Identifying Found Esterbrook, Where To Find Parts?

[Khranos]

I just recently found (as in actually found, more on this later) an Esterbrook pen in surprisingly nice condition. The only issue is that it was missing the cap, but the nib, section, and barrel were all there and in mostly working condition. I decided I wanted to restore it as it's my first lever filler, and have since removed the old sac and fully cleaned its remnants. All that's left is waiting for parts to arrive.

 

From what I can tell, the pen appears to be an Esterbrook dollar pen (*actually most likely a J series, as pajaro pointed out), but without the cap it's difficult to tell. It's also difficult to tell if it's red or copper in colour -- in person, it looks too dark to be copper, but also too dark to be red. The attached pictures make it look noticeably more red than it is in person.

 

I'm also curious where the best locations to buy parts are. I've of course tried ebay, but I haven't seen just a cap yet. On a few of the other sites I've googled, just trying to buy a cap runs you more than the whole pen without even factoring in shipping. I was wondering if there are a few recommended sites or people to buy parts from at a reasonable price?

 

Link to album with pictures: https://imgur.com/a/c6bCn

 

(The pen itself, see linked album for more pictures)

 

As for the "more info", I actually found it during a daily walk around the park. It was just lying in the grass without a cap in a location that's seldom traveled. The sac was completely useless, and definitely hasn't been recently restored. I spent a couple hours looking for the cap but wasn't able to find it, assuming it was even with the pen. The area I live in likely doesn't have many fountain pen users either, and it was obviously not there long -- the whole situation is definitely mysterious.

Edited January 21, 2018 by Khranos

[pajaro]

It looks more like a J series pen than a Dollar pen. Try ebay for parts. Typically you might need a J-bar and a #16 sac. Plus the cap, of course. You might have to seek a parts pen for a cap.

[Khranos]

It looks more like a J series pen than a Dollar pen. Try ebay for parts. Typically you might need a J-bar and a #16 sac. Plus the cap, of course. You might have to seek a parts pen for a cap.

 

Ah, you're probably completely right about it being a J. The lever is still throwing me off a bit, is there a reason whether an Esterbrook pen has a bell-shaped or circular lever even if it's the same model?

 

I currently have a #16 latex sac, shellac, and talc on the way from anderson pens, but the j-bar looked to be fine -- is this something I should replace even if it looks fine when replacing the sac?

Edited January 21, 2018 by Khranos

[FarmBoy]

Red SJ

[JakobS]

Ah, you're probably completely right about it being a J. The lever is still throwing me off a bit, is there a reason whether an Esterbrook pen has a bell-shaped or circular lever even if it's the same model?

 

I currently have a #16 latex sac, shellac, and talc on the way from anderson pens, but the j-bar looked to be fine -- is this something I should replace even if it looks fine when replacing the sac?

If the J bar is not significantly rusted or almost rusted through at any point, there is no need to replace it if its otherwise functionally normally.

 

Circular ended levers were used in later made J series pens (late 50s-60s).

Edited January 21, 2018 by JakobS

[Khranos]

Red SJ

 

I just measured the pen and you're right -- it's definitely an SJ, not a J. As a more general question, would a cap from a J or LJ also fit this pen? SJ parts seem to be quite a bit pricier than J parts (and on par with LJ parts), and I don't particularly mind making it a "frankenpen". After a quick search, it appears all J series caps are approximately the same size but I could be wrong.

 

As for the colour, red looks a bit more likely than copper. Would the barrel discolour (whether lighter or darker) from being in the sunlight and possible rain for a possibly lengthy amount of time?

 

If the J bar is not significantly rusted or almost rusted through at any point, there is no need to replace it if its otherwise functionally normally.

 

Circular ended levers were used in later made J series pens (late 50s-60s).

 

It has a little bit of rust, but it doesn't look bad at all. I think I'll brave it this time, but I'll keep it in mind if there are issues later. Good info on the levers too, I couldn't find anything about that online.

 

 

Thanks everybody for the info thus far, it's all been really helpful!

Edited January 21, 2018 by Khranos

[corgicoupe]

LJ & SJ pen barrels are thinner than J models, so I doubt the cap would fit, but an LJ probably would.

[FarmBoy]

SJ and LJ have identical parts except the barrel and barrel eraser.

[Khranos]

Good to know I can broaden the search a little bit, thank you both for the confirmation!