Got My First Estie, 1461 Nib Seems Slightly Scratchy

[Witsius]

My wife and son got me an early Father's Day gift, a nicely restored Estebrook J double Jewel in red. The pen is beautifully restored and almost looks brand new. It has a 1461 Rigid Fine nib. It's super fine, but writes surprisingly wet with good consistent flow. But the nib is a touch scratchy. The tip is well aligned, but I'm assuming the scratch is just the consequence of the fineness of the nib. Are the 1461 nibs just a bit scratchy by nature? Would a 2556 Firm Fine be a little smoother?

[northlodge]

Generally the 2xxx are better nibs than the 1xxx, but if you are going to purchase a new nib then why not splash out on a 9xxx.

[Witsius]

I did. I ordered a 9668 from Anderson Pens earlier today. I expect it might arrive Monday. Good thing too, because this nib is so scratchy that it picks up paper fibers and clogs the nib so it won't write anymore. The funny thing is when I first started writing with this pen, it was just a little scratchy, but after writing through about one filling of ink, it's really scratchy, and just a couple of strokes will clog the nib with paper fibers. I've flushed the pen and will regrettably set it aside until my new nib arrives.

[corgicoupe]

You may want to try a better paper. The high-end Hewlett Packard paper at about $18 a ream is great for fountain pens. Available at Staples, and is obvious because it's about 25% thicker than a normal ream.

[bfg]

The 1XXX and 2XXX are tipped by just a folder of the nib. The 9XXX have tipping material. They are much smoother.

[ScienceChick]

Have you looked to see if the tines are aligned? A fine nib is more likely to have a scratchy feel, IME, and misaligned tines just exacerbate that.

 

You can certainly try 9xxx nibs (and will if you stay in Estieville) but they aren't always smoother than 1xxx and 2xxx nibs. Have a look at Anderson Pens website, Brian Anderson sells Estie nibs for reasonable prices and has a goodly number to choose from. (No affiliation, etc)

[Witsius]

My 9668 nib came today. I installed it and inked up the pen again. It's a little skippy and not as smooth as I was expecting. It's not scratchy at all, but there's a fair amount of feedback and the nib doesn't glide as well as any of my modern nibs. It's still pleasant to write with except for the skipping.

 

I called Anderson Pens about the skipping. They said to just write with it for a while, and see if it sorts itself out. They also suggested maybe giving the pen a good flush sometime. I'm really hesitant to take any abrasive to it since I've had very limited success with nib smoothing. I usually make nibs scratchy when I try to smooth them.

[Sasha Royale]

If you are getting a good, wet, ink flow, why not try the no-cost option first.

Get some paper with a smooth finish, and try writing with a lighter touch and the pen at a greater incline. Try writing a bit larger. Finer nibs are scratchier than broader nibs.

 

Good luck.

[gweimer1]

My 9668 nib came today. I installed it and inked up the pen again. It's a little skippy and not as smooth as I was expecting. It's not scratchy at all, but there's a fair amount of feedback and the nib doesn't glide as well as any of my modern nibs. It's still pleasant to write with except for the skipping.

 

I called Anderson Pens about the skipping. They said to just write with it for a while, and see if it sorts itself out. They also suggested maybe giving the pen a good flush sometime. I'm really hesitant to take any abrasive to it since I've had very limited success with nib smoothing. I usually make nibs scratchy when I try to smooth them.

 

If it's a NOS nib, you may want to clean and flush the nib to get the manufacturing residue off it. Now that you've inked it, try taking the nib out, and do the same. I think once you get the nib better prepared, you'll have a better experience.

[Witsius]

 

If it's a NOS nib, you may want to clean and flush the nib to get the manufacturing residue off it. Now that you've inked it, try taking the nib out, and do the same. I think once you get the nib better prepared, you'll have a better experience.

 

 

I flushed it like crazy, and it didn't make a lick of difference. I talked to the folks at Anderson, and they gave me a few pointers for working the nib. With a little care and patience, I was able to work the nib on micro-mesh and remove the baby's bottom without messing up the shape of the tip or making it scratchy. It writes great now. No more hard starting. I think I'm finally getting the hang of nib work.