Help With Removing A J Bar

[fpman]

I have a lovely blue SL that snapped in two at the threads (of the barrel). Nothing I've tried has lasted beyond a couple of days before the part separate again. I just bought a copper LJ with no sac and no J bar. I would like to swap the section with sac and the J bar from my broken blue to my 'new' copper, but I can't seem to get the J bar out (the section fits perfectly). Any recommendations on what to use or how to do it?

Edited August 28, 2010 by fpman

[PenFisher]

To remove a j-bar from an Estie you simply grab the end of the j-bar that is near the barrel opening and pull straight out with a firm and steady motion. Some people use hemostats and some use thin, needlenose pliers. Whatever you use it just needs to be thin enough to get into the barrel opening and reach far enough down to get a good grip on the front of the j-bar. It will feel like you are going to destroy the pen; however, the bars do pull straight out. Since your blue SJ barrel is already destroyed you could further chip apart the front of the barrel to gain access to the front of the j-bar. Partially depressing the j-bar with the fill lever will give you some space to work with when you are trying to get a grip on the front of the j-bar. Good luck.

Edited August 28, 2010 by PenFisher

[OcalaFlGuy]

PS Once you get it out, take the time to steel wool off any rust or corrosion and bend back out a bit the hook part of the J prior to reinstalling to return the usual "oomph" to the spring.

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

[fpman]

Thanks - I managed to get a pair of needle nose pliers far enough in to grab the j bar a get it out. It is actually a pen I got from Pen Fisher - so beautiful it broke my heart when it broke but what can you do, it's probably close to 60 years old (and I did carry it in my pocket for a day), so the j bar was in immaculate condition. The one thing I wasn't expecting was to find what looks like a mechanical pencil eraser in the barrel. Apparently it is some kind of spacer to make sure you don't push the j bar down too far. Luckily though the j bar was missing in my other pen, the space was still there. I did bend the j bar, but not out - I had to bend it a back 'in' so the hook would fit in the barrel. I also found that if I didn't press the j bar in correctly, the long end wouldn't lie flush to the level. I didn't have the right tool, but a Jotter refill allowed me to press it all the way down (though the j bar isn't as flush to the level as it should be).

 

I have another pen, unbroken, that I do need to de-rust the j bar in it, but I can't find my hemostats and the needle nose pliers aren't thin enough to reach far enough into the barrel and grab it.