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#1
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new flex gold alloy
Ok, I perhaps got a little carried away...
A custom gold alloy was made that flexes akin to the classic 1890s style - yet better still it is EXTREMELY hard stuff at 14K, even harder at 12K. As an experiment a 51 nib was cut as a series of extra needle fines - 16 in all, approximately 2mm wide total. This is the closest to a metallic brush I've yet seen on a gold nib. The pure ruthenium tips are 1.2mm deep for a very long nib life. As the gold is so durable in this alloy, the flex can be quite dramatic without risking a splay or hairline.....although every flex alloy 51 music and brush nib needs a backing between itself and the cone wall deeper within the pen or the flex will not function. A rigid sheaffer lifetime nib had the tines reformed with the same alloy and it now can be pushed to the limits of a 90 degree bend WITHOUT a splay or hairline...and with complete recovery to the original tine partition. It's good stuff...perhaps not identical to the 1890s masters long since dead..but who knows? We have more alloys today...perhaps it is better? I'll post images next week of a few of these in operation. |
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#2
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(Scaupaug1)
Ok, I perhaps got a little carried away... A custom gold alloy was made that flexes akin to the classic 1890s style - yet better still it is EXTREMELY hard stuff at 14K, even harder at 12K. As an experiment a 51 nib was cut as a series of extra needle fines - 16 in all, approximately 2mm wide total. This is the closest to a metallic brush I've yet seen on a gold nib. The pure ruthenium tips are 1.2mm deep for a very long nib life. As the gold is so durable in this alloy, the flex can be quite dramatic without risking a splay or hairline.....although every flex alloy 51 music and brush nib needs a backing between itself and the cone wall deeper within the pen or the flex will not function. A rigid sheaffer lifetime nib had the tines reformed with the same alloy and it now can be pushed to the limits of a 90 degree bend WITHOUT a splay or hairline...and with complete recovery to the original tine partition. It's good stuff...perhaps not identical to the 1890s masters long since dead..but who knows? We have more alloys today...perhaps it is better? I'll post images next week of a few of these in operation. That the properties of gold can be tailored drastically depending on with what metals it's alloyed is nothing new, in fact it was a constant bone of contention between Frank D. and myself... he just couldn't seem to grasp the concept of gold alloying past that of Karats (percentage of gold). ---= BOYCOTT FRANCE (belgium) GERMANY--SPAIN =--- ---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =--- ********* "Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation." Sheldon ```````````` |
#3
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Is this something that will become available? I would love to be able
to buy a modern pen, a Pelikan or Bexley perhaps, with a true built-to-flex flex nib. I would be very interested in something like that. |
#4
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All right!....
Let see this baby :-) Antonios Z. |
#5
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"Scaupaug1" wrote in message ... Ok, I perhaps got a little carried away... A custom gold alloy was made that flexes akin to the classic 1890s style - yet better still it is EXTREMELY hard stuff at 14K, even harder at 12K. As an experiment a 51 nib was cut as a series of extra needle fines - 16 in all, approximately 2mm wide total. This is the closest to a metallic brush I've yet seen on a gold nib. The pure ruthenium tips are 1.2mm deep for a very long nib life. As the gold is so durable in this alloy, the flex can be quite dramatic without risking a splay or hairline.....although every flex alloy 51 music and brush nib needs a backing between itself and the cone wall deeper within the pen or the flex will not function. A rigid sheaffer lifetime nib had the tines reformed with the same alloy and it now can be pushed to the limits of a 90 degree bend WITHOUT a splay or hairline...and with complete recovery to the original tine partition. It's good stuff...perhaps not identical to the 1890s masters long since dead..but who knows? We have more alloys today...perhaps it is better? I'll post images next week of a few of these in operation. Custom gold alloy? Wow, did you write the specification for this alloy? And you say it is extremely hard. That must mean you have "spring gold" as opposed to "spring steel". Very interesting. I look forward your images -- Best regards, T-H Lim (aka Free Citizen) |
#6
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"Nick Name" wrote in message ups.com... Is this something that will become available? I would love to be able to buy a modern pen, a Pelikan or Bexley perhaps, with a true built-to-flex flex nib. I would be very interested in something like that. Yes, indeed. Does this mean we will have fountain pens that are suitable for Ornamental Writing? Wow! -- Best regards, T-H Lim (aka Free Citizen) |
#7
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Sheldon wrote: "That the properties of gold can be tailored drastically depending on with what metals it's alloyed is nothing new, in fact it was a constant bone of contention between Frank D. and myself..." I know...! It's a VERY old artform. It is also, however - hard to reverse engineer some of the originals (some modern alloys can be better too!). It is also tricky to change an alloy on an existing nib WITHOUT touching the original imprints at the base of the nib. |
#8
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Is this something that will become available?
Now and then, on a vintage pen nib - but I doubt the major manufacturers would care about it in the slightest. Here is the site...I hope the "format" is OK, text follows photos: http://members.aol.com/scaupaug1/51nibs/index.html |
#9
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Custom gold alloy? Wow, did you write the specification for this alloy? And you say it is extremely hard. That must mean you have "spring gold" as opposed to "spring steel". Very interesting. I look forward your images Varies between nibs. There is one alloy that works well flexing Sheaffer 14K triumph nibs...but does not work well with Parker 51/61 nibs (which require another alloy) or Parker vac nibs...yet a third alloy for the soft gold of modern pelikan nibs (which have the lowest melting point of all the alloys!). Formulas? Written in chalk on a slate...don't want any paper around due to safety. It is always a work in progress with vintage nibs - take a handful of vintage nibs from anyone's parts drawer and you'll have a couple hundred divergent alloys! Manufacturers changed their alloy from time to time - especially those in Europe (due to war, inflation, economic or company problems) whereas Parker and Sheaffer are remarkably consistent over the decades (excluding Parker UK). Large Swan nibs tend to be consistent overseas though. The numerous formulas are needed IF one is to change a nib to a flex nib WITHOUT causing any change in the original nib imprint. Certain key elements recently enabled sufficient hardness to the flex gold so that incredibly fine tines could be made that could endure the force of writing and flexing without any splay. Frank himself counted more than a thousand different makes of broken nibs in a single small plastic bag a few years ago - although "14K was 14K" to him at times. 14K to me can be rainbow, red, green, blue, pink, yellow, flex, rigid, you name it...and all still be "14K". Frank sometimes cursed my eyes if I spotted a crack that he had not seen before - if he were still with us I believe he would mumble something about my eyes again (every one of these nibs is hand slit by sight, no machine guidance and I don't need a loupe as it only gets in the way). http://members.aol.com/scaupaug1/51nibs/index.html |
#10
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"Scaupaug1" wrote in message ... Custom gold alloy? Wow, did you write the specification for this alloy? And you say it is extremely hard. That must mean you have "spring gold" as opposed to "spring steel". Very interesting. I look forward to your images Varies between nibs. There is one alloy that works well flexing Sheaffer 14K triumph nibs...but does not work well with Parker 51/61 nibs (which require another alloy) or Parker vac nibs...yet a third alloy for the soft gold of modern pelikan nibs (which have the lowest melting point of all the alloys!). Formulas? Written in chalk on a slate...don't want any paper around due to safety. It is always a work in progress with vintage nibs - take a handful of vintage nibs from anyone's parts drawer and you'll have a couple hundred divergent alloys! Manufacturers changed their alloy from time to time - especially those in Europe (due to war, inflation, economic or company problems) whereas Parker and Sheaffer are remarkably consistent over the decades (excluding Parker UK). Large Swan nibs tend to be consistent overseas though. The numerous formulas are needed IF one is to change a nib to a flex nib WITHOUT causing any change in the original nib imprint. Certain key elements recently enabled sufficient hardness to the flex gold so that incredibly fine tines could be made that could endure the force of writing and flexing without any splay. Frank himself counted more than a thousand different makes of broken nibs in a single small plastic bag a few years ago - although "14K was 14K" to him at times. 14K to me can be rainbow, red, green, blue, pink, yellow, flex, rigid, you name it...and all still be "14K". Frank sometimes cursed my eyes if I spotted a crack that he had not seen before - if he were still with us I believe he would mumble something about my eyes again (every one of these nibs is hand slit by sight, no machine guidance and I don't need a loupe as it only gets in the way). http://members.aol.com/scaupaug1/51nibs/index.html Thank you Nathan, For that illuminating discourse on precious metallurgy. You are right that there can be many variations in 14K gold. Pure gold is too soft to be of much use. So is pure iron. My understanding of steel is that a minuscule content of 0.25% carbon in iron makes all the difference that will render it strong enough for building a skyscraper. I have seen your pics. Are those stamped out from gold sheets or strips? Some indication of cost would be nice. -- Best regards, T-H Lim (aka Free Citizen) Practical Italic Handwriting http://members.boardhost.com/jp29/ |
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