Daily Rounds

[kathleen]

I thought it might be fun to have a thread in which to report on our patients.

Today Kathleen's Estie Clinic is discharging two patients.

The Blue Transitional underwent a sac ectomy and sac replacement plus an upgrade to 9550 nib.

The Green J is recovered with a J bar replacement and also underwent a sacectomy and sac replacement.

 

Both pens are delighted to be released from the clinic, just in time for Christmas! Before being discharged the Green J was requesting Diamine Sherwood Green ink.

 

Sadly some other patients remain in the clinic languishing in the pre-op tray, several are in pieces having already undergone exploratory examinations). With Christmas so close, no more surgeries will be scheduled until after the first of the year.

Edited December 20, 2010 by kathleen

[pen2paper]

too bad I live so far away..

would seek position of surgical assistant..

would be a blast! : )

[watchin]

On the replacement of the J bar were you able to find a good used one or did you go with a brand new one? If you used a new one, did it need to be modified or did you use it as it was? The recommended modification (removing the side ridges with a dremel) seem like a pain to me. I have successfully used them as they come but prefer original equipment if possible. I like the 90 degree stop 'bump'.

-William-

[kathleen]

William, I used a new j bar. I have to file away flanges on either side to make it a proper fit. It does not have the detent (bump) to stop lever rotation beyond 90 degrees. Bruce and some others mentioned a possible way of creating a detent, I believe it involved a hammer and nail, I've never tried it. I am somewhat afraid I would totally bend, ruin the j bar and while I have ordered sacs 20 at a time, I have only ordered six j bars, and always hope my patient will not need a new one.

 

 

My next patient is a red SJ. I have the original J bar removed and cleaned. I've had it in and out of the pen twice and can not get it to sit up in the barrel as it should, I haven't figured out the correction yet, I think I need to re-shape the crook at the end of the bar.

The little red SJ underwent sacectomy and resac, its section with sac looks great. I am hoping to use the original J bar but something about it is not right.

 

Pen2paper, I would welcome you as an assistant anytime. How are you with power tools? I do not like re-shaping j bars and using the Dremel. I would love someone to take over that procedure. I would happily share with you the inking and test writing that precedes any pen leaving the clinic; that's the fun part!

Edited December 21, 2010 by kathleen

[Autopoint]

...I've never tried it. I am somewhat afraid I would totally bend, ruin..

 

Pen repair is sort of like water skiing. You're not sure what it's about or the mechanics involved until you try it. But of course, the primary standard of care is "no harm" to the patient being attended.

 

I'd encourage you to simply expand your surgical efforts gradually. For example, find a black J or SJ or LJ barrel (since they're the most common) which already has some kind of severe defect (like deep pliers marks or an area swollen by heat, etc.), and use/reuse it as a "practice dummy" (in my area medics use a rubber "Rescusi Annie").

 

If you're not positive about the precise mechanics of a J-bar, try making one out of a child's hair barrette from the local dollar store (an old time ex-cop Estie fancier taught me this; I get 4 for a dollar). The "hook" of the J provides spring tension to hold the J bar up inside the barrel, as well as to hold the large side of the bar against the inside of the barrel, away from the sac. Try installing and removing the barrette/J bar until you get the necessary angle of the bend in the "hook" end of the J bar/barrette exactly right. Then try making a detent/bump/stop in the long side of the barrette so it holds the fill lever at the preferred 90 degree angle. Obviously there's no problem discarding failed experiments when new patients are 4 for a dollar! Once you get competent with the barrette and the dummy Estie, you may well decide your surgical skills have improved sufficiently to attempt the same procedure with a real J-bar.

 

Of course...for Esties you intend to keep...you may cross over to the far side and decide that barrettes work just fine at 10% of the cost of real J bars...

 

- - - Hope over the holidays some of your "fixins" are edible, Jim

[pen2paper]

hmm :hmm1: I have a set of directional tinsnips.

 

and was one adept at ceiling tile commercial cuts..

 

these days, can't guarantee hand-eye coordination.. the red spilt might not be ink..

 

 

[corniche]

Hello Kathleen,

 

I've toyed with the idea of restoring a couple of my own, just for the satisfaction of it, if nothing else; however, I'm just curious because I read here where people have to "Dremel" or file the J-Bars to make them fit properly and in my physical condition, (I'm basically bed-ridden), I'm not sure if I'm up to that kind of work anymore. I figure I can clean a given pen in my ultrasonic, replace a nib, (hopefully a sac), tighten a loose section and give it a good polish with Carnauba wax- but I'm afraid that is the total extent of my ability right now. Typically, how often do J-Bars have to be completely replaced- is this the case once in a while, part of the time or most of the time?

 

All the best,

 

Sean

aka The Cowardly Lion of Estie-land.

Edited December 21, 2010 by S. P. Colfer

[kathleen]

Sean,

I have encountered about 4 Esties in need of new J bars. Each was a pen purchased on ebay and with each the seller claimed no knowledge of fountain pens, mentioned lever fill system with lever that does not lift, always an indication of hard, brittle sac inside. As I have opened pens to remove an old sac, I have twice had a rusted, broken j bar fall out of the barrel. Another time or two I just looked into the barrel with a very bright light and spied a rusty j bar I thought should be examined further. Twice I have made the decision to give the pen a new one rather than clean up a very rusty j bar.

The procedure to file away the flanges on an after market j bar are not difficult. I did one by hand with a small file my husband had and it was tedious work seeming to take forever. I have since bought the Dremel tool. It does the job quite quickly. I don't know which brands of pens use the j bars as sold from the pen supply sites. I do wish some were sold Estie ready, but at least there is a replacement part that can be purchased and modified. Sean, if you will be brave and take-on restoring a few "poor old Esties", should you come upon the need for a j bar, let me know and I could send you one having the modification accomplished.

In the many pens I have now worked on, probably close to thirty, most have needed only a re-sac, cleaning and polish. I have worked on double jewel and Transitionals only. One out of 7.5 needing a new j bar is pretty good odds that you won't need j bar replacement.

Come on Sean aka. Cowardly LIon, buy one of the unrestored Esties, I know you can do this!

Fond Regards,

Kathleen aka Dorothy

[kathleen]

 

a J-bar, try making one out of a child's hair barrette from the local dollar store (an old time ex-cop Estie fancier taught me this; I get 4 for a dollar).

- - - Hope over the holidays some of your "fixins" are edible, Jim

 

Jim,

What a great idea! I can easily see where the spring steel of a barrette and a j bar are extremely similar. I will be picking up a package of barrettes and doing just as you suggest. I do enjoy advancing my restoring skills. The beautiful old pens of Esterbrook are so worth the effort it takes to bring them back to their purpose. Pen restoration has quickly become a very satisfying hobby. I do believe this hobby is saving my waistline from all the yummy edibles I could be creating. At our holiday gatherings my mother and sister can supply the treats, they both love baking and candy making. My husband is diabetic and I try to spare him the temptation of sweets.

 

 

 

[corniche]

"...Sean, if you will be brave and take-on restoring a few "poor old Esties", should you come upon the need for a j bar, let me know and I could send you one having the modification accomplished..."

 

Hello Kathleen, (Dorothy),

 

With an offer such as this, how can I say no?

 

Thank you much!

 

Sean

aka The Cowardly Lion

[mic]

I lost a red one today. I am not ready for the details all I can say is I heard the dreaded "SNAP". I am going to go eat some comfort food.

 

matt

[watchin]

I lost a red one today. I am not ready for the details all I can say is I heard the dreaded "SNAP". I am going to go eat some comfort food.

 

matt

 

 

Some have lived a long and purposeful life already and that is often the sound they make when they are ready to bid farewell to this harsh environment. Often we are able to bring some of these back by keeping them close by and not intending to pass them on to others. I have some cosmetically handicapped Esties that are great writers and their lever fill systems work great. I can't think of anything that would disqualify any one of them from being repaired to some degree. The worse snap I can imagine is the section breaking. I have had that misfortune and to me the section is truly the heart of the pen. Nibs can get damaged and easily replaced, jewels can get lost and new ones replaced. I guess if a barrel or cap cracks then you have an excellent candidate for a parts pen (but most of my parts pens are 'in-house' writers). Let us know what you end up doing with 'Red'.

-William-

[kathleen]

Matt,

You have my sincerest sympathy. I am sure you are troubling yourself, could you have done something differently? I have heard the warnings myself about very brittle pens. Perhaps this pen spent too much time in a tropical climate, or two much time in the cold...it may have had hidden congenital defects. Do not be hard on yourself, it already had difficulties or it would not have been in your clinic.

Perhaps as a parts donor this Estie may enable another Estie to be whole and restored and thus, at least in part, live to write another day.

 

And now let us bow our heads for a moment of silence...

[Gobblecup]

Matt... terrible thing that happened to your poor Estie... all of us here feel your pain, yes I am talking about empathy. I remember the heartbreak when my first Transitional's section crumbled!

Edited December 23, 2010 by Gobblecup

[fwyun]

I thought it might be fun to have a thread in which to report on our patients.

 

What pen do you use to write down the patient's vitals on a clipboard?

 

[kathleen]

fwyun asks, "What pen do you use to write down the patient's vitals on a clipboard?

 

I should, of course, answer a Dr.'s white Estie, but I have only a nurse's a pen with black jewels and I do not have it inked. In everyday use is my black LJ, usually filled with Van Gogh Starry Night.

 

I am very, busy preparing for Christmas celebrations with family. These poor Esties await attention in the clinic along with one more green SJ, not pictured. Some patients need sac and J bar, some just need sac. Some will be receive NOS 9xxxx nibs before they are released to write again. I have put off examining the dove gray pastel, having heard the pastels can be brittle. I know it needs a new sac, fill lever does not lift. One blue J and black J are awaiting J bars, their sections have received new sacs already.

Edited December 24, 2010 by kathleen

[kathleen]

On the Operating table today. Green SJ.

Exploratory surgery revealed petrified, brittle sac and broken J bar.

Sacectomy successful new sac joined to nib.

Very exciting new procedure, replacement J bar made adapting barrette as suggested by Autopoint, Jim (remnants of the barrette, shiny metal pieces unused are visible on the table). This newly made J bar is installed and demonstrates plenty of spring with an excellent fit against pen barrel and lever.

After this pen undergoes closure it will enjoy a very clean nib, having experienced a cleaning treatment in my brand new ultrasonic clearer, a Christmas gift from my thoughtful husband, who suspects, but really hasn't a clue to just how many pens I now possess.

As I believe is always the case, the most difficult part of this restoration has been the patience required to separate the section and barrel. This pen was set aside twice with thoughts of "I'll try again another day" when pen and section were not parting. Caution: Always have Patience with the patient. Remember how old they are, be strong but always gentle.

Each time I attempted separation I used a hair dryer to repeatedly warm the pen, the nib remained in place and the section was wrapped with a rubber band to help me achieve a sure grip.

Edited December 26, 2010 by kathleen

[pen2paper]

Kathleen.. how about a step by step Estie surgery, with Barrette replacement, on you tube? !!!

[kathleen]

I am anxious to perform this procedure again. This time I began by robbing my daughter of a barrette. It was a narrow one with blue plastic covering the top side. I knew I had to remove this plastic. While whittling away at it with a small knife, I poked myself in the finger, just a small "ouch" and a little blood, more a (bleep) than a stab. Next time I try this I will get a package of plain metal barrettes. It was really easy. I just judged the length needed and snapped off the extra with a back-and-and forth bending. When I perfect this procedure I will gladly video-tape and share, I hesitate to show you all too soon, how are you with the sight of blood?

Edited December 26, 2010 by kathleen

[pen2paper]

just liberally spread some Diamine Oxblood about.. noone will notice : )