I work at a Civil Engineering firm and was going through one of the supply drawers today and came across a box of Esterbrook nibs. The nibs say art and drafting on them as well as the number 357. I was wondering if anyone can tell me what these are used for. They have a rather odd shape to them as well as a long oval shaped breather hole.

They are medium-size super-flexible nibs used for -- wait for it -- art and drafting. Lettering. That sort of thing. They are dip pen nibs.

Here's one way they were sold, in art supply stores: http://hans.presto.tripod.com/nibs/esterbrook.html

They'll probably be very good for "copperplate" style lettering.

Thanks for the information. Now I guess I need to find myself a dip pen that they will fit. Still not sure why we would have them since everything we do/did is all done with real thin lines, and is now all done with computers.

Any dip pen handle will work.

Your box of nibs might have been purchased for cartographic work, for artist's renderings of projects, for lettering that needed to be different from the stuff you could do with a Leroy stencil, or maybe there was an engineer or a technician on staff who just liked to draw using pen and ink.

I tried Esterbrook's drafting nib 355 -- if I'm remembering the number correctly -- and it was way too fine and flexible for me compared to other nibs I've used. If you've got the right touch it could be fun. Many an old dip pen holder should fit it.