Newbie Questions

[amberleadavis]

Well, I wrote these in a letter to Bruce... but I figured, if I'm asking...well then other newbies must be wondering too....

 

http://sheismylawyer.com/She_Thinks_In_Ink/2014-Inklings/slides/2014-Ink_1868.jpg

 

In no particular order:

 

• Why are the sacs talced? (For that matter, why are they called Sacs and not Sacks?)
• Why is it called a J Bar?
• Can a loose lever be adjusted? (The lever that pushes the ink sac). If so, how? I have one that "hangs" out when the pen is vertical.
• Does anyone have a diagram with the parts labeled so we newbies can name the parts correctly. *Esterbrook Anatomy for Inkiots*

Thank you!

 

Amber, the local inkiot.

[gweimer1]

Here's one...the lever aligns with the bar, which is mounted inside the pen. When you lift the lever, the bar compresses the sac inside, pushing air/ink out. When you release the bar, the sac expands, drawing in ink/air.

http://images.andersonpens.net/rs-j54.jpg

Edited October 17, 2014 by gweimer1

[ac12]

 

Well, I wrote these in a letter to Bruce... but I figured, if I'm asking...well then other newbies must be wondering too....

 

 

In no particular order:

 

• Why are the sacs talced? (For that matter, why are they called Sacs and not Sacks?)
• Why is it called a J Bar?
• Can a loose lever be adjusted? (The lever that pushes the ink sac). If so, how? I have one that "hangs" out when the pen is vertical.
• Does anyone have a diagram with the parts labeled so we newbies can name the parts correctly. *Esterbrook Anatomy for Inkiots*

Thank you!

 

Amber, the local inkiot.

 

Talcing sacs. So the sac does not stick to the inside of the pen.

 

J-Bar. When you look at it in the open, it looks like the letter J

You can see this on the replacement J-bars on this link

http://www.andersonpens.net/repairs-other-parts-s/2349.htm

 

Loose lever. I think this is due to the J-bar not pushing up on the lever enough to hold it in the down position. That would be a broken, worn or missaligned J-bar.

[Hobiwan]

"Sac": likely named after the scientific term for the container of ink carried by octopi and squid.

[AZBennett]

Talc also lubricates, therefore when the J-bar or other metal device is pressed against the rubber sac, there is talc that will cut down on the friction/pressure.

[Veltri]

 

• Does anyone have a diagram with the parts labeled so we newbies can name the parts correctly. *Esterbrook Anatomy for Inkiots*

 

I was googling Esterbrook posters (posters being another hobby of mine) and happened upon the anatomy of the nib. This is from Andersonpens - hope it's alright to put here. Nib and feed are obvious, but the "sleeve" is what they are fit into.

 

[estie1948]

For the diagrams see Anatomy of a Fountain Pen I: A Typical Lever Filler on Richard Biinder's site (http://www.richardspens.com/ ) on his Reference Pages. You will find many of the answers you seek on Richard's site. There are other fountain pen sites that offer information you are seeking, but Richard has organized his into a very easy to use resource. If I am not greatly mistaken, Richard has plans to publish his wealth of information and illustrations in book form sometime in the future.

 

-David.

Edited October 17, 2014 by estie1948

[OcalaFlGuy]

AL,

 

Did you not see the email I sent that (I thought) answered the j-bar and lever questions?

 

(The Talc is a new one I hadn't already seen.)

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

 

PS; Opening up the J part gives the bar more gripping oomph and makes it less likely to shift within the barrel.

 

When someone works that poor lever 1,436 times trying to get that last hint of ink out for a color change (completely unnecessary) that

somewhat not so grippy (loose) bar can shift to the side such that it no longer contacts the lever end Inside the barrel as it should. That

causes the Lever Flopitis.

 

There is a band-aid "cure" that fixes the symptom of the loose lever without curing the ill inside. Fixing it the correct way is preferred.

 

AL, I sent you detailed instructions on the band-aid "fix".

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

Edited October 17, 2014 by OcalaFlGuy

[ScienceChick]

This thread is a perfect example of why I love the Estie forum and the folks who hang out in Estieville.

Edited October 18, 2014 by ScienceChick

[amberleadavis]

I did see the email .... after I had written the letter and posted. I will post some of that great advice here if you don't beat me to it.

[pajaro]

It would be great to see that. I worked on these pens for a while, then I got interested in other pens and forgot some of what I had learned. It would probably be a good idea to go back through most of my pens to check out their state of repair.

[Veltri]

Here's my newbie question about a new 407 dipless pen set I just got.

 

How much ink do I need to put in the inkwell for it to work?

[amberleadavis]

It would be great to see that. I worked on these pens for a while, then I got interested in other pens and forgot some of what I had learned. It would probably be a good idea to go back through most of my pens to check out their state of repair.

 

Here was Bruce's advice:

 

• Estie Stubs
  • Binder and Pedemonium both have NOS nibs but theirs will cost more than from the Anderson's.
  • No steady supply anywhere else that I know of.
  • You can always find them in pens on Ebay, you just have to use the magnifier thingie in the listing and scope every pen out. I would tend to look for the cleaner examples though. I wouldn't pay a lot for one that had obviously seen a lot of use.
  • NOS Stubs come up now and then on Fleabay but usually with crazy prices. If you wanted one, offering some seller asking $50+ for one, $30-35 would not be unreasonable. You can't get what you don't ask for. A couple of years ago I found 3 9284s on Fleabay and alerted Estieville. They were $30 each and all 3 got sucked up in 5 minutes.
    • Last week I (amberleadavis) found 2 2314-Bs for $40. I was thrilled.
• Regrinding.
  • Of course.
  • I have 4 Estie cursive italics by Pendleton. Also 5 P-45 CIs from Mike Masuyama.
  • Last I heard, Pendemonium was still the cheapest grind, I think $25 + $5 shipping. Their grinder Letta ground nibs for about 35 years at the nearby Sheaffer factory. The downside to that low price is that you are isolated except in writing from the grinder. You need to write EXACTLY, Precisely what you want them to have her do. The better you explain what you want, the closer the result will be.
    • Art (LahLahLaw) did a bunch of grinds and nib tunes for me (amberleadavis). His work is awesome. $35 including shipping and you can talk to him here on FPN.
• Nib that won't come out. I can't get it to unscrew.
  • Usually for a nib that won't come out, a soak in Ammonia water into the next galaxy (days maybe) usually works. I also use bicycle inner tube for gripper material so I can get a good grip on the nib and still not damage it.