A new and improved Esterbrook nib changing tutorial!

So, a while back I made an older tutorial for changing Esterbrook nibs. While it was a nice tutorial and all, it had some little flaws with it. After talking with a friend of mine, I decided to do up a video tutorial, making it even easier to explain and understand! Here you go:

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! Let me know if there is anything else to change on it. Just drop me a comment below and tell me what you think. :)

Regards,

777 - Tyler Dahl

Another New Video! - Parker 51, under the hood!

Here's a new version of an old "tutorial" of mine. It's not so much to show how to remove a 51 hood but it does tell how anyway...

This is mainly to show the anatomy of a 51 hood, nib, feed, and collector. For those who are interested I hope you enjoy this!

New Video! - The innards of a Sheaffer Vac-Fill!

Here's a pen that once broken down is easy to understand. However, there's a lot of confusion when people try to describe it without proper pictures or with complex drawings. I thought I'd try and make a little more sense with this video here. Hope this helps.

Note: In the video you will hear me speak of a link to a reference on vac-fillers. Here is the link.

Also, forgive my cheap camera footage. It's not so great... :) At least you can see what I'm doing though!

If you enjoyed this video please drop me a comment below! If you didn't enjoy this video please also drop me not and tell me how I can improve. I'd love to hear your suggestions!

Regards,

777

Time lapse nib grinding video is here! Check it out!

Okay guys! Here it is: The official first 777 Pen Repair Video! This one is of me grinding a fine italic nib. The video is a time lapse, I didn't think you wanted to watch me grind for 15min... :)

Enjoy! If you like this video leave me a comment on my blog please! If I get enough comments and good responses I will know to continue keeping up the videos.

Notice: This video is not attempting to instruct and in any other way teach Pen-repair or nib grinding. Nib grinding requires much more knowledge, experience, and skill than can be gained in 1 or even 10 videos. Nib grinding is an art that takes patience, practice, hard-work, and talent to learn. Be safe, and don't do anything to your pens unless you're confident you have the experience/knowledge to be doing so. Also, remember to have fun too!  Fountain pens are a hobby for all of us!

So, what did you all think of this? Like it? Drop me a comment and let me know!

Regards,

777

Time Lapse Nib Grinding Video Coming Up Soon!!!

Don't miss it guys! I finally got out the camera (yea, it's a cheap one...) and decided to start producing a few videos for the blog! This may become big if I get a good response to it. Expect this video later this afternoon. I've never done a blog-video so things may not work out but if all goes well then I'll have the first 777 Pen Repair video up by tonight at latest!

This video is a time lapse of me grinding a fine-italic nib. I thought it'd be cool to show and I thought it turned out pretty nice for my little camera... :) You will note that the white balance will change occasionally throughout the film... Oh well, if this gets big then maybe I'll upgrade my camera!

Here's a screenshot!

Regards,

777 - Tyler Dahl

How to get better pictures of your pens -The "Pen Box"...

So, I'll just say this up front: This original idea is not mine. I got it from a friend.

All that aside: When I first began repairing pens I discovered something very important. When selling a pen photography is almost everything. Yup, if you have horrible pictures (blurry, discolored, darkened, etc.) then people will not be as interested in your pen. I'm sure this applies to most things.

So, I decided I needed a way to photograph my pens so they really looked good. I'll show a before and after picture of my pen photography:

Here's one of my old pictures. Notice the poor florescent lighting. It creates bright spots on the pen like the one right by the lever where the light is really shining. It's not a "bad" photograph but it's not good either.

Enter the photo box: We see a huge improvement here. Even lighting, correct coloration, and it even shows of the gloss of the pen better!

So by now I'm sure you're dying to know: So how do I build my own light-box? Well I'll tell you. First, as I was told by my friend when he gave me these instructions, read cheap. This should not cost you more than around $20.00 total which includes buying a tripod. That's why I like this method so much!

The easiest way to show you how to build one is with pictures. Here it is folks: 777's camera set-up...

Here's the box sitting on top of a stool. I use the stool to get a lower plane of angle when shooting my pictures.

The box is just a rubbermaid that I got from wal-mart. Around $5.00 or so.

Inside the box, I placed tracing paper on all the sides except the top. The top part gets a piece of poster board. What this does is stop the direct sunlight from entering the box. The tracing paper on the sides let just a little soft light in. This makes the perfect combination for shooting pen photos.

Here's a wal-mart place-mat for about $1.50. Works well as a backdrop.

And one of the most important pieces is a tripod for your camera. This is really essential to getting good clear photographs. If your camera doesn't have a "mount" for a tripod attachment then rubber-bands will work to secure it to the camera to the tripod. I've done this before with great success.

So there you have it. My DIY picture box. Here's a list of all the "parts" you need:

- Plastic box (mine is about 12" wide which works very well) - Around $5.00.

- Tracing paper for the sides of the box - Around $1.50 for a whole pack of it.

- Poster board for the top of the box Around $1.50 for five sheets.

- A cheap or expensive camera tripod (mines cheap - ebay for $10.00).

- Most importantly: Sunshine! You can take photos on a cloudy day but nothing beats the sunlight for good photos...

That's all there is to it! This has been a huge help for me in getting good pen photos. I hope it's able to help you out too.

Regards,

777 - Tyler Dahl

A great way to store your tools - My homemade pen-repair tool station...

Hello guys and gals!

If you're looking for an easy, inexpensive, and professional way to store your tools I've got the answer!

I got this original idea from somewhere (I can't remember right now) and modified it to my taste. In the simplest sense it's just a wooden block to hold my pen-repair tools. This is version two. Version one had very little storage space because I didn't need it back then. So, I decided I needed more space and came out with this version. It has space for lots of tools and is custom made to fit my needs. I'm not a great wood-worker but I can do it if I have to...

Anyway, enjoy and hopefully this will give some inspiration to others about repair-tool storage. It's really easy to make your own. You just need some wooden blocks, screws, drills, and an electric screw-driver.

Here it is! As you can see, I left some extra space in the middle for any new tools I might get.

Here's the back of it. Nothing to fancy!

I've got my knock out pins right here for easy access. Makes pen repair a whole lot easier when your tools are readily accessible.

Here's some more tools. Picks and sac scrapers...

Here's how I make it. It get the tool and find the closest drill size. Then I drill it to fit.

here's a hole made just for my nib burnishing tool.

I even made a special slot for my vacumatic wrenches!

Here's the real deal! Say goodbye to spilled shellac! Yes, I have spilled shellac before... All over my carpet... Not anymore though! With this "invention" I'll be free of messy spills!

Here's the wonderful hole that's saving me from certain doom... Fits the shellac bottle just perfectly!

I hope you've enjoyed looking through my tools and my little storage block. I also hope this will help some new repairers out there who are wondering how to store their tools for easy access during repairs.

Please, drop me a comment and let me know what you think of this. The comments keep me going on my Blog. They're a huge help!

Best Regards,

777 - Tyler Dahl

How to determine what size Esterbrook you have...

So, by now most of us know that there are three different sizes in the Esterbrook J series. The J, LJ and SJ. For many at first these terms are confusing and it can be hard to tell the difference between them. For us with more experience it can still be hard to tell what the difference is when were looking for Esterbrooks "in the wild". Auction sites often have very cheap picture quality and lacking descriptions making determining which model you're looking at very difficult to do. Here I'm going to describe some tips and tricks to finding out what model is which when you don't have another Esterbrook or a ruler to compare it to.

First, a description of each size and it's exact measurements.
Esterbrook J - This is the largest pen in the J series. This pen is the thickest and longest of all three. It measures 5" when capped.

Esterbrook LJ- This is second down in size from the J. It's as long as the J measuring 5" but it's thinner than the J model.

Esterbrook SJ - This is the "baby" of the J family. It's thin like the LJ but it's also shorter than the J and LJ. It measures 4 3/4" when capped.

So, now comes the hard part: determining which is which when you have no reference handy. Here's the secrets:

Here are the three sizes compared. Not to hard to tell when they're right next to each other. Left to right: J, LJ, SJ.

Just an FYI: Red J, Copper LJ, and another Red SJ.

Here are the pens uncapped. The LJ and SJ caps are almost identical.

Alright, time for trick #1. The jewels. This only applies to the J pen. If you look closely at the Red J (on the left) you'll notice that the cap jewel is bigger than the barrel jewel.

How about an up-close shot. There's a substantial difference here. This is one easy way to tell if you have a J on your hands. This method never fails.

Now for the real giveaway secret: The levers.

Here is a J lever. The lever is almost the exact same size as the distance from the end of the lever to the jewel.

Here's an LJ lever. Same thing as the J, the length of the end of the lever to the jewel is the same as the length of the lever.

Now here is the SJ. The lever length is longer than the distance between the lever-end and the jewel.

So here's the keys to remember. Do these in order and by the end you'll know exactly what model you have.

- First, check the jewels. If the top jewel is bigger than the barrel jewel, it's a J.

- If the jewels are the same size then you've already cut out one option. So now you must find out if its an LJ or SJ. The easiest way to do this is check the lever to lever-jewel ratio (as I call it).

That's it! With these "techniques" you should be able to determine the model of almost every Esterbrook you come across.

Hope this helps!

Regards,

777 - Tyler Dahl

Loose Esterbrook clip? - Another how-to tutorial!

Have you ever had an Esterbrook with a clip that was bent slightly away from the cap making it loose? There's a very easy way to fix that! Here's a picture-heavy tutorial with detailed steps showing how to bring your clip closer to the cap. Lets begin!

Note: Please use gentle care during this tutorial. Performing any of the steps improperly, or overdoing any of them can result in damage of your pen.

What you'll need for this tutorial:
A pair of scissors
A straw (the kind that you drink with)
A butter-knife or any other kind with a thin blade
An Esterbrook with a bent clip

Step #1 - Get out all of the listed materials for this tutorial. This Blue  J Esterbrook (in the picture) came to me with a lightly bent clip...

Step #2 - Examine your clip. This pens clip is bent upwards. This is a very not-severe case. This trick can work on much worse clips than this.

Step #3 - Using scissors, cut a piece of straw big enough to slide over and cover the whole clip. This will prevent the clip from scratching the surface of the pen during this process.

Step #4 - Slide the straw piece over the clip.

Step #5 - Insert the knife under the clip. I position it near wherever the bend is. This bend was near the base of the clip so that's why the knife is positioned there.

Step #6 - Turn the knife slightly upward. What this does is bend the clip upward and create a pivot point where the blade meets the clip.

Step #7 - The, while maintaining slight upward pressure on the knife, gently push down on the end of the clip.

Step #8 - Examine the pen. If it needs more bending then go for another pass. If you accidentally bent it to much then flip the pen over and press the clip against a flat surface such as a table. This will bring it back into shape. If all goes well then you're done! Your Esterbrook should now stay securely in your pocket like it was manufactured to do so.

Hope this helps any of you out there with loose Esterbrook clips! Please drop me a comment and tell me what you think of this tip/trick tutorial!

Best Regards,

777 - Tyler Dahl

Is this the pen photographers best kept secret!?!

Almost! This little secret was shown to me by a fellow pen restorer and I found it to be so handy that I had to share it with you all. Have you ever tried photographing your pens, but they keep rolling around on you? Here's the secret: Sticky Tack! Yes, It's that simple. I was very surprised that I hadn't thought of this before. It makes so much sense and it really works!

Here's the stuff! You can buy it almost anywhere. Wal-Mart, Target, Staples, or any other store that sells office supplies.

Just a micro-ball of it is all you need! It lasts forever if you re-use he same piece over and over. I've had this pack for months now and used it on dozens of pens.

There's a thin ball of it on the cap of the pen. That's all it takes, then you just need to hide it from the camera veiw when you take your pictures.

I hope this is helpful for someone!

Best Regards,

777 - Tyler Dahl

Just click it!

Do you like those pictures I do of my pens? Well, here's a little tip for your viewing pleasure! If you want to see any of my pictures better, just click them! They’ll open up in a new tab and enlarge themselves to reveal their full “glory”!

Try it right here!

Best Regards,

777 – Tyler Dahl