My first vintage pen purchase!

[jzuzphreek]

2 purchases actually!!

Went to a flea market that I pass at least twice a week. The lady showed me a box full of pens. An Esterbrook double Jewel, and a Scheaffer caught my eye.

I don't know much about vintage pens, but I know that if the sac cracks when you squeeze it, it's probably bad. That happened on the Scheaffer after I took the pictures. The Esterbrook seems to have a pretty pliable sac, but I don't know if I'm supposed to take it off to clean or not. Can anybody help me out? I'd like to clean these pens and use them as daily writers if I can, I'm just not sure what I need to do.

Oh, and I got em both for $6.

 

[strop]

Even if they need some rehab, you got a deal! The Esterbrook is the easier of the two to deal with. You only need to take the sac off if you are going to replace it, which isn't a bad idea. Test it by submerging the nib in room temp water, sqeeze the sac, and hopefully see air bubbles. Release the sac and it will draw in some water. When you squeeze again you should colored water come out the feed. You clean it by simply flushing water in and out. In use, that's what the lever does. When you lift the lever, it compresses the sac. you only have to take it apart to change the sac. Even if it it works now, it's not a bad idea to change it out. An old sac can give out at anytime, and you'll have a new nickname, or at least some good/funny pictures to show us. Replacing the sac is pretty easy. Ther3e is a B&B repair kit floating around, though I'm not sure who has it now.

The shaeffer is a vac filler. A little more complicated, especially for your first pen. If you're lucky all you'll need is a new sac. I'm at the office now and don't have a link, but there are several sites that can show you the ropes. as well as several people who can repair it for a reasonable cost.

Have fun.

 

[jzuzphreek]

Thanks Mark. Finding info on the Esterbrook was pretty easy, but I can't even figure out which model the Sheaffer is. Forgive my ignorance, but what is meant by "vac" filler? The Sheaffer has the same kind of sac as the Esterbrook, except there is no lever, and there is a metal casing that covers it (shown in the above picture on top of the sac/section/nib).

Unfortunately, I can't remove the nibs from the sections on my own. Any advice for removing them? Hot water? Blow Drier? etc.

One last thing, after some preliminary research on the Esterbrook, I came to the conclusion that the sac has been replaced. It does not bear the Esterbrook logo, there appears to be no drying, and it is soft and pliable. Should I still replace it? Or might I try my luck and just risk scoring one of those scathing nicknames?

 

[Liberty_2112]

If the Esterbrook sac is pliable, then there is no need to replace it. Fill it with water, empty it, fill it, empty it, etc. Do that about 30 times until the water runs clean. Then fill it and leave it overnight on its side. Repeat the fill/empty process again in the morning. Then you should be good to go.

I'm having trouble identifying the Sheaffer from the pictures. Can you take some more? Include a picture of the nib. Does the back end of the green body unscrew?

As for the nibs, there is no need to remove them. You should be able to clean, empty, fill the pens without ever having to remove the nib.

Be careful with a hair dryer or other heating element. Vintage plastics, celluloids, etc can be "difficult" to deal with.

Great website for information on vintage pens, including step by step restorations: http://www.richardspens.com/

 

[jzuzphreek]

I'll have to bring my camera to snap some better pics. But I couldn't find ANY picture of a pen that looked like the Sheaffer I got. The back end doe NOT seem to unscrew.

 

[nemo]

The Sheaffer is a Tip-Dip Touchdown filler, like this -- http://penhero.com/PenGallery/Sheaffer/SheafferTipDip.htm

Repairs can be done pretty easily, here's another link to Nishimura's site
http://www.vintagepens.com/FAQrepair/Sheaffer_Touchdown_repair.shtml

Nice score on the pens!

 

[AjaxLepinski]

Nice score! Been avoiding vintage pen purchases but, at those prices I'm off to the flea market!!!

 

[jzuzphreek]

Esterbrook

Squeeze. Expel. Squeeze. Expel. Squeeze. Expel. Squeeze. Expel. Squeeze. Expel. Squeeze. Expel.

The water has gone from a dark nasty blue/black color to a pasty green. It's ALMOST running clear. Gonna do about a hundred more.

An interesting thing happened when I periodically dried the nib on a paper towel early in the process. There are huge blots that start in a purplish hue in the center and change to green around the edges. I'm sure there's some chemical reason why this is happening... but it looks pretty psychedelic.

 

[syngent]

Yeah thats one problem with sac style fillers, my conklins like that a PITA really, filling it is a dream but changing colours is a different story....

which brings up the question, is there a chemical or some type of pen flush that wont cost much but cut the job in at least half over water ?

Great haul Jessy, im jealous those are some great pens man,... once you get them writing shoot me a PM ill give you an address to send a letter off to

 

[jzuzphreek]

James, I'm gonna be in big trouble once I get them inked. I've gone from 0 pens to 7. My mother-in-law got me the Pilot Parallel set and the 4.5 oz Noodlers X-Feather that comes with a free eyedropper Preppy. I've had them for all of 28 hours, now I'm gonna add the 2 vintage pens to the mix. How do I pick?

Spoiler

Eenie, Minnie, Miney, Moe. Catch a FP by it's post. If it splatters make it work. My momma told me to pick the very best one and this nib is not it!

 

[syngent]

I think your the first person I have seen with a parallel set have you played with there ink shading capabilities yet?

 

[nemo]

An interesting thing happened when I periodically dried the nib on a paper towel early in the process. There are huge blots that start in a purplish hue in the center and change to green around the edges. I'm sure there's some chemical reason why this is happening... but it looks pretty psychedelic.

You've completed a paper chromatography experiment! Certain molecules travel differently than others, the most soluble will travel furthest.

 

[Slivovitz]

Esterbrook

Squeeze. Expel. Squeeze. Expel. Squeeze. Expel. Squeeze. Expel. Squeeze. Expel. Squeeze. Expel.

The water has gone from a dark nasty blue/black color to a pasty green. It's ALMOST running clear. Gonna do about a hundred more...

An Esterbrook can be easier than that, next time around, since the nib unit unscrews. Remove the nib. Run water directly into the sac (just a little, as you don't want to get it inside the lever slot and have it sitting inside the barrel). I have squeezed it in from a bulb syringe, someone else once mentioned just using a fine dribble from the tap. Clean the nib unit separately.

Other lever fillers, yes, it can be quite a bit of work.

 

[jzuzphreek]

I think your the first person I have seen with a parallel set have you played with there ink shading capabilities yet?

I did play with it a bit. I've only loaded the stock red and black (alternated by ascending nib width). It's neat, but I'm not nearly artistic enough to make it look cool. I'm gonna try my shaky hands at some gothic lettering for the heck of it.

You've completed a paper chromatography experiment! Certain molecules travel differently than others, the most soluble will travel furthest.

Wow! That makes me feel so smart! Well, I guess I would've sounded smarter if I knew what I was doing before hand. But still, this could be fun to try with different ink formulas.

An Esterbrook can be easier than that, next time around, since the nib unit unscrews. Remove the nib. Run water directly into the sac (just a little, as you don't want to get it inside the lever slot and have it sitting inside the barrel). I have squeezed it in from a bulb syringe, someone else once mentioned just using a fine dribble from the tap. Clean the nib unit separately.

Other lever fillers, yes, it can be quite a bit of work.

Unfortunately the nib didn't unscrew easily until I soaked it in water for a few hours. I knew forcing it would just be a bad idea. I've been reading about how brittle the feed and section on Esterbrooks can be. After a soak, I decided to try again, and it came off smooth as butter.

Now, I've inked it up with Diamine Sargasso Sea, and I've already written 3 Christmas thank you notes on a Rhodia flip notebook. Beautiful ink, btw.

Now I need to get a new sac for the Sheaffer (and find a screwdriver somewhere at work so I can repair the touchdown filling system).

 

[nemo]

Now I need to get a new sac for the Sheaffer (and find a screwdriver somewhere at work so I can repair the touchdown filling system).

You can try out the pen without repairing the pump, once you put in a new sac you can manually squeeze it to fill (without the metal protector, of course).

 

[jzuzphreek]

Hm... I can probably find a screwdriver before I acquire a new sac. But apparently NO ONE where I work has a tool kit.... including me.

 

[nemo]

Just a thought, since replacing the sac is a breeze compared with replacing the washer and o-ring. You'll also need silicone grease.

 

[jzuzphreek]

Just a thought, since replacing the sac is a breeze compared with replacing the washer and o-ring. You'll also need silicone grease.

I defer to your knowledge. I'm gonna have to order a sac, so i might as well obtain a washer and o-ring while I'm at it.

 

[jzuzphreek]

I got the screw removed from the bottom of the plunger in the Sheaffer, but I can't get the end knob to budge at all! Any tips? I'm at work, so heat gun/blow dryer is out.

 

[jzuzphreek]

Wow! I can't believe what a goof ball I am!! The blind cap actually SCREWS off... it's not friction fit. Don't know how I missed that, or why I spent the last 2 days not being able to figure it out. Figured it out completely by accident. Upon further examination, the O-ring and washer seem to be in good condition. I think I only need a sac. That being said, if I order a kit before I'm able to get the traveling repair kit, I'll go ahead and replace them anyway. Speaking of which, where might one find PURE talc?