Jump to content

Jumpimg head first into the Esterbrook pool


chrisb

Recommended Posts

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.

Edited by chrisb

Breastfeeding is the only 'natural user inteface'.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 21
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • chrisb

    12

  • OldGriz

    3

  • Gerry

    2

  • Elaine

    1

Top Posters In This Topic

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!

Edited by Elaine
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

 

http://i19.ebayimg.com/05/i/06/63/12/6d_1.JPG

 

http://www.kynd.net/~madison/es1.jpg

 

http://www.kynd.net/~madison/es5.jpg

 

http://www.kynd.net/~madison/es2.jpg

 

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

Breastfeeding is the only 'natural user inteface'.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

Breastfeeding is the only 'natural user inteface'.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

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...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Edited by chrisb

Breastfeeding is the only 'natural user inteface'.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Breastfeeding is the only 'natural user inteface'.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

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..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

Breastfeeding is the only 'natural user inteface'.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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?

Edited by chrisb

Breastfeeding is the only 'natural user inteface'.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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!!! :drool:

 

Enjoy!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Breastfeeding is the only 'natural user inteface'.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Breastfeeding is the only 'natural user inteface'.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

 

Guess I'm resaccing 2 pens.

Breastfeeding is the only 'natural user inteface'.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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. :D

 

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.

Edited by chrisb

Breastfeeding is the only 'natural user inteface'.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well done, Chris!

 

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

 

I hope you manage to unclog those nibs.

 

Warm regards, Wim

the Mad Dutchman
laugh a little, love a little, live a lot; laugh a lot, love a lot, live forever

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...