Won an Esterbrook 2556 Pen

[pvdiamon]

Hi, I just received my Ebay winning--an Esterbrook 2556 nib pen. It looks like the nib is colored blue black so I am sure it needs cleaning. But I don't know how to clean or use a lever filling pen. How does one use the lever to fill the pen? I assume one should do that with some soapy water first to clean it?

 

Of course, for the $10 I got it for, who even knows if it works, but I thought it was worth the chance. It looks like it is in good condition. Any help would be appreciated. thanks.

[inkyfingers]

You might consider disassembly and inspection before trying to clean it. The nib will unscrew from the section, and the secion will pull out of the barrel. Check the rubber sac to see if it's hard and cracked, or if it's soft and pliable. If the former, it needs replacing. While it's apart try cleaning the various components. I would just use lots of water first and see if that does it.

 

I operate my Esterbrook's lever by pushing on the "top" end of the lever, on the end furthest from the nib. This raises the other end of the lever slightly. Then I slip a fingernail under the lever and pull it out to 90 degrees from the barrel. Note that the lever should spring back into the closed (or semi closed) position if you push it back down at all.

 

If you haven't used a lever filler before, note that you will need to keep the nib completely submerged for a number of seconds after returning the lever to the closed position. It takes longer than you might think for the ink sac to draw up a full load of ink.

[pvdiamon]

Thanks, interesting what I found. I unscrewed the nib, and there was NO sac attached!! Can I simply purchase one and attach it, or is this a much more complicated issue?

[RussA]

The nib screws into a piece that is referred to as the section. This “section” piece is press-fit into the barrel of the pen, and the internal end of the section is what incorporates with the ink sac. The ink sac is glued to the section. The replacement of the ink sac is not difficult, but will require an investment of section removal pliers, new sac, and shellac to glue. If you plan to acquire more lever pens, and feel up to learning to repair lever pens, the investment is well worth it and not too expensive.

 

Alternatively, try to fill the pen with water as described in the above post. If the lever works without undue force and the pen fills, you may get by with what you have. Sometimes these pens come with decent ink sacs intact. If the lever meets resistance, or you hear a crunching sound, the sac is ossified (hardened) and no good.

 

If the sac is bad and you just want to get to writing instead of repairing. I can help you out if you will cover postage.

[pvdiamon]

Hi, as best I can tell, there is NO sac. I unscrew the nib, it comes out, and the pen appears hollow! I don't think I want to get into repair that extensive. Do you do this kind of repair---I guess it means putting a new sac in the pen? The lever works fine, but I have no idea what that means in the absence of a sac!!

[JeffTL]

On Esterbrooks, the nib screws out of the section.

 

To actually be able to see your sac, you're going to have to (carefully) pull the section (the part between the nib and the cap threads) out of the barrel, or just send it in for the very simple servicing procedure of a new sac.

 

 

Oh, one more thing. You can try to draw water into the pen and that can help assess the condition of the sac. Of course this will also clean the nib and feed. You don't need soapy water, since the ink is water soluable. Straight water will work.

Edited September 8, 2005 by JeffTL

[Elaine]

Go here:

 

http://www.richardspens.com/ref_info/sac_replacement.htm and welcome to the next chapter of pen addiction. Pen repairs.This opens up a whole new range of available pens at great prices.

[pvdiamon]

Hi, I just tried flushing the pen. It took in water, and squirted out blue ink. After doing this several dozen times till clear, it stopped squirting, so I suspect I may have brought out the defect in the sac? If I send it for repair, how much should it cost? I can't seem to be able to remove the section to get at the sac.

[Elaine]

See my response above. Great tutorial on replacing the sac. It's well worth the time and effort to learn to do this yourself. Esterbrooks are sturdy and most of the time will stand up to a beginner repair person. (Notice I said most of the time. Can we say "donor pen"? ).

 

The quick answer to getting the section off is soaking or heat. Soaking is not recommended for many pens, but again, the Esterbrook can take it. See the above site for details on removing the sections as well as the rest of the repair.

Edited September 9, 2005 by Elaine