Today, I received the first of 3 (yes 3) Esterbrook pens I've won on ebay over the last week. It's a nice black, J Series Double Jewel. It came with both a 2556 and 9968 nib (the 9968 was new in the box). I don't care for the 2556 which is a fine nib, but the pen is great with the 9968 b nib in it. Got both for $13 shipped.

I though it was a pretty decent deal. Inked it up with some Quink BB and it's working very well. I should probably change the ink sac (once I figure out how), but it doesn't seem necessary just yet.

My other 2 ebay finds are a red-brown double jewel and another black J like the one I got today, but with a set of 5 or 6 italic & stub nibs. All look like they've not been used. Paid $26 for the latter shipped. I thought that was a steal.

Congratulations! You have no doubt figured out that Esterbrooks are like Greyhounds, they don't like to be the only one you have. On the other hand, they're much easier to care for!

Thanks. Here's some pics of the pens I won on ebay:









The pen I got in the mail today is the same pen as the one in the first pic.

Chris, looks like you got some Osmiroid italic nibs to go with your Esterbrook--they are great! I use them as much as the Estie nibs in my pens. Congrats!

Best, Ann

Osmiroid? Yes they are. Can't wait to give them a spin.

Ann, are the Osmiroid nibs smooth writers or like most italics real crisp and possible scratchy if not held just right...

Chris... congrats on a good find... you are going to love them.. I have 3 blues...
I am looking for a nice copper at the right price... that looks like such a great color... anyone want to trade for a blue writer...

Thanks OldGriz,

When I bid on that Osmiroid set, I never thought that I'd actually win. The bidding's usually pretty heavy for items like that. There was a Green Esty recently that had a Osmiroid nib on it and the it went for $20 or so. I figuered this set would command more than I was willing to spend. I was pleasantly surprised.

I have a bottle of Havana Brown waiting for that coppery Esty. It was mailed to me on Monday, so I should have it (hopefully) on Friday along with the Osmiroid set.

I have a feeling they're all going to have to be re-sac'ed in the not too distant future. I'm going to have to invest in some equipment and figure out how to do it.

Would love to hear what equipment is needed for resac-ing them.
I see Esterbrooks sold in big lots sometime in eBay. Most probably with sacs busted.
If I can get to resac them I can make myself a nice collection.

On the Pentrace site, there's an article on the front page about re-saccing FPs. I'm just not sure where on an Esterbrook the separation takes place or if it's a screw-in or what.

As far as material is concerned for an Esterbrook J all you need is a #16 sac and some Sac Shellac.... they are probably one of the easiest pens to work on... Heck, even I did not screw up the first one I did...

As for tools, I recommend the Tryphon Radial Wrench for removing the section... of course the first one I did the section came out with just hand pressure... but that is not normally the case..

Thanks for the info. Does the section slide out or screw out?

The section slides out...

BTW, for those of you who might not know this... Dennis Lively told me that the nibs from a Sheaffer Tip Dip fit the Esties and work like a dream.... now for an everyday writer those are sweet nibs to use .... I have a couple of those pens and the nibs are glass smooth for a steel nib...

So I got the Osmiroid set this morning. There's actually only 4 italic nibs: EF, F, M and B. The other 2 are Esterbrook 2556 nibs. All 6 nibs look to be in primo condition.

It's a shame the same can't be said for the pen. The bladder is completely shot on the pen. I guess I'll take a walk over to the FPH at lunch today and see about some sacs and sac cement.

The section came out with little effort and the bladder was broken off in the barrel. Thankfully, it came out in 1 piece. The pen appears fine otherwise.

What do I use to get the rest of the old sac off the section?

You can get most of what you need at the FPH. I'd recomment 'Da Book' if you think you're going to be doing other pens. It's a good read even if you aren't. You might pick up a J bar or two - sooner or later you'll come across an Estie with one that's rusted. 52mm will do I believe (memory, memory, where are you....)

To get the remainder of the sac off the nipple on the section, I generally just scrape with an edge (knife, scraper, ruler). If it was sealed with shellac, that can be removed with denatured alcohol - methyl hydrate etc.

Lucky you - walking distance from the FPH. I'd be spending all my spare time there!

Gerry

Congrats on your Estie discovery Chris, they are lovely to look at, write with and repair are super easy. One thing though, I was given this tip by Brian Anderson when he sent me my first Estie, "when you are ready to remove the nipple from the barrel dip it in hot water for a few seconds, this will make prevent you from breaking a pen at the end section, I killed my second Estie by not doing this, I cracked the threads completely! That hurt my pride, but I have not done that since. By all means, do get DA BOOK!

Once you start looking at all of the various pens in the Esterbrook line, you'll really go insane!!!

Enjoy!

Gerry,

Working a 10-minute walk from the FPH is not always a good thing.

My thumbnail got the rest of the sac off the section.


Angelo,

Thanks for the nib removal tip and the congrats.

After playing around with some of the italic nibs, I've discovered that the B one lays a HUGE line. Almost twice as wide as the line put down by the B nib in my 149. At least 3x as big as the Esterbrook 9968 firm B nib.

The italic M nib is huge too. I'l lhave to try out the fine one later.

Old Griz,

Yes, these nibs get scratchy (and will put a hole in you page) if you get careless with nib position.

Just got the red-brown esty. Very pretty. Sac was dust in the barrel.

Guess I'm resaccing 2 pens.

1 trip to FPH for 3 #17 sacs and a bottle of sac cement: $15.11.

2 re-sacced Esterbrooks: priceless (well not really maybe $20 on ebay instead of the $10 I paid)

Both re-sacced and working normally. Father is very proud.

Not bad for my first go at this sort of thing.

Richard Binder's article at Pentrace was extremely helpful.

A note about the nibs I got in the Osmiroid set: Both 2556 nibs are completely clogged. I'll have to try soaking them in a little warm water and dishwashing detergent overnight to see if I can loosen them up.

That red-brown Esty is really more of a dark shimmery copper. Almost looks like fake wood grain. Waterman Havanna Brown suits the pen well.

The 2 Estys I received today are actually LJs as they're smaller than my other Esterbrook.

Well done, Chris!

It is very satisfying to repair your own pens . Of course, now you're lost even more .

I hope you manage to unclog those nibs.

Warm regards, Wim

Way to go Chris, I think we got another Estie fanatic amongst us...

An overnight soak will likely clear the nibs, but don't be afraid to soak them longer if necessary. A radio Shack desoldering bulb is perfect for fitting to the nib and forcing water through them...

BTW, if your estie's are the same length as the J, but thinner they are LJ's, if they are thinner and shorter, they are SJ's

Congrats dad! You're going to enjoy the kids...

Gerry

I need to get a couple more medium or broad nibs for them that aren't italic to change it up. The italic nibs are cool, but you have to place them the right way on the paper. They're not very forgiving. And as a southpaw, I suspect they're less forgiving than if I was a righty.

My bad. You're right, they're SJ's. Got my IDs screwed up from esterbrook.net.

Re-saccing those pens was fun.

I should have bought some "Vintage Pen Polish" when I was at FPH today. There's always next week....