How do I open an Esterbrook J to see what kind of shape the sac is in?

[Plume-fontaine]

Acquired an Esterbrook J and am trying to clean it, but have no idea how to check the sac to see if it is still usable. Thanks for any help.

[whych]

If the lever pulls whithout 'crunching' sounds, the sac could be OK.
Try shaking it to hear of there are any bits of broken sac and try filling it.
To get it apart use warm water (around 65 C) to soak the section and first 1cm or so of the body to loosen the glue and unscrew the body. Don't force it, just keep heating it with the water or a hairdrier till it unscrews.

[Jon Szanto]

I might offer a little clarification on the above.

Gentle heat is good. Virtually every Esterbrook I've worked on, about 20, I've been able to remove the section with, at most, heat from warm water.

However, I don't think it is correct about there being threads - as far as I know, all Estie sections are just friction fit, and if they have been glued in, it is probably from someone doing a 'repair', as I believe they weren't initially glued in. Hopefully it will be with shellac, which softens and loosens with gentle heat.

It is suggested you leave the nib in the section, as it will keep any pressure from crushing the section. After it has been warmed (you can try this cold, as many are loose enough to work free by hand), grab the barrel in one hand and the section with thumb and fingers of the other. It is quite helpful to use something to help grip these pieces - small pieces of rubber, like a bicycle inner tube, or non-slip shelf liner material are good choices.

You just need to be patient, take your time, and don't over apply pressure or torque. Gently 'rock' the section back and forth, turning the barrel/section around a bit. You should notice a little give, from side to side, and little by little the section should come up - they are inserted about 1/2 inch. Go easy so you don't crack the barrel. Once you remove the section, the sac should be attached... or parts of it will! When they go bad, they either turn completely gummy and soft (less likely), or become totally brittle and break into a million tiny pieces (more likely).

We'll leave cleaning the barrel and re-saccing for another topic. Sad to say, there is a *great* Esterbrook re-saccing thread on FPN.

[Plume-fontaine]

Thanks very much--this sounds promising!

[Plume-fontaine]

Thank you for your good tips. There are no crunching sounds, so I'm encouraged.

[whych]

Thank you for your good tips. There are no crunching sounds, so I'm encouraged.

Try filling it with water.
Sorry, the only Estie I have was in pretty bad shape when I got it and I don't remember whether it was push fit or screw in.

[Plume-fontaine]

Thank you for your good tips. There are no crunching sounds, so I'm encouraged.

Try filling it with water.
Sorry, the only Estie I have was in pretty bad shape when I got it and I don't remember whether it was push fit or screw in.

Thank you, I'll try that.

[OcalaFlGuy]

I might offer a little clarification on the above.

Gentle heat is good. Virtually every Esterbrook I've worked on, about 20, I've been able to remove the section with, at most, heat from warm water.

However, I don't think it is correct about there being threads - as far as I know, all Estie sections are just friction fit, and if they have been glued in, it is probably from someone doing a 'repair', as I believe they weren't initially glued in. Hopefully it will be with shellac, which softens and loosens with gentle heat.

It is suggested you leave the nib in the section, as it will keep any pressure from crushing the section. After it has been warmed (you can try this cold, as many are loose enough to work free by hand), grab the barrel in one hand and the section with thumb and fingers of the other. It is quite helpful to use something to help grip these pieces - small pieces of rubber, like a bicycle inner tube, or non-slip shelf liner material are good choices.

You just need to be patient, take your time, and don't over apply pressure or torque. Gently 'rock' the section back and forth, turning the barrel/section around a bit. You should notice a little give, from side to side, and little by little the section should come up - they are inserted about 1/2 inch. Go easy so you don't crack the barrel. Once you remove the section, the sac should be attached... or parts of it will! When they go bad, they either turn completely gummy and soft (less likely), or become totally brittle and break into a million tiny pieces (more likely).

We'll leave cleaning the barrel and re-saccing for another topic. Sad to say, there is a *great* Esterbrook re-saccing thread on FPN.

What he said, ^, That.

Bruce in Ocala, FL

[Brian Anderson]

Don't use water, use dry heat. Use a hairdryer if nothing else. Water can get too hot too quick, and can discolor. Esterbrook plastic is very soft, much softer than other first tier manufacturers and will distort reasonably easily. Not like some other thrid tier brands but it will distort with much less heat.

I also try to always pull the section straight out, barrels can crack if you rock them too aggressively. Also, if you have just used heat, and grab the pen on the barrel right next to the section with one hand, and on the section with the other, you can distort the barrel easily by the pressure. Dollar pens are infamous for this, J series pens not as much. I always grab the barrel further down by the lever to avoid this area.

Brian

[Jon Szanto]

Good tips from Brian! If I ever 'rock' the section, it is only with the most minute flexing, and above all, PATIENCE is the key - don't be in a hurry. (If anyone knows Esties, Brian does)

Another tip I got from Bruce (above) back on FPN is when heating a pen with a heat source like a hair dryer, hold the pen in the same area you are heating. Your fingers act to protect areas you don't want to warm up, and act as a reliable gauge as to how hot it is getting. Temps that are too hot for your fingers are most definitely too hot for the pen, so keep the temp down and you'll have much less risk of damage to the pen.