Anyone snipped an Estie 1XXX

[KCat]

I have a 1555 with one broken tine. I have no idea what that was originally but it looks quite fine. has anyone (viv?) snipped one of these and ground it to a tipless italic or the like?

[Maja]

Ooops, double post!

Sorry!

Edited February 28, 2005 by Maja

[Maja]

I have a 1555 with one broken tine.  I have no idea what that was originally but it looks quite fine.  has anyone (viv?) snipped one of these and ground it to a tipless italic or the like?

'Fraid not. The only broken nib I've ever tried to "fix" myself was a cheap steel nib on a Wahl pen I sent to Keith last year. One of the tines had broken off so I snipped the other one to create two tines of equal length. I then tried to grind down the tines to create a smoother writing surface for the italic nib I thought I had created....but failed miserably

[einv]

to tell the truth, esties are basically folded tine affairs anyhow, so my first impulse is to italicise them by sanding out the folded part whether intact or not. since this is my default treatment of these pens, i cannot recommend this highly enough. you will never see esties the same way again. they can be made to write as well as osmiroids. well, not quite, but you get the picture

[KCat]

thanks, viv. I thought it wouldn't be a big deal because I've done it with other pens. But I don't know the characteristics of the 1XXX nibs (i'm assuming these were some of the cheapest? most basic?)

 

I'll give it a shot. It's just sitting in my box of repair bits and I thought for the time being it might be nice to have a fine cursive italic in my desk pen.

 

Maja - sometimes the challenge with a tipless nib is in the inside edge of the tines. At least, that has been the case for the few I've done. It's true of tipped nibs as well, but I think not as difficult to remedy in them because the tipping starts out pretty rounded in most modern pens.

 

just based on my very limited experience with this process.

[Gerry]

KC, the 1555 lends itself to modificaton quite readily. Viv is right, originally the nib was a folded over construction, but since that means that the *same* material (steel) was used for the original surface, in regrinding, you are still presenting the same steel as a writing surface.

 

I would think an Italic would be just fine - though you may have to cut it back quite a bit for that (the nib is pretty narrow) if you want a wide Italic.

 

I've done a few - one that is pretty wide - but now the feed is really close to the paper... I need to find a way to pull the nib further out of the assembly...

 

Rounding of the inner edges is pretty straightforward - perhaps a little easier than tipped nibs, since the material is softer. Remember to check often...

 

Gerry

Edited February 28, 2005 by Gerry

[John]

reading this thread just inspired me to have a go at a busted 1554 I had lying around. With very little work it turned into quite a pleasant italic.

[Gerry]

Congratulations John.

 

Keep this up, and in no time you'll be the Estie Nibmeister everyone sends their Estie Nibs to for customization.

 

Seriously, for the adventurous, this is exactly what people should be getting into. Even if there are mishaps, the consequences are practically nil in terms of replacement, and the satisfaction returned for a good job is wonderful.

 

Good luck on your next modification.

 

Gerry

 

 

[Edit - typos]

Edited March 19, 2005 by Gerry

[KendallJ]

I have a 1555 with one broken tine. I have no idea what that was originally but it looks quite fine. has anyone (viv?) snipped one of these and ground it to a tipless italic or the like?

Kcat -

 

Is the tine shorter than the other or is the folded over part off?

 

I have 2 1555's with the exact same characteristics. This is the Gregg shorthand FINE nib, and I'm still wondering if it isn't supposed to be this way. THe one I ground down, but the other I smoothed out and writes fine. You have to hold it more like an oblique, but it works.

[wimg]

Hi John, Gerry,

 

In modern pens here are a few good options as well regarding doing your own nib work, without dire consequences.

 

Pelikan M200 (steel) nibs are quite cheap and easy to come by, and they'll fit the M200, M250, M400 and M600.

 

The Namiki Vanishing Point nib/converter units are also very cheap, and lend themselves therefore to conversion too. And these are gold nibs.

 

No snipping required, just soe\me grinding and smoothing .

 

Kind regards,

Wim

[nemo]

Yes, I have. It takes a little practice to get a sharp italic cut or oblique to not catch a little on the leading edge, but the broken Esterbrook nib essentially is worthless so go out and have fun experimenting! A long while after I played with mine I was told (Zoss list) about an article on just what you are doing. I'm including a link:

http://www.marcuslink.com/pens/nibs.html

I didn't snip mine but ground it down on a stone, then worked it with some 2000 grit wet paper. --Doug

[John]

Hi Wim,

 

Yes i know about the M200 nibs. I have a binder italic in my amber 200.

 

John

[wimg]

Hi Nemo,

 

I would just like to add something regarding the article on marcuslink.com. It is a very useful article, as the techniques shown are valid and well demonstrated.

 

I must admit that I don't agree on some of the materials used, however. I am planning to write a follow-up on the nib smoothing article (actually did make a start with writing a while back, but got sidetracked due to the lack of a decent camera in the first place), but since it isn't that far yet, I would like to add a few comments here instead.

 

Use the finest Arkansas stone (2500 grit standard type, 4000 grit surgical type) you can find; you'll ruin your nib otherwise in no time. And next work it with different grades of mylar, from 4000 grit upwards. 4000 8000, 12000 are great for this, mabe an additonal 10000 helps too. It is not going to be smooth enough for a pleasurable writing experience if you don't do this. And I speak from personal experience....

 

Furthermore, make sure you have a practice nib to start with the first time around, one that you can afford to lose, or that is easily replaceable, like a Pel M200 nib, or a Namiki VP nib.

 

HTH,

Kind regards, Wim