So I purchased a "restored" Trans J from ebay that after a 3 week shipping delay doesnt function. The sac suks up and expels ink but the pen doesnt write. Tines on the nib are splayed way apart but a quick swap with a 9550 and the pen writes fine. The only other problem is that the lever falls out an 1/8th or 3/16 of an inch due to gravity when the pen is "upside down". None of my other esties do this and I was wondering if anyone had any input as to how to fix this.

Thanks

MrR

Mr. R

Lets work on your nib first. Try a good long soak in 10% ammonia solution followed by a lot of rinsing. You may even try forcing some water through the Renew point with a rubber bulb. Or put the whole thing in an ultrasonic cleaner for a while. Then try to coax the tines into proper alignment using your finger nail or a dowel.

Now the lever. Sometimes they just don't lie flat for a few different reasons. Lets assume the pen is properly put together since it works and attack the lever. Try spreading the edges on the back of the lever apart slightly. You want to spread them just enough that they cause a little friction on the barrel slot. Make sure just the edge pops out in one spot and this will hold the lever in place on the inner edge of the barrel.

If that doesn't work, I switch levers or J-bars--both outpatient surgery. If you have a donor pen we can talk you through the procedure.

Todd

Thanks farmboy. I should also mention that the lever doesnt stop at 90 degrees like my other esties but rather goes all the way back almost 180 degrees from its original position. Could the j-bar be out of orientation or something?
MrR

The lever issue is due to the J-bar not being properly placed in the pen. The srping is pointing "down" towards the sac and not keeping the lever in place. This can be seen by the way the lever is not going back all the way. You may be able to get the spring in place so that the lever works properly and holds the lever in place. However, you may need a new j-bar as this one could be a bit weak.

Hmmmm well the seller agreed to take the pen back to repair it so I might just let him deal with this one.

Thanks guys

MrR

OK, lets talk about J-bars. Not all J-bars are created equal. The original Esterbrook J-bar had a small tab on it at a position such that the back end of the lever would catch on it and thus be prevented from traveling more than about 85 degrees or almost perpendicular to the body. Replacement J-bars don't have this little tab.

If your Estie is sporting is original J-bar and the lever goes past perpendicular several things come to mind. First the J-bar is inserted to far into the barrel. Not likely if the pen was properly restored or has not been opened. (J series pens left the factory with a proper spacer in the barrel to stop the J-bar at the proper depth.) The tab could be broken off. The J-bar could be bent out of shape such that it isn't sitting tight against the inner wall of the barrel.

Replacement J-bars are not quite the same size as an original but they work fine. It takes a little fiddling sometimes to get them just right but unless you cut in a tab (which is a doable thing) the lever will always flip past 90.

The other possibility is the J-bar is weak or tweaked out of shape and needs to be replaced.

Replacement J-bars are easy to get. Purchase the 54 mm size. If you want an original, they can be found as well but are a bit more than a reproduction. I get them from the Esterbrook Banana pens I find at the flea markets--also a good source of sections.

Hope this helps.

Todd