Lever Filler - - How does this work?

[MTHall720]

I recently bought a nice looking lever Filler but have never used one. Do you put the nib in the ink and then pull up on the lever?
Thanks. 497064970849709

Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk

[Jon Szanto]

Possibly one of the most common vintage purchases, you have an Esterbrook J (which is the largest of their 3 models, though I might be fooled by the photos).

You can either open the lever before or after putting in the ink but I prefer before; the lever should come out to almost a 90 degree angle to the body. You then dip the pen into the ink and it must come just past the front edge of the section, completely submerging the nib. If you only stick part of the nib in you won't get suction. Once in the ink, release the lever and wait 10 seconds for the sac to fully expand and get a full fill. Remove from ink, wipe the section with a paper towel to get off any excess ink and you are ready to go.

You'll find a host of info about the pen at the long-running Esterbrook.net (http://www.esterbrook.net/j.shtml) site run by Brian Anderson (I've linked to the pages on the J series). Enjoy!

[An old bloke]

As said above, the nib needs to be completely submerged in the ink. While Jon said to wait 10 seconds, I wait through a slow count to 20.

Lever fillers are my personal favourites.

[An old bloke]

I should add that having a few paper towels at hand is advisable. You will need one to wipe the nib and section. You might need another or two for any possible drips or spills.

[MTHall720]

Thanks for the help with this.

Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk

[FredRydr]

https://youtu.be/ht7meVolUVo

[Lady Onogaro]

Just a word--if it doesn't fill, it may need a new sac (the sac is inside the pen and holds the ink). Most older lever-fillers I have bought second hand needed to have the sac replaced. A good place to send it for this is Danny Fudge at The Write Pen. But there are lots of videos showing you how to do it yourself if you need to do so.

[Chrissy]

Just a word--if it doesn't fill, it may need a new sac (the sac is inside the pen and holds the ink). Most older lever-fillers I have bought second hand needed to have the sac replaced. A good place to send it for this is Danny Fudge at The Write Pen. But there are lots of videos showing you how to do it yourself if you need to do so.

My first ever sac replacement was on an Esterbrook. It wasn't too difficult. :)

[azkid]

Ditto what Chrissy said.

Also, don't force the lever. If it seems obstructed by something hard, that is likely the crusty, petrified remains of the old latex sac.

If nobody mentioned it, you can still find replacement nib units in NOS or like new condition, usually for not a lot of money, at least for the most common types.

They screw in easily and come in a variety of line widths and shapes. There are the iridium-tipped version (9000-series) and budget steel 'tipped' which wear out much faster. But all are quite decent nibs if in good condition.

[MTHall720]

Thanks all. My pen is now writing very well. Looked like it was a NOS and came in the original. Super light weight and attractive looking. Although I generally don't like fine points I like this pen more than I thought I would. I usually write with broad due to my hands shaking sometimes. The fine points often make the shaking more obvious.

Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk

[pajaro]

Most of the fillers are almost self explanatory, as self explanatory as the designers could make them. Not being afraid of breaking them helps. When I was nine I found the lever filler easy to operate. Too bad the brand new pen had a damaged sac. With most of the other filler types the designers have made the part you operate prominent so you will intuitively understand how to work it, so no reason to be afraid of them, although some people are afraid of breaking something. The pen designers wanted you to succeed.

[Chuck Naill]

I recently bought a nice looking lever Filler but have never used one. Do you put the nib in the ink and then pull up on the lever?
Thanks. 497064970849709

Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk

According to Esterbrook's original instructions you dip the pen into the ink and lift and close the lever three times. After closing the third time you leave the pen submerged for a few seconds to allow the sac to fill.

Replacement sacs, j bars, talc, and sac adhesive/shellac are available from Anderson Pens. I've restored 9 pens over the past 6 weeks or so. So many videos are available that restoring these great pens is easy. The most difficult part for me is disassembling the pens for cleaning and replacing old parts. I used Dawn and warm water as a soak. Sometimes it takes a day or so to loosen the nib and nib holder from the main body. Just go slow.

Also, NOS replacement nibs are available. The deluxe nibs are the ones with the green threaded end. The 9668 is a good medium nib. I got one with the Deluxe SM model recently acquired.

Good luck on your restorations.