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https://leadheadpencils.blogspot.com/2015/11/vestigial-eversharps.html”), from the early hard rubber utility pencils:
Through the later, more streamlined ones:
In 1930 or 1931 – better documentary evidence is still waiting for us out there somewhere – Eversharp transitioned from the z-clip shown in that top example to the bolted-on clip, adding some new colors to the lineup in the process. Then the company switched out the insides, from basically the same mechanism the company had been using on all of its pencils since Charles Keeran invented it in 1913 to the Equipoised mechanism, which was a little longer and has that extra metal ring at the top (compare the second and third examples from the top in that last picture).
There were some different variations in colors withhin these variants, and I’ve been having a lot of fun tracking down all the different colors. Sometimes surprises come up, like when this yellow example popped up online:
It was missing the clip, but what caught my eye was where the clip was: those two holes are an indication that this one had a bolted-on clip, when all of the yellow examples I had seen before were of the earlier z-clip variety, like these:
Eversharp didn’t do anything to make sure those bolts wouldn’t unscrew themselves, so these clips frequently go missing – which is why I keep a supply of the common cream-colored bumblebee examples on hand for parts. In fact, when they are reasonable, I always pick them up, and at the same time I put in a healthy bid on the yellow example, another common one showed up as a “buy it now” for $14.99. I picked it up solely for the clip and the bolt securing it, just so I could make the swap without diminishing my supply of clips on hand.
The opening bid on the yellow example was 99 cents plus shipping. I won’t tell you the embarrassing bid that I put in on it, thinking someone else might notice another unusual Eversharp variant which is so easy to repair. What’s more embarrassing is that nobody did, so I paid 99 cents for the rare pencil and $15 for the clip to go on it.
In the meantime, I decided to root around to see if there were any more bolt-on clip Eversharps out there to add to my parts bins, and I saw this one.
It had made the rounds in the online auctions a few times, never getting the opening bid of $20. I’d let it slide a few times, since that great limeade bumblebee color is really scarce, and I already had one in the Equipoised-mechanism model . . . I picked it up for just a couple bucks in a flea market junk box. What I didn’t have was one with the earlier mechanism like the red example at top in this next picture:
I knew they existed, because Joe has one - in fact, I fixed it for him and photographed it a while back (see https://leadheadpencils.blogspot.com/2016/09/a-few-good-clips.html and https://leadheadpencils.blogspot.com/2016/11/judiciously-mixing-and-matching.html):
So I decided to spring for that second Equipoised model to convert it into the earlier model, throwing in the $20 opening bid on what must have been its fourth or fifth time around the horn. Then. . . what the hell . . . I was bid up to $30 by the time it closed. Sigh . . . at least I was expecting something goofy like that to happen and had bid more, and besides -- between this one and my 99 cent wonder, at least I only paid $15.50 apiece (ok, not counting the extra $15 for the clip) and that isn’t so bad.
Here’s how I converted it. Remember, you can’t convert an earlier model to take the later Equipoised mechanism - you can only go the other way. To remove the Equipoised mechanism, remember that the tips are reverse threaded. When you’ve got the tip off, press the end of the mechanism on a flat surface and the whole works will pop out:
I could have shined up that cap, but I”ve got so many common cream bumblebee pencils missing clips now that it was easier to just pull a clean one out of my parts bins. As for the earlier works, I had another Eversharp missing its clip in the parts drawer – and yes, that’s the same works inside and the top is the same as what’s under the caps on all of these:
The earlier tips have standard threading. Remove the tip and pull the whole works out by the mechanism - I never had to pull the mechanism out of the threaded tube for the entire transplant:
Simply push the threaded tube, mechanism and all, into the new barrel and screw the tip back in place. Earlier mechanisms fit much more tightly into the later Equipoised examples, but don’t worry - it will fit so don’t be afraid to push hard and show it who’s boss:
Dang, that clip looks nasty, and you might wonder why I didn’t do a transplant on this one. Before I do, I’ll try to give it a buff – these are solid steel, so you can push pretty hard and unless the surface rust has pitted the surface, they usually clean up pretty nicely. Such was the case here:
So with a clip transplant and a mechanism transplant – ok two mechanism transplants – I’ve added three examples to the Dollar Pencil array:
Ok, I know I know . . . I said I’ve been careful not to mix and match things in ways that I haven’t confirmed originally were made . . . but dammit, I love that lapis and I really wanted one. I couldn’t resist the urge to “make” one of these, so sue me. Maybe I’ll attach a warning tag to it so future generations know this is a Leadhead’s special.
And when you see the whole spread, you’ll understand that if this is wrong, I don’t want to be right . . .
Through the later, more streamlined ones:
In 1930 or 1931 – better documentary evidence is still waiting for us out there somewhere – Eversharp transitioned from the z-clip shown in that top example to the bolted-on clip, adding some new colors to the lineup in the process. Then the company switched out the insides, from basically the same mechanism the company had been using on all of its pencils since Charles Keeran invented it in 1913 to the Equipoised mechanism, which was a little longer and has that extra metal ring at the top (compare the second and third examples from the top in that last picture).
There were some different variations in colors withhin these variants, and I’ve been having a lot of fun tracking down all the different colors. Sometimes surprises come up, like when this yellow example popped up online:
It was missing the clip, but what caught my eye was where the clip was: those two holes are an indication that this one had a bolted-on clip, when all of the yellow examples I had seen before were of the earlier z-clip variety, like these:
Eversharp didn’t do anything to make sure those bolts wouldn’t unscrew themselves, so these clips frequently go missing – which is why I keep a supply of the common cream-colored bumblebee examples on hand for parts. In fact, when they are reasonable, I always pick them up, and at the same time I put in a healthy bid on the yellow example, another common one showed up as a “buy it now” for $14.99. I picked it up solely for the clip and the bolt securing it, just so I could make the swap without diminishing my supply of clips on hand.
The opening bid on the yellow example was 99 cents plus shipping. I won’t tell you the embarrassing bid that I put in on it, thinking someone else might notice another unusual Eversharp variant which is so easy to repair. What’s more embarrassing is that nobody did, so I paid 99 cents for the rare pencil and $15 for the clip to go on it.
In the meantime, I decided to root around to see if there were any more bolt-on clip Eversharps out there to add to my parts bins, and I saw this one.
It had made the rounds in the online auctions a few times, never getting the opening bid of $20. I’d let it slide a few times, since that great limeade bumblebee color is really scarce, and I already had one in the Equipoised-mechanism model . . . I picked it up for just a couple bucks in a flea market junk box. What I didn’t have was one with the earlier mechanism like the red example at top in this next picture:
I knew they existed, because Joe has one - in fact, I fixed it for him and photographed it a while back (see https://leadheadpencils.blogspot.com/2016/09/a-few-good-clips.html and https://leadheadpencils.blogspot.com/2016/11/judiciously-mixing-and-matching.html):
So I decided to spring for that second Equipoised model to convert it into the earlier model, throwing in the $20 opening bid on what must have been its fourth or fifth time around the horn. Then. . . what the hell . . . I was bid up to $30 by the time it closed. Sigh . . . at least I was expecting something goofy like that to happen and had bid more, and besides -- between this one and my 99 cent wonder, at least I only paid $15.50 apiece (ok, not counting the extra $15 for the clip) and that isn’t so bad.
Here’s how I converted it. Remember, you can’t convert an earlier model to take the later Equipoised mechanism - you can only go the other way. To remove the Equipoised mechanism, remember that the tips are reverse threaded. When you’ve got the tip off, press the end of the mechanism on a flat surface and the whole works will pop out:
I could have shined up that cap, but I”ve got so many common cream bumblebee pencils missing clips now that it was easier to just pull a clean one out of my parts bins. As for the earlier works, I had another Eversharp missing its clip in the parts drawer – and yes, that’s the same works inside and the top is the same as what’s under the caps on all of these:
The earlier tips have standard threading. Remove the tip and pull the whole works out by the mechanism - I never had to pull the mechanism out of the threaded tube for the entire transplant:
Simply push the threaded tube, mechanism and all, into the new barrel and screw the tip back in place. Earlier mechanisms fit much more tightly into the later Equipoised examples, but don’t worry - it will fit so don’t be afraid to push hard and show it who’s boss:
Dang, that clip looks nasty, and you might wonder why I didn’t do a transplant on this one. Before I do, I’ll try to give it a buff – these are solid steel, so you can push pretty hard and unless the surface rust has pitted the surface, they usually clean up pretty nicely. Such was the case here:
So with a clip transplant and a mechanism transplant – ok two mechanism transplants – I’ve added three examples to the Dollar Pencil array:
Ok, I know I know . . . I said I’ve been careful not to mix and match things in ways that I haven’t confirmed originally were made . . . but dammit, I love that lapis and I really wanted one. I couldn’t resist the urge to “make” one of these, so sue me. Maybe I’ll attach a warning tag to it so future generations know this is a Leadhead’s special.
And when you see the whole spread, you’ll understand that if this is wrong, I don’t want to be right . . .
1 comment:
That final photo - they look great
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