I haven't noticed any dryout yet, but nothing egregious, and like any fountain pen, regular use is important anyways. Even the famed platinum slip-n-seal should still be used every week or two. When buyers shop for a new pen, they usually want a balance of style, usability, and durability. Copper and brass pens perfectly blend these traits to create beautiful items that feel substantial in the hand, last a lifetime, and write with ease and grace. Of course, with so many pens on the market, it can be difficult to know what to shop for.

Last but not least, we promised a showpiece and, with the Kara Kustoms Decograph Signature Edition, we didn’t disappoint. This stunning solid copper fountain pen is limited to only 30 pieces and each is handmade in the United States. Buyers can choose from a full range of steel nib sizes (extra fine, fine, medium, broad, extra broad) or opt for titanium in EF, F, M, and B sizes. Copper is a reddish-brown metal that’s been used by humans since the Chalcolithic period. This metal is found all over the world, but the highest-quality copper comes from mines in Australia, Chile, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Russia, and the United States. It is valued for its malleability, conductivity, and iconic color, making it one of the most expensive non-precious metals. My subjects for this experiment are a Retro 51 Raw Brass rollerball pen and a Fisher Space Pen Bullet Raw Brass ballpoint pen. If your pens are not brand new, out of the box, clean the brass surface with a little dish soap and water before proceeding. Make sure they are clean and dry. Pen manufacturers have used copper and brass metals to manufacture ballpoint and fountain pens for hundreds of years. Thanks to their charming color, strength, and malleability, these two metals make wonderful pens that feel warm and comfortable in the hand. And, as long as you are willing to care for your pen, it will maintain its natural shine for decades to come.The next pen on our list is the Retro 51 Vintage Lincoln Tornado rollerball. This pen is a modern take on a classic design and, like all Retro 51 pens, it is sure to turn heads. The Vintage Lincoln is constructed from solid brass that’s been finished with an antique patina, giving it a unique look that will only become more beautiful over time.

If you're after the mirror shine and think you can just keep it nice with a sunshine cloth, you're not going to be able to. Firstly, brass oxidizes fast, so you're gonna be polishing it every other day, and second, the cap has four metal springs that center it and make the cap/uncap feel smooth and tight and keep the whole affair from wiggling about (which makes it feel NICE to cap and uncap) which put long micro scratches down the section and on the base where it posts. These micro scratches will become invisible with time as you let it patina, likely within a week they'll be invisible (but the patina will develop and improve over decades, so brass only looks more and more beautiful with time) Then, you have the "raw" brass pens that are not lacquered or varnished. They usually arrive with a polished shine or might appear slightly dulled and tarnished. This is part of the wabi-sabi charm of owning an all-brass pen.If you plan on using your pen regularly, we recommend choosing a brass model. But, if you are looking for a pen to add to your collection, a copper model will age gracefully and develop a rich patina over time. Both pens will need some cleaning but the addition of zinc in brass helps it to withstand oxidation and age more slowly than copper. Unique Properties of Brass and Copper To remove tarnish, I'm going to show you a couple of methods using materials you can find at home as well as a product made for this specific purpose.

Rinse your pen with clean water and dry it off with a soft, dry towel. If your pen is particularly dirty or tarnished, you may need to use a metal polish. We recommend using a dedicated brass or copper polish, as these products are specifically designed to clean and protect these metals. The Top 5 Brass and Copper Pens for Your Collection Tactile Turn Copper Pen with an Ugly Books notebook As I mentioned earlier, brass ages over time, and it only becomes more beautiful with use. When it arrives, it’s a shiny bright gold color, but that changes as soon as you start using it. After just a few days, a dark patina will start to form on the surface of the pen. This patina gives the Brass sport a unique and warm character. You can choose to leave it on, or polish it off with copper polish and a soft cloth. Brass is a wonderful material for producing pens. It's strong, it's heavy and looks and feels great. Lots of pens have brass barrels or components but the brass is normally hidden away under layers of paint or plastic. Not so with the Kaweco Brass Sport. Eyedropper - A pen that utilizes the entire barrel as a reservoir for ink. Ink is directly filled into the barrel, allowing for a high ink capacity. Here's a video on how to do it!Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. For pen manufacturing, brass has a relatively low melting point and is more workable than other metals like bronze or zinc. It is corrosion resistant and has a heavier weight than other common pen materials like resin and aluminum. Depending on how much zinc is present, the color of brass can range from a reddish hue to a muted golden yellow.

As we’ve mentioned, one of the defining characteristics of copper and brass metals is their ability to develop a patina over time. This natural aging process is caused by exposure to oxygen, moisture, and other elements, and results in a darkening of the metal’s surface. A small but noticeable detail is that the brass Sport has a plastic inner cap (something that isn’t present on the aluminium versions of the Sport pens). It sits flush with the edge of the cap, so it is visible (which could be a downside for some). This does offer a very specific benefit that I quite enjoy: whereas capping and uncapping the regular Al Sport pens results in a scratchy metal-on-metal sound, this isn’t the case with the brass one because of the plastic. Opening and closing the pen is much smoother and feels almost ‘cushioned’. In terms of durability this could be a downside as the threads on the inner cap might see some wear after prolonged use. However, so far I haven’t had any issues with it, and it doesn’t deter from the solid feeling of the pen.A couple of years ago, you’d have been hard-pressed to find a pen made out of solid, untreated brass. Fortunately nowadays they are much more common, in part due to the contributions of German pen manufacturer Kaweco! Brass is different from most other metals that are commonly used in pens; it’s about three times as dense as aluminium, and it forms a beautiful patina after some use. Put those properties in a pen, and you get something quite unique! The surface of both the Fisher and Retro 51 brass ballpoint pen became gritty with texture from the layers of patina. To smooth out the rough areas and create a distressed look, I used a piece of sandpaper and the polishing techniques mentioned earlier. With enough polishing, it is possible to lighten the brass and reverse the effects of the patina. But before we get all "mad scientist" on a few brass ballpoint and fountain pens, I want to share a few ways you can remove tarnish from brass. It is natural for brass to patina over time as it reacts to the oxygen in the air and the oils from your skin. Even a brand new pen can exhibit a slight darkening, also called toning, right out of the box. We are specialists in fountain pens and carefully select the best models of fountain pen based on excellent writing performance and value for money. If you need help in choosing the right pen for you (or buying a fountain pen as a gift)take a look at our buyer's guide. The product filters enable you to narrow down your perfect choice from our vast ranges of fountain pens by selecting price, nib width, nib material, filling type and style. Fountain pens (sometimes called "ink pens") still represent the pinnacle of writing performance and comfort as the nib glides effortlessly across the paper requiring very little pressure from the writer's hand. Usually, brass takes a long time to darken and develop a patina. If this type of aesthetic is more appealing to you, then never worry about polishing it. Let's say you don't want to wait the months or years it may take to develop the patina. I'll show you a shortcut using inexpensive, household ingredients. Please remember to be safe and try at your own risk.