What have I got (myself in to)?

[ayjayar]

http://rozsa.org/images/Img49.gif

I am a sucka' for inexpensive pens that write well. In fact, I got into this "collecting" thing by reading an article about good "cheap" pens. So, finally, I got curious and I decided to check out the Esterbrooks. Got the first one in the mail yesterday. Clearly, I got a lot to learn. If I hold the pen just right it writes like a dream, albeit thicker than I would expect from a Medium nib. Shift the hand the least bit and the writing becomes scratchy. Don't know what I have. I am attaching a pix. Is this the nature of the beast? Like, you must hold it JUST right, or have I bought one that has been worn to a specific writer's angle? The nib is a 2314-M Relief. From what I am reading, I take it one can have a whole bunch of nibs for one pen. Do I read it correctly? I spend some time on Brian's site, but I just don't have "an eye" for being able to tell the difference between various models. Can't even tell whether this one I got is a Relief-L or J, or what. :-( The seller says "Largest J-size. Hard to find stub nib!" Really?

 

Can someone instruct me, or point me in the right direction? Would appreciate it.

[Brian Anderson]

Run, don't walk, as esterbrook pens can be addictive. trust me on this one

 

Your pen is probably a J. The easiest way to tell a J is to look at the black "jewel" on the cap and barrel end. If the jewel is larger on the cap, it's a J. LJ and SJ's have the exact same size cap and barrel jewels.

 

Your nib could be damaged, or the tines worn through at the fold. 2xxx series nibs don't have iridium, rather the tine is folded over to form the appearance of tipping material. It usually works rather well, but only lasts so long. Don't worry though, you can get literally dozens of different styles of renew-points for these pens. Simply unscrew the old and screw in the new.

 

Relief nibs do take a little geting used to as they are, by definition, slightly oblique, so yes, you do have to hold them correctly. Hard to say whether or not that is the case with yours or the nib is shot. Thankfully, good nibs are cheap and show up almost anywhere you look, ebay, pen boards, web sites, other pens you might find in the trash, etc.

 

Relief is really a whole another discussion for another day, but Relief by definition is centered around the 314 dip pen nib, which translated into the 1314, 2314, and 9314 series renew-points. The british made Relief pen used the 14k nib with the same style point, but no number.

 

Welcome!

Brian

[ayjayar]

Thank you, Brian, for the information and the welcome. I can see how this Estie thing can become addictive. I already pulled the “J” apart, just to see how is it put together. I wear inky fingers with pride. I think that one of the addictive properties of these workhorses is the myriad mix-and-matches that can be produced. Already printed out a nice “Point Selection Chart” from Richard Binder’s site. Looks like a lot of fun. Nibs for making “carbon copies.” How quaint.