I Just Bought This Esterbrook. What Is It?

[eharriett]

I paid five whole dollars for this at a flea market today. I have no idea what it is. The body is Esterbrook. The cap I don't think is, but when I asked the dealer, he said this was how he got it. He's never seen anything like it, and because neither of us had any idea .... five dollars. Any help identifying?

 

I got a couple other interesting Esterbrooks today as well, but identifying this one is going to keep me awake tonight if I can't get an answer

 

 

[kestrel]

You have a Frankennoveltypen. The barrel is an Estie. The rest of it is from an old novelty gag pen from, if memory serves me right, the 1950s. The spring mechanism is folded and an old fashioned paper cap used in cap guns is placed on the firing pan. Then the cap is put back on, locking the spring mechanism in the cocked position, and the pen handed to some unsuspecting victim. When uncapped, the spring mechanism does its thing, setting off the paper cap and making a loud noise. The original barrel looked somewhat like the barrel of a Parker "51." An antique store not far from where I lived used to have a bunch of them in an old shaving mug near the cash register. Your firing mechanism is in much better condition than the ones I saw.

[eharriett]

Really? HA HA HA HA!!!!

 

Oh wow. OK. That's funny.

 

Hmm, I guess I will have to think about what to do with this then. I wonder if I can turn it back into a pen. Or trade it for a pen. Or just PIF it to someone who appreciates it for what it is.

[eharriett]

Well, I just put the barrel next to my other Esties and it seems to be the size of a model J. I was able to pull that trigger unit cleanly out. Sack is gone. Since I've never attempted a sack repair and I also bought a pen-pen that needs a new sack as well, I might make this my first attempt, if I can get a replacement section for it. I doubt anyone wants this as an old "novelty."

[Runnin_Ute]

The materials to replace the sacs on this is pretty inexpensive. Anderson Pens is where I got both sacs ($2 each) and sac cement and talc. For three sacs plus the rest cost me $20 shipped.

 

There are places here and elsewhere around the web with instructions. It is pretty straight forward.

[eharriett]

The materials to replace the sacs on this is pretty inexpensive. Anderson Pens is where I got both sacs ($2 each) and sac cement and talc. For three sacs plus the rest cost me $20 shipped.

 

There are places here and elsewhere around the web with instructions. It is pretty straight forward.

Thanks. Anderson Pens was where I was looking. I'd need to find myself a section and nib for it too. And I'd like to properly replace the cap as well.

[Larry Barrieau]

I bought a pen with that gag inside it. I was a teacher and the kids would go in my room while I was standing guard duty in the hall outside of the room and "borrow" my pens. So I loaded a cap on, slid on the cover and waited to catch the bandit red faced and red handed.

 

No bang.

 

The next day I was out on a sick day. The substitute needed a pen. Chaos.

[eharriett]

I bought a pen with that gag inside it. I was a teacher and the kids would go in my room while I was standing guard duty in the hall outside of the room and "borrow" my pens. So I loaded a cap on, slid on the cover and waited to catch the bandit red faced and red handed.

 

No bang.

 

The next day I was out on a sick day. The substitute needed a pen. Chaos.

That's always the way, isn't it. Poor sub.

[pajaro]

Well, I just put the barrel next to my other Esties and it seems to be the size of a model J. I was able to pull that trigger unit cleanly out. Sack is gone. Since I've never attempted a sack repair and I also bought a pen-pen that needs a new sack as well, I might make this my first attempt, if I can get a replacement section for it. I doubt anyone wants this as an old "novelty."

Good luck finding a section. Hard to find.

[FarmBoy]

Sections and jewels and correct j-bars are not difficult to find. The issue is finding someone willing to part out a pen to get them. For a long time I was in the 'every pen can be saved mode' of pen repair. I now have a large box of barrel shells and cap shells with no jewels, clips, or guts. Those pens all died to let other pens live. (Even I don't want to know how many nib-less 51s, vacs, Snorkels, and Duofolds I have.)

 

Certain parts are the limiting factor. For Esterbrooks it seems to be sections though there are many available. The issue with sections is there are three kinds of fit, to loose, to tight, and it works. I can send you a section and it will be in one of the first two categories every time. Bring your Esterbrooks to a club meeting, a pen show or ? and test fit them. Sections for J pens should be a 5-7 item, any more than that just buy a whole pen on eBay and harvest the parts. An Esterbrook J is one of those pens that is worth more apart than whole.

[eharriett]

Thank you. I'd been looking around and I found a bunch of barrels and a bunch of nibs. I'll PM you more. I come from the school that if it is vintage, it should be saved if it can. Especially since this poor pen was a "gag" for who knows how many decades.