Should I Use Silicone Grease On J Bars To Prevent Corrosion?

[svb]

Hello!

I have a couple of Esterbrooks that I am re-saccing. I have polished light surface rust off the J bars, but was wondering if a really light coat of silicone grease to prevent future corrosion would be a good idea. Would there be any potential of it reacting badly with the latex sacs or the celluloid in the pens?

I have been putting a micro thin smear of silicone on the threads of the Renew Points, just to keep them from sticking. Maybe this is bad as well?

Thanks for any help!

Steve

[pajaro]

In answer to your title question, I can tell you from experience that you don't want silicone grease anywhere near the sac. Use beeswax to seal nib unit threads, even if you have to frequently re-apply it. I believe that the silicone grease has limited use: in the barrel of a piston filler. Maybe. That stuff is hell to get rid of in the wrong place.

[OcalaFlGuy]

^^^What he said.

 

Plus look at it this way. You got all the corrosion off that developed in the pens first say 60 years. It is probably more likely now that the j-bar reaches the end of it's finite number of flexes and snaps before it corrodes that fully again.

 

And that might not even happen in Your lifetime.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[svb]

Thanks for all your help!

Steve

[Ron Z]

I'll go a step farther back.

 

There is a mistaken notion that you should remove a J bar and clean it up when restoring a pen. You shouldn't. The advantage (nil) VS the risk (possible) just isn't worth it.

 

I do not because there is risk involved when removing the J bar, and it's a pretty useless exercise. Removing it polishing it has absolutely no impact on the performance of a pen. On the other hand, you might distort or otherwise damage the J bar, and it is possible to crack a barrel in the process of getting it out.

 

A thin coat (as in invisible) of silicone grease on the J bar won't hurt the sac or J bar, but silicone grease on the section threads isn't great. Was would be better, though Esterbrook didn't use either, and neither do I. I've been using Esterbrooks since 1973...

[svb]

Ron,

Thanks. I agree with you. One out of the three I'm working on looked really bad after I got the sac peices out. Lots of floury orange rust. I figured it would need a new J bar anyway. Pulled it out (waiting for it to snap into pieces). Hmm...no snap. Two minutes with some steel wool...bright and shiny! I was quite surprised. Only surface rust.

I won't be messin' with the other ones.

Steve