Removing A Stuck Nib: Only Part Of It Comes Out?!

[the oxford comma]

I had an Esterbrook pen with a nib that wouldn't come out. I soaked it in water for two days, and tried again, and it still didn't come out. Finally, I turned as hard as I could and pulled, and the nib and feed did come out...but only the nib and feed. The plastic part of the nib--the cylindrical part with with the threads on it that normally holds the nib and feed together--is still stuck inside the barrel.

 

I did manage to put the nib and feed back in, and there's enough friction that it stays in place. But how can I remove the entire nib unit at once? I'm no expert in pen repair, so I'd appreciate some advice!

[Hobiwan]

The only way I know of to remove a stuck sleeve that was possibly sealed in with an adhesive of some sort is to force it. You can't very well use the nib/feed for leverage without risk of bending the point. This happened once with a pen I had, and my solution was to soak the section only in very hot water to sort of soften up the sleeve, then jam a screwdriver into the sleeve only so far as to not affect the section threads. Then, unscrew, trying not to destroy the sleeve in the process.

 

The sleeve I tried this on was destroyed in the process, but I got it out.

 

Of course, then you're stuck with an orphan nib and feed. If the nib is one you want to keep, then you'll have to hunt down a donor renew point (there are bent and busted points around, and I have one I could donate), knock the nib/feed out of that one and re-install the good one into the new sleeve. The donor point should be the same as the old one, sometimes the points are not all the same size. BTW, what kind of point is it?

 

Maybe someone else will weigh in with a gentler method, but I'd say that this is not a very common thing that Esty fans run into. Good Luck.

[liz4tin]

I just had this happen to me! It's a 9550. I'm soaking it now in an ammonia solution in hopes of getting some of the ink glueing it in to soften.

[pajaro]

I just had this happen to me! It's a 9550. I'm soaking it now in an ammonia solution in hopes of getting some of the ink glueing it in to soften.

 

BSB?

[liz4tin]

Nah, it is in an old desk set I just got. It's been years since it was used. The sac was in hard little pieces, and when I tried to soak the sleeve, it crumbled. I haven't seen anything like it. It felt and acted like dried ink not plastic.

 

Oh well, I will be looking for a replacement nib.

[escribo]

I just had this happen to me! It's a 9550. I'm soaking it now in an ammonia solution in hopes of getting some of the ink glueing it in to soften.

 

>> BSB? <<

:ltcapd:

Edited July 18, 2012 by escribo

[liz4tin]

Ha, escribo! Apparently, I only stain my teeth with bsb, not ruin my nibs.

[escribo]

... and bathe FrankenBarbie in it.

 

 

Oops! Wait... pot/kettle thing

Edited July 18, 2012 by escribo

[Parjanya]

Just to illustrate what might happen doing this, I've just removed the sleeve out of an cartridge filled Esterbrook, which I've bought mostly because of the nib. The nib and feed got out pretty easily, but I suspect the sleeve was glued with some sort of superglue.

 

I soaked the section in water for a day, then put a screwdriver in it, very carefully but with enough force so it wouldn't rotate alone. The glue was so strong it was easier for the screwdriver to scrap the inner part of the sleeve than to make it unscrew! When I saw how thin the sleeve had become, I removed the screwdriver and applied force along the pen axis against the sleeve, it broke quite easily, and I could remove its remains without damaging the grooves. Here is a pic after I had done the deed.

 

I'm not sure how it coult still be dirty after all the soaking, but there it is...

 

[ac12]

What I suspect is the problem is dried ink between the collar and the section has "cemented" the collar in place. I have seen this in MANY old Esterbrooks.

 

For that I recommend an UltraSonic Cleaner (USC).

 

In getting stuck Esterbrook nib assemblies out of the section, I have always used my USC, and watched a LOT of ink coming out of the section. After several cycles, or enough to where I do not see any more ink coming out, enough ink has been cleaned out from between the collar and section that I can unscrew the nib assembly fairly easily.

[Parjanya]

By the way it behaved and felt, that was precisely what happened in my case. This was the first time I had tried this... if this gets to be frequent I'll have to get an ultrasonic cleaner.

 

Thanks for the tip! It would take ages for that to dawn on me by itself : ).

[ac12]

An USC is not expensive. I've seen them on eBay for down about $35. Obviously it is not professional grade stuff, but neither is mine, and it works just fine. In your case, shipping might be a significant part of the cost.

[corgicoupe]

Harbor freight local store has USC for $35, and sometimes they go on sale for even less.

[corgicoupe]

It occurred to me that an *easy out* used for removing sheared bolts might work.