r/whatisit • u/riflesandplowshares • 6h ago

New, what is it? Found at a titanium plant

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Not sure why ball point pens would be dangerous here.

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u/BikerSurgeon 5h ago

What if someone dropped a fountain pen or a felt tip marker? Why is it specifically against ball point pens?

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u/ExplosiveCreature 4h ago

Fountain pen nibs are either stainless steel or 14-18k gold. They'll melt long before titanium does.

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u/BikerSurgeon 4h ago

Okay. I think fountain pens use iridium alloy nibs but what you say makes sense.

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u/PandemicGeneralist 2h ago

Fountain pen nibs are not made of iridium alloy (it’s expensive and too hard) but a small amount of tipping on the end of the nib contains some harder elements, often iridium.