(This page revised June 22, 2012)
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Eversharp used three types of pressure bars in the filling system of its Skyline pen. Unlike the pressure bars in the vast majority of lever-filling pens, none of them is a J-bar. This brief article describes the three types and offers guidance on their removal and reinstallation.
Tools Required
The Three Types of Pressure Bars
In the photos on this page, the pressure bars are oriented as they would be with the barrel positioned as in the photo above.
The earliest (and least common) type looks similar to an early Sheaffer or Wahl pressure bar, with a wraparound “collar” that fits into the barrel. But the Skyline’s collar, as indicated by the orientation of the photo here, is near the proximal end of the barrel rather than the distal as with Sheaffer and Wahl; and the pressure bar extends farther into the barrel from the collar.
Removal: This type is very difficult to remove, as the collar fits into a recessed area inside the barrel so that you can’t just pull the thing out. Pulling on the bar will destroy it. You have to pry the collar out of its recess, and then you can drag the collar out, bringing the rest of the bar with it. (Usually, removing the pressure bar will require you to bend the collar inward, away from the barrel wall; once the bar is out, you can rebend the collar to its proper shape.)
Installation: Orient the part so that the pressure-bar portion is directly aligned with the lever slot, and squeeze the two sides of the collar together just enough to fit into the barrel opening. Insert the pressure bar into the barrel until the collar is as far as you can push it with your fingers. Then use a single-ended dental pick or a similar tool to push the collar carefully into the barrel until it snaps into position.
The second type is a long V-shaped bar that runs the entire length of the barrel. The bottom arm of the V, away from the lever, is longer than the pressure-bar arm, and it butts against the back edge of the section:
Removal: Grasp the end of the longer bottom arm with long-nose pliers and pull.
Installation: Orient the bar so that the shorter arm is directly aligned with the lever slot. Place the tip of a long narrow screwdriver’s blade at the root of the V, and push the bar into the barrel until it stops. This is typically not quite far enough; you will then need to grasp the long arm with pliers, as for removal, and push it farther in until it seats. Check seating by inserting the section; if the section seats fully against the barrel, the pressure bar is in properly.
The third (and most common) type is a unitized assembly with the lever. Eversharp used the trademark “Flip-Fill” for this design:
Removal: Raise the lever halfway and push the lever into the barrel while at the same time pushing it toward the open end (in effect pushing the lever diagonally into the barrel). This will free the snap ring, and you can then use alligator forceps to remove the assembly.
Installation: Grasp the end of the pressure bar with alligator forceps. Align the lever with the barrel’s lever slot, and start inserting the unit into the barrel. As you go, be sure that the ends of the snap ring encircle the pressure bar; it’s very easy to get one or both ends above the bar instead of below it. Continue inserting the unit until the distal end of the lever is about 2/3 of the way past the proximal end of the lever slot toward the distal end. Use a small pointed dental pick to pry the end of the lever up through the slot, then push the unit in farther.
Grasp the exposed end of the lever, raise the lever to its full upright position, and slide the unit back and forth in the lever slot until the snap ring snaps into its groove.
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