| In addition to mechanical fragility, the other fundamental defect of ebonite, at least from the point of view of fountain pen manufacturers, is the substantial impossibility of colouring. For this reason, for a long time, the two ways of enriching the aesthetic aspect of pens were chiselling, to which ebonite lends itself with relative ease, and coating with machined metal skeletons. In the first case we have what is called in jargon ''Black Chased Hard Rubber'' ([[BCHR]]), in the second case the countless variations of the [[overlay|coatings]]. | | In addition to mechanical fragility, the other fundamental defect of ebonite, at least from the point of view of fountain pen manufacturers, is the substantial impossibility of colouring. For this reason, for a long time, the two ways of enriching the aesthetic aspect of pens were chiselling, to which ebonite lends itself with relative ease, and coating with machined metal skeletons. In the first case we have what is called in jargon ''Black Chased Hard Rubber'' ([[BCHR]]), in the second case the countless variations of the [[overlay|coatings]]. |
− | Il colore naturale dell'ebanite infatti è il nero, gli unici altri colori ottenibili con relativa facilità sono l'arancio, grazie all'uso di cinabro, o il rosso scuro (con l'uso di ematite).<ref>per maggiori dettagli tecnici si può fare riferimento a questo [https://web.archive.org/web/20120106092952/http://www.kamakurapens.com/Archive/TheRHRPen.html articolo].</ref> Questo ha dato luogo a diverse lavorazioni, dalla classica [[RHR|ebanite rossa]], alle varie combinazioni fra ebanite rossa e nera ([[Mottled]], [[Rippled]], ecc.) fino alla produzione, portata avanti sostanzialmente dalla sola [[Waterman]]<ref>anche se sono noti [[Tibaldi Flattop|modelli]] [[Tibaldi]] in ebanite colorata.</ref> nella sua ostinazione a non abbandonare questo materiale, di colori come il verde, l'azzurro, il giallo ed il rosa. Ma alla fine nessuno di questi colori poteva competere con la brillantezza offerta dai nuovi materiali, ed in particolare dalla [[celluloide]], e l'ebanite è stata progressivamente abbandonata come materiale usato per il corpo della penna, restando impiegata però fino ai nostri giorni nella produzione degli [[alimentatori]].<ref>anche se oggi questo avviene solo per le penne di maggior pregio, dato che questo materiale non può essere lavorato a stampo.</ref>
| + | The natural color of ebonite is black, the only other colors that can be obtained with relative ease are orange, thanks to the use of cinnabar, or dark red (with the use of hematite).<ref>for more technical details you can refer to this [https://web.archive.org/web/20120106092952/http://www.kamakurapens.com/Archive/TheRHRPen.html article].</ref> This has given rise to several processes, from the classic [[RHR|red hard rubber]], to the various combinations of red and black ebonite ([[Mottled]], [[Rippled]], etc..) up to the production, carried out essentially by the [[Waterman]]<ref>even if some [[Tibaldi]] [[Tibaldi Flattop|models]] in coloured ebonite are known.</ref> in its obstinacy not to abandon this material, of colours such as green, blue, yellow and pink. But in the end none of these colours could compete with the brilliance offered by the new materials, and in particular by the [[celluloid]], and ebonite has been progressively abandoned as a material used for the body of the pen, remaining however used until today in the production of the [[feed]]s, even if today this happens only for the most valuable pens, since this material cannot be moulded. |