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Ebonite air bubbles / imperfections

O

OscarHallStudios

Full Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2024
Posts
15
Location
Bristol, UK
First Name
Oscar
Hey everyone,

I am not that experienced with Ebonite and curious to find out what the reason for these air bubbles / imperfections is. It looks like they're below the surface. Kind of a shame as the end product has had a lot of work gone into it, but they're bringing it down a bit. Hmm, anyone got experience with this? The pen is looking a bit like a strawberry at the moment

Cheers,
Oscar20240307_160250.jpg20240307_160353.jpg
 
ValleyBoy

ValleyBoy

Graduate Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2019
Posts
658
Location
Cardiff
First Name
Ash
I’m going to dip in real quick then run away because I am not an ebonite expert. I started using it when I first got into pens and was able to get a good looking pen or two with a really nice finish. “Easy” I thought. Then I made a couple of pens and had these same issues you’ve experienced here and just assumed it was me. So I stopped using the stuff (I actually found the smell a bit much and also heard that some people can have an allergic reaction if they use a rubber based pen). So that was enough for me, I never touched it again.

However I’ve since learnt that, as I think Wim may be suggesting, the source of the ebonite can play a big role in the finishing of it. I guess I must have had a few different types when I was doing it which caused the inconsistencies I was having. Or maybe it was just me… I never really followed up on it and found out.

Anyway I’m sure others with better knowledge can add more info, and I will follow the thread with interest.

Cheers
Ash
 
W

wim kluck

Full Member
Joined
Dec 26, 2021
Posts
24
Location
Gaanderen Netherlands
First Name
Wim
I only have the German quality in about 5 colors. I've never had these problems with this. If it has to be cheaper, it can often only be done at a lower price. In short, Chinese quality. Although some really nice stuff comes from there these days. Whether you should buy it there is a completely different story, but I won't go into that further.
 
C

Curly

Graduate Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2019
Posts
428
Location
RM of Aberdeen, Saskatchewan, Canada
First Name
Peter
India is another source for ebonite that is rumoured to have quality issues.

At this point you have nothing to loose so you might consider after a good cleaning with alcohol etc, trying a CA finish. Start with a few thin coats and then follow with whatever your favourite thickness CA you like using. It might fill the pores/holes/bubbles so they don't show as much or even at all. The inclusions are still going to be there, possibly not as noticeable. Keep the remaining blanks you have for practicing new shapes or different nibs etc.

Pete
 
D

DuncSuss

Full Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2023
Posts
48
Location
Wilmington, MA
First Name
Duncan
I had a similar problem in some black ebonite I bought from a random eBay seller. There were not as many bubbles as your sample has, but against a shiny black background they were ugly.

Now I generally stick to German or Japanese manufacturers. I'll take a chance on Chinese and Indian from time to time if the colour combinations look interesting, but I don't expect them to yield good results. (I have been pleasantly surprised a couple of times!)
 
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