Laboratory Testing & General Mineral Processing Engineering

Laboratory Testing & General Mineral Processing Engineering

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Not really sure if this is the right place, but I need material recommendations for a project. (3 replies and 3 comments)

N
Nick H
3 years ago
Nick H 3 years ago

So I've got a project I'm working on that I need help finding a material for. I'm a fountain pen enthusiast, and I'm trying to find a material to make flexible nibs out of that would improve upon the current standard of 14 karat gold. It needs to be as flexible as possible, while not forgetting its original shape (I know there's a word for it, but I can't remember it, sorry). I'm thinking of perhaps alloying gold with something, but I would be grateful if an expert chimed in since I'm no metallurgist.

T
Todd H
3 years ago
Todd H 3 years ago

If the current nibs are made of gold (14kt) why would you also want to make them form gold?  Gold is typically alloyed with copper, silver, platinum groups.  Platinum or silver will provide a more ductile alloy than copper.  Check out this link:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colored_gold#Grey_gold

https://www.911metallurgist.com/blog/gold-alloys-properties

 

What about making them out of something completely different like carbon fiber?

Regards

 

Todd Harvey - Global Resource Engineering http://www.global-resource-eng.com

N
Nick H
3 years ago

Well, a large part of it is oxidization resistance, since it has to be in constant contact with water based ink. So I like the idea of using a gold-platinum alloy specifically. Frankly I'd not even considered something like carbon fiber since every nib I've ever seen is made from metal. I wonder how it would hold up to the constant wear of rubbing against a page. Nibs, regardless of their primary material typically have an iridium tipping material welded to the end for wear resistance, I don't know if carbon fiber would stand up to the same level of use long-term. One other added complication of carbon fiber would be the inability to repair it if broken. With metal, it can be welded back together by a skilled craftsman, but as far as I know, carbon fiber would not be repairable. It may make up for it in cost effectiveness however, so I wouldn't rule it out from that alone.

Mike
3 years ago
Mike 3 years ago

You do realize that 14 karat gold is an alloy, often with nickel, or copper, or silver.

N
Nick H
3 years ago

Yes, in the case of fountain pen nibs it's typically copper. I'm looking for something that would allow it to bend more while retaining its original shape.

J
macmanjpd
3 years ago
macmanjpd 3 years ago

Perhaps you could look into shape memory alloys?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shape-memory_alloy

N
Nick H
3 years ago

Thanks for the suggestion, but I'm not sure how well it would work. How much heat does it typically take for such an alloy to return to it's original shape?

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