Is there anything I can do to stop this rust from getting worse?
Edit:
Also - this pencil is filthy. What do you use to clean your older pencils?
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What is this a photo of?
Ahh. Ok. I don’t know why I couldn’t place what that was a photo of.
Barkeepers friend.
Let me find Chris’s write up on how to use it.
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Thanks
If it’s not anodized / coated in any way, just raw steel alloy, you could just use micromesh to polish it out. There’s also slightly rougher grades where you can restore a clean semi-matte finish as well.
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On a related note… what do you do about chrome plating flaking off?
I have a Pentel P1025 double-knock and the clip finish went to crap. I was thinking I should just sand it down with micromesh… or maybe just coat with brushed aluminum tape.
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This looks like the plating is starting to flake off.
I’ll need to take a closer look later.
I have been looking into nickel plating. 
When you use micromesh to polish out small scratches, what grits do you recommend?
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I start with the smoothest one, then if there are deeper visible scratches, I work backwards, then forwards again.
Yeah, plating is a pain. If it’s flaking off, the “collectible value” as it is already dropped, so I’d say just strip off the plating.
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When did you acquire it? I ask cuz it wasn’t but a year or so ago some of us first heard of them.
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If there is corrosion, use micromesh, then impregnate WD40 with a cotton swab, do not breathe on the clip, do not touch it, do not look at it, store it in a hermetic box, then in a dark and dry drawer.
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I can’t deal with you having a P35 Pixy. There’s a clear winner between the rubber grip vs the Hue grip. I’m dropping in a P35 Hue free of charge with your shipment. My treat.
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About 3 years ago. And you know, I couldn’t see anything on it other than “Pentel.” It came with the original mocha/yellow colored plastic box and plastic cover. Didn’t see P1025 anywhere on it.
Once a metal part has started to rust, there’s no stopping it. Either the rust is completely removed and a protective layer is applied, or the rust keeps progressing.
What first sail said is important. Rust is just metal reacting with air. Platings and patina are just stable/nonreactive coatings that prevent the metal from getting in contact with the air. If you remove rust, or patina, or a coating, metal is exposed = alarms start to ring, the clock is ticking, either you put something over that metal and let it stabilize or it’s gonna rust.
I learned this the hard way. I had just gotten a new, shiny bicycle and went for a few rides. I wanted to clean the drivetrain afterwards, and of course I want to clean it “properly” so I degreased tf out of it. 1 minute passed and the whole thing was completely rusted.
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Bicycle chains are something quite different. I have owned bicycles for all of my life, but I’m no expert. Given that, in my experience I’ve seen every single chain of all my bicycles exhibit some rust. It’s possible that there are higher end bicycles with different chain alloys that don’t rust. But I expect there’s something about the non-stainless steel alloy components that have a certain fatigue tolerance ideal for rotation after rotation going on and on. So they formulated bicycle grease that really sticks to the metal, coating it completely. If you strip that off–it rusts.
Technically all metal having an iron component WILL rust at some point. It’s all about resistance. “Stainless steel” is just “delayed stain.” And very high quality steel will resist so long, you’ll believe it’s rustproof.
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if I were able to get all the rust off, would sealing it with a clear-coat like a satin polyurethane in a rattle-can help stop the oxidation?
The only rusty piece I have is the one pictured, but now im concerned about the long term storage of my pencils.
Shoulld I consider putting some desiccant bags in my storage cases? I live in West Tennessee and we frequently have 100%+ humidity in the summer.
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If you have them inside a closed plastic case, then some desiccant bags may be a good idea. If there’s some air movement, it may not be needed. Afaik those bags only work well on stale air.
I don’t think you should worry too much about other pens rusting. If you’re not getting mold on your walls then your stainless steel pens should not rust, I think. But the best thing is to talk with people around you, ask them if they usually get rust on stainless steel items, if they have a dehumidifier etc. In Japan, for example, it’s very common to either have the AC running all day or to have a dedicated dehumidifier so that all your belongings don’t succumb to mold.
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Thanks. Given that, they should be fine.
If/when I get this rusty Pixy fixed I’ll post a follow-up picture.
Desiccant is a very good idea if you live in a region where there’s long stretches of high humidity. You probably don’t need much of it.
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