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Chuck Naill
November 15th, 2019, 06:58 PM
Well, I finally found an early "spear" lever 1934 Esterbrook Dollar pen. I have the parts to restore. :)

https://www.flickr.com/gp/185535762@N03/eZ0853

jbb
November 16th, 2019, 08:49 AM
Nice! Which nib will it have?

Chuck Naill
November 16th, 2019, 09:12 AM
Nice! Which nib will it have?

It comes with a 2556, a very nice writing nib. I have a 9668 and 2556 from previous restorations if needed.

azkid
November 17th, 2019, 08:39 AM
Nice. Is the term "spear" in reference to the clip?

guyy
November 17th, 2019, 10:21 AM
Spear refers to the earlier version of the Dollar pen lever. The later version is wider and flatter at the end.

Chuck Naill
November 18th, 2019, 04:31 PM
The pen came today. Everything except the nib disassembled easily. The 2556 nib is flat on the bottom rather than rounded. Anyone know if this was an earlier design. Anyway, my concern for the rubber plastic didn't materialize. I took the old j bar out and cleaned off the rusted areas and placed it back.

jbb
November 18th, 2019, 04:48 PM
I just listed one of those nibs in my Etsy store.... so here are some pictures of the one I have https://www.etsy.com/listing/753548111/esterbrook-2556-renew-point-fountain-pen?ref=listings_manager_table

Chuck Naill
November 19th, 2019, 04:59 AM
I just listed one of those nibs in my Etsy store.... so here are some pictures of the one I have https://www.etsy.com/listing/753548111/esterbrook-2556-renew-point-fountain-pen?ref=listings_manager_table

Thank you for posting, but the one that came on the Dollar is a flat bottom where yours is rounded. Rather than destroy, I left it on the sac holder, just cleaned and air dried. I just attached the sac. Hopefully it is no stropped up and will draw in ink.

I should be able to water test this evening.

Chuck Naill
November 20th, 2019, 03:58 PM
Well, after a 12 hour soak and a padded needle nose, the 2556 was out. I decided to replace it with a posting nib/9550. After inking, I understand now what a posting nib is all about. Extreme fine point.

jbb
November 20th, 2019, 04:02 PM
Well, after a 12 hour soak and a padded needle nose, the 2556 was out. I decided to replace it with a posting nib/9550. After inking, I understand now what a posting nib is all about. Extreme fine point.
Do you like the nib?

Chuck Naill
November 21st, 2019, 03:27 AM
Well, after a 12 hour soak and a padded needle nose, the 2556 was out. I decided to replace it with a posting nib/9550. After inking, I understand now what a posting nib is all about. Extreme fine point.
Do you like the nib?

I wrote for about an hour and I can say that I do, but it is very different. I can understand why it is for posting since I can write very small letters and numbers precisely. I have a 9668 in the Deluxe and 9556 in the Transitional model which are wetter and less fine. I've been fortunate to have found these nibs in like new or new condition for less than $10. So, I have $18 in the dollar pen, $3 for the new sac, and $9 for the nib. I was able to remove and clean up the original J bar.

The cap and pen body look the same and perhaps this is actually a later Dollar since the shirt clip is wide rather than pinched at the top of the cap. However, the spear shaped lever still puts in in the early mid 1930's I would think.

https://flic.kr/p/2hNKTyJ

https://www.flickr.com/photos/185535762@N03/49099522926/in/dateposted-public/

Chuck Naill
November 23rd, 2019, 03:39 AM
My restored collection to date.

jbb
November 23rd, 2019, 04:55 AM
Very nice!

Chuck Naill
November 23rd, 2019, 05:31 AM
Finished '34 Dollar

I am confused about the cap on this pen. According to one source, the cap in '34 should have a pinched narrow section near the cap whereas mine is wide. Since the nib was a very early flat feed type, I am confident this section is original. And, the cap and bottom have a similar or same wear look.

Chuck Naill
November 27th, 2019, 04:40 AM
So, after further study, I now know what I thought was a 1934 Dollar turned out to have a 1938 clip. I was able to win this one last evening for about the same price, $19. Interesting that $19 in 2019 is the equivalent of $1 in the mid '30's.

azkid
November 28th, 2019, 10:29 AM
So, after further study, I now know what I thought was a 1934 Dollar turned out to have a 1938 clip. I was able to win this one last evening for about the same price, $19. Interesting that $19 in 2019 is the equivalent of $1 in the mid '30's.Hm... I had that one on my watch list due to your earlier post. [emoji3] Save some for the rest of us will ya? (I'm kidding) [emoji16]

Meanwhile, I should try and find a clip for my grey dollar pen soon. Any idea how to disassemble and reassemble them?

Chuck Naill
November 28th, 2019, 01:35 PM
So, after further study, I now know what I thought was a 1934 Dollar turned out to have a 1938 clip. I was able to win this one last evening for about the same price, $19. Interesting that $19 in 2019 is the equivalent of $1 in the mid '30's.Hm... I had that one on my watch list due to your earlier post. [emoji3] Save some for the rest of us will ya? (I'm kidding) [emoji16]

Meanwhile, I should try and find a clip for my grey dollar pen soon. Any idea how to disassemble and reassemble them?

Ha, I’m through and will alert it I find another.

Disassembly the same as other Esterbrook models. I do a Dawn and hot water soak

penwash
November 28th, 2019, 04:23 PM
Disassembly the same as other Esterbrook models. I do a Dawn and hot water soak

Be careful soaking with hot water.
Some celluloid (mostly Sheaffer) will turn milky if immersed in hot water.

I have restored a lot of vintage pens, I never use anything but cold tap water, no detergent, no ammonia, nothing.
Just water and time.

Chuck Naill
November 29th, 2019, 05:56 AM
Thank you for your advice. On the Dollar Pens I didn’t soak at all because I had heard water and the old rubber don’t mix well. I did soak the part that holds the nib and to which the sac is attached.

Deb
November 29th, 2019, 06:58 AM
I, too, have restored a lot of pens. I never soak anything. Everything comes apart with dry heat and patience.

Chuck Naill
November 29th, 2019, 10:11 AM
Thank you Deb for your use of dry heat. I’ve actually considered, but thought it would be harder on the plastic than very warm water. Good to know.

penwash
November 29th, 2019, 10:19 AM
Thank you for your advice. On the Dollar Pens I didn’t soak at all because I had heard water and the old rubber don’t mix well. I did soak the part that holds the nib and to which the sac is attached.

If you like to restore pens, it's good to know why they don't mix well:

Hard rubber parts that is rarely exposed to UV have zero problems with water, for example, your section and your feed. All black and shiny after decades of contact with ink and water.

On the other hand, hard rubber parts that may have been exposed to a lot of UV (your barrels and caps) will discolor upon contact with water. The black ones will turn brown, the woodgrain ones will become cloudy. The thing is, we can't tell if a nicely black hard rubber pen will discolor or not, so it's best to play it safe, just like what Deb said, just dry heat and patience.

Chuck Naill
November 29th, 2019, 10:48 AM
Thank you for your advice. On the Dollar Pens I didn’t soak at all because I had heard water and the old rubber don’t mix well. I did soak the part that holds the nib and to which the sac is attached.

If you like to restore pens, it's good to know why they don't mix well:

Hard rubber parts that is rarely exposed to UV have zero problems with water, for example, your section and your feed. All black and shiny after decades of contact with ink and water.

On the other hand, hard rubber parts that may have been exposed to a lot of UV (your barrels and caps) will discolor upon contact with water. The black ones will turn brown, the woodgrain ones will become cloudy. The thing is, we can't tell if a nicely black hard rubber pen will discolor or not, so it's best to play it safe, just like what Deb said, just dry heat and patience.

Again, your advice is most appreciated. Esterbrook pens are the only brand of present interest.

azkid
November 29th, 2019, 11:09 AM
As an aside, since precise temperature control is critical for some materials, I was happy to finally find my old, bullet style IR thermometer. Using it while heating removes all the guesswork about temperature of the parts being heated.

Chuck Naill
November 29th, 2019, 11:18 AM
Happily, none of the Esterbrook pens have been harmed by a warm water and dawn soak. Considering the number of plastics used today, I cannot imagine this is going to harm even old celluloid or Bakelite, or it hasn’t for any of my other vintage interests which utilized the same era materials. That said, I appreciate the expertise provided .

Chuck Naill
November 30th, 2019, 03:07 PM
No water as suggested on this 1934. I post the restored '38 with a just unclogged flat 2556 nib feed. Note the ring on the '38 is higher on the cap body. I used one of my old mandolin strings to perform the unclogging after some soaking in a 1:10 ammonia solution. Right as intended now.

The classic BHR odor is more noticeable on the lighter shaded '34.

Chuck Naill
December 4th, 2019, 03:34 PM
I addressed 28 holiday envelopes today with the '38 Dollar Pen flat feed 2556. What a fabulous nib. I have several and enjoy using them all.

Chuck Naill
December 9th, 2019, 07:33 PM
I watched a video showing how to restore a Sheaffer "snorkel" type pen. Then I considered the pure, essential simplicity of an Easterbrook fill system. I have 8 Esterbrooks I have restored. Except for the olive Deluxe with heavy use, the rest sparkle. Even the '34 and '38 don't show their age. And, each performs beautifully. I choose one to carry each day and use in my job. Such a nice little indulgence. :)