My "new" Estie...

[mkoenig]

Happy Holidays all...

 

Well, my "sumgai" purchase doesn't work...Bummer! I knew that could be the case, and now I'm certain of it. The lever in my Grey/Pearl Estie doesn't seem to have any "action". It clicks open and it doesn't "spring" back...it just kind of flops over. One has to "flop" it back into place. It doesn't draw any water, so I presume that means it doesn't work.

 

I remember someone saying that it was an "easy" fix, but I'm not certain if I'm even up for an "easy" fix. Also, not sure if the sac is in tact either. Plus, I don't have a new sac if that were the case.

 

So, any suggestions? Someone from this site that repairs pens? I'd gladly pay someone, should you all think this endeavour is too great for rookie, given the explained problems!

 

Man, I had letters galore I was going to crank out with this bad boy too! Guess I'll just have to stew a bit longer...

 

P.S. It is a fine looking pen though!

 

Cheers, and thanks in advance for your help!

 

Mark

[Gerry]

Bummer

 

Now, for the fun part - do you want to attempt to fix it yourself?

 

Likely the biggest problem you'll have is getting the section out so you can see the insides, but when you have mastered the first 'repair' of your own, you will truly love this pen.

 

Sounds like the J bar and the sac will need replacing - I'd be happy to send you one of what you need if you want to take a shot at it. If not, 'Keith with a K' or Dennis Lively would be good choices as they do really good work. Heck, I could do it for you.

 

Can't stand to see an Estie fan in distress

 

 

Cheers

 

 

Gerry

[mkoenig]

Gerry,

 

I've contacted Keith, as I saw a link to his web-site that said he did restoration work, so hopefully he'll get back to me when he's got a second.

 

On the other hand, if it's trule that "easy", I guess I could give it a whirl too???

 

Man, so stressful this hobby is!

 

I think I'll just hang tight until I hear from Keith, and see what his schedule is like. I believe I remember him saying that it was particularly easy to restore Esties...

 

Perhaps I will take you up on your "parts" offer, of course I will pay for them, and shipping!!!!

 

Thanks,

 

Mark

[Keith with a capital K]

Mark -

 

It may look like the repair is a complicated one but is really one of the most basic of repairs there is to do.

 

In addition to having to resac the pen you just have to deal with the issue of replacing a defective J bar. There is a chance that the J bar has been shifted out of position so it could very well be intact and just need to be realigned.

 

So where do we start?

 

We'll need to open the pen by removing the section from the barrel.

 

I always warm pens prior to cracking them open to prevent or minimize the chances of any actual cracking happening. I use a small 350w hair dryer but immersion in hot water for a few moments won't hurt the Estie in the least.

 

Once the pen is warmed the section needs to be pulled straight out from the barrel, you want to avoid any lateral movement as this is the primary cause of cracked barrels. You may also need a gripping aid of some kind or in the odd case, section pliers. You can turn the section gently while pulling it out as this can help with the removal.

 

After the secion has been liberated from the barrel, you have to remove any old sac remnants and take a peek inside the barel to see what's up with the J bar. If it is broken or bent it will have to be removed.

 

To remove the J bar you nay have to grab it with some thin pliers or forceps and if those are not available, a modified paper clip with a "L" bend at the end can be used to hook it and draw it out.

 

If the J bar is intact it can be reinserted with the long side facing up towards the lever. If a replacement J bar is needed one can be salvaged from a parts pen or purchased from someone like Martin at Woodbin. You have to make sure the replacement is the same length as the old bar and has the same curvature. I push them into place with the blunt end of a dental pick.

 

Once the J bar has been slid back into the pen then the pen needs to be resacced.

 

Esterbrooks use a #16 sac and it has to be cut and trimmed to proper length:

 

I measure sacs by inserting them into the barrel and then setting the section against the outside of the barrel in the same position they would be if they were installed. Hold the sac against the section and pull it from the pen then cut the sac where it would sit if installed on the section nipple.

 

The sac needs to be affixed to the section nipple with shellac:

 

The sac nipple will need to be cleaned of any sac remnants, I use dental picks for this.

 

Before I start the resaccing I always blow through the section to make sure that things are clear and nothing is blocking the feed channels. If air flows freely through the section then ink should also flow as well.

 

Place a light coating of shellac around the circumference of the section nipple then slip the sac on. Make sure no shellac gets into the end of the section as this can block the feed channel. Wait 20 minutes for the shellac to set.

 

You can test the fit and sac seal by inserting the nib into water and squeezing the sac with your fingers... a leak will mean that the seal is not good and you will have to remove and reseal the sac to the nipple. This is also a good way to know if the pen has good flow through the ink channels.

 

Once you know the seal is good, the section can be slid back into the barrel and the pen should be good to go.

 

I always fit the section with the top of the nib facing in the same direction as the lever, besides being aesthetically pleasing it also lets you know the nib position if you lie the pen down. This is helpful as if you store a filled pen with the lever facing up, the nib will also be facing up. This will ensure that ink flows back into the pen and doesn't drip into the cap.

 

The only other thing to know about Esterbrooks is that they used the same size bar in all the J series pens, the LJ and J should have a rubber plug in the end of the barrel as a spacer to make the J bar fit correctly.

 

If this is missing and you are using an Estie bar, a plug can be fabricated and if a replacement bar is being used with no plug, it will have to be cut about 1/3 of an inch longer than the Estie bar.

 

I think I just wrote the primer on how to resac a basic lever filling pen.

[Keith with a capital K]

I was taking my "second" to write the preceding primer.

 

I hope people will let me know if I missed anything.

 

If the repair seems too daunting then I'll be happy to take a look at it and get it running for nothing more than the cost of any needed parts and postage but always prefer to teach people these basic repairs as any vintage collector should know how to do this.

[mkoenig]

Thanks Keith,

 

Now for my response:

 

Nipple...sac...j bar...lever...must not think anymore...must have scotch...just don't have the power captain...completely lost all mental capacity to think...must take nap...OVERFLOW...OVERFLOW!!!

 

Wow, I know that you said it sounds easy, and I've read your WONDERFULLY intricate response, but...ummmm....errr...I really don't trust myself. I think if I had one that was intact, it would make much more sense to me...it's just how my brain works. If I can see how it works properly, I can back it up from there. However, I've never been really good at the inverse of said statement (i.e. I can destroy something, but not re-build it!)

 

I'm really happy to pay you for all repairs/parts/shipping/etc...If you're willing to get 'er up and running. Just tell me the address, and I'll ship it off to you, with a check, or however else you handle payment.

 

Thanks, and I'll look forward to your response!

 

Regards,

 

Mark

[Gerry]

Understand your hesitation - after all this is your first baby

 

If you wanted to look at a sitewith some instructions and a few pictures - try Richard Binder's site under the reference information section - how to replace a sac. Most everything Keith said is there. At least you'll be able to see what Keith will be doing to your Estie.

 

Binder - How to Replace a Sac

 

Gerry

 

[Edit ]PS: BTW, what was the eBay Item number for your pen - I just wanted to see the description offered for the pen...

Edited December 27, 2004 by Gerry

[Keith with a capital K]

Richard's site has excellent instructions on how to resac a pen and our methods only vary a little.

 

I feel that warming the pen is crucial to avoiding barrel cracks and although our technique for measuring sacs differs the result is the same.

 

Once you've done that first re-saccing then the rest get much easier... there are some pens that require special attention and some pens that are going to be more prone to being damaged because of their materials and construction. Eversharp Skylines and visualated Sheaffers are a few examples and there will always be pens that have had their sections glued in place for no good reason.

 

Esterbrooks are as solid as they come and having one break during disassembly is nearly unheard of and I think my first re-saccing was on an Esterbrook.

 

Even after countless re-saccings, I still get stressed until the pen has come apart cleanly.

 

Cheers!

[Maja]

The only other thing to know about Esterbrooks is that they used the same size bar in all the J series pens, the LJ and J should have a rubber plug in the end of the barrel as a spacer to make the J bar fit correctly.

 

If this is missing and you are using an Estie bar, a plug can be fabricated and if a replacement bar is being used with no plug, it will have to be cut about 1/3 of an inch longer than the Estie bar.

Great write-up, Keith

Mark, it is actually a lot simpler to do than it sounds or looks online....trust me! You just need to have the proper tools and replacement part(s).

 

Keith, this rubber plug of which you write: What does it look like, and is it easy to make (out of rubber, I assume....where do you get the rubber)? Is it just used to keep the J bar from rotating?

 

Thanks in advance!

[Keith with a capital K]

Maja,

 

The Esterbrook J series is comprised of three different pens, the full sized J, the slimmer but full length LJ, and the shorter slimmer SJ.

 

The lever bar in all three pens is the same size and fits perfectly into the SJ with no spacer.

 

When inserted into the LJ and J the spacer moves the position of the bar towards the nib end and keeps it in proper position so that the lever stops at a 90 degree angle when lifted. Without the spacer the J bar will sit deeper in the pen and the lever will pass the 90 degree mark and sometimes miss the little tab that stops it's movement.

 

The spacer is a round plug of rubber that is much like or even identical to the material used in an eraser so pink erasors make an excellent source to make spacers.

 

Another interesting note - Esterbrooks were once so poorly regarded by some collectors that they were seen as being good donors for parts like J bars. The Esterbrook J bar is an excellent design and if you repair a few pens you might even find them residing in pens made by other manufacturers. In these cases I remove the Esterbrook J bar (to save for other Esterbrooks) and replace it with a standard bar.

[Maja]

Oh, thanks Keith! I checked my pens and I thought the little SJ model had a piece of beige material at the very end of its inside barrel, against which the 'curve' of the J bar rested, so I thought that was what you meant at first!

 

The rest of the Estie pens I own are all J models (and a transitional J) so I opened them up and the J's have a sort of yellow metallic "liner" partially covering the inside of the barrel. I have no idea what that is for....

[Gerry]

A 'liner' was used in later 'J' models to stabilize the sac, and provide a little thermal insulation to keep body heat from causing a leak of ink into the cap (expansion when in a shirt pocket for instance). If what you saw looks like a semicircle, with the cut out part located where the J bar descends to press on the sac, that's what you are seeing. It is made of plastic.

 

Gerry

[Brian Anderson]

One small addition to Keith's directions on fixing the pen. I also use heat, either from a heat gun or hairdryer (depending on how lucky I'm feeling), and being right handed, hold the barrel of the pen in my left hand, TOWARDS THE END OF THE BARREL, NOT BY THE SECTION. This is to avoid disfiguring the plastic by the section. Ever wonder why you look at a lot of dollar pens (particularly) and notice the barrel seems thinner below the section? if you grab the barrel by the section (the same place you're heating up to remove the section), you run the risk of actually squishing and lengthening the barrel if the barrel is hot enough. Doesn't happpen as much with J series, but I never take the risk anymore.

 

Best-

Brian

 

( I hit the edit button instead of the quote button. KH)

Edited December 30, 2004 by Keith with a capital K

[Maja]

A 'liner' was used in later 'J' models to stabilize the sac, and provide a little thermal insulation to keep body heat from causing a leak of ink into the cap (expansion when in a shirt pocket for instance). If what you saw looks like a semicircle, with the cut out part located where the J bar descends to press on the sac, that's what you are seeing. It is made of plastic.

 

Gerry

Yes, that's it! Thanks, Gerry!

[Keith with a capital K]

One small addition to Keith's directions on fixing the pen. I also use heat, either from a heat gun or hairdryer (depending on how lucky I'm feeling), and being right handed, hold the barrel of the pen in my left hand, TOWARDS THE END OF THE BARREL, NOT BY THE SECTION. This is to avoid disfiguring the plastic by the section. Ever wonder why you look at a lot of dollar pens (particularly) and notice the barrel seems thinner below the section? if you grab the barrel by the section (the same place you're heating up to remove the section), you run the risk of actually squishing and lengthening the barrel if the barrel is hot enough. Doesn't happpen as much with J series, but I never take the risk anymore.

 

Best-

Brian

 

( I hit the edit button instead of the quote button. KH)

Brian,

 

That is excellent advice and have to point out that if anyone heats a pen to the point where it's hot enough to deform, then you're probably doing things wrong.

 

I think I hit the right button this time...

 

Cheers!

[Cam]

Anyone able to list suppliers for all the stuff you might need for these sorts of repairs? Sacs, shellac/cement(??), etc.

 

Cheers!

[Guest Denis Richard]

Hi Cam,

 

the two I know :

 

- Tryphon Enterprises : http://tryphon.it/catalogo.htm

- Wood Bin Ltd. : http://www.simcom.on.ca/woodbin/

[Cam]

Hi Cam,

 

the two I know :

 

- Tryphon Enterprises : http://tryphon.it/catalogo.htm

- Wood Bin Ltd. : http://www.simcom.on.ca/woodbin/

Superb, Denis - thanks very much!

[Guest Denis Richard]

you're welcome

 

Which make me think that a list of supplies retailers would be nice, pinned at the top of this forum...

Edited January 15, 2005 by Denis Richard

[KCat]

good idea, Denis. we'll get on that ASAP - which for me, isn't tonight.

 

everyone have a good weekend!