1950 Esterbrook J Series Double Jewel Fountain Pen Restoration & Nib Re-Grind - ESTATE SALE FIND
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- čas přidán 24. 04. 2022
- In our last video, we looked at a vintage 1930s mechanical pencil/lighter combination. In this one, we'll restore a fountain pen from around 1950. This is an Esterbrook J Series "Double Jewel" with a 9550 nib. I think I scored this at an estate sale a couple years back. It is a "lever fill" type fountain pen, meaning there is a lever on the side of the pen which, when lifted, pushes down on an internal ink sack to create a vacuum and suck up ink from an ink well. As with most fountain pens of this age, the ink sack has long since gone hard and brittle and will need to be replaced. But this example is also missing an important part necessary to its operation - the J Bar. But can we still get parts for it? Also, I end up having to reshape and grind the nib on this slightly as it is too scratchy. I'll show that process as well. After the regrind of the nib, this pen really grew on me.
Resources:
www.esterbrook.net/j3.shtml
racheldelafuente.com/blog/iden...
andersonpens.com/anderson-pen...
vintagepens.com/catill_sacs_s...
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#Restoration #Repair #FountainPen - Věda a technologie
Thanks to CZcams user Mr. Smith for the video intro and outro.
I was kind of disappointed Brad,
I thought you were going to turn that pen,
into a guitar amplifier.
😋😀
(I enjoyed the video, it was cool.
It was Different.
I enjoy old/vintage, ornate,
exceptional grade stuff.
I'm a numismatic.) 👍
Cool!
I own a 1969 Parker 75 (I'm the original owner) and a 1944 Parker Vacumatic that was my grandfather's pen.
Both are fun pens that I am in the process of restoring.
Thanks for your video.
I just received from my mom a 9128 pen, Esterbrook, with the same filling system. Found your video very useful.
I was recommended this vid 5 days after you posted it. Turns out I had the bell set to personalized instead of all. Notifications should be on time now I hope. Anyway, this was another interesting vid to watch while having my morning coffee and smoke.
I just attended a Pen Turners Gathering near Nashville, and there were several bespoke fountain makers there. Another Rabbit Hole for me to go down. I turn ball point pens for the Troops (70 last year), and I love fountain pens and calligraphy. I am also restoring my fathers old Esterbrooks (one like yours, and a similar with brass cap). I have his old Parkers too, as well as the one set he gave me when I had my Bar Mitzvah. I was a pen and ink illustrator for many years, so I love pens of this type, too.
It’s a fun hobby.
I used to buy old fountain pens. So many had perished bladders and I couldn’t find replacements 40 years ago. So many nice pens couldn’t be saved. I wish I’d had the internet back then.
Iteresting content all new to me a great learn Brad..
Was a bit shocked when I saw you use a nail file to work on the nib, but I guess that and really fine sandpaper did the trick. Great video, thanks!
I was hoping he would use the nail file on his nails.
Enjoy this new content. I'm glad to see you're repairing other old items.
Last time I had a fountain pen was 4th grade. Mine had little capsules of ink, that one would, actually "stab" onto a little pointed shaft that fed the nib. I loved the pen. They were still in use when I was kid, but the old ball points, were really popular, plus they didn't leak. A few kids used them, plus several teachers. Inevitably you'd have a blue or black, or whatever color ink stain on your shirt picket. (That's why they had the white plastic "pocket protectors") I loved those pens, as messy as they could some times be.
definitely enjoyed the pen refurb brad ! another fine and
workman like job ,an extra string to your bow, applied
due care and attention is great to see, thanks mate!
I appreciate that. I have had a good week as oddball repairs go. More coming soon.
Really interesting, Brad. I did some calligraphy, when I was a kid. One thing I learned about fountain, and dip, pens, is down strokes are the way to go. Trying to do upstrokes, or cursive, can tear the paper, or cause skipping in your script. Once you get used to it, writing goes pretty fast. Not as fast as a ball-point, but good enough, and kind of fun. The main thing, as in all things, is practice.
digging the new variety of content, Brad!
I have a few of those pens inherited from my elders. Those pens likely need sacks and a bit of cleaning. Thanks for the info on parts!
We used cartridge ink pens in school in my early years. I had at least one shirt with a blue blob in the pocket.
Shirts and fountain pens do not mix.
Many years ago as we went from pencils to ink in school, I was a fountain pen guy. I loved the smoothness of the writing. It does take some experience to not leave ink blobs on the paper.
Ive collected a few of these vintage fountain pens over the years. I was always afraid to take them apart and try to restore them. Last I'd searched online I couldnt find any good information other than places that did repairs. But it seems today there are a lot of helpful websites out there and a lot of parts available.
Thanks for sharing Brad!
If you watch czcams.com/video/xtwdnzxIyTs/video.html, Doug, the host, has a lot of reviews, and every Sunday he does a "pen resurrection," usually of vintage pens (Parker, Waterman's, Shaeffer) and shows you how to do it.
Chrisrap52 has a few videos on vintage restoration, and for the Esterbrook, I highly recommend What I Ink's "Esterbrook University" video series. And, it's basically the same for any lever filler, just a different type of pressure bars for an old Waterman's. Also, Sheaffer's and several cheaper brands tend to glue in the section, generally with some sort of shellac. Takes a lot of patience and gentle heat (a lot of vintage pens are celluloid or cellulose acetate, so very flammable), to get them apart. Been restoring my own for a number of years. Might break a few, but that's why you buy them for as cheap as possible. I got a great deal on a 1920s Conklin Endura, and shattered it, trying to take it apart... 😢 My first "casualty." Gives you spare parts. 😁 Give restoring one a try!
Those are great everyday writers. The humble steel nib gets no love. I have double board and stubs mainly for the effect it has on my writing.
Yeah man, another interesting one.
Solder-suckers are also known as bulb syringes, ear syringes, aspiration bulbs, or snot suckers. The Esterbrook 9550 nib is known as a firm extra fine "posting nib." The part of the feed to which you attach the ink bladder is called the "nipple." The nail file is too rough; use emery board instead, and buy very fine grit sandpaper. Sites like Goulet pens and others sell pen tuning supplies. Goulet also has many videos on fountain pen culture.
I found soaking the nib section in warm water for several hours would clean the ink feed without having to disassemble or use detergent.
I've done the same with another more modern fountain pen and you're right, that works well too.
in catholic school, the nuns only allowed us to write with fountain pens in class. no pencils or ballpoints allowed except for scrap paper. after 8 years of ruined white dress shirts and blue fingers. i swore i would never ever use another fountain pen again. i didnt like being forced to use them and it made a mess. i didnt have a fancy pen like yours, just the cheap ones with removable cartridges that were sold at the stationary store, so your mileage may vary. good luck , man good penmanship and better ink is a dying art.
I think you are mistaken. Fountain pens are making a come-back. And fountain pen shows appear in cities around the world. I recently attended the 2023 Washington DC Fountain Pen Super Show in early August. The show has been an annual event since 1992 except for two of the COVID years.
An ebay seller gweimer1 sells the 3 sizes of vintage Esterbrook jewels. I just received an order of the larger threaded jewels for Transitional and very early J pens. There are a lot of instruction videos about nib smoothing on youtube. I liked and bookmarked your video! 👍👍😁😁
More pen videos coming. Got a big auction haul recently!
Now I’m going be on the look out for a ‘vintage pen’….
Keep an eye out at estate sales. Sometimes they throw the contents of desks in a lot and call it an "office lot". You can get them like that for cheap.
@@TheGuitologist Thank you for this wee tip, Brad.
Wishing you well, after a slight hiatus.
Stay free. Rab ✒ 🍻 😎 🎲 🌠 🕊
i prefer the lamy safari pen. i tried a buttload of ink pens trust me.
and theres no ancient used condom inside, its a sexy modern screw plunger system for the ink.
if you want to be into that sort of thing.....
Gonna send you a couple cool old pens from the early 20s. Still have your address in my GPS logs I think. I was always fascinated with old quill pens. When i was a kid I found a container of ink and went found a buzzard feather and tried to write with it. My dad said no son you gotta cut the feather tip at an angle.
That's very kind of you, brother. I will gladly accept. I think I tried something similar with a turkey feather when I was a kid. :D
@@TheGuitologist no problem bro I'll send those out in a few days. They were my great Grandfatehrs pens. They were in his room when we cleaned it out after he passed back in late 90s. I think you'd like them more than me anyways. They've just sat in a box since like 98 or99
@@RedEyedPatriot 💚🕊
Fountain pens are great writing tools. I have been using one for about 6 years now. Never thought to try and restore an old one. How did you come across this one?
Estate sale find, IIRC.
I would believe that the pen should be assembled with the filler lever on the opposite side, as then when writing, the pen presents its best face upwards (and in line with the top of the nib). That is my recollection from my days of using such lovely writing implements.
I do apologise in advance, should my suggestion prove to be incorrect, or at least so for the US market.
Using high quality inks will also serve to make the pen write more smoothly, with the added benefit of keeping the pen ink-feed mechanism clean ...
Regards from the UK.
Ultrasonic machines will clean any dried up ink in fountain pen without any effort. Ammonia and water. I have a bunch of Noodler fountain pens I play with off and on and eventually I forget them and the ink all dries out and plugs everything up. 5 minutes in ultrasonic machine with the parts in a zip lock bag with ammonia and water usually cleans it all out like new.
I have an expensive Monteblac pen and it's missing. 😕
You could possibly get 3D lure eyes to replace the jewels, they come in different sizes, wouldn’t be original but could be cool
1200-2000 grit sand paper works best for sanding nibs smoother.
Nooooooo!! Assuming the nib wasn't damaged, it's likely supposed to be a little scratchy. It ain't a Bic. It's an instrument from a bygone age that was designed for bygone ink and paper. The writing technique is much different than using a ball point pen - one needs a much lighter and more deliberate touch with a bygone style of penmanship. I will caveat that by saying my experience is with dippin' nibs in bottles and not with fountain pens. A cool and relatively inexpensive hobby. That being said, a nice vintage Copperplate nib in good condition and some decent vellum will cost a few bucks. My favorite though is the OG turkey feather. I hate to see turkey roadkill but it's free quills for me (once I clean the gore off).
Video request: pen knives.
Cool stuff, Brad. I'm glad to see I'm not the only nutter that's into obsolete, archaic tools and skills.
I have experience writing with fountain pens, this one was inordinately scratchy. It wasn't usable as it was. Had to be reshaped.
@@TheGuitologist Happens to the best of 'em. At the end of the day it's not like hacking up an Esquire to install humbuckers.
Amps, washing machines, fountain pens - can't wait to see what's next!
Nib, shellac and j bar okay 👍🏻
Dang it!! I thought you were going to be playing the audio of these insane global elite monsters plans for all of humanity throughout your video in-between your commentary !!!
The dude speaking was actually on our side, mocking the NWO elite.
im left handed. imagine the ink i could smear with this bad boy.
A fine writing experience like this would be wasted on a lefty. :D
@@TheGuitologist *Sinister vs. Dexter?* 🍻 😎
Stay free, K and B. R 🎲 🌠
Just in news. Brad is the leader of the Illuminati. Lol. Love your content.
Shellac is alcohol-based right? couldn't you have just got the shellac off the tip with alcohol and paper towel? I like fountain pens too, don't have any vintage ones though. Cheers.
Not sure on that one. Might try next time.
Is there someone I can find how to replace the jewel?
Aloha from Hawaii how is the drumming go I haven't heard anything about you playing your drums anymore
I try to drum about 20-30 minutes a day.
dont use sand paper. scratching is usually tines that are out of alignment
That wasn't the case here. It was just a poorly ground nib, or perhaps some kind of prior abuse. It was just unusable as it was. The re-grind was successful. Writes muuuuuuuuch better now.
I imagine oils would perish the bladder’s rubber more quickly.
im glad the stupid ink condoms died. always hated those things. seriously crappy technology.
long live the screw plunger system!
You've taken your first step down the rabbit hole. You'll need to get a better pen, such as a Parker. It's a slippery slope you're on. Have fun. Noodler's Ink and pens are made for the writer. Noodler's pens are meant to be taken apart and fiddled with, a learning experience. There are many good videos on fountain pens out there. But I do recommend Noodler's pens for the beginner.
I have a couple Shaeffers…and a modern Parker.
Awesome job..:I just purchased the same one on eBay to practice on. I keep buying vintage pins, but I’ve been too afraid to just start. lol What was the name of the bar you used?
Nevermind, I rewatched the video and saw it was a 54. 😊
Any updates from Boaz ?
Those guys were pretty clever I have to say but having an unfortunate background in stock pumping I saw it coming a mile away.
Nobody blames you dude
Like I said it was really hard to determine because they rode the lies all the way to and from the station
plastic guitars,, lmao 🤣
I've got a Sac Spreader... Married her almost 30 years ago......
She sounds lovely.
@The Guitologist This was a hilarious and classy response to "that guy" 🙄🙄 I actually cackled out loud 🤣🤣
penologist
I had to see a penologist once. I wanted to know if the size was typical.
Felicidades, es un buen ejemplo. 423 sentadillas son unos X18TINDER.Uno muchas y un buen ejercicio. Se deja ver que hay muy buenos resultados 😍👍 Saludos desde la Cd.. de world 🌹😉💖 los mortalesx abian apreciado tan hermosa mujer.k
Don't google sack spreaders.
looks painful😯
"Sack spreaders" O_O
Sounds like a typical Tuesday.
ah, the god damn vintage squirt pens. they suck.
get a real safari pen and dont worry about this vintage crap.
fountain pen technology has moved on since the 78 rpm dj turntablism days.
Be very very careful googling "sac spreaders"
Dont forget some talc for your sac.