I've finally started fiddling with the Esterbrooks I picked up on eBay a while ago. I've cleaned and re-sacced two of them, both J-series, a nifty copper-colored one for the mum and a nice green one for myself. Both have 2556 nibs. Mum's is extra-fine and dry as a bone. I tried to work on it with the nib-flossing kit from Tryphon, but it's still so thin and dry that it's barely putting ink on the page. Then there's mine: broader than my Pelikan F nib, and a rather wet writer.

So which one is closer to the way this nib ought to be?

I've had quite a few 2556s that are medium-fine or medium. They tend to vary quite a bit for some reason. Once in a while you'll get one that just does not feel like writing. I would say that the first one is probably a little closer to the line size that the nib should be, but it shouldn't be dry.

Thanks, I'll have another go at it with the flossing kit.

I have been using one for a few weeks and can have it do two different lines. If I hold the nib normal to the paper I get the finer line but don't need to much preassure. It's a bit toothy but as long as I keep very light preassure I'm OK. Now, with the same nib, I can get the Fine/Med line also just by rotating the nib maybe 5 degree's on the paper. All the same angles just the difference in rotation.

I am guessing that your feed needs cleaning. It looks like it might be restricting the ink flow due to some dried crud rather than the nib needing adjustment..

If the nib needs adjustment for more flow, you need to lift the tines slightly above the feed, not just floss them so the gap is greater. Finally a scratchy nib suggests that the tines are not perfectly aligned. A magnifying glass will help you see the end points and adjust for alignment.

As a last resort, you can just swap out the old nib assembly for a different one. Sometimes a pen got filled with India ink and the feed is no longer porous.

I soaked it for a few hours in a 10% ammonia solution, then ran it through the ultrasonic cleaner for a good half-dozen three-minute cycles. It seems crud-free, but I'll take another look.



Thanks, I wasn't aware I needed to lift the tines. I thought the nib flossing kit was all I needed. I do believe it needs a bit of flossing, though, because the tines meet at the tip, no light passes between them at all. I've ordered a good loupe, and I'll have a go at re-aligning the scratchy, too-wide one once it arrives.



I've already done that. I really like both of these pens, and they're my first two restored Esterbrooks, so I wanted the better type of nib. I've ordered a pair of the Master series nibs from Richard Binder. The prices were quite reasonable, but still more than I paid for either pen.

I'm going to try to get the existing nibs working, in case I need replacement nibs for the other Esties I'm trying to knock into shape and re-sell.