Silicone Grease?

[Uncle Bud]

I've just finished my first sac replacement on a nice green Esterbrook J, and am about to reassemble. I know to dust the sac with pure talc, so that's all good. I've always been told that if one part of a pen touches another you should use silicone grease, but, I am not sure if that applies to fitting the section onto the barrel. Should I use a tiny bit or not?

Thanks in advance for the help. Bud

[Alex2014]

I used with success Typhoon Silicone Grease for diving equipment to prevent ink leaking through the threads between the section and the barrel.

[Deb]

I only use silicone grease on the threads of eyedropper pens, and then only if it's really necessary.

[D Armstrong]

Heh heh. Don't forget, grease has two properties: liquid exclusion, and lubrication. Amateur repair people tend to focus on the former, and forget about the latter. If you use it on a section, it may end up moving as you write (depending on the individual pen itself), which is very irritating.

We only really use grease to lubricate plastic-rubber interactions (like the plungers and filler tubes in a snorkel). Or, as Deb mentioned, the rare case of a twitchy eyedropper, which were usually so well made that it isn't usually a problem. Other than that, shellac is a far better option for section securing.

Sometimes it's tempting to fiddle with a pen to bond with it. I much prefer filling and writing! (Although, to be fair, I do get to fiddle with a lot of pens too. I just have to give them back...)

[john]

I don't think you need the silicone grease for the Esterbrook. The grease is mainly for piston fillers and eyedroppers.

[tandaina]

I only use it on the sections of modern pens I am using as an eyedropper. Their threads tend not to have been cut with that purpose in mind and need the extra sealing help. Never had one be loosened by such treatment. Agree that the old eyedroppers don't need it.

[Deb]

To be accurate, I should have said "ink-in-the-barrel" pens rather than just eyedroppers, but as noted above, very few need it. They cut the threads deep and fine back in the day and most keep the ink where it should be with no assistance.

[Jeph]

Silicone grease is really just for moving seals and repurposed eyedropper joints. Some people like to put it everywhere but that can often be counterproductive. The section to barrel fit on your Estie, for example, is not a seal it is a joint. It should be assembled dry.