I've recently purchased a variety of 9XXX series nibs to try out on several project pens I'm working on.

I've managed to find a 9048, 9128, and 9788...but have found all 3 to be quite toothy out of the box. The 9048 and 9788 were both NOS and the 9128 was in used, but excellent condition.

I was actually pleasantly surprised at the degree of flex (especially in the 9048) but was otherwise underwhelmed. I managed to smooth the inner edges of the tines on one of them to make it moderately passable, but still leaves a lot to be desired.

Is this a common experience with these "flex" nibs or did I just get unlucky? If this is common, any specific suggestions or observations as to the cause of this toothiness?

I love the idea of Esterbrooks, but the nibs just drive me crazy. Unless the nib was specially smoothed for me or by me, I have yet to find a smooth Esterbrook nib out of a box, or bought in a transaction. I have found a smooth Venus nib, which fits into Esterbrook pens, but not an Esterbrook nib. Just my experience.
Andrew

My 9048 is fine writing with no pressure. Put some pressure, get some flex and the tines turn into paper cutters @@ While that may be an exaggeration, you get the idea

I just picked up a 9788 from Richard Binder and I noticed the same thing .. but I also noticed that the tines are pretty easily split just a tiny bit when any pressure is put on it. So if you don't write with a very light hand, the tines move apart just enough to become scratchy. I've tried to look at the nib under a loupe but the tines seem to be perfectly aligned next to each other so I imagine what I detailed above must be the problem.

It's the nature of the beast. When the tines flex apart, the rougher surfaces on the inside of the slit hit the paper. This doesn't happen with stiffer nibs.

Those are all rather esoteric nibs. I use 9550, 9556, 2556 nibs that have all been well behaved.

I'm assuming that the reason they behave well is that they do not flex right? My 9556 fine nib has no flex at all and writes great. It's finer and smoother than my Lamy 2000 EF, and Pelikan M150 EF, which I hardly call Extra Fine. They're more like Medium-Fine.

I recently picked up a 2048 "Flexible Fine" off of eBay, and it is s*c*r*a*t*c*h*y, yes indeed. However, I knew it probably would be after reading this thread. I may try smoothing it a bit with some high grit sandpaper I've got on hand which I got for touching up a few spots on my truck (I can't remember right offhand, I know at least 1500, possibly higher.) As a matter of fact, I got the nib before I got the pen, then had to go looking for a body to put it on!

Not to worry, the scratchiness reminds me a whole lot of the Hunt crowquills that I used, o these many years ago, and it does make an admirable drawing pen if a very light touch is used. So, the Esterbrook will probably be used for drawing mostly rather than writing.

Of course, that kind of defeats the purpose of being a flexible writing nib.

I stay mainly with the 9668 (2668) as my favorites but also like the 9556 (2556) nibs. The 15XX series I can't use no matter what as they ae just like trying to write with needles (for me anyway). I am currently trying a 2048 with decent success. I agree with RoseHawke it is scratchy but I can use it better than the 15XX nibs

I found the 9128 I had scratchy with any pressure.... I think its the "inner" edges of the slit when spread that catch and scratch.... Wrote fine without pressure, not smooth, but not cutting paper either.

I recently tried a 1551 that came with a pen...dipped it was pretty nice. I really like the 9668s also, and have a 3668 in my main blue dollar "daily" pen. Last night I put the 1551 in my red ink pen that I'd been using with a 9450, and it's like butter! Blew me away how smooth it is...better than the 9668s even. This particular nib must just be well broken-in by someone who wrote with a similar angle as I do. It just fits...as long as I use it at the correct angle! "Off-axis", it can scratch.

I have decided I like my 2048 nib. It's still a little scratchy or toothy but not to the point of annoyance. I will hopefully write a review this week.

Rapt nailed it. Putting a VERY slight radius on the inside of each tip half should make the problem go away. When I say slight, I mean REALLY slight, almost invisible with a 15x loupe -- and it has to be polished mirror-smooth, too. The best way to see this done right is to take a look at an old Waterman flex nib. Then you'll get an idea of what needs to be done. Too much radius and you'll have a pen that won't write on the first stroke. My very first Parker 51 Special "paddle nib" came about as a result of my learning process in this area. I finally got it right after about a half-dozen tries, before I "ran out of nib."

I just set up an Esti with a 2314 F Stub and it is truly sweet. No tooth and very smooth.

Philip

I have several Esties and a bunch of nibs.

I like fine/x-fine nibs and in my experience it is hit or miss (even NOS). The 9xxx Master Series points are the better made (they were tipped with iridium) but I have found some broken in DuraChrome points 2xxx/1xxx (these were rolled tipped - no metal added to the nib) that were smoother than NOS 9xxx series. I have not been lucky enough to find a flex nib that was smooth out of the box. But after a few careful minutes of smoothing and tweaking, they can fun inexpensive flexies.

One thing about the Estie nibs, I typically smooth mine a tad, if you decide to do the same, be careful as there is not a lot to work with on the nibs especially the DuraChrome points.

I use my esterbrooks almost constantly, you might want to try some of the manifold nibs if you want more smoothness. Strong, not flexible, with a smooth ball tip.

9128 is a very fine nib with the most flex of any Esterbrook nib I've tried. Since it has a ball tip, it doesn't cut fibers on delicate watercolor paper when I'm detail lining. This is my all time favorite nib for post wash detailing. It is is a medium fast nib if you keep it clean and tolerates Hero Carbon Ink, Platinum Carbon Black Ink, and on a dropper filler body it's downright juicy. This is NOT a regular writing nib. It definitely has its sweet spot with the pen held higher, in more of a paintbrush position. It is ideal fine expressive lines. If you hold this in a lower position, it is definitely scratchy. Look at it closely with a loupe and you'll see why. This is the finest, fastest ultra fine I know of that doesn't cut fibers on soft paper--tradeoff is that it's scratchy when used for regular writing. This is also the BEST nib if you want to create a hooked nib (bending the tines downward a bit).

9048 is almost as fine as 9128, but it has its nib ball shaped forward, so you can write smoothly with it. And yes, it's a little scratchier than your average fine . . . because it's finer. This is as fine as a Sailor Extra fine or even a Rotring Art Pen Extra Fine. I like this for lining when I want a little more variation in line width. It is not as tolerant of Carbon ink as the 9128, and you write with more pressure without increasing the flow. , , and 9788. I've found that I can roll this pen and get a beautiful variation of in a fine line that is rich. It can be a little skippy if you are using big arm motions--but if you work WITH the pen and find its speed . . . you can make broad sweeps and even sketch with it.

9788 expressive for a light hand, more like a fine than a medium. Juicy and a fast writer. If you keep it very clean, this is a good sketcher when sketching large. This nib likes to be held high, similar to the 9128, but if you want to hold it low, just keep using it. I took one of these and my paper thin shining file to buff out the underside where the two halves of the irridium bead meet, giving it a little more "butt cheek" and a little less "pursed lip" look. Now mine is much smoother. I love this one for sketching on big (30"x22") paper when I use my arm for motion and not my wrist. I don't like it for regular writing because the flow is too much and it is picky about its angle of "attack".

Flexible nibs very often have a "pursed lip" look to them and they are much more sensitive to the writing angle. In my experience, when people say that a flexible nib has too much friction--they usually are holding it too low. Firmer nibs are much more forgiving.

Now . . . for super smooth writing in the 9000 series, try a Manifold nib if you want a fine line, like a 9460 (m), or 9461(f). These are very forgiving nibs. You can prettty much hold them at any angle. And if you have a heavier hand . . . the big ball tip keeps you from feeling anything scratchy. By the way, the 9461 is super for just about any kind of writing. You can even flip it upside down and it'll write. What it won't do is flow strongly . . They're not flexible, but they are smooth.