How Do I Remove Bumps From An Esterbrook Barrel?

[zebutweak]

I recently rescued an Esterbrook double-jewel J from a junk pile. I suspect it might be the slim version but I'm not exactly sure how to tell. Anyway, I gave it a good clean out and replaced the sac. The J-bar and lever seemed to work fine so I didn't touch that. The nib (9128) works nicely and has some flex. So I put it all together and it works well.

 

The only remaining problems with it are some deformations in the barrel and cap plus a wobbly clip. There's a bump on the barrel located lengthwise at about the end of the lever which you lift, but on the opposite side. Looking down inside the barrel, I suspect that location might coincide with the end of the J-bar. Further, there seems to be a slight depression either side of the bump - perhaps as a result of the bump being made. ( Has anyone ever heard of J-bars digging into the barrel and causing lumps on the outside?

 

There's also another bump on the cap that goes all the way around the circumference and looks like a ring has pushed it out - except it's more prominent on one side than the other. Could this have been made by the inner cap? I'm not really sure how to remove it.

 

I have a small blowtorch which I could use to gently heat up small areas and then push them back in, but I'm not sure if that's the right approach.

 

Also, the clip on the cap is a bit loose and wiggles about a bit. The jewel seems to be attached to the clip and so wiggles with it. The gap between the clip and the top of the cap seems too small for me to get glue into. Is there a way to fix this?

 

I don't have my camera with me but with some luck, I'll try to post some images later. I'm not sure how well the bumps will show up though. I would be very grateful for any suggestions that would help me out here, as I love this pen and would really like to fix the last of its issues.

Edited June 9, 2010 by zebutweak

[OcalaFlGuy]

The deformation near the fill lever is called barrel bulge, it is from the retention ring which fits within a groove inside the barrel pushing out against the celluloid. I don't know for sure but I think this may be exascerbated along the way if the pen is allowed to get hot (inside a car, etc;).

 

The deformation on the cap is the outer cap shrinking onto the inner cap.

 

I think the odds of an amatuer repairperson fixing these is minimal at best. While heat would probably be part of any fix, in all but the most skilled hands here it'd only make these two issues worse, probably much worse.

 

The wonky clip requires an expensive inner cap puller to fix (correctly).

 

Probably best to get used to these issues with this pen or find another like it in better shape.

 

Sorry for the not so good prognosis.

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

[zebutweak]

Thanks for your help Bruce. I think I will do as you suggest and just live with it. Ultimately, I guess it's quite a common pen and is not worth worrying about. It's a pity, but at least it writes nicely

 

Cheers