nib turned white

[fafow]

I picked up a Baron FP from a customer so I could put some silicone around the base inside of the cap so it will stay in place. I had the cap off the pen in my dining room and after getting the silicone in place on the cap I looked at the pen and notice a coating of white over the nib front and back as well as the black plastic behind the nib. I tried wiping it off and that helped a little but not entirely. Anyone have any ideas what might have happened? I will probably end up replacing the black plastic part and the nib if I can't get this cleaned up so it looks good as new.

 

[mrcook4570]

Did you use CA to glue any parts in place?

 

[ldb2000]

That's my guess too . Out gassing from CA in the closed pen cap caused the white coating .

 

[fafow]

I had to knock out the finial cap and use some CA glue to keep it in place, then I capped the pen. That was about 3 or 4 hours before I did the silicone thing. I don't recall seeing any white on the nib when I removed the cap, and I hope I would have noticed that (although no guarantee there). I got a lot of the white off with a paper towel dampened with tap water, but it is not entirely clean. Maybe removing the cap after it was closed for a few hours was what allowed the white coating to form as some kind of reaction to being exposed to the CA fumes? If that's the case, is there an easy way to clean it up?

And, what are you guys doing up at 3:45 in the morning???

 

[ldb2000]

Try using a little acetone on a soft cloth , that should remove the white residue if it hasn't already done damage to the plating on the nib .
Always leave the cap off for a few hours if you use CA to glue the finial or center band in place . Better yet DON'T use CA use either epoxy or some Loc-tite (I use red) .

 

[fiferb]

I recommend leaving the cap off at least 24 hours if you use CA. The fumes off-gas longer than you may think.

 

[babyblues]

I recommend leaving the cap off at least 24 hours if you use CA. The fumes off-gas longer than you may think.

Yeah, CA is definitely the culprit. I would even recommend letting it sit for a few days to a week. I've had pens that I glued with CA that sat for a week and the nib still turned white. Next time epoxy would definitely be better for gluing in pen parts, not just because the fumes won't turn the nib white, but also because you can clean it up with DNA and avoid damaging any plastic parts or, God forbid, a CA finish.

What happens is, when you touch the nib, you leave behind fingerprints...obviously. Those fingerprints contain amino acids, fatty acids and proteins which react with the CA fumes which produces that white stuff you see.

 

[GouletPens]

Off gassing with CA is definitely your problem. next time use 2 part epoxy which doesn't off gas and you will avoid the porblem all together (plus epoxy bonds better anyway).

 

[DCBluesman]

Craig - Disassemble the section, clean the nib, feed and holder (collar) with acetone, tne reassemble. It should be as good as new.

 

[fafow]

Thanks one and all for your input. I still have the pen un-capped with the pen in a ziplock so the ink in the nib won't dry out, but the cap is out of the bag so the silicone can cure. I won't put the cap back on until I deliver the pen tomorrow. After reading a few of the earlier posts I was planning on picking up some acetone on the way home and then doing exactly what Lou recommends (thanks). Now I have two things to work on during the Lakers game tonight. I have a couple pen boxes to shine up for a few sales. I use some burnishing cream and a rag and gently (or not so gently) rub it over and over again with the grain on the pen boxes I buy. It really shines them up so you can almost see your reflection.

They say experience is a great way to learn because you don't forget it as easily. I guess this was a lesson I needed to learn that way.