| The featured item page is intended to show an in-depth display of a turned item. The item will change every month. The purpose here is to show a variety of images and give people a better feel what these items are like. Please email me comments, I love to hear your feedback, Thanks, Brad Harding, Harding Pens. contact me |
March Feature – Hardware Finishes
My feature for March 2007 is information on pen hardware finishes. Originally I only offered 24-karat gold plating, but now
more finish options are becoming available in Canada. These finishes can be confusing. This month I hope I can elevate
some of the confusion.
Lets start with gold plating. The karat system is commonly used to rate gold purity. 24 karat is pure gold, and is often
referred to as 24 k gold. 10 karat is 10/24ths gold. Since gold is a soft metal, pure gold in not necessarily the best. When
they dilute gold, they add materials that improve the wear characteristics. Thus 10 k gold usually has better wear
characteristics than 24 k gold. Gold plating, like the plating used on pen hardware is very thin and wears with use and
handling – see the image of my 24 k pen hardware after two years of daily use.
Pen kits with platting other than 24 k are still limited in Canada, but there is a new finish refereed to as upgraded gold.
This plating is pure enough to still meet 24 k standards, but contains some trace elements that improve the durability.
The upgraded-gold plating method is also reported to be better and contributes to longer plating life. Upgrade gold is
now available for European, Greek, El Grande, and Cigar pens. There is a price premium for these parts, but this finish
will improve the pen’s platting life.
All kits are available in normal gold with the typical shine you are used to seeing on jewelry. Some kits are now also
available in satin-gold that has a roughened surface and reduced shine. This finish is now available on European style
twist pens and Cigar Pens.
There is also a chrome finish available on some pen styles. This finish is the shiny silvery colour that you are used to
seeing on car bumpers and this finish is reported to wear better than gold. Chrome is available on European, Cigar, and
El Grande pens.
A satin-nickel finish is also available now. This finish has a dull silver colour with limited shine. Satin-nickel is available
on European and Cigar pens.
Both the chrome and satin-nickel finishes look very impressive when combined with some darker coloured woods such
as African Blackwood, Black Walnut, and Redheart.
On the new plating page, there is a comparison nib image of gold, satin-gold, chrome and satin-nickel. There are also
images of various pens that use these different finishes.
The pen-types page shows the pens available at Harding Pens and lists the finishes available with each style.
Remember, if I do not have stock of a pen in the wood-platting combination you like, I can usually craft a custom pen for
you in about a week. I do not charge a premium for custom orders. I do not stock all plating types in all kits, but if you want
it, I can order the parts in that platting type for you.
Thanks for viewing my web site; I would love to hear your feedback. Also, please send me any questions you may have.
You can reach me through the contact-me page.
Brad Harding
www.HardingPens.com
Aurora, Ontario, Canada.
These are close-up images of my first pen. This was a 24 k gold finish after over two years of heavy daily use in an office.
I carry this pen with me everyday. You can see how the gold eventually wears through.
My feature for March 2007 is information on pen hardware finishes. Originally I only offered 24-karat gold plating, but now
more finish options are becoming available in Canada. These finishes can be confusing. This month I hope I can elevate
some of the confusion.
Lets start with gold plating. The karat system is commonly used to rate gold purity. 24 karat is pure gold, and is often
referred to as 24 k gold. 10 karat is 10/24ths gold. Since gold is a soft metal, pure gold in not necessarily the best. When
they dilute gold, they add materials that improve the wear characteristics. Thus 10 k gold usually has better wear
characteristics than 24 k gold. Gold plating, like the plating used on pen hardware is very thin and wears with use and
handling – see the image of my 24 k pen hardware after two years of daily use.
Pen kits with platting other than 24 k are still limited in Canada, but there is a new finish refereed to as upgraded gold.
This plating is pure enough to still meet 24 k standards, but contains some trace elements that improve the durability.
The upgraded-gold plating method is also reported to be better and contributes to longer plating life. Upgrade gold is
now available for European, Greek, El Grande, and Cigar pens. There is a price premium for these parts, but this finish
will improve the pen’s platting life.
All kits are available in normal gold with the typical shine you are used to seeing on jewelry. Some kits are now also
available in satin-gold that has a roughened surface and reduced shine. This finish is now available on European style
twist pens and Cigar Pens.
There is also a chrome finish available on some pen styles. This finish is the shiny silvery colour that you are used to
seeing on car bumpers and this finish is reported to wear better than gold. Chrome is available on European, Cigar, and
El Grande pens.
A satin-nickel finish is also available now. This finish has a dull silver colour with limited shine. Satin-nickel is available
on European and Cigar pens.
Both the chrome and satin-nickel finishes look very impressive when combined with some darker coloured woods such
as African Blackwood, Black Walnut, and Redheart.
On the new plating page, there is a comparison nib image of gold, satin-gold, chrome and satin-nickel. There are also
images of various pens that use these different finishes.
The pen-types page shows the pens available at Harding Pens and lists the finishes available with each style.
Remember, if I do not have stock of a pen in the wood-platting combination you like, I can usually craft a custom pen for
you in about a week. I do not charge a premium for custom orders. I do not stock all plating types in all kits, but if you want
it, I can order the parts in that platting type for you.
Thanks for viewing my web site; I would love to hear your feedback. Also, please send me any questions you may have.
You can reach me through the contact-me page.
Brad Harding
www.HardingPens.com
Aurora, Ontario, Canada.
These are close-up images of my first pen. This was a 24 k gold finish after over two years of heavy daily use in an office.
I carry this pen with me everyday. You can see how the gold eventually wears through.
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Featured Item
March 2007
March 2007
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| One-of-a-Kind Fine Writing Instruments and Turned Treasures |
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Exposing the beauty that God weaves into wood ...
