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Hey everyone! My first post on the forums. I've been lurking for a while, though In the beginning of November I purchased a red Esterbrook SJ on ebay. It's my first FP and I really do love it. However, I've noticed over time that hairline cracks are beginning to form at the section, and ink sometimes leaks from them. I know the pen is old and I treat it delicately, so I don't think I'm at particular fault for their formation. I don't rest my fingers near the section when writing now in fear of making them worse, but I really need to get this fixed before the cracks become worse and I'm out of my main writing instrument. What I'd really like is a replacement section, does anybody out there have one available or know where I can find one? I hope I made this post in the right place... please excuse me for being a newbie! Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3717/10480056673_7264bcb295_z.jpg , on Flickr

For your enjoyment... used Instagram's contrast (or whatever the last button on the right does, LOL) feature and it brought out the imprint nicely but it is not this green in real life. The BHR is a nice vintage brown now. http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2840/10041957585_a72fc5e996_o.jpg

Hi everyone, I recently acquired a 3-ribbed jewel transitional J. It worked just fine until I let the lever go too far while filling, it went all the way 180 degrees. Now the lever comes out a centimeter or so, did I break the J-bar?

From time to time manufacturers produces some very small pens. here besides an Esterbrook SJ for comparison is an Eclipse Mary Jane and a Salz Bros Peter Pan. http://i751.photobucket.com/albums/xx153/FPWriter/threepens_zps4067ed73.jpg Popular history of the Eclipse brand tells us that the founder made pens named for his children, and this 1933 Mary Jane was intended for a small girl to use. It has tipped steel nib. The Peter Pan pen had an entirely different focus. The pan in inscribed with "The Green Room". It came from a 1935 New York hotel bar and would have been intended for signing bar bills. It has a spoon nib.

Hi everyone, This is my first post to FPN and I just have a quick question.... I just bought an Estie Dollar Pen H of Peyton Street which came with a 9550 nib which everyone says is Extra Fine and that is fine. I was looking at nibs and saw that the 9555 is also EF but specifically for Gregg shorthand; I was wondering what specifically was different between these two nibs. Thanks Teddy

Hi, After seeing some very nice penmanship video here and on the Internet I decided to try my first video. I tried it with my Esterbrook J with 9128 flex nib. Hope you enjoy... comments are welcome [video=youtube] Original post at my blog

Hello! I have a couple of Esterbrooks that I am re-saccing. I have polished light surface rust off the J bars, but was wondering if a really light coat of silicone grease to prevent future corrosion would be a good idea. Would there be any potential of it reacting badly with the latex sacs or the celluloid in the pens? I have been putting a micro thin smear of silicone on the threads of the Renew Points, just to keep them from sticking. Maybe this is bad as well? Thanks for any help! Steve

A while back I bought a boxful of mixed blanks from somebody who'd been experimenting with casting his own resins. It's the first time I put some of it onto the lathe, and I found it turned quite easily provided I used a light touch. This blank has gold ripples running through it, they're a bit subtle and don't show too well in the photos. The section takes an Esterbrook Renew-point nib; because there's no feed tube sticking out the back of the nib units, I built one into the section using stainless steel tubing. I'd measured a Bock nib unit and 0.1" outer diameter is almost an exact match, and it's a nice snug fit when I push a cartridge/converter into place.

Trying to decide between two options in the $30-40 range for my first vintage pen. One is an Esterbrook of some variety. My first priority with that would be to get one that's properly restored, which seem to be less common. I know there are tutorials for installing a new sac, but I'm not quite at that point in my fountain pen "career" yet. I know these are super popular here on FPN (which doesn't seem to be helping the eBay prices)! Another option is a Sheaffer 444 NOS "seconds" from Peyton Street Pens. They're going for $30 and I don't think the cosmetic damage will bother me. A vintage pen should have some character, after all. I like the 444 over the similarly-priced 330 and 440 because it's all metal and a bit heavier. Does anyone have experience with both of these pens? Does one have better fit-and-finish? Which is more beginner-friendly? That is, a reliable writer, durable, and not something I'll feel inclined to put in a glass case for fear of damaging it. Alternatively, would you recommend a completely different vintage pen in that price range? Thanks!

I have an Esterbrook J which has just developed a cracked section. Where can I get a replacement?

A very kind person sent me some nibs for me to practice on. This is something I do to keep the mind busy and get better at it for my few Esties. I am currently using a very good section for nib work but I would like to put back on the desk pen where it belongs. If someone has a junked section (J or SJ size) that still has nib threads and barrel portion is fine. I can work out any issue regarding the size fit. Recently read about a person with a cracked J section. Any possibility it is still around? I'd take some glue to it and put it to good use - nib work. Tks in advance..............

So I just got an Esterbrook J with a NOS 2668 (Firm Med.) nib, and I was wondering what the best ink to get would be. I currently only have bottle of black Parker Quink. I would like to get an ink that is on the cheeper side (I'm a student so I don't have too much money) and maybe blue or something? I read on another post that Esterbrooks write on the drier side so it would be best to get a wetter ink, I'm pretty new to this whole Fountain Pen thing/lifestyle so I don't know much about any of that either.

This was my first time using Invisavue material. I found it very difficult to shape -- it chipped out frequently even when I was using freshly-honed tools, though it took threads without too much difficulty. I don't intend to buy any more of it (although I've got a few pieces left so I will most likely use it again.) It was also my first attempt at adding "accents" using pick-guard material, which I glued to the black ebonite of the cap finial and the end of the section that meets the barrel. Gluing with 2-part epoxy (5 minute variety) didn't work out too well, but there are a number of possible contributing factors to that. I switched to medium CA, which worked much better. However, close inspection shows there are tiny voids along the glue line, and this wouldn't be acceptable in a pen for sale. My next attempts will be using thick "gap filling" CA and another shot using epoxy, this time letting it cure 24 hours before beginning to work it. Finally -- and this one I'm really happy with the outcome -- it was my prototype of a section for Esterbrook Renew-point nibs that compensates for the fact that there is no feed tube coming out the back of the nib units. I got some stainless steel tube and cut a piece to length, flared one end of it, and glued it into an ebonite plug turned to match the hole that receives a cartridge/converter. (The flare reinforces it against pulling out of the ebonite plug.) I drilled a small diameter hole through from the front to the back of the section, then glued the plug-and-feed-tube in. Voila -- an Esterbrook compatible section that has a feed tube. I actually like the pen overall (despite its imperfections) and I've been using it as my daily writer for the last week, loaded with Noodler's Polar Blue and using an Esterbrook #1555 (Gregg shorthand) nib.

Hello, I'm new to Esterbrooks, and to vintage pens in general. I just got a lovely restored SJ off of Ebay. It came with a 2668 nib, and when I use it, it's quite scratchy in a weird way: it seems like there's an incredibly tiny "sweet spot" where it will lay down a perfect line, but even the slightest natural tilt when moving one's hand across the page feels paper-gouging sharp. I'm not pressing hard, and my grip is good; I've never had this issue before. Is this a known quality of this size/type nib? Should I (delicately) use a nail buffer, or what? Thanks, ~Dorothy

Hello everyone, I am a newbie Esterbrook fan and recently acquired 2 Esterbrrok pens through an ebay auction. I was thinking that they were J Series pens. But the cap is different from the J Series pens shown in esterbrook.net site. The length of the pens is ~ 5.5 in. Please look at the pics and help me identify my pens.

Hi, I have a three pens (two still waiting for caps) that I would like to complete their restoration so I can eventually add them to the rotation. I'm looking for Esterbrook standard levers, C rings, and jewels (sm & lg). Can anyone help or suggest possible sources? Tks in advance..... Rene

Hi, I would appreciate help in determining the model lever desk pen I have. I plan buying a base for it, but I 've read that the base may be model/size specific. Can someone recommend base model(s) appropriate for this pen? Length pen (sans nib) ~15.7cmLength (tip section to barrel end) ~8.2cmLength barrel ~6.9cmGirth barrel ~1.5cmGirth tip of section ~0.9cm Tks in advance....

Is it really an Esterbrook nib or is it a QA issue? I would like comments from anyone having purchased an Esterbrook nib that had its tip ground to resemble a block sheave - )( - front to back and/or has asymmetrical shoulders/tip material. Two nibs (2556 and 1461) had material scalloped out from the center of the tip but not matching the shoulder curve. I lost the tip material trying to remove the problem of severe scratching caused by the grind marks -- ended with two good working (Fine?) cursives. Before these problamatic nibs, I had purchased my first SJ with a very good 2668. This nib was made in the US and from the get-go laid ink almost perfectly. A little polishing and so smooth (was like butter but roughed it cause I like some read) one could write effortlessly all day. I have included a couple pics each of the 2668 and the two working cursives for comparison. Unable to provide a macro of the 2668's tip profile with avail cam, but viewers should be able to notice it does not have a - )( - shape. Eventually I may reposition this NOS nib in its collar but it's been boxed some time now. The uneven tip seen face side (E2668.1) was taken care of. I currrently have no Fine nibs to compare the cursives with. I made very rough measurements of the stroke width (0.5mm) from the 2556 using a 10X and a finely etched ruler. Not sure where I will purchase my next nib(s), but I seriously doubt it will again be the internet monster vendor machine unless someone in FPN can vet the posting seller. Hopefully I will find a couple of good Fine nibs so I can post writing samples from these "customized" nibs. Pics: E2668.1 - Demo good shoulder/tip symmetry - no sheave shape.E2668.2 - Good tip material shape.E1461.1 - Bad tip portion ground down - slightly wide tip for a Fine but now symmetrical with shoulder curve.E1461.2 - Tip also beveled in, shaping foot into a ~Fine cursive.E2556.1 - Tip shaped to match shoulder curve.E2556.2 - Cursive with sufficient material for wear.

I just bought my first Esterbrook at the Triangle Pen Show this past Friday, and my lever is a tad loose. As in if I hold my pen flat, the lever falls a few millimeters, and even while the nib is facing directly down it is still open just a bit. This is my first vintage pen, and my first lever filled, so I have no idea what to do or how to take it apart or anything. Its a 1938/39 Esterbrook (I don't know the model.) Thanks in advance!

Hey all, I just took apart a blue Estie, that I bought a few months ago, in order to replace the sac. The fill lever came out along with the petrified sac. It just fell out from being rusted out. Is it worth trying to replace the lever? Is it worth sending it off to have it replaced? Opinions appreciated. LS

For a number of reasons, none of which are germane to the conversation, was going through my--er--vast and admittedly completely randomly organized collection? accumulation? aggregation? of ink slingers. Ran across an SJ that I totally completely forgot I had... Red Icicle with a pair of stickers...1551 nib and SJ...so this pup has never been used. Anyone hazard a guess as to its worth? No, not that I want to part with it, necessarily. (Any more than I want to part with my collection of Estie Dip-Less ink pots--) Sleek_Lover...