Esterbrook 2556?

[Nanixashi]

Anyone with experience cleaning/restoring vintage Esterbrooks, any advice for how to start cleaning these? They belonged to a relative who passed them down to me a while back, and only just found out about them tonight. Thank you in advance. 

[pen lady]

It depends if the sac inside the pen is still undamaged. If the pen takes on water, you can just flush the pens with warm water and a drop of dish detergent.  If the ink-sac (that's the rubber bladder inside the barrel) is shot, it will need replacing.  Esties are a good pen to start with if you are going to teach yourself. They take a size 16 sac but do your research on how to re-sac but one thing to not, never, never ever try to remove the section (that's the black bit you hold when writing) from the barrel unless the nib is screwed in place.  Estie nibs unscrew easily enough, but you might have to soak the pen first, nib down in warm water, deep enough to cover the nib and part of the section, but no deeper.

 

Nice pens, lucky you, good luck.

[Nanixashi]

Thank you, will try the water thing tonight before anything else. Hoping these have intact sacs (had some not so good luck with another vintage pen a while back). 

[SpecTP]

ultrasonic cleaner works great

[Estycollector]

Any updates on your Esterbrook, @Nanixashi

[Nanixashi]

No updates yet, other than it being cleaned out of old ink and able to take in water through the feed. My SO is just getting into pens too so the vintage stuff is on hold for a while!