Removing Esterbrook section from barrel without hairdryer

[Ergative]

I have a vintage Esterbrook (J type, or perhaps SJ); and the sac has started to go 'crunch' when I pull the lever. I've got myself some new sacs and some shellac, and I'm ready to have a go at replacing the sac. However, I can't get the section out!

 

Scrolling these pages has proposed the following solutions:

 

1. Hair dryer to warm the barrel and make it a bit softer. I don't own a hair dryer.

 

2. Halogen light bulb. I don't have any. All my light bulbs are LED.

 

Can I use warm water? If so, how warm? Not boiling, I presume. Bathwater warm?

[northlodge]

You may not need anything, but a hairdryer is wise. You are not aiming to soften the barrel, just warm it slightly, say 60 seconds max under the airflow. Ask the next door neighbour to borrow their hairdryer , or pop into a pub  wc and use the Dyson handdryer 😉

[Ron Z]

Hair dryer or  small heat gun or embossing gun.  Using nothing can lead to a cracked barrel.  A halogen bulb is WAY toooooo hot and focused.  Hot water can cloud some materials.

[pen lady]

If you have one close-by check in a thrift-store (charity shop, are you in Scotland?) for a used hairdryer.  Please do as Ron says, also, make sure you leave the nib screwed in place when working to remove the section.  Trying to remove a ''hollow'' section is a recipe for disaster.

[Ron Z]

31 minutes ago, pen lady said:

make sure you leave the nib screwed in place when working to remove the section.  Trying to remove a ''hollow'' section is a recipe for disaster.

 

OH YES!!!  YES, YES, YES!  I've never tried it without, but I've seen the results!

[Paul-in-SF]

3 hours ago, northlodge said:

just warm it slightly, say 60 seconds max under the airflow

 

I think 60 seconds could be way too long, depending on the heat source. The goal is to soften the old shellac without doing any damage to the plastic of the barrel or section.

 

I have a hobbyist heat gun (Recollections brand), but I don't know what the power is, anyway it's more focused than a hair dryer.

 

Here's what I do: I turn on the heat gun and put it on my desk so the hot air is blowing sideways. I put the section in the hot air stream (focused on the join between barrel and section), twirling it constantly so heat is evenly distributed, for 5 to 10 seconds, then pull it out and feel the plastic with my fingers (it should not be too hot to touch), and let it cool for a few seconds. Then repeat. I keep doing this until the plastic is not quite too hot to touch, shortening the heating time to keep it from getting too hot as needed. After 5 or 6 rounds of this, I try to gently twist the section to see if it budges. Repeat as needed. Be very gentle, take your time, exercise your patience, and you should be all right. 

[LoveBigPensAndCannotLie]

2 hours ago, Ron Z said:

 

OH YES!!!  YES, YES, YES!  I've never tried it without, but I've seen the results!

 

I did this once and immediately saw why it was a bad idea. Completely snapped a chunk of a Waterman 52 section off. Thankfully Waterman 52 sections are pretty common and cheap so I was able to source a replacement pretty easily. Very thankful I didn't do this with a more obscure pen...

[PPPR]

Quite by accident, I came across a method to remove an Esterbrook J, LJ, or SJ section with no heat at all. The impetus was a need to soak a J nib and section.

 

*****

You are warned. This method is heresy, and anyone attempting it assumes all responsibility.

*****

 

My J was placed in a test tube with the nib down, so it would remain upright. Cold water was added to cover just the threads of the barrel. You don't want water entering through the lever slot, and you don't want the water so high that the J-bar inside gets wet (rust).

 

Frankly, I forgot the pen a few days. After kicking myself for the negligence, the Esterbrook J was removed, and the nib rinsed. While attempting to unscrew the nib unit, the section began spinning in the barrel. The section pulled out easily without any added heat. There was just the soaking.

 

Long story short, the pen was repaired and the section was reinserted without shellac as an experiment. After drying overnight, the section locked in place as if shellac was used.

 

This method was used with half a dozen or so Esterbrook Js and LJs. All the pens are still in use with no deleterious effects that I can see. 

 

Remember, if you attempt this, the pens were kept upright while soaking, and the water level kept below the J-bar inside. They soaked overnight at a minimum. Only cold water was used.

 

I no longer use this method, but it worked for me while I did. My best guess is there is something about the plastic used by Esterbrook so that soaking alters it's properties.

 

HTH