Wow, An Ergonomic Estie On Ebay

[Gloucesterman]

Saw this ad on eBay and thought to myself, was Uncle just blowing smoke or does this seller seriously believe?

 

Of course, you can see that the jewel is hanging out a little, but I am sure that's just an adjustable counterweight to make the pen handle better when writing round letters or executing an analog "word-wrap"!

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ESTERBROOK-CURVED-SHAFT-PEN-WEAREVER-FOUNTAIN-PEN-JOSEPH-GILLOTTS-LOT-RARE-/221354363762?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3389bf8b72

 

Your perspectives are welcome...

 

I was going to attach a picture but thought that might be a copyright infringement. Would it be??

[Tas]

[Tangster]

Surely if it was designed that way (and not just warped plastic) the filling lever would also be curved.

[Scribblesoften]

That sir, is called,"salesmanship."

[OcalaFlGuy]

I would credit lack of sufficient Chlorine in the gene pool more than I would salesmenship.

 

You'll note the origin of the seller. Morganton, W.Va.

 

I'm familiar with the area.

 

Trust me. It is highly unlikely that seller JimBob's Uncle, Jebidiah, is any kind of a rocket surgeon...

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl who's Mother is from Bluefield, WVa

[Gloucesterman]

Uncle has an MBS degree, one might think.

 

And perhaps the saddest (or is it sadist?) part is that someone will probably buy it because they think it's the truth :( .

 

Yes Bruce, your earlier reference still applies... "you can't fix..."!

Edited January 16, 2014 by brgmarketing

[Hobiwan]

 

And perhaps the saddest (or is it sadist?) part is that someone will probably buy it because they think it's the truth :( .

 

 

Well, this is about the 7th time I've seen the listing over the last year. Give him/her credit for persistence..

[inkstainedruth]

Well, the asking price (and shipping price) sure beats that of the rare "Bock" pen that was the subject of several threads on FPN a year or two ago (you know, the one that had the five figure shipping charge to go with it...).

I'm not sure that "salesmanship" would be been the term I would have used. "Chutzpah", more like.

I'll admit though, I sort of cringed when I saw the photos. That poor Estie -- it did not deserve to be abused like that. Is something that severe fixable, or has it become a parts pen?

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Willowandme]

I saw that a while back, too and got a kick out of it.

 

I also saw one just a few days ago that was priced at something like $9,900. I don't know if it was a mistake or what.

[Willowandme]

I just went and did a search. It wasn't the presidential one that's listed for that price. it was just a plain old J.

[Scribblesoften]

I have several early ballpoint pens made from injection molded plastic that have similar shapes. I always wondered how they got that way. Does some of the plastic contract at different rates over time or were they stored oddly? Any theories?

[pajaro]

Overstylized.

[Silvermink]

"Curved shaft Esterbrook" indeed.

[Hobiwan]

The pen could very well have been sunbaked. Here in CA, that's a common diseased condition I've found at the various fleas I used to haunt. And it shows up in other major brands, not just Esties. Just too long out in the sun, the metal heats up and weakens the plastic. The pastels are more subject to this than the earlier and "regular" colored pens, but it can happen to them also. The first sign of sunbaking is found usually at the lever, where the slot is too wide. Also at the cap, where the ring slips around and/or out of the groove. You'll also find "J-bar pregnant" barrels.

 

A note about J-bar replacement. I've compared present-day new J-bars to factory stock Estie ones, and the newer ones are wider at the "J". This would, I think, exert a lot of pressure inside the barrel, so when I use a new one, I "tweak" the curved part a bit so that it won't have so much pressure. It doesn't take a lot of pressure to hold a J-bar inside the barrel ...

[ac12]

@Hobiwan

Thanks for the tip on the J-bar.

I have a few old pens that will need new J-bars, and I had not thought of that potential problem.

[OcalaFlGuy]

That poor Estie -- it did not deserve to be abused like that. Is something that severe fixable, or has it become a parts pen?

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

Ruth, there's actually 2 bad problems, the bowing and the jewel assembly pulling off the end of the pen. Both are as hard a repair as they come in Esties.

 

The unbending would involve working a mandrel slowly down the length of the inside of the barrel while heating the barrel, forcing the barrel straight again. The gotcha is the temperature needed to bend it back into shape is just a very few degrees before it turns into basically a liquid form.

 

It would be a good practice pen for that procedure though. If you could straighten this, you got the procedure nailed.

 

I have some horribly damaged barrels and caps that I use from time to time to practice lifting bite marks or BAD scratches out. I'm still way better at melting pens than lifting the marks out.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

Edited January 18, 2014 by OcalaFlGuy

[Gloucesterman]

Well, he's back again with the same pen but he has added another red pen and some dip pen nibs. All for only $29.99.

 

His description says his uncle told him about the twisted design.

 

Would it be terrible to tell him his uncle was not tell him the truth? Or should we let him continue to live with the "untruth"?

 

BTW Hobiwan, would this make it his 8th re-listing. Isn't there a saying about, "quitters never win and winners never quit, but people who never win and never quit are...?

 

Blind optimists?

 

Please feel free to add in your own closing word or phrase.

[Aysedasi]

I have several early ballpoint pens made from injection molded plastic that have similar shapes. I always wondered how they got that way. Does some of the plastic contract at different rates over time or were they stored oddly? Any theories?

Look after them, they could be worth a fortune!

[Scribblesoften]

Sure if this ergonomic thing becomes a pen trend.

[Inkling13]

Bo-Bo-Boo-bo-bo Banana phone!