Hi guys!
I have an Esterbrook J with a 1550 nib and I have a hankering to try some of the other Esterbrook nibs on offer (not that the 1550 is bad - it looks like it's not even tipped, but it's glassy smooth). I know that Richard Binder and Esterbrook.net both carry a small selection of Renew Point nibs, but I was wondering if any of you might know of other reputable internet resources for Renew Points? Any advice would be much appreciated!

When I need a new point I grab one from a small box I keep in the second desk drawer from the top on the left. Same drawer I keep the ink in...I know, I'm no help.

There are some sellers on e-bay that have stores and regularly sell nibs with buy it now options. They do tend to be somewhat expensive.

A good place to look is the Market Place here. Try a want to buy ad.

I sometimes bottom feed on e-bay grabbing common pens mostly for the nibs.

Once in a while I have a few for sale but right now I don't have any NOS nibs extra.

Todd

Where's that drawer, Todd? ;-)

Pendemonium has a few nibs to choose from as well.

i received 2 nibs (2668 and 2556 I think) from Richard. He has a ok selection, at least for my needs, and was fast and reasonable, as he always is!

Just today I got a 2668 from Richard, and all I can say is "Wow!" Writes smooth as silk. I also got a 2314B off the Internet, NOS and in the original box.

Incidentally, you can tell the difference between Richard and ordinary Ebay sellers just by the packaging. Richard's was packed lovingly in a box with ample plastic "peanuts." I winced when I saw the other package -- in an envelope with a little bubble wrap and barely any padding! It could easily have been damaged in transit!

However, it wasn't damaged and I must say that it writes like a dream as well. Really funky, old-fashioned way of writing. Not great for note-taking but it will be result in some really great personal notes.

You will, of course, need another Estie so you can have both nibs inked and ready! ;-)

Here's a follow up question, as suggested by Dobro - any good sources for nib-less Esterbrooks?

I've gotten one or two off ebay that didn't have nibs...and a couple more with nibs that I knew were bad going into the deal.

Guys, I have a dumb newbie question. Does it cause much wear and tear on either the nibs or the pen to change 'em frequently? (Not that I plan to do so, as it is messy no matter how carefully I drain the ink.)

I have this fear that if I overtighten the nib I will somehow damage the pen.

No problems at all with changing renew points. Just be sure to clean the one you take out before it dries out and gets clogged. If you are brave, you can even change them with ink in the pen but I find it easier to just have a bunch of Esties inked if I want a selection of nibs.

Todd

Thanks Todd. To clean the nib, what I just do is to drain the remaining ink on a paper towel. Do I need to do anything more ambitious?

I usually just toss them in a glass of water and then rinse them in the sink. Sometimes I get exotic and blow them out with a rubber bulb.

Todd

If you want, I can send you one of my "P~grind" italic Estie nibs. Really fun to write with; smooth and crisp. $25 post paid CONUS, or $20 if you send me the nib to grind. Money back if you don't want to keep it. Paypal only.

Grins and grinds ~ =)
pb2

Thanks, Todd. My next question is of the embarrassing newbie variety, but here it goes: what about cleaning the pen? Just flush it out with water or what? I read somewhere that some pens can't be flushed out with water, and I didn't want to take any chances with my gorgeous (but possibly never-cleaned) Estie J.

I also have a Parker 45 and a Sheaffer Targa that need cleaning, definitely for the first time for both.

Remember when I posted in the other Renew Point thread and said that grinding up antique Esterbrook nibs was horrible sacrilege?

I actually got my hands on a 9048 and a 9314F from Sumney Quill (excellent to deal with) in the marketplace - these are really interesting nibs. The 9048 (flexible fine) is surprisingly smoother than the 9314 stub, and not all that flexible compared to some old Warranted nibs I have. It would be swell if a modern pen company produced user-swappable nibs like this - Pelikan does, of course, but not in the bizarre profusion of the Renew Points.

Ghosofat, I think flushing with water is generally recommended - just use cool or room temperature water and you should be fine.

I like it when people want to make sure their pens are clean. You are starting out right.

To clean the 45, you can remove the barrel and filler (it will be a cartridge or converter) and dunk the entire front part of the pen in water or 10% ammonia solution. I usually start by just holding the pen under running water to get the worst of the gunk out. The nibs on a 45 do screw out but the feed is somewhat fragile if the ink is dried in and holding it tight. I usually remove the nib after it soaks a while. If you have an ultrasonic cleaner that works even better. To clean a converter you can just fill and rinse it with water until the color stops. It can take a while and letting the water stand in the sac for while helps.

(On a side note, the 45 is a good pen and the nibs are very easy to change. There isn't the variety that Esterbrook had but they can be very nice writers and they are often found for less than an Estie! Now we shouldn't be talking Parker here or our $1.50 pens may get jealous and spew ink on us.)

For the Estie, just fill it with water and then squirt out the water with a lift of the lever. (This is also a good way to clean out a nib.) Do it enough times and it will run clear. Try and avoid giving an Esterbrook the plunge. The J-bar inside will rust pretty easily if it gets and stays wet. I usually use a q-tip to clean the threads in the section after I take out the nib. I store my Esties with the nibs out and I leave them out to dry completely before putting them in the drawer.

Sheaffer Targa, humm I haven't used one in years but I'd just try flushing it like the Estie and see what happens.

It is easy to say and no so easy to do, but never store a pen for a long time with ink in it. It is always worth the effort to clean them first then store them instead of storing them then restoring them when you are ready to use them. This really isn't a problem until you have more than enough pens to use a different one every month or week or dare I say day? (Someone did tell you the FPs were sort of addictive right.)

Todd

Hey thanks much Todd, that is very helpful.

You know, I have a very vague recollection that when I first got the Parker 45 it came with two types of fillers, and I chose the converter filler. Alas, I forget how I remove the filler. Does it unscrew or do I pull it straight out? (If you know, this being the wrong brand forum and all...)

We can make an exception on the Esterbrook only rule since the Estie is your favorite pen!

The Parker 45 would have come with a converter and a cartridge. They both pull straight off.

Todd

Indeed they do, and I cleaned the 45 and the Estie today. Many thanks for your help on this. I also cleaned my Targa, also for the first time in its relative young 25 year or so life span.

I then filled the Estie with Sheaffer black ink, which I suspected (correctly) is better for writing with the 2314B broad nib.

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I'm not a dealer but have 80 NIB Renew Points and about 48 used of all kinds. Tell me what you are hankering for and I'll try to accommodate you for a non-dealer price. I have only seen nibs in the 1xxx, 2xxx, 3xxx and 9xxx series. The boxes on the 1,2 and 3 series state "Solid Durachrome". The 9xxx series boxes state "Master Durachrome". I understand that only the 9xxx Master series are iridium tipped. Each series has a x668 model for "general writing". The x314 F, M & B are stubs. These are supposedly designed for "general correspondence". Your 1550 is a "firm fine small (bookkeeping)".

In my humble opinion, the best of the bunche(s) are the x668s, "firm medium" for "general correspondence". I now exclusively use a 9668 with a plain black DB113 single pen desk set. All the pastels, groovy 144s (dipless) and other stuff are in boxes - to be kept, along with my pen collection, for any of my descendants who may inherit the compulsive pen gene.

Write me at torcal@earthlink.net, put "Esterbrook" in the subject line to make it easier to find in my SPAM filter and we can work something out. Kurt.

Hi Kurt,
Thanks for the kind offer - I ended up getting the nibs I was looking for from another FPNer. There are always people looking for Renew Points on FPN though. You might post a general notice here or in the marketplace if you want to offer them widely.

I thought the 3XXX nibs were iridium-tipped: is this false?

Anyone in Richmond, Virginia?

Cause this looks like a great deal...http://richmond.craigslist.org/art/663623586.html

Regrettably, it doesn't look like he ships outside of Richmond. Or even respond to telephone calls outside...