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Trouble with an Estie


txinsk

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Hi,

 

I got an esterbrook with hopes of possibly trying out different nibs and such. Well I got a nice blue double jewel j series from ebay. It arrived fully functional. It writes fine. The problem is that it was a lady's pen. No not a slender one just most likely in the possession of a lady. How can I tell? I think a bottle of perfume broke next to it or this woman was one who loved her perfume. Basically, the pen stinks, literally, smelly, and it seriously bothers my enjoyment of the pen. I do like using my pens, strange idea that it must be. Are there any suggestions to remove the odoriferous nature of my pen? Else it will be showing up on the sell or trade fora.

 

Rick

Need money for pens, must make good notebooks. :)

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Hi,

 

I got an esterbrook with hopes of possibly trying out different nibs and such. Well I got a nice blue double jewel j series from ebay. It arrived fully functional. It writes fine. The problem is that it was a lady's pen. No not a slender one just most likely in the possession of a lady. How can I tell? I think a bottle of perfume broke next to it or this woman was one who loved her perfume. Basically, the pen stinks, literally, smelly, and it seriously bothers my enjoyment of the pen. I do like using my pens, strange idea that it must be. Are there any suggestions to remove the odoriferous nature of my pen? Else it will be showing up on the sell or trade fora.

 

Rick

Rick,

 

Soak the cap. Take the pen apart and give it a good bath in soap and water. Make sure to pull the j-bar so it doesn't get rusty. Let it dry out and put it back together.

 

Or that is what I would do.

 

Todd

 

 

San Francisco International Pen Show - The next “Funnest Pen Show” is on schedule for August 23-24-25, 2024.  Watch the show website for registration details. 
 

My PM box is usually full. Just email me: my last name at the google mail address.

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Rick,

 

First (of course) I agree with Todd.

 

That being said, if you are wary of disassembling the pen, this is what I'd try. It's cheap and pretty easy, easier

if you are worried about taking the pen apart.

 

Find a smallish, longer, thinner cardboard box (similar to the size they came in) that barely holds the pen. I'd

be sure and lightly push the fill lever as closed as it would get. Then a box of baking soda (SODA, not powder).

Now, I don't know the Ph of baking soda (but I'll bet Todd does and maybe he'll chime in here) and because of

that I prolly wouldn't take a chance with it affecting the color of the black nib section. I'd rest the pen with the

black nib section on the lip of the box and carfefully cover the whole rest of the pen with baking soda. Let it

sit that way for several days. The baking soda should absorb the oh-dour.

 

There is one thought that concerns me though. I think the ladies here will verify that perfume bottles have a habit of

doing nasty unexpected things like coming open and spilling. I wonder if maybe the whole pen was in a purse

where this happened and maybe got doused GOOD with perfume and some got in thru the fill lever area to the

latex sac. Now one concern there is that perfume has alcohol in it and alcohol eats the shellac that holds the sac

on the nipple. The good news is, I would think that if that had happened, you'd already have inky fingers from

the leaky pen. The BAD news is, if the perfume soaked into that latex sac, you're probably hosed, it'll NEVER

stop smelling with that same sac in it then. And yes, while the pen "soaks" in the baking soda, I'd also fill the cap

with it. You should be able to shake/blow all of it out later on.

 

Assuming you don't wanna take the pen apart, I'd try my way, won't cost but about 50 cents, can't hurt anything

and may help/fix it.

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

Edited by OcalaFlGuy
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Thanks for the suggestions.

 

I will do some work on this starting tomorrow. I am not sure what I will do first, but with regards to the baking soda it would be weakly acidic in solution, that is dissolved and I would make sure that this is packed away dry. Any reaction on the metal should be sufficiently slow that a couple days sitting and then a washing that it is a non-issue.

 

Thanks again and any other input is still welcome.

 

Rick

Need money for pens, must make good notebooks. :)

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The fill levers are stainless steel. I don't think baking soda will have any affect on them. The whole idea of being

sure they were closed all the way before doing this was to keep any baking soda from getting around the fill lever

and into the barrel where the plain steel j-bar (and other things that might not like BS) are.

 

Keep in mind that it can't hurt to go ahead and disassemble the pen and clean it out the right way. You can check

the sac out and resac then if necessary and knowing you CAN disassemble one (and most anyone can) and get it

back together is a good thing to learn and know.

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

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