So, I got this Esterbrook from Ebay, and when it arrived it was clear that the 1555 fine nib had been dropped from a great height, or used to murder someone, or something. Bent, scratchy to the point of tearing the paper. Luckily, I'd ordered another nib, a boxed mint 9555 fine. It seemed undamaged to the naked eye. But when I tried it it was almost as scratchy. My magnifying glass was nothing like strong enough to see what the problem was. I thought about buying a loupe -- but this cheap jeans-pocket knockaround pen was starting to cost more than the nice pens I was trying to protect.

Then a dim memory from high school science seeped into my middle-aged brain. Wasn't it possible to make a microscope out of a water drop? I tried some directions that I found on the Internet, a kid's project that involved poking a hole through a piece of foil, but it didn't work.

What did work for me was using small washers to contain the drop of water. I tried two. The smallest has a hole an eight of an inch diameter. I used a spring paper clip as a handle, put a drop of water in with an eyedropper, and there was my loupe!

Actually, handshake was a problem. So I clipped it to a notebook so that I could project it out over the edge of a table and hold the nib steady under it by bracing my hands against the side of the table. That worked pretty well. It seems like the smaller the drop, the more powerful the magnification, and this one is actually a little too strong. I can't estimate the magnification, but the nib looks about as big as a truck. You still have to fight handshake, but boy, you can really see the ugly truth about your nib.

The larger washer has a hole a quarter of an inch in diameter. A water drop won't stay in it alone, so I put the washer down on a piece of flat, clear plastic (I used an old orienteering compass, but a clear plastic clipboard or something like that would also work). Then I put a couple of drops of water in. A little vaseline on the underside of the washer helps keep the water from leaking out. This one doesn't give quite as much magnification as I would like, although handshake is less of a problem, and depth of focus is a little more forgiving -- in other words, you don't have to hold it quite as precisely to keep it in focus . Something halfway between would be worth a try, but I don't have anything that size.

You can also adjust the magnification somewhat with the amount of water you put in. Magnification is greatest with the most water, which gives the highest curve at the top of the drop. Less water means less magnification. (You see this with the bigger washer -- as the water seeps out around the base magnification gets less and less.)

Finally, you need a lot of light. The trick is to keep the light out of your eyes, and off of the surface of the drop (or it will glare and you won't see much). I used an adjustable architect's lamp. You might also be able to rig up a small flashlight, or use sunlight coming onto a windowsill.

Using these "loupes" I was able to see that the murder weapon nib was in fact a real mess. The tines were out of alignment, and the writing surface had sharp edges, I guess from long wear. I aligned the nibs, and for practice am using the finest grit sandpaper (1500) I could get at the local hardware store to reshape the nib. It writes a lot better, but still digs in on the upstroke. I'll keep practicing on it.

The other nib is in alignment and seems round, so I'm not sure what the problem is there. I'll tackle that one after I can find a finer abrasive, and after I've practiced on the other one some more.

These homemade loupes are a little awkward to use -- you have to bend over the table and get your eye right over the drop of water, and there's a little distortion around the edges. If you're going to be doing much nib work at all, you'll probably want to spring for a real loupe. But if you're cheap like me, or just looking for a little entertainment with the wonders of nature, you might give this a try.

Picture?

Here you go (assuming the attachment works). As you can see, it's a pretty simple setup. The whole thing is on the edge of a table, the shot is taken looking straight down.

At the left is the small washer that gives the greatest magnification. Since it's so small, surface tension holds the water in without the need for any plastic. The bigger washer on the right has to be on the plastic, or else the water just falls through. (The square lens on the far right is built into the compass, but isn't strong enough for nib work).

I'm holding the pen under the big washer for illustration purposes. In real life, all you'd see is the back of my head, since you've got to get your eye right on top of the lens to see anything.

Hi Alsponsor,

Thanks for sharing this. I'll remember this if I ever need a loupe and I don't have any with me.

Regarding nib smoothing I have to say: Aaaaaaarrrrggghhh! 1500 grit to a nib is like using grit 30 on a car's paint surface. And I do speak from experience...

Just check out my article (I'll give you the link, to prevent Roger from coercing me to do it ):

Grinding Nib Experiences

HTH, warm regards, Wim