily done with this small of a piece. Sheaffer could do that with 14K solid because it is soft enough to get a quality piece but anything else was constructed with a separate end piece with a rolled edge because good material is too hard to extrude. Maybe the underlying metal is brass because it really looks like bullet casings.

Roger W.

It definitely could be brass, good analysis. It's unique in the sense you dont really see slip cap ringtops, and especially at this size, and as a lever filler. The 14k Warranted nib is definitely the best feature, with a nice flex to it, but very small and hard to handle.

[david i]

It definitely could be brass, good analysis. It's unique in the sense you dont really see slip cap ringtops, and especially at this size, and as a lever filler. The 14k Warranted nib is definitely the best feature, with a nice flex to it, but very small and hard to handle.

At risk of playing Grammar Cop, I do think it's good to keep straight general and hobby jargon

"Unique" is an oft-abused word, often used for "uncommon" or "rare" or (heaven forbid) either "interesting" or "valuable".

Doesn't mean that. Means only one known when used as a modifier for a noun, though there is room for context specific usage, such as "unique in my experience", which of course means little or much depending on the power of one's experience or "unique to Canadian production" if something made in many places had a feature found only with Canadian items. That something is quirky and even interesting ought not to invoke uniqueness.

Too, while I can keep open mind as to what anyone finds interesting (folks collect cars, art, pens, PEZ, hell they can collect petrified orange peels if they want), there also is something to be said for avoiding over inflating the significance of weak items, based on playing up quirks. Exceptions exist, and I can explore some exceptions I recognize (noting others may disagree).

But, this pen is a trashed condition low-name (lo-nami, as some say) poorly finished critter. Baby pens (extra small) have charm. Finding nice writers in even dealer junk boxes for a buck can be fun. Learning how to fix one's own pens as part of hobby growth has great merit. Exploring the history and context provoked by consideration of any pen... all good. But, I do get sense of... inflation... in discussing this one. I have trays of pens from collection purchases that I'd sell for $1 to $10 the pen. This one would seem to fit in with those. There are probably hundreds of lo-name, lo-quality pen labels from that era.

Rant done.

-d

[JonSzanto]

At risk of playing Grammar Cop, I do think it's good to keep straight general and hobby jargon

"Unique" is an oft-abused word, often used for "uncommon" or "rare" or (heaven forbid) either "interesting" or "valuable".

Doesn't mean that. Means only one known when used as a modifier for a noun, though there is room for context specific usage, such as "unique in my experience", which of course means little or much depending on the power of one's experience or "unique to Canadian production" if something made in many places had a feature found only with Canadian items. That something is quirky and even interesting ought not to invoke uniqueness.

Too, while I can keep open mind as to what anyone finds interesting (folks collect cars, art, pens, PEZ, hell they can collect petrified orange peels if they want), there also is something to be said for avoiding over inflating the significance of weak items, based on playing up quirks. Exceptions exist, and I can explore some exceptions I recognize (noting others may disagree).

But, this pen is a trashed condition low-name (lo-nami, as some say) poorly finished critter. Baby pens (extra small) have charm. Finding nice writers in even dealer junk boxes for a buck can be fun. Learning how to fix one's own pens as part of hobby growth has great merit. Exploring the history and context provoked by consideration of any pen... all good. But, I do get sense of... inflation... in discussing this one. I have trays of pens from collection purchases that I'd sell for $1 to $10 the pen. This one would seem to fit in with those. There are probably hundreds of lo-name, lo-quality pen labels from that era.

Rant done.

Indeed. Spot on.

[brando090]

It definitely could be brass, good analysis. It's unique in the sense you dont really see slip cap ringtops, and especially at this size, and as a lever filler. The 14k Warranted nib is definitely the best feature, with a nice flex to it, but very small and hard to handle.

At risk of playing Grammar Cop, I do think it's good to keep straight general and hobby jargon

"Unique" is an oft-abused word, often used for "uncommon" or "rare" or (heaven forbid) either "interesting" or "valuable".

Doesn't mean that. Means only one known when used as a modifier for a noun, though there is room for context specific usage, such as "unique in my experience", which of course means little or much depending on the power of one's experience or "unique to Canadian production" if something made in many places had a feature found only with Canadian items. That something is quirky and even interesting ought not to invoke uniqueness.

Too, while I can keep open mind as to what anyone finds interesting (folks collect cars, art, pens, PEZ, hell they can collect petrified orange peels if they want), there also is something to be said for avoiding over inflating the significance of weak items, based on playing up quirks. Exceptions exist, and I can explore some exceptions I recognize (noting others may disagree).

But, this pen is a trashed condition low-name (lo-nami, as some say) poorly finished critter. Baby pens (extra small) have charm. Finding nice writers in even dealer junk boxes for a buck can be fun. Learning how to fix one's own pens as part of hobby growth has great merit. Exploring the history and context provoked by consideration of any pen... all good. But, I do get sense of... inflation... in discussing this one. I have trays of pens from collection purchases that I'd sell for $1 to $10 the pen. This one would seem to fit in with those. There are probably hundreds of lo-name, lo-quality pen labels from that era.

Rant done.

-d

Understandable.