I've been wanting to re-sac an Estie for the first time, and just got a Copper Estie with a 'perished' sac (as our British Commonwealth friends say). I went to Sears and got the plastic-tipped spark plug wire pliers that folks use as section pliers, along with a soft-jawed plumber's pliers. Unfortunately I made an obvious newbie mistake (hey, I'm a newbie). I removed the nib first - and you know what happened. Crush. I should have remembered reading that you have to leave the nib in place, but there are so many things to remember that I missed that bit of passed-on knowledge.

Anyway, where can I get a couple of replacement sections?

thanks in advance!

I for one have none but one option is to cruise E-Bay for "junk" Esterbrooks (i.e. busted barrels, bent nibs) and you might get lucky. Another option is to jump over to the "Repairs" forum and ask there. Good Luck.

Yep there are a few Estiephiles around that might be able to hook you up!

Kurt

Considering that you can buy a fully functional Estie for $10 off the dreaded, there's not much point in worrying about fixing this one. Just buy another.

PS I never use section pliers. If the section won't come out with gentle rocking and twisting, there's something holding it up.

If you're looking to get into Esties, buy a junk one on eBay. That way you'll get a section, j-bar and maybe another nib out of the deal! Just be sure to buy the same model of pen (J, SJ, Trans-J, Dollar, etc...), as the sections are different sizes.

Sections seem to come in waves with the availability directly opposite the demand.

When I have extras I hold on to them. I've let one or two go in the past only to need them later on.

An Estie is usually worth more in parts than it is whole--sort of odd that way.

What is a section worth? I do not know the market rate but I'd guess $8 with a fresh sac on it would be fair. A section for a purse pen or a Deluxe may be a bit more since they are much harder to find. A section for a Visumaster even more yet.

Todd

In addition to the other good comments and suggestions here, I might add that you'll find that all sections are not necessarily the same. What fits in one J/LJ/SJ will not fit in another. There are several slight size variations and often they have to be hand fitted to work properly. I usually try to avoid selling just a section unless I can physically see the pen in question. Maybe silly, but I prefer a perfect fit over one too tight or to loose.

Best-
Brian

how exactly is the section attached to the pen. just some sort of glue or is it (what you call it..... coiled ...you know do you have to twist it..does it have threads..ha there)

going to pull my first section off (pop the cherry if you know what I mean)

They are a slip fit into the pen body. I find that most all of the sections can be removed easy if you run the thread area under hot (but not too hot) running water as you try to work the section out by spinning it around and pulling it out.

Brian is right. I scratched up the section in one of my Esties, and decided to swap it out with one from a different pen. I tried 3 different sections before I found one that fit. (Think Goldilocks...the first was too loose, the second too tight, and the last one was just right.) No way to tell them apart except by trying.