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How do I replace the ink sac?


Vanrensalier

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I just received a blood-red Esterbrook J with a 2668 nib. This is my first Esterbrook and even though I haven't been able to write with it yet, I already love it.

 

I also received a new pen sac from Pendemonium. How do I replace it? The nib is tight and does not seem to unscrew - I don't want to break it. How do you experts do this?

 

Thanks,

 

Van

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Richard Binder has an excellent article about how to replace a pen sac on his website:

 

http://www.richardspens.com/?page=ref_info...replacement.htm

 

For removing the section from the barrel on Esties, I've found that using a hair dryer on warm setting, held about 6-8 inches from the pen while turning the pen, works well to loosen things. Then rock gently back and forth as described in Richard's article. And be patient. I've had some that it's taken quite a while to get apart. For the longest time it'll seem like I'm getting nowhere, then I'll notice that the gap between the section and the barrel is a bit wider than when I started.

 

HTH!

Andi

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A big +1 on the patience part! The actual sac replacement is fairly simple & straightforward. Getting the nib section out is usually the hardest, and if you're not patient & gentle (like me on my 1st Estie "repair") you'll likely end up with a cracked/broken barrel (like me).

 

The link Andi provided from Richard Binder's site is the most informative one I've read.

 

-Good luck!

 

Greg

 

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Be sure you leave the nib in when you go to remove the section so you don't crush the section.

 

Do a search here in this forum on terms like "restore", "sac", and "section". You should find most of what you

need to know.

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

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I found that a nice heat source for softening the barrel is a halogen desk lamp. I put the barrel right on the glass, just below the bulb (the section is not under the bulb), and rotate it slowly until it softens enough to flex the section off by hand. Worked on at least three Js with stubborn sections.

 

I've found replacing sacs on Esterbrooks is almost trivial. Remove the section, scrape the nipple from dried sac crud, shellac the nipple and slide on the new sac (cut to size). It takes me about ten minutes.

Edited by grebmar

The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

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Oh heck yeah! I LUV the light bulb method.

 

That halogen can get WARM though.

 

If you wanna convert this idea to the "Ron Popeil/Me set it and forget it" method, use a regular 60 watt bulb

maybe 2" from the section. I wrap something around the nib section (heck, anything, piece of rubber, double

sided tape with the adhesive still covered) so that the barrel gets heated more than the nib section. Let it sit there

30-45 min and presto, out it slides. The main advantage I see over the halogen is the 60w heats it slower and

more even and it's hands off. Get it set up right and leave it be, come back and you're done. EazyPeezy.

 

(And as has been told here many times, adding heat GREATLY lessons the chance of cracking a barrel <if not

all but elimanates the chance...>)

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

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I just successfully used the blow dryer method on a gray SJ. The crunchy sac all came out in one piece on the section :) I need to get some talc, then will put a new sac on it tomorrow. I don't think I'm going to like the stiff, fine point nib, though. Even so, it is a pretty pen in great shape (for $12).

 

Deb

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The fine folks here pretty much covered it especially with the link to Richards site so all I can add.......Welcome to the FPN and good luck. If things don't seem to want to come apart for you just check back in.

 

If you plan on staying with Esterbrooks (which you will) I would recommend a couple items:

 

1) Section pliers - They are great for removing sections and a real cheap investment (picture attached) at about $10

2) Buy some extra sacs - I buy mine from Pen Sacs but there are other places. #16's are the most common for Esterbrook.

3) Polish the Pens - Methods and materials are varied but I use Simichome, jewlers polishing cloths and cloth baby diapers. The Simichome and the jewelers cloth you can get from Richards web site and the diaper I'll leave up to you!!

post-3035-1243009884_thumb.jpg

Edited by EventHorizon

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Hey Everybody - thanks for all of the great tips! I got the pen apart and the ink sac cut, glued and installed. Now I am just waiting for it to dry so that I can re-assemble and start writing!

 

EventHorizon - You're right and I do plan on ordering all the tools so I can do more of these. When I was a boy, I loved building models - Restoring fountain pens is like model building for grown-ups.

 

http://austinspub.blogspot.com/

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Hey Everybody - thanks for all of the great tips! I got the pen apart and the ink sac cut, glued and installed. Now I am just waiting for it to dry so that I can re-assemble and start writing!

 

EventHorizon - You're right and I do plan on ordering all the tools so I can do more of these. When I was a boy, I loved building models - Restoring fountain pens is like model building for grown-ups.

 

http://austinspub.blogspot.com/

 

How does it write? I just replaced the sac on an SJ. It was a dry writer. I moved the feed a tiny bit and it is much better. I think I'd still like to have a wider nib, or even better, an italic stub, but I do like this pen.

 

Deb

 

(P.S. The section puller is a dead ringer for a spark plug wire puller I found at Sears in the Craftsman tools for about $10)

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi Deb,

 

It writes very well - In fact better than I expected. I can hardly put it down. My 2668 is a fairly wet writer. Inkophile has an interesting review on the variations between Estie nibs of the same number designation: http://inkophile.wordpress.com/2009/06/01/...nib-comparison/

 

Thanks for the tip on the spark plug wire puller!

 

Van

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EventHorizon - You're right and I do plan on ordering all the tools so I can do more of these. When I was a boy, I loved building models - Restoring fountain pens is like model building for grown-ups.

 

http://austinspub.blogspot.com/

 

There's even the equivalent in pen restoring to the childish practice of putting a firecracker in the finished model and blowing it to smithereens. Though of course, the adult equivalent usually isn't intentional. DAMHIK, IJK, OK? [1]

 

[1] Don't Ask Me How I Know, I Just Know, OK? :thumbup:

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

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The late Frank Dubiel (of Da Book fame) told stories about blowing up pens with firecrackers as a youth in the 1950's. There is a reference to this in the introduction to Da Book. He mentions a Waterman 58 - I don't know if he really blew up a 58 or not, but there are undoubtedly more than a few pens that met that fate.

 

Of course, temperatures beyond 170 or so and celluloid nitrate can give you a very similar experience.

May we live, not by our fears but by our hopes; not by our words but by our deeds; not by our disappointments but by our dreams.

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(P.S. The section puller is a dead ringer for a spark plug wire puller I found at Sears in the Craftsman tools for about $10)

 

That's because it is....it's a pair of KD Tools 135 pliers. They are excellent!

 

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http://www.facebook.com/gothmeister

 

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EventHorizon - You're right and I do plan on ordering all the tools so I can do more of these. When I was a boy, I loved building models - Restoring fountain pens is like model building for grown-ups.

 

http://austinspub.blogspot.com/

 

There's even the equivalent in pen restoring to the childish practice of putting a firecracker in the finished model and blowing it to smithereens. Though of course, the adult equivalent usually isn't intentional. DAMHIK, IJK, OK? [1]

 

[1] Don't Ask Me How I Know, I Just Know, OK? :thumbup:

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

 

Yes. I'm familiar with the dark side of model deconstruction, as well.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Say, maybe someone here can help me. I just found an Esterbrook pen that I think I got at an estate sale several years ago (back when I was doing that more often). Suffice to say I don't remember where I got it, and I don't know much, frankly. From poking around, I pretty much peg it as a yellow CH, that is a purse-sized pen with a clip. It is a fountain pen, with a 1555 Gregg nib. The problem is I can't get the nib out/off. I try to twist it counter clockwise to no avail, and then I try (tentatively) clockwise with no response either way. So far I have only tried without much effort, for fear of screwing something up. Does this nib twist out? I think I tried to open a pen my sister gave me 20 years ago and broke it, so I am reluctant to push it (which may be why it wound up in a box, of all the random things. Any suggestions? I read the Richard's pen repair link, but again, I just want to know if this should twist and what direction. Also, what are the chances that a pen that was probably mid-50's be shellaced closed?

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Say, maybe someone here can help me. I just found an Esterbrook pen that I think I got at an estate sale several years ago (back when I was doing that more often). Suffice to say I don't remember where I got it, and I don't know much, frankly. From poking around, I pretty much peg it as a yellow CH, that is a purse-sized pen with a clip. It is a fountain pen, with a 1555 Gregg nib. The problem is I can't get the nib out/off. I try to twist it counter clockwise to no avail, and then I try (tentatively) clockwise with no response either way. So far I have only tried without much effort, for fear of screwing something up. Does this nib twist out? I think I tried to open a pen my sister gave me 20 years ago and broke it, so I am reluctant to push it (which may be why it wound up in a box, of all the random things. Any suggestions? I read the Richard's pen repair link, but again, I just want to know if this should twist and what direction. Also, what are the chances that a pen that was probably mid-50's be shellaced closed?

 

Yes, it should unscrew. Esties are designed so you can do that; the nibs are called Renew Points and are just as addictive as the pens! However, it's not uncommon for dried ink to keep them from coming out easily. Soak the nib and section in cool water with a drop of dishwashing liquid for a while, then try again to unscrew it. If it still won't budge, soak it again. I've had some that I've needed to soak for hours.

 

One tip that I learned recently is to hold the nib and feed firmly and unscrew the pen; don't hold the pen and unscrew the nib/feed. This minimizes the risk of slipping the nib sideways on the feed, which I did recently. (I was able to re-seat the nib on the feed, and just had an expert nibmeister verify yesterday that I had it back in place right. So, even if that happens, all is not lost.)

 

Hope this helps!

 

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Worth noting with the Esterbrook that the section is friction fitted in the barrel, and you need to remove the section to replace the sac; removing the nib unit is necessary only for the most thorough cleaning or to change to a different nib.

 

My Esterbrook (a full size late J) came to me with the section looser in the barrel than the nib in the section, but I was able, with a little "strong finger" action, to get the nib unit to start to unscrew. As noted, it's a common right-hand thread, so will unscrew the same way a light bulb, jar lid, or nut and bolt would do. Soaking is likely to help, and if the section comes out of the barrel (likely followed by bits of fragmented sac), you can soak the disconnected section and get water in from both ends, which will help more.

 

BTW, don't try to operate the lever, at least until you've either verified the sac is okay (unlikely if it's the original) or removed the old sac bits; you can break the lever or barrel by forcing it. And while you have the pen apart, it's very definitely worth taking the J-bar out and checking it for rust; the original J-bars in these pens are much nicer than the replacements you can buy now, and taking the rust off with steel wool will both protect the new sac from abrasion by the rust, and cut down the corrosion rate of the J-bar. However, because the J-bar can rust, you shouldn't soak the entire barrel assembly.

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Thanks to you both. So, Let me be sure I've got this straight. The nib screws out, but the section is a friction fit? I had thought that they were all of a piece. If you replace the nib, you can do it without removing the section? I want to check the sac, since I assume this thing is not in good shape, although the pen looks fine. I'll try the soak for a bit...

 

 

Update: I got the nib out easily. I'd been trying to unscrew the section. Now, I still have no success getting the section out...

Edited by xfrench
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Update: I got the nib out easily. I'd been trying to unscrew the section. Now, I still have no success getting the section out...

 

Glad you're making progress. :thumbup:

 

When I received my Estie, the section was already out, removed by the previous owner who (like you) was seemingly trying to unscrew the nib unit. Mine had no trace of shellac or other adhesive on the section/barrel joint; if yours doesn't come out with a reasonable amount of effort, it's probably time to try heat.

 

Now, the tricky bit here is that the celluloid will soften when it gets hot enough (around 140-160 F, as I recall, around the temperature of hot soup, cooler than hot coffee or tea), so you need to get it hot enough to loosen the joint without getting it hot enough to soften and distort. A hair drier is the recommended heat source, these days, and your lips are recommended (by some workers, at least) as a means of checking you aren't overheating things.

 

Also worth noting -- put the nib back in before trying to remove the section; the nib supports the section against possible breakage, which would be annoying at best (and could damage the barrel as well, depending how/when it occurs). If you haven't already, get a pair of rubber jar opener sheets ("cap snaffler" was one name they were sold under); they greatly improve your grip friction without increasing the stress on the pen. Longer term, a small strap wrench is actually useful for gripping sections, and cheaper the purpose-built section pliers, but from what I've read, it appears that the distributed pressure of a whole hand (with a rubber grip sheet) is preferred on the barrel side to avoid possibly collapsing the thin celluloid.

 

Alternate to this, of course, is to send the pen to one of the many folks on this forum who replace sacs on a professional or semi-professional level. It's marginal on a value basis to do that with an Esterbrook, because the sac job will likely cost nearly what the pen is worth in restored, ready to write condition, but it's preferable (in my opinion) to breaking a nice celluloid pen...

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Does not always foot up columns correctly.

Does not always sign big checks.

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