Esterbrook J Family

From Penpedia

The Esterbrook J Family of pens from Esterbrook are considered by many to be the Sherman Tank, or AK-47 of pens. These pens replaced the Dollar pen model, and were offered from 1941 until some time in the 1960s. They are a favorite of collectors and restorers due to their ease of restoration and grace in aging. Frequently, these pens can be found in good shape, with pleasing finishes and good sacs.

The introduction of the J also extended the life of the famed Renew Point System, where nibs can quickly be exchanged in pens by simply unscrewing the old one, and screwing a new one in.

Contents 1 Specifications 2 Models 2.1 Early J (1941-1944?) 2.1.1 Visumaster 1 2.1.2 Visumaster 2 2.1.3 Visumaster 3 2.1.4 Twist Filler (1943) 2.2 Transitional J (1944-1948) 2.3 Double Jeweled J (1948-c1960) 2.3.1 The J Body 2.3.2 The LJ Body 2.3.2.1 Icicles 2.3.3 The SJ Body 2.4 Pastel J ("Purse Pen", CH, or H) 2.4.1 Generation I (1950-1957) 2.4.2 Generation II (1957-EOL) 2.5 Prototype LJ 3 Common Problems 4 External Links 5 Footnotes

Specifications

• 54mm J-bar
• #16 sac
• 5-1/16" (128.5 mm) capped
• 6-1/2" (165.1 mm) posted
• Barrel diameter 1/2" (12.7 mm)
• Approx. weight is 0.57 ounces (16.2 grams) with ink sac full

Models

Early J (1941-1944?)

Early Esterbrook J pens appeared in 1941 and were known as Visumasters. These were a single-jeweled, flat bottom pen with a clear, visulated ring in the section (except the Vismaster 3, see below) to monitor ink level. The body of these pens used an alternating thick and thin mottled celluloid, the lever had the broader, spade-shaped end on it, and it most frequently came with "Osmiridium tipped" 9000 series Renew Point System nibs.

Visumaster 1

The first version of the Visumaster was typified by a clear or slightly frosted visulated section, with the rest of the section being color matched to the body. The barrel tapered slightly more than the later variants towards the back of the pen. The caps were longer than a normal J, and will have a metal jewel on them.

Visumaster 2

The first revision was very similar to the original Visumaster. The notable changes were a less tapered back to give the pen a straighter looking profile, and no step below the threads on the barrel.

Visumaster 3

The last version of the Visumaster actually lacks the visulated section, and was the first version to introduce the more recognizable black section. This removed the ability to see any ink through the section (so it could be argued that it isn't truly a "Visumaster," though for the purposes of this article, the body design and styling matches this particular family of pens). Versions with the earlier metal jewel exist as well as some with a three-ribbed black plastic jewel instead. The pens with the three-ribbed black plastic jewel are shorter than their predecessors.

Twist Filler (1943)

The twist filler pens visually were similar to normal J's, with the more recognizable marbled plastic. The blind cap was black, and drove the filling mechanism. Normally, these pens are found today with the filling system frozen up. These were sold with palladium silver 8000 series nibs manufactured at the end of World War II. The plastic, three-ribbed jewel persists on this pen, and the pen can be found in six colors: red, black, blue, green, gray, and copper. Original price was $3.50.

Transitional J (1944-1948)

The most immediate and distinguishing feature of transitional J pens is their flat bottom. Early clips were similar to Early J clips which had just three ribs. Later transitionals had the Esterbrook name stamped into the clip.

The Transitional period saw two definite jewels: the ribbed jewel, and the later round jewel. The ribbed jewel carried over from the Early J's, the round jewel would continue its life with the double-jeweled series later. There is a third possibility that round metal jewels might have appeared in very limited numbers, however it is more likely that any sightings of this combination were the result of crafty repairmen.^[1]

Double Jeweled J (1948-c1960)

The double jeweled J's were by far the most successful, most widely produced, and easiest to find of all the J family. These also came out in the standard round of six colors (Note that white nurse's pens were also available, but weren't considered a standard color. Those can be found with black, red, or green jewels). However, occasionally there are variants of these colors where one is a darker, richer shade, and another is lighter. This difference is not authoritatively documented as any intentional variation on Esterbrook's part, and is probably caused by a variation in the plastic sources used to produce the original pens. Green (light and dark) and brown/copper are well-represented. It was also at this time we started seeing the slimmer, less spade-like, rounded lever ends. The rounded levers were available 1955 or earlier, though it's uncertain if there was a transition period where both sorts of levers were available in newly manufactured pens.

The J Body

The standard J is the biggest of the double jewels. It is about 5 inches in length when capped. Early double-jeweled J's had a basic "Esterbrook" barrel imprint, later the rights reserved symbol and "Made in U.S.A." were added.

Internally, J's have a spacer at the top of the barrel. This was normally a piece of harder rubber, like a #2 pencil eraser. In front of that was a clear plastic sac insert. The reasoning behind this was to shrink the internal diameter and keep the sac near the J-bar. Together, these two internal pieces allowed Esterbrook to build pens with the same size sacs and the same length J-bars, regardless of the pen's size.

The LJ Body

The LJ is the same length as the standard J, but is noticeably slimmer. It retains the spacer inside the barrel, but lacks the sack insert.

Icicles

The Icicle series were LJ sized pens with a plainer plastic that included dark, evenly spaced stripes. The plastic had a slightly translucent quality to it, and the colors were a little lighter and a bit brighter than the normal standard colors. The green was also more of a sea-green.

Generally, Icicles had a plain "Esterbrook" imprint in them. On some occasions, however, pens can be found with no imprint. Icicles are harder to find than most any of the other double jeweled pens, and generally command about twice the price.

The SJ Body

SJ pens lack both the spacer and sac insert internally. They have the same diameter as the LJ, but are shorter, coming in with a capped length of about 4 3/4".

Pastel J ("Purse Pen", CH, or H)

The pastel J line is identified with the model names CH or H. They are also casually referred to as purse pens. They are similar in design to the J line, with the same body style and jewels, but were offered in different colors. Color selection was wider than the normal J line, and varied based on two different generations. The CH had a clip, the H was clipless. This pen was demi-sized, and was only 4 3/8" capped.

The pastel pens are seen with black jewels, but can also be found with an array of colored jewels, frequently color matched to the body, but sometimes not.

Generation I (1950-1957)

• White - This can also be called an "SJW" or a "nurses" pen. Said pens had various colored jewels indicating ink color.
  

  

  White Nurses Pen.

• Pink
• Peach
• Yellow
• Aqua
• Blue
• Orchid

Generation II (1957-EOL)

• Polar White
• Tempo Red
• Trianon Rose
• Aloha Gold
• Country Green
• Peacock Blue

Prototype LJ

A prototype LJ was produced at one point during the life of the J family. The use of a spade style lever would indicate that it is an earlier production prototype, but that is not certain. It was a blue pen, similar to an Icicle in styling, but with more densely packed stripes running longitudinally around the body and cap. It is unclear how many of these are in the wild, though the number is sure to be small, possibly in the single digits. Brian Anderson of Esterbrook.net estimates that are three or four currently known.

Common Problems

• Frequently, J pens will be found with J-bars that have broken at the top of the curve due to corrosion and rust.
• Pastel pens have been known to have cracked edges on the end of the cap

External Links

• Esterbrook Brand Forum at FPN
• J Series Pens at Esterbrook.net
• Profile: The Esterbrook Model J Family at RichardsPens.com
• Esterbrook Pens at Penspotters
• David Isaacson's selection of Esterbrook pens

Footnotes