Loose Levers

[ccajackson]

I finally received my Esties and the order from Tryphon to play with them. As I have been working through my collection of 5 pens (with one on the way), I have become comfortable with sac replacement (thanks to you all!).

 

One thing I have notice on about 3 pens, is that the lever is loose. Event though I have confirmed a healthy J-bar (or replaced it), these pens show a lever that will "fall loose" if you hold the pen horizontal, with the lever on the down-side. I was giving one of these revived pens to my wife, but she worried that the loose lever might catch on a pocket and spew ink. While I think this is unlikely, she is concerned about it.

 

So, is there a way to "tighten-up" the lever so that it doesn't flop around?

 

I will try to get some pictures together, but my recent acquisitions appear to be:

- a Blue Dollar pen

- a Blue Transitional

- a Blue SJ

- a Red J

- a Gray J

-- a Copper J (I believe) is en route.

 

Thanks for your help!

C-C

[PaFitch]

My experience is very limited (but of course that won't stop me from posting a reply). The few times that I have dealt with that issue (1 or two Esties and 1 Sheaffer Balance), the J bar wasn't perfectly in place. I haven't determined exactly what I did but adjusting the position of the J bar has cured the issue for me.

 

I've snagged a loose lever sliding it into my homemade pen holders. Thankfully the pens never erupted.

[J English Smith]

I had one like that and Brian Anderson fixed it for me. I believe he said the sac was kind of twisted on or around the j-bar. The sac was fine, it was the "orientation."

[OcalaFlGuy]

From what I have read here I'd agree with a misaligned j-bar/sac situation.

 

If you do a search, someone here posted about as a last resort lightly spreading the sides of the lever

out from underneath so that it catches better.

 

I posted the same question in the repair forum (do a search there). El Zorno responded with something

about the "lever box" needing to be modified. I didn't at all understand what he meant and ask him in

a PM for clarification. Never got any so I can't give you any more info than his original response in the

repair fourm.

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

[Tweel]

El Zorno responded with something

about the "lever box" needing to be modified.

It sounds like he read "Esterbrook", but was thinking "Waterman". Everyone adopted Sheaffer's lever-fill mechanism (generally cheerfully ignoring the patents), but Waterman had the integrity to actually improve it by mounting the lever in a metal frame -- the "lever box" -- instead of hanging it on the barrel with a pin or wire loop.

 

-- Brian

 

[ccajackson]

Thanks! I will give the J-bar repositioning a shot. It sounds like catching a loose lever by accident is not so far-fetched, so in the worst case, I may have to break down and get a real repair person to take a look

[OcalaFlGuy]

Thanks! I will give the J-bar repositioning a shot. It sounds like catching a loose lever by accident is not so far-fetched, so in the worst case, I may have to break down and get a real repair person to take a look

 

If repositioning the j-bar doesn't fix it, if it were my pen (and yes, it's not) I might be inclinded to try the from underneath

spreading out the walls of the j-bar idea [1] before I'd send it to a repair person just for the lever. It couldn't hurt, might fix

the problem and wouldn't be evident if it didn't.

 

[1] I have a small thin jewelers screwdriver I think would work just fine doing that.

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL