Old Esterbrook help

[Scotty]

I have an old Esterbrook. Actually it's my brother's. Probably from the 1960's. He just recently had someone replace the ink sac and it doesn't fill right. I've watched a couple of YouTube videos about replacing it. Seems pretty easy unless I'm missing something. I've never made a fountain pen but have made plenty of pens. You fountain pen guys got any tips or warnings before I start on this? Thanks for any help you can give.

 

[darrin1200]

Which Esterbrook pen? Do you have a picture?

 

[duncsuss]

If it's built the way most Esterbrooks of that time were made:

1. Ink fill is by external hinged lever that presses against an internal "J shaped" pressure bar which in turn compresses the ink sac.

2. the nib section will be cemented to the barrel with shellac. Soak in warm water to release the glue, use padded pliers (I use the type designed to remove spark plug cables, but PennState sell something similar) and try to rotate gently. Do not flex the joint, that will snap the pen.

3. The section will pull out of the barrel - eventually, with gently persuasion - and the ink sac should come with it, glued and sealed onto the nipple at the back of the section (once again, with shellac).

4. The interior of the barrel, with the J bar, should be lightly dusted with talcum powder to reduce the odds of the latex sac sticking to the interior walls.

If it isn't filling right, it could be the sac is twisted inside of the J bar, or the sac is not sealed on the nipple (which would allow air to pull into the sac instead of drawing in ink).

Or maybe the nib unit and feed is clogged. The nib units unscrew from the section. I recommend getting a "baby ear/nostril syringe" ($5 or less from Walgreens/CVS/etcetera) and forcing "Pen Flush" through it until it runs clear. (You can substitute distilled water with a tiny amount of household ammonia and a drop of dish detergent, but I personally wouldn't do that on any pen that cannot be replaced.) You can buy Pen Flush from Indy-Pen-Dance.

I have a couple of dismantled Esterbrooks and a decent collection of Re-New-Point nibs, but no J bars or levers. I don't remember his name, or if he's still doing it, but somebody sells all sorts of new-old-stock parts for them. If you find any broken pieces and post a photo of them, I can try to identify the part and give you a hint what to stick into a web search.

Hope this helps - good luck!

 

[Scotty]

If it's built the way most Esterbrooks of that time were made:

1. Ink fill is by external hinged lever that presses against an internal "J shaped" pressure bar which in turn compresses the ink sac.

2. the nib section will be cemented to the barrel with shellac. Soak in warm water to release the glue, use padded pliers (I use the type designed to remove spark plug cables, but PennState sell something similar) and try to rotate gently. Do not flex the joint, that will snap the pen.

3. The section will pull out of the barrel - eventually, with gently persuasion - and the ink sac should come with it, glued and sealed onto the nipple at the back of the section (once again, with shellac).

4. The interior of the barrel, with the J bar, should be lightly dusted with talcum powder to reduce the odds of the latex sac sticking to the interior walls.

If it isn't filling right, it could be the sac is twisted inside of the J bar, or the sac is not sealed on the nipple (which would allow air to pull into the sac instead of drawing in ink).

Or maybe the nib unit and feed is clogged. The nib units unscrew from the section. I recommend getting a "baby ear/nostril syringe" ($5 or less from Walgreens/CVS/etcetera) and forcing "Pen Flush" through it until it runs clear. (You can substitute distilled water with a tiny amount of household ammonia and a drop of dish detergent, but I personally wouldn't do that on any pen that cannot be replaced.) You can buy Pen Flush from Indy-Pen-Dance.

I have a couple of dismantled Esterbrooks and a decent collection of Re-New-Point nibs, but no J bars or levers. I don't remember his name, or if he's still doing it, but somebody sells all sorts of new-old-stock parts for them. If you find any broken pieces and post a photo of them, I can try to identify the part and give you a hint what to stick into a web search.

Hope this helps - good luck!

 

[Scotty]

It looks like everything is in place and working properly. Needs a good cleaning and a new ink sac. How do I determine what size ink sac I need to get?

 

[duncsuss]

It looks like everything is in place and working properly. Needs a good cleaning and a new ink sac. How do I determine what size ink sac I need to get?

Yes, that sac is in trouble. My guess is that the pen was re-assembled without using talc to stop the latex from sticking to the inner barrel as it was inserted (and by the looks of it twisted while inserting).

I don't see a fill-lever - does it have one that's around the back of the photos, or isn't there one? If there's no lever there might be a hole drilled in the end of the barrel - you'd put the nib into a bottle of ink, then blow into the hole which would compress the sac inside the barrel forcing air out through the nib. Stop blowing and the empty space will fill up with ink. Best not to suck in case there's a pin-hole in the sac.

Sizes ... I'm going to check "Da Book" (officially "Fountain Pens - the complete guide to repair and restoration" by Frank Dubiel). He suggests one of 3 sizes fit pretty much everything - 12, 16 and 20. Those indicate the diameter of the mouth - which you want to be a snug (but not tight) fit on the nipple. Use fresh Sac Cement (shellac) to seal the mouth against the nipple.

But first trim the length so the sac doesn't hit the bottom of the barrel cavity when it's pushed in there. (That would cause ink to be squirted out under pressure.)

Buying a replacement sac (and talc, and sac cement): the place I bought from seems to be out of business now, it was www.fountainpensacs.com but there's another The Pen Sac Company (might be the same operator for all I know). Their guide suggests "20 straight" for a hard rubber Esterbrook (which this looks like to me)

Edit - looking again I think I misjudged, it appears to be plastic not hard rubber ... probably be smart to buy a couple of each size 16 and size 20, they are only a couple of dollars apeice.

Edit #2 - Frank Dubiel says that nail polish is an excellent substitute for sac cement, the important thing is the nipple must be clean and smooth and completely coated to make a 100% seal

They don't appear to sell talc or sac cement - but maybe if you contact them they'll be able to point you in the right direction.

Duncan

 

[Scotty]

Yes, that sac is in trouble. My guess is that the pen was re-assembled without using talc to stop the latex from sticking to the inner barrel as it was inserted (and by the looks of it twisted while inserting).

I don't see a fill-lever - does it have one that's around the back of the photos, or isn't there one? If there's no lever there might be a hole drilled in the end of the barrel - you'd put the nib into a bottle of ink, then blow into the hole which would compress the sac inside the barrel forcing air out through the nib. Stop blowing and the empty space will fill up with ink. Best not to suck in case there's a pin-hole in the sac.

Sizes ... I'm going to check "Da Book" (officially "Fountain Pens - the complete guide to repair and restoration" by Frank Dubiel). He suggests one of 3 sizes fit pretty much everything - 12, 16 and 20. Those indicate the diameter of the mouth - which you want to be a snug (but not tight) fit on the nipple. Use fresh Sac Cement (shellac) to seal the mouth against the nipple.

But first trim the length so the sac doesn't hit the bottom of the barrel cavity when it's pushed in there. (That would cause ink to be squirted out under pressure.)

Buying a replacement sac (and talc, and sac cement): the place I bought from seems to be out of business now, it was www.fountainpensacs.com but there's another The Pen Sac Company (might be the same operator for all I know). Their guide suggests "20 straight" for a hard rubber Esterbrook (which this looks like to me)

Edit - looking again I think I misjudged, it appears to be plastic not hard rubber ... probably be smart to buy a couple of each size 16 and size 20, they are only a couple of dollars apeice.

Edit #2 - Frank Dubiel says that nail polish is an excellent substitute for sac cement, the important thing is the nipple must be clean and smooth and completely coated to make a 100% seal

View attachment 380384

They don't appear to sell talc or sac cement - but maybe if you contact them they'll be able to point you in the right direction.

Duncan

Thanks for the help. Yes it does have a fill lever. Seems to work smoothly. I'll get it cleaned up in a few weeks and post new pics.

 

[darrin1200]

Here is a guy in Ottawa. He sells pretty well everything for sac replacement. Including sacs, cement and talc. He is also a huge wealth of restoration information. If you have any questions, he'll gladly help.

Restoration Supplies

Supplies and parts for the restoration of vintage fountain pens

fifteenpens.ca

 

[duncsuss]

Here is a guy in Ottawa. He sells pretty well everything for sac replacement. Including sacs, cement and talc. He is also a huge wealth of restoration information. If you have any questions, he'll gladly help.

Restoration Supplies

Supplies and parts for the restoration of vintage fountain pens

fifteenpens.ca

Thanks Darrin - I'll add him to my list of handy resources!

 

[Rob_Mc]

Just FYI - the back of the section where the sac would be shellaced on is measured in 64ths of an inch. So a Size 16 sac will go on a section with a mouth of 16/64's of an inch. Also, here's another few places to look for J bars and other repair supplies:

Fountain Pen Hospital

Fountain Pen Hospital offers a complete selection of Pens and pen accessories.

fountainpenhospital.com

Thependragons

Thependragons

vintagepensacsandparts.com

 

[duncsuss]

It looks like everything is in place and working properly. Needs a good cleaning and a new ink sac. How do I determine what size ink sac I need to get?

I just stumbled on this resource on Richard Binder's website. (He's an expert in fountain pens - repair, nib work, you name it.) He recommends sacs a size or two smaller than the manufacturer's original to avoid them sticking/twisting as you assemble the pen.

Fountain Pen Sac Size Guide

What's the right sac size for that Ingersoll twist filler — or any of dozens of other pens?

www.richardspens.com