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Another Esterbrook restoration question


Pete

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Hello all,

 

Im restoring 2 Esterbrooks I found around in my grandparents stuff. The first looks like its not going to be a problem, but the second has a rusted J-bar. I believe it is an S-J, its really small, pen length is about 4.25 inches capped. Would the small (not the mini) j-bar be what I need to get off Trypons page? The j-bar I pulled is about 48mm, but Im just measuring the straight part, not the curved section. It looks like it would be around 62mm total, which I just measured, which would make it the length of the long J-bar he has advertised. Well, maybe I just answered my own question, but Id like to double check that with a member here, if possible.

 

A few milsc questions--

 

How much talc needs to go into the pen, a light dusting, or an ultra-light dusting?

 

Which polish would you recommend, the XP polish, or the pen polish off Tryphons page? Would it also work well with Parker 51s?

 

Silicone or latex sacs?

 

Is there any special trick to getting the j-bar lined up with the lever, or do you just be careful and make sure things are lined up before you shove it in?

 

How do you get those renew nibs out? Im sure that theres a post on this one, but Ive been researching different pen stuff for a couple days straight, and Id really appreciate a gimme. I may mess around with grinding a couple of nibs if replacing is easy enough.

 

Im being so Trypon-centric cause I was already in the middle of an order with him for some nib smoothing stuff when I said "Hey, I can get stuff to restore my Esterbrooks too."

 

Any info would be appreciated, Thanks

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A few milsc questions--

 

How much talc needs to go into the pen, a light dusting, or an ultra-light dusting?

 

Which polish would you recommend, the XP polish, or the pen polish off Tryphons page? Would it also work well with Parker 51s?

 

Silicone or latex sacs?

 

Is there any special trick to getting the j-bar lined up with the lever, or do you just be careful and make sure things are lined up before you shove it in?

 

How do you get those renew nibs out? Im sure that theres a post on this one, but Ive been researching different pen stuff for a couple days straight, and Id really appreciate a gimme. I may mess around with grinding a couple of nibs if replacing is easy enough.

 

Talc: a light dusting should be sufficient. When I replace a sac, I usually just roll the sac in the talc a bit and tap it gently to get the excess off before putting the sac and section back into the barrel. It doesn't take a lot of talc to do the job.

 

Polish: No idea. I've never used either; I just have a tube of Simichrome that I'm mostly afraid to use. (Works great on the brass faucet fittings in the bathroom, though.)

 

Sacs: I use latex sacs, mainly because I have no compelling need to use silicone sacs. As I understand things, silicone sacs are particularly useful when resaccing pens that are, by some accounts, prone to discoloration (e.g., vintage jade Sheaffers or Wahls) based on the fumes emitted by latex sacs. Also, from what I understand, if you're using the silicone sacs it's best to use the blonde shellac from Tryphon -- it's evidently a bit better with silicone sacs than standard orange shellac.

 

J-bar: I usually just line it up as best I can ahead of time. I've had good success fine-tuning the alignment using a very narrow pair of needle-nose pliers.

 

Renew nibs: They should be removable just like Pelikan nibs. They should simply unscrew from the section. If you have a renew-point nib that's not cooperating, you might need to give the section a good soaking to dissolve any dried ink. I've had good success using an ultrasonic cleaner for that purpose (I'm a little impatient sometimes). For more detailed instruction regarding renew-point removal, I refer you to Richard Binder's instructions for swapping Pelikan nibs.

 

I'm sure others with more experience/knowledge will chime in. Have fun!

 

Don

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Here is a good link discussing polishes. I think Don covered the rest pretty well.

Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.

Isaac Asimov, Salvor Hardin in "Foundation"

US science fiction novelist & scholar (1920 - 1992)

 

There is probably no more terrible instant of enlightenment than the one in which you discover your father is a man--with human flesh.

Frank Herbert, Dune

US science fiction novelist (1920 - 1986)

 

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A few milsc questions--

 

How much talc needs to go into the pen, a light dusting, or an ultra-light dusting?

 

Which polish would you recommend, the XP polish, or the pen polish off Tryphons page? Would it also work well with Parker 51s?

 

Silicone or latex sacs?

 

Is there any special trick to getting the j-bar lined up with the lever, or do you just be careful and make sure things are lined up before you shove it in?

 

How do you get those renew nibs out? Im sure that theres a post on this one, but Ive been researching different pen stuff for a couple days straight, and Id really appreciate a gimme. I may mess around with grinding a couple of nibs if replacing is easy enough.

 

Talc: a light dusting should be sufficient. When I replace a sac, I usually just roll the sac in the talc a bit and tap it gently to get the excess off before putting the sac and section back into the barrel. It doesn't take a lot of talc to do the job.

 

Polish: No idea. I've never used either; I just have a tube of Simichrome that I'm mostly afraid to use. (Works great on the brass faucet fittings in the bathroom, though.)

 

Sacs: I use latex sacs, mainly because I have no compelling need to use silicone sacs. As I understand things, silicone sacs are particularly useful when resaccing pens that are, by some accounts, prone to discoloration (e.g., vintage jade Sheaffers or Wahls) based on the fumes emitted by latex sacs. Also, from what I understand, if you're using the silicone sacs it's best to use the blonde shellac from Tryphon -- it's evidently a bit better with silicone sacs than standard orange shellac.

 

J-bar: I usually just line it up as best I can ahead of time. I've had good success fine-tuning the alignment using a very narrow pair of needle-nose pliers.

 

Renew nibs: They should be removable just like Pelikan nibs. They should simply unscrew from the section. If you have a renew-point nib that's not cooperating, you might need to give the section a good soaking to dissolve any dried ink. I've had good success using an ultrasonic cleaner for that purpose (I'm a little impatient sometimes). For more detailed instruction regarding renew-point removal, I refer you to Richard Binder's instructions for swapping Pelikan nibs.

 

I'm sure others with more experience/knowledge will chime in. Have fun!

 

Don

 

And as for the size of j-bar to use, I believe it is the 54.

Harry Leopold

“Prints of Darkness”

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Thanks for the replies all.

 

I was thinking that there might be some functional or durability difference with the silicone. Now that I know theres not, Ill just go for the cheaper option.

 

On the nibs, I looked on ebay and some vendor had just the metal sections without the plastic part listed as renew nibs. I got the mistaken impression that you yanked the metal part out of the plastic housing somehow and replaced them that way. That makes things much easier, that whole nib assembly comes out pretty easily.

 

Makes sense that this pen would need the shorter j-bar, compared to my other stripped esterbrook (just a J, I think) this bar is much shorter. Odd coincidence that its total length is 62mm. Glad of that answer cause I might have made a frustrating mistake there.

 

Thanks again

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There are some differences to consider in choosing silicone versus latex sacs. Ron Zorn posted a nice list of pros/cons in the repair q&a forum: linky

 

FWIW, like you, I'd use the latex sac.

 

Don

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Thanks for the replies all.

 

I was thinking that there might be some functional or durability difference with the silicone. Now that I know theres not, Ill just go for the cheaper option.

 

On the nibs, I looked on ebay and some vendor had just the metal sections without the plastic part listed as renew nibs. I got the mistaken impression that you yanked the metal part out of the plastic housing somehow and replaced them that way. That makes things much easier, that whole nib assembly comes out pretty easily.

 

Makes sense that this pen would need the shorter j-bar, compared to my other stripped esterbrook (just a J, I think) this bar is much shorter. Odd coincidence that its total length is 62mm. Glad of that answer cause I might have made a frustrating mistake there.

 

Thanks again

 

As I understand it all (lever-fill) Esterbrooks use the same j-bar size and the same size sac. It made things much simpler for the company to stock only one size of each. The larger pens use spacer for the sac and a plug at the bottom to make up the difference in length for the j-bar.

Harry Leopold

“Prints of Darkness”

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As I understand it all (lever-fill) Esterbrooks use the same j-bar size and the same size sac. It made things much simpler for the company to stock only one size of each. The larger pens use spacer for the sac and a plug at the bottom to make up the difference in length for the j-bar.

 

You can see how one of those full-size Js look disassembled in one of my earlier posts. I wasn't aware that they'd used erasers and other things like that as spacers, and I also didn't realize that the sac support was removable and clear plastic. (Also, note the light dusting of talc on the sac. :P )

 

Don

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Ok, yeah, I noticed that clear housing in the J, but I didnt notice the spacer at the bottom. I was comparing the lengths of the j-bars by putting the pulled j-bar from the SJ beside the J pen (this whole j thing can get confusing). I was thinking that the unpulled j-bar in the J was running the full length to the back. It did seem pretty long.

 

From the looks of things I think the my surprise J spacer is an eraser, too. Its also rattling around some. Im just gonna leave it for now, though. I dont want to get ahead of myself.

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For j-bar, I use 54mm. You will need to rebend the hook side of the new J-bar so it matches the old one. Then you cut the excess. I measured around 45mm lenght for the SJ original J-bar. I just put them side to side to make a ''clone''. There is also a thread on this in the repair section

Commit to be fit

ClaudeP.com

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