Hi, I'm fairly new to fountain pens, and trying not to spend too much money while I figure out which pens I prefer. I'd like to get an esterbrook off of ebay, but is there a way that the seller can check if the pen works if they don't have any ink, I'm a bit weary about the sac filling mechanism. Can I ask them to fill with water to see if it works, but how would they do that.
Thanks

Yes, filling with water is an easy test of the filling mechanism. Even if they aren't familiar with FP's, they should be able to fill a glass with water, immerse the nib in the water, work the lever a couple of times and see if there are bubbles given off by the nib. Then, raise the nib out of the water, and slowly operate the lever once. They should be able to see a number of drops of water falling from the nib - if there isn't a stream of it. the water may be ink coloured if the pen wasn't cleaned before it was left.

No bubbles, no drops - the sac is likely dead, or the nib badly blocked.

Actually, the esterbrooks are one of the easier pens to repair, so even if the sac is destroyed, it should be relatively easy to replace, however I don't mean to suggest that you should make that choice though.

Regards,

Gerry

The great thing about Esterbrook pens are many can be found still with original sacs and/or in good working condition. If the seller isn't interested in helping you, or the sac is perished, another perfectly good esterbrook will certainly come up that is in working order in no time at all.

Good luck, and let us know what you get.

Best-
Brian

Two out of three Esties I've purchased on eBay (all about $10 each) have had perfectly usable sacs. The third had an assortment of hard sac pieces rattling around inside.

I'm awaiting an order of parts, but the sacs look very easy to replace. When I buy pens on eBay, there are a few things that matter to me more than the sac:

- The condition of the jewels, which I gather are hard to replace - or at least require a donor pen
- The condition of the plastic body and the chrome parts - no scratches, nicks, etc.
- Whether the clip is tight
- Whether it's a "J" or "SJ" or "LJ" - "SJ" is too small for my hands. I've finally figured out how to tell them apart 90% of the time.
- The nib type and quality - while nibs are easy to replace, you're getting a much better value if your $10 pen includes a good nib of the style you prefer, since you'd probably pay $8-20 for a replacement nib.

If you're just looking for a good "J" or two and aren't picky about the color*, you should be able to get one for $10-12 including shipping with a little patience. Watch those shipping charges, though - a $3.00 pen isn't that good of a deal if the shipping is $12.

Also, some sellers sell "restored" Esterbrooks with guaranteed working sacs and nibs - if you have no interest in repairing your own, this might be worth your trouble. The Marketplace at this forum is also a good place to find those.

* WHERE ARE ALL OF THE BLUE ONES? They seem far less common.

It's a black SJ that eludes me!