I've just received from ebay a demi with an 2048. The pen itself seems fine but the nib is bent out of shape! The tines are offset in such a way that, in the writing position, one points up and one points down. I have managed to bend them back so that they are aligned horizontally, but the distance between them is still too wide and the ink doesn't seem to be able to flow smoothly from the feed to the tip of the nib; and even when the ink does flow, the line produced is still too broad.

Is there any simple way that I could "pinch" the tines together so that they are right next to each other?

Thanks

Yes there is, although without seeing the nib, it's difficult to guess the actual distortion one is attempting to fix.

If it is just a case of the tines being spread a little too much apart, they can be brought together by pressing one above the other and over to the side it needs to go, Repeat on the other tine taking it above the other and over to the side (towards/past the other tine). repeat as necessary.

HTH.

Gerry

As Gerry said it is difficult to say unless we see, because there are actually 2 different problems. Diverging tines but also whether the nib seats firmly on the feed (i.e., if it looses contact close to the end of the feed. In a flex nib you can bring back the tines by lifting one and pushing the other under - you need to cross them a bit to bring the back. Just as Gerry said repeat with the other so that you dont ruing the alignment of the tines. Just pushing them one against the other on the slit does not work because of the elastic spring back. The second problem - if it is mild it can be corrected by pushing the tip down towards the underside (preferably with the feed knocked out). But if it is more that just a tiny bit off the e feed then you need a nib block (or equivalent). If I am too cryptic in my answer please yell

Thanks for your replies...I should've thought of including the pictures earlier. This is what the nib looks like right now. It's still a little bit offset horizontally, as can be seen in the second picture, and the tines aren't exactly straight...but should this be good enough? When I dip the pen and write with it, it tends to discharge most of the ink upon contact with the paper, making the first few strokes tremendously wet and the subsequent ones dry enough that noodler's black looks more like grey. If the nib looks fine then I should start looking somewhere else for the problem.

Every time I see a posting asking about how to fix a pen or nib... something we were taught in SEAL school comes to mind.....

"There is nothing that can not be fixed with an appropriate application of suitable high explosives"

YES, I know it has nothing to do with the subject... but I find it interesting that that quote still comes to mind when I see a question about how to fix something

Hi,

Just send it in and I will fix it for free if you want.

Dillon

Nice pictures.

And you do have the problem that Antonios mentioned. Looking closely at the second picture, you will see that there is a definite point where the nib takes an upward curve - rising above the feed. You might try his fix, trying to bend the nib down, but the amount of the bend (and the hint of a fold/crease where it bends) suggests you are unlikely to get this one back in shape without dissassembling and using a nib block...

Gerry

Thanks a lot guys. I think I will send it in to Dillon for a fix, if it isn't too much trouble (will PM you).

Just for reference, how exactly do you knock the nib out from the feed?

With Esterbrook there are two main types of renew-points. Yours has a full comb feed and is easier to separate. Esterbrook combined the nib and feed then placed a sleeve or collar around them and crimped them in place. If you remove the renew-point it will not fit in a standard knock out block as the width of the nib exceeds the width of the feed and sleeve. I created a knock out block made from wood with a slit down the middle of the hole to accomodate the width of the nib, yet still allow me to hold the renew-point to knock it out. With this style it is possible to break off the tiny portion of the sleeve that is crimped when you knock it out. When you replace, just twist the sleeve around and you'll not have a problem.

With older flat feed renew-points, the problem is more complex and can be more difficult. Esterbrook used a metal pin to hold the sleeve and nib/feed together. If you can knock out the pin, you can easily push or knock out the nib and feed. However, I've found many of these pins are rusted or otherwise impossible to remove. Being so small, I use a shaved down paperclip or a pin of the right size to knock out the pin. You have to look carefully on older units as the pin can sometimes be disguised in old dried crusty ink and if you try to knock out as in the method above you'll break the sleeve and feed in the process.

So there you have it, more than you wanted to know about knocking out an Esterbrook renew-point.

Best-
Brian

So there you have it, more than you wanted to know about knocking out an Esterbrook renew-point.
not so, brian - in my very limited experience, i had assumed that the renew points were one piece since the two i had tried to disassemble literally disintegrated - one from age/ink, the other from excessive force on my part. i didn't know about the pinned ones.
thanx!

Yeah, I've discovered the pin the hard way myself, although fortunately without damaging anything - it was just unusually stubborn.

As a hint to others trying it, I have used heat to soften that crimp in the sleeve, and found that it does respond. You still have to knock it out using a block, but it comes out easier, and without damaging the sleeve.

Another trick I use to get around the problem Brian mentions is to use a section to screw the nib unit into, then a hole in the block that will accept the nib will still work. I use a spare section from a junker, and haven't had any problems yet...

Gerry

Doh!

Never thought of just screwing it into the section. Just goes to show how a person can over complicate the problem.

Best-
Brian