Jump to content

Putting An Esterbrook Nib In A Standard Pen


mab52

Recommended Posts

Someone asked me about putting an Esterbrook nib 1550 or 9550 in a standard pen. Assuming it's a 5 or 6 size, is that extractable from the little assembly it comes in to be refit? I'm not worried about the assembly, I just don't want to mangle the nib.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 7
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • mab52

    4

  • Bo Bo Olson

    1

  • Runnin_Ute

    1

  • Honeybadgers

    1

1xxx & 2xxx are rolled steel.......actually smooth. The 9xxx and pretty 3xxx are 'iridium' tipped.

 

I once had a 8 or 10 Esties, a 1xxx, a few 2xxx and a couple 9xxx.....no 3xxx's, which were on my one time wish list.

I'd not put a 1xxx rolled steel nib on any pen, it was not as good as the later 2xxx rolled steel nib & cost the same, back then.

. I think from my reading back when pens were used all day long, a 1xxx was good for a year before it wore out, and a 2xxx a year and a half. An 'iridium' tipped nib should have then been good for 7 or so years....but that was 8 hour a day, 5 days a week writing. Should last a life time now.

 

A tipped nib might be worth the trouble.....but Bock, JoWo, are better, the Knox would be cheaper and might be as good......Having just done a tad of reading, Esterbrook nibs look to be better than Knox nibs.

 

Running Ute from an old post, """I have a 9550 and always thought that yes it was an EF posting nib. One for posting to account books and ledgers. (also called a bookkeeping/accounting nib).""" Was thinner than the 9555 Greg Shorthand nib in the other picture..

That 9550 will be a nail, and narrow................many of my Esterbrook nibs were regular flex and wider, in I didn't care for EF nor nails. They even had a rare semi-flex nib.

 

There are Japanese nibs as narrow and perhaps as stiff....in case one is looking just for a skinny nail nib.

 

Back in the day....well about a decade ago, Estie nibs didn't get a lot of love outside of there being so very many different flexes.

Did a quick gander, and find the Eastie nibs are liked more than when I had some Esties.

 

Someone mentioned that an Estie 9550 is as thin as Japanese.

Last time I looked which was long ago, an Estie nib unit was going for $15.

Why not buy an Estie for $30-35....also an older price. then one wouldn't have to drill a wooden knock out block.

Eastie is a light and nimble pen, and re-filling a sac pen is the fastest by far way to refill a pen.

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

removing an estie nib from its housing is not worth the trouble.

 

Just buy a new #5 nib. Chinese EF moonman m2 nibs are really nice and really cheap.

Selling a boatload of restored, fairly rare, vintage Japanese gold nib pens, click here to see (more added as I finish restoring them)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you both. I do magic tricks with Jinhao nibs all the time and normally reach for JoWo if someone wants something nice. My grandfather was a dentist, but I never acquired his skills to do extractions. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I believe a Esterbrook nib is smaller than a #5 anyway.

Brad

"Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind" - Rudyard Kipling
"None of us can have as many virtues as the fountain-pen, or half its cussedness; but we can try." - Mark Twain

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I believe a Esterbrook nib is smaller than a #5 anyway.

Good to know. I was considering tinkering with one just for fun, but if it won't fit a standard pen size, it really is a lost cause. I have ground down some bases on nibs to fit them in .a smaller pen, but too small doesn't fly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know the size of the Esterbrook nib, but using a Chinese nib as in the Baoer 388 as a reference.

I can put the Chinese nib into a Parker Vacumatic, Duofold Junior and an Esterbrook nib assembly.

 

Removing the nib from the nib assembly is relatively easy.

Tool-1: hemostat, chopstick with rubber band, or long nose plier. This is to hold the nib assembly so you don't get burned by steam.

Tool-2: HOT water, just below boiling.

 

Hold the nib with the hemostat and dip the back of the nib assembly into the HOT water.

Hold it there for a couple of minutes. The HOT water will soften the plastic collar so it loosens its grip on the nib.

Hold the SIDE of the nib, wiggle the nib, and see if you can pull it out.

If the nib won't wiggle out, put it back into the hot water for another minute or two. Repeat as necessary.

 

Note: I do this AFTER I clean the nib assembly in my USC. The USC removes most of the dried ink that could be cementing the nip to the collar and feed.

San Francisco Pen Show - August 28-30, 2020 - Redwood City, California

www.SFPenShow.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33494
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26624
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...