Ink leak?

[Ghosofat]

My lovely grey J, which I found in a box some weeks ago, has been fantastic with one exception: if I am a little careless and "flick" the pen a bit, or move it abruptly, I sometimes get a drop of ink emanating therefrom. That is not good when one considers that my shirt is often in the path of said drop.

 

Once a drop of ink landed on a contract I was signing, giving it a lovely antiquarian appearance.

 

Also I seem to get a minor amount of ink accumulating on the nib.

 

So, being relatively new to fountain pens, I was wondering if this pen might have some kind of leak that is hopefully fixable, or if this is just a normal aspect of certain fountain pens. I must say that my two Parkers don't do this, but then again I don't use them as much.

Edited May 9, 2008 by Ghosofat

[Toulouse]

Ghosofat,

This behavior is not normal for Esterbrooks.

 

There are a number of problems that could be causing this ... the problem could be with the feed, the the feed/section fit, the nib, or even the J-Bar. All of these are fixable, but might require some replacement parts.

 

Does the ink flow seem about right to you when you're writing? Does this only happen when the pen has been laying on its side for awhile?

 

Todd

 

[Ron Z]

Most Esterbrook nibs are pretty well behaved, there are exceptions though.

 

Question - does the nib have a V cut into the end of the feed? If so, another nib might be in order.

 

I have found that the nibs with the V are the most likely to have the problems that you describe. It was one of the last designs produdced, and copied the "dip-tip" design, but didn't work especially well. Not one of Esterbrooks better designs. You can't fill that V in either - I've tried it, and the pen simply doesn't write.

 

If the nib doesn't have a V in the feed, then look for other sources of the problem, including a missing sac stabilizer or incorrect size sac.

[Firefyter-Emt]

Ron, might this also be the early stages of a sac with some dry rot starting up?

 

Good to know about that "v" tip feeder. I have one from a refurb I recently finished that is clogged by india ink. You mention that it can not be sealed, which is true!

Edited May 9, 2008 by Firefyter-Emt

[Toulouse]

Never thought about a missing sac stabilizer ... always wondered how a pen would behave without it. Just figured they wouldn't fill properly.

 

Another little bit of info to add to my limited knowledge of these great old pens.

 

[Ghosofat]

Ghosofat,

This behavior is not normal for Esterbrooks.

 

There are a number of problems that could be causing this ... the problem could be with the feed, the the feed/section fit, the nib, or even the J-Bar. All of these are fixable, but might require some replacement parts.

 

Does the ink flow seem about right to you when you're writing? Does this only happen when the pen has been laying on its side for awhile?

 

Todd

 

Yes the ink flow seems about OK. This problem has happened with my original 9550 nib and also with the NOS 2314-B that I bought recently. So I guess that would tend to exclude the possibility of the nib. Too bad. Looks like I'll have to send it in for repairs. Oh well.....

 

It does appear to be an intermittent issue. I was using the pen a lot today, to take notes, and I had no leaking. However, I was careful with it.

 

It doesn't happen a lot, you know, but I may ruin some clothing with it so I guess I'll have to get it fixed. <sob>

 

Ron -- to answer your question, yes it has happened with the 9550 which does have a V cut into the feed, but it has also happened with the 2314-B which does not have the V.

Edited May 9, 2008 by Ghosofat

[Ghosofat]

Ron, might this also be the early stages of a sac with some dry rot starting up?

 

Good to know about that "v" tip feeder. I have one from a refurb I recently finished that is clogged by india ink. You mention that it can not be sealed, which is true!

 

That's possible re the sac. I have no idea if the sac was ever replaced, and this pen may be 60 years old.

[dobro]

Sac replacement is so easy, I'd definitely replace the sac on an old pen before use unless I was certain it was good.

[Ghosofat]

Sac replacement is so easy, I'd definitely replace the sac on an old pen before use unless I was certain it was good.

 

I was wondering if you know of any step-by-step discussion of how to do that with Esties. The pen is so designed that it is not immediately apparent how to do that.

 

Another thing that I've been thinking about is this: I am sort of ham handed so I am afraid of ruining a pen if I try to fix it. If it costs $20 or so per pen to restore, does it make economic sense to buy a used Estie for, say twenty bucks and then spending another twenty to restore it?

Edited May 10, 2008 by Ghosofat

[dobro]

Richard Binder has excellent instructions at his website: http://www.richardspens.com/ref_info/sac_replacement.htm

 

Not Estie specific, but it really doesn't matter. The only real Estie-specific item would be the sac trays in some of the pens. Basically, leave it alone and use a #16 sac. The toughest part is the removal of the section. I've never had to resort to section pliers, nor heat (on an Estie...I've used heat a couple times on some other pens). Just go slow. Estie sections are friction-fit, and usually a bit tight.

 

I've averaged just under 8 bucks shipped for J-family pens with nibs, so for under 10 bucks, I've got several working pens. If you're patient on eBay, you can beat $20 for a pen by a good deal. I try to get 'em for 10-15, depending on the nib. Actually I'm only looking at Js for the nibs, as I prefer the Dollar pens, and I'll pay a little more for those.

[Ghosofat]

Yes, I looked at Richard Blinder's website and found it pretty intimidating. I would be afraid of lousing up a pen. Actually, the gent who is restoring my Sheaffers says that he can do a re-sacing for a very reasonable $10. So I may just ship it off there. I assume replacing the sac should fix this problem, and he'll know what to do if it doesn't

 

Good point re Ebay. I'll be hunting the yard sales and flea markets over Memorial Day but I don't expect much. I was at a flea market a couple of weeks ago and pure junk FPs, rusted out and falling apart with names I never heard of, were on sale for $20.

Edited May 11, 2008 by Ghosofat