Jump to content

My first Estie


Rob G

Recommended Posts

Ditto what David just said. GWeimer does great work. A special thanks to Panjaro and DPritchett who have also enabled me to get Esties, but special thanks to Bruce who hand picked Esties just for me and my kids.

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 715
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • OcalaFlGuy

    57

  • gweimer1

    30

  • kathleen

    28

  • amberleadavis

    21

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

I meant no slight to Panjaro or DPritchett or Bruce. I just happen to know more about weimer1's work.

Sorry if I gave offense.

 

-David (Estie).

No matter how much you push the envelope, it will still be stationery. -Anon.

A backward poet writes inverse. -Anon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OH, David, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to even imply that you were slighting anyone. I agree with you, GWeimer's work is wonderful. I have taken his restored pens to pen shows and handed out his cards.

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You guys are making me blush! I appreciate the kind words. I found early on that I got more enjoyment out of working on the pens than I do from simply collecting them. I'm in the process of revamping my little kitchen - I'm surrendering the kitchen table, and replacing with a real workbench, and I have an electroplating machine and a mini-lathe to set up and learn. I'm hoping to really advance my skills in the next year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Does this mean that you are giving up eating?

Fountain pens are my preferred COLOR DELIVERY SYSTEM (in part because crayons melt in Las Vegas).

Create a Ghostly Avatar and I'll send you a letter. Check out some Ink comparisons: The Great PPS Comparison 

Don't know where to start?  Look at the Inky Topics O'day.  Then, see inks sorted by color: Blue Purple Brown Red Green Dark Green Orange Black Pinks Yellows Blue-Blacks Grey/Gray UVInks Turquoise/Teal MURKY

 

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Does this mean that you are giving up eating?

 

LOL! My kitchen table has been more of a work area for over a year. I have a little square big enough for a bowl of cereal and a cup of coffee left. I just surrendered to the inevitable, and will probably have more actual table space as a result.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

My first Estie has become, like many others', two in very short succession. Both of them ended up coming from the same antique mall (which happens to be massive and also one bus and a short walk from my university--dangerous combination, those.) First was a later Canadian-made green SJ with a 9668 nib--metal bits looked a little worn down, but she felt in my hands like a pen who had been written with over and over and had enjoyed it thoroughly, and when I (very hesitantly, since the employee who unlocked the cabinet was sort of looming over me curiously) depressed the lever it both went down and made no terrifying CRUNCH sort of noises, I walked out 24$ (17.79 US, according to Google) poorer but with another fountain pen. Upon soaking and coaxing, I took her apart to find a still-flexible original sac (if the all-caps ESTERBROOK on it means what I think it does) which probably would have worked, were it not for a clear tear in it. (If there is a way to salvage this sac, please let me know. Or alternatively, tell me not to just take it off, cut it off just after the tear, and shellac it back on. I don't mind the reduced ink capacity.)

 

The next one came today, from the same antique store (though the complete other side of the shop). An earlier American-made gray double-jewel J, though missing the cap jewel. 2550 nib, lever also depressed without frightening noises, so for 12$ (8.90 US) this one is mine also. I've been cleaning it out for the last hour and a half ish, and my god is there a lot of ink in it. The nib is kind of crusty and sad right now (just gonna let that soak for a while) and when I went to check the sac, I learned that beneath that crusty nib was a nearly full sac of mystery blue. By squirting it all over my hands. It was liquid ink, too, which was a bit of a pleasant surprise. (Pleasant, because it means I'm not painstakingly trying to clear out the crusty ink from the section/sac, surprising because the nib was fairly crusty and also was coming off black.) UPDATE: After leaving this tab open for another 3+ hours I can now say with a moderate amount of certainty that the strange mystery blue was from a previous individual re-saccing the pen with a moderate degree of success. It was obviously able to be filled, but the previous owner didn't cut the sac down, so right before the nipple it got... squidgey. Crushed together to seal off the ink supply. Took the sac off (if it was shellac'd, it's not now) and cut it down about a centimetre (to where it started to open back into a sac shape) and re-fitted it so I don't lose it.

 

(Sorry about the long post, folks. I'm a bit of a rambler.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gweimer has replacement jewels for a few $.

Baptiste knew how to make a short job long

For love of it. And yet not waste time either.

Robert Frost

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Convention and wisdom says to never trust a 50-year-old sac, no matter how nice it looks. It will decide to disintegrate in your pocket when you're wearing a nice, white shirt. When I find them on a pen, I still replace the sac, and give the original as a keepsake when I sell it.

 

And, I do have replacement cap jewels. PM me if you're interested.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

There's always a first Estie?

 

I got my first Esterbrook Blue J with a 2668 nib last week.

Funny enough I bought this pen 2 years ago...

No, it didn't take that long to ship... the fact is, I bought this pen from Andersons Pens in October 2016, but had it sent to my sister in Phoenix.

I do that once in a while, buy a pen in US have it shipped to my sister who lives there, at reasonable local cost, then when she comes over to Europe to visit, she brings the "presents" with her. She's my trusted courier...

What actually happened is that she had to postpone her visit last year so I only got the pens (which in the meantime had accumulated...) last week when she came over.

The J is really nice, a deep blue, with those typical patterns in the material that makes it look alive!

I will be testing it soon!

fpn_1538859565__p1160640-3.jpg

Edited by sansenri
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think you will discover that the 2558 nib is perhaps the smoothest writing of the Esterbrook nibs, and the blu might be the most striking color.

Baptiste knew how to make a short job long

For love of it. And yet not waste time either.

Robert Frost

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The blue J is probably the prettiest and most striking J series color. The 2668 nib will probably be available for replacement, should you wear it out. A win-win.

"Don't hurry, don't worry. It's better to be late at the Golden Gate than to arrive in Hell on time."
--Sign in a bar and grill, Ormond Beach, Florida, 1960.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Of course I meant 2668, not 2558.

Baptiste knew how to make a short job long

For love of it. And yet not waste time either.

Robert Frost

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 6 months later...

p.jpgI just got this from Mark Dricker on eBay. It's a restored SJ with a 2556 nib. I wanted to start with a restored pen so I paid a little more, but I really think this was a bargain for the price. It's beautiful and writes so nicely. The size of the pen is just right for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

I got my first Esterbrook not very long ago--restored, because I didn't want to ruin one trying to put in a new sac. A green one with a 9550 nib. What a fine, fine nib. Since then, I have, thanks to the instructions on this forum, successfully replaced sacs on two more, which I will give as gifts (though the copper one with the 9556 might not leave my hands). I love these pens.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

just got my first one as a gift... new stock, medium nib and it's beautiful and writes really well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

I got a copper Esterbrook J about a month ago. I wasn't a fan of the 1554 nib, so a 9556 is on its way from Anderson's. I love the look of the pen, so hopefully the new nib makes me love writing with the it. It was also my first vintage pen due to the price and the look. I'll be working towards collecting all the colors for sure!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

My first Estie, and my first vintage pen! It was an incredibly generous and beautiful gift. I can't believe how finely it writes. I am hooked.

fpn_1568411818__myfirstestie.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

I just scored this pen and pencil set on eBay for $22. It will be my Esterbrook and my first restoration, but judging by the pics it seems to be in decent cosmetic shape. Im hoping all it needs is a new sac and a nib tune up. Ive never installed a sac but I think I can figure it out.

 

Can anyone tell if its a j, sj, etc just by looking at the pic? There wasnt much in the description. I hope the pencil works.

699BC5F5-7D4F-461F-A44F-DC125228FF2D.jpeg

Edited by tleek
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just scored this pen and pencil set on eBay for $22. It will be my Esterbrook and my first restoration, but judging by the pics it seems to be in decent cosmetic shape. Im hoping all it needs is a new sac and a nib tune up. Ive never installed a sac but I think I can figure it out.

 

Can anyone tell if its a j, sj, etc just by looking at the pic? There wasnt much in the description. I hope the pencil works.

 

Nice catch! I'm going to guess that it's a J - measure the length and width. A J or LJ will be about 5" long. The SJ is 4 3/4". What nib is on it?

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...