Rare? Esterbrook Feeds

[vnam43]

I haven't got a working camera at this moment - so bear with me.

 

Anyway, I have a feed that has no external air (ink?) channel. It is similar is shape to other feeds - has combs, same diameter, and just over 31mm in length. The channel is internal, shaped like a "U" and at the rear there is a slot across the feed just below the channel. The feed face is conical and at the top near the front there are two very thin slits forming a cross.

 

Is it rare or just not as common as the regular feeds.

 

I also have two other feeds in which the front bottom half has been cut across and tapered to the tip. The reduced combs on the sides are supplemented with cut outs alongside the air channel, as in Waterman's spoon feed, probably to help with flow irregularities or as a marketing ploy. At first I thought this feed was unique to the 3XXX series until I came across a 2668 with a similar feed. Both of these feeds have retainer pins.

 

Comments anyone?

[pajaro]

Those feeds with the pins and the thinner cross section are older feeds. I have one, a 2460, the seller labeled "pre-war." I am not sure it is pre-World War II, but it is older than the more familiar feeds. The one I have is a terrible, scratchy nib, because the nib is worn out. It's a curiosity. I think I know the other feed you are talking about, thin cuts between fins, mainly a solid feed. I have had a few. When they work, they are OK.

 

When you try a number of nibs you are bound to come across a variety of nib, feed and collar combinations. You might find clogged feeds, worn out nibs, units with a pin through the feed and collar, and feeds with differing form factors. It's all interesting. When the feeds work, they work about as well. Pens and nibs might have passed through many hands and had all kinds of inks used in them. You get a nib unit that won't work, and you might assume "man, these are no good." Someone, though, might have used India ink in the pen, or just used the pen and put it away for years with ink in it. I couldn't unclog a couple of feeds, but putting a different feed into the collar with the nib gave good results.

[Hobiwan]

Well, if this is the feed you're talking about, here are the pics of one I have, along with the drawings from the patent filing.

 

These are "much later" feeds for the 9xxx series of nibs. I haven't found any on later 1xxx and 2xxx nibs.

 

 

 

________________________________________________

And here's the blurb that accompanied the drawings:

 

856,881. Reservoir pens. ESTERBROOK PEN CO. April 2, 1957 [April 9, 1956], No. 10694/57. Class 146(3). A fountain pen comprises a feed-bar having an internal duct wholly within its body extending through its entire length and communicating at one end with the ink reservoir, the duct providing communicating capillary ink and air channels in juxtaposed relation of which the ink channels are located on that side of the air channel nearest the nib, the feed bar also having a transverse slot of capillary dimension underlying the nib and communicating with the capillary ink channels. As shown the feed-bar 10 is formed of extruded plastic material of circular cross-section having an internal duct of U- shaped cross-section which provides a capillary air channel (15b) and ink channels (15a) of slightly greater capillarity. The transverse slot (17) of greater capillarity than the ink channels 15a is cut in the upper part of the feed bar and intersects the ink channels to convey ink therefrom to the underside of the nib. A longitudinal capillary groove 21 is also provided on the upper surface of the feed-bar underlying the forward end of the nib and is intersected by the slot 17. Semi-annular capillary grooves 18 are cut in the underside of the feed-bar to serve as overflow chambers for any excess of ink which has been fed to the underside of the nib through the channels 15a, slot 17 and groove 21. When the pen is inverted the ink in the grooves 18 returns to the reservoir along the feed passages mentioned above. The air channel 15b is blocked in front of the slot 17 by a plug 22 of metal or plastic, air being fed to the channel 15b via the open front ends of the ink channels 15a. In a modification annular capillarygrooves extending completely round the feedbar replace the grooves 18, and the groove 21 extends backwards beyond the front end of the nib-section. A method of making the feed-bar is described wherein a blank of material extruded with the internal duct therein is held horizontally by a member which enters the air channel 15b at the front end of the blank while a notch 30 is cut in the rear end of the blank. The notch 30 is then used to key the blank in a holding fixture while the front end thereof is bevelled and rounded and the grooves 18, 21 and the slot 17 are cut. The nib and feed-bar may be assembled in a sleeve to form a removable insert which is screwed into the nib section.

 

____________________________________________________________

#17 is a razor-thin cut into the top of the feed. Apparently, that's where the ink flows up to the nib.

____________________________________________________________

I still couldn't figure out how the thing worked, even with the explanation. Maybe someone else can interpret and translate it into third-grade .... sure is a departure from the old Waterman-style fissure-feed.

Edited August 25, 2013 by Hobiwan

[vnam43]

I'm usually just satisfied that the pen parts are clean as possible considering I do not have a sonicator. Working the nib is another matter. The unique construction of this feed does take capillary action to another level. I was curious about the cross hatch but did not try to prove the connection to the internal channel. After reading your post tonight I went to test it. I used my flexible ear bulb and first tried a flow from the back end of the channel - not quite evidence of a connection - maybe another hand.... Then I tried a reverse flow from the cross hatch and a nice even flow showed at the end of the feed. Quite remarkable.

 

“It is not that I'm so smart. But I stay with the questions much longer.”
― Albert Einstein

[Hobiwan]

Well, you've gone further with this kind of feed than I have. Personally, I don't know why the Company would have developed this sort of feed, unless it might have been to accommodate a different ink, like Parker's fast-drying Quink, for example. But that's just a guess on my part. The basic feed design they started with worked well from day 1. Maybe one day, we'll find out why ... maybe one day ....

[GG917]

I have just got one of these feed on a 9550 nib, with the parallel to the slit inscription. I was quite surprise to see this, having only seen the other feeds before.

Are these feeds made of ebonite like the "simpler" ones? looks like it but I am unsure owning the fact that the ink channel need to be drilled...

[BaronWulfraed]

Well, you've gone further with this kind of feed than I have. Personally, I don't know why the Company would have developed this sort of feed, unless it might have been to accommodate a different ink, like Parker's fast-drying Quink, for example. But that's just a guess on my part. The basic feed design they started with worked well from day 1. Maybe one day, we'll find out why ... maybe one day ....

As with Sheaffer's Tip-Dip feeds, one should be able to refill the pen by only inserting the nib to just past the "U" opening, and not have to insert the fins into the ink. Much less clean-up needed after filling.