First sac replacement

I recently won an auction on eBay for a dirt cheap Esterbrook J in great shape except for a slightly funky nib and a dead bladder. I bought it to use with a new nib I'd just gotten, a 2314-M medium oblique nib that is one of my favorite writers. Now, I'd never replaced a sac, but from what I read it seemed pretty simple. I got a #16 sac, a jar of shellac and some pure talc, and it was very easy and straightforward, except there were some bulges on the latex where it was seated on the end of the section. I thought they might be air bubbles or even shellac bubbles, but when I pressed on them they just wouldn't budge. Could the inner surface of the latex have somehow bunched up?

Anyway, the shellac held and the sac/section assembly seems airtight and waterproof, and I inked the pen and it works fine, but I'm still wondering about those bulges. I've attached a photo. Perhaps some knowledgeable person could let me know what caused them?

Thanks!

https://i.imgur.com/ETISHyJ.jpg

It could be just clumps of thickened shellac. My bottle has been around a while and when you open the cap there are small chunks of shellac that have dried. I must *assume* that you cleaned off the nipple section of the section well, because my only other suspicion would be that there are still small areas where the old sac/shellac haven't been adequately scraped/cleaned off of the area. It does *not* look like the sac folded or anything like that.

If it sealed and you don't have any leaks, I'd just run with it. If it isn't broken, don't fix it!

Hi!

You did your first "Sac Job"! :)

The problem could be that there was still remnants of the old sac left on the section.. (section end should be clean of all remnants of the old sac)
The other possibility is that the section itself is damaged- maybe gouged at the end where the sac is attached (not rounded)??

The point is- take the sac off- check to make sure the points I mentioned above have not happened.
Clean the section, and replace the sac again (with more shellac).
If that section is indeed damaged (not rounded), you can get another one.
(I sell spare J/SJ/LJ sections from time to time- PM for more help/info)

Good Luck!
Frank

Well done!

When I first had a go at fitting a new ink bag I also had this problem. As the gentlemen above mention, there may be old shellac adhering to the nipple. I used (no doubt to the horror of the vintage pen restorers) a pen knife to chip them away. There's also a tool (not pen specific) that you can use to open the neck of the ink bag to facilitate its fitting. Can't remember what it's called, some kind of forceps IIRC.


Edit: reverse tension forceps. Although I used a hemostat.

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Originally Posted by Frank

...The problem could be that there was still remnants of the old sac left on the section.. (section end should be clean of all remnants of the old sac)....

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That was close to my thought. I was thinking old shellac hadn't been scraped off.

Nice job. Being able to replace sacs does help in finding fixer upper deals. Be sure to snap a pic once you have the pen fixed!

If for some reason you need a J section in good shape, give me a shout; I have a couple spares.

Thank you everybody! That lump probably is something I failed to clean off the section. I didn't see anything -- it was all black -- and I didn't feel anything when I checked it out with my fingers, but I wasn't really looking for anything. It seemed okay, so I didn't make a point of checking it out carefully. Lesson learned. I don't have a spare sac, and this one seems to be holding just fine, so I guess I'll leave it, at least until I order more sacs.

Below, a photo of the pen and a writing sample. I love the nib; got the pen to go with it. Ink is Kaweco Paradise Blue.

https://i.imgur.com/Wkkqufc.jpg

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Originally Posted by calamus

Below, a photo of the pen and a writing sample. I love the nib; got the pen to go with it.

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Looks to be working fine! I love the X314-M (or -F) nibs, my favorite of all the Estie nibs!

It is easy to leave particles of old sac on the peg. I use strong light and a magnifying headset when I'm working. Eyesight not what it once was - old age cometh not alone.

Thats just the nib I am looking for; the fine version just doesn't have enough line variation for me and a ~1.1mm stub is way too wide. (Goldilocks and the three bears, fountain pen edition).

Recently I resacc'd a pen and used a metal scraper to get all of the old sac/shellac off. On every pen I have done before the section was hard enough to take it, but this time I was too aggressive and marred the section. It didn't help that I wasn't working with good light or magnification and couldn't definitively tell sac from section. I just add this as a caution. Some sections are softer more easily marred than others, so take your time and do like Deb suggest above. Ultimately it didn't really hurt the pen, but I try to do no harm.

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Originally Posted by Deb

It is easy to leave particles of old sac on the peg. I use strong light and a magnifying headset when I'm working. Eyesight not what it once was - old age cometh not alone.

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Yep, I had my Optivisor not five feet away from me as I did the resacking. Apparently it doesn't work unless you actually put it on, though.

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Originally Posted by calamus

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Deb

It is easy to leave particles of old sac on the peg. I use strong light and a magnifying headset when I'm working. Eyesight not what it once was - old age cometh not alone.

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Yep, I had my Optivisor not five feet away from me as I did the resacking. Apparently it doesn't work unless you actually put it on, though.

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I'm glad you mentioned the name of it. I must try to buy myself one. :)