Esterbrook 2556 Nib

[RonB]

I recently purchased 6 Esterbrook J models in all the basic colors. I am enjoying these great pens, by the way. I love the colors and the solid feel of them. Thanks to Brian and others who have posted some very nice information here.

 

I was very fortunate to get 4 of the 6 for only $41, and 3 out of these 4 were restored. (All 4 were supposed to be working, but one wasn't although I felt I couldn't complain due to the good deal that I got on ebay.)

 

One of them has a 2556 fine nib, but it is not very smooth. I noticed that there is no tipping material left on this nib. Does this mean that it has worn away, or did this fine nib not have any tipping material?

 

Thanks.

 

Ron

[Elaine]

None of the Esterbrook 2xxx series has tipping material. The 9xxx's and 3xxx's do.

[RonB]

Thanks, Elaine. Possibly I am not using the proper terminology. On my 2668 nib, there is a little ball on the end of the nib, probably made of the same material as the nib (steel). On the 2556, there is no little ball. The nib is straight to the end with no rounded end on the point of the nib underneath.

 

Ron

[KendallJ]

The little ball is actually the nib point folded back on itself. I sometimes fine these in the wild with one or both of the folded pieces broken off.

 

Your best bet is to turn it into a stub.

[RonB]

Thanks, Kendall and Elaine.

 

I did buy two extra nibs - NOS- in the 9668 and 2314 versions so I may play around with those in addtion to practicing my nib smoothing techniques on the poor 2556 nib.

 

Ron

[Brian Anderson]

Yep, unfortunately, a 2xxx series nib with no tipping is best left for smoothing practice or a wall display. (Hey that'a a great idea!)

 

By those comments one would think I could be a nibmeister by now.

 

Glad you're enjoying them in all the colors!

 

Best-

Brian

[Gerry]

One of them has a 2556 fine nib, but it is not very smooth. I noticed that there is no tipping material left on this nib. Does this mean that it has worn away, or did this fine nib not have any tipping material?

 

Thanks.

 

Ron

In this case Ron, the folded tip has been worn away, and the result is a scratchy nib. No real solution unless you smooth it - convert to a stub or replace. The stub conversion is the more popular fix, outside of replacement.

 

I have replaced a few of these nibs with other inexpensive nibs (sort of like repairing a BIC ;-)) just to see if it can be done (it can), but with replacement 2556 nibs selling for maybe $6.00 US, it becomes a question of whether one wants to spend the time...

 

Regards,

 

Gerry

[RonB]

Thanks, Brian and Gerry.

[spencerfan]

I have an old Esterbrook with a 2556 steel nib. After cleaning and inking it, I find that there seems to be a flow problem-- very pale line unless I press slightly. Before inking it, I noticed a slight bend near the tip of the nib, as you can just barely see in the attached pictures. Could that be the cause of the flow problem? where can I get a ($6?) replacement nib, if this nib is not worth repairing?

Edited February 18, 2007 by spencerfan

[johnr55]

Go to EBay--I've gotten bunches of the cheaper, non-tipped nibs for around $5 there. However, I've come across so many scratchy ones that I'm sticking to the tipped series--

[dwmatteson]

You could also look at purchasing a replacement nib from Richard Binder. His Esterbrook page has a list of Renew-point nibs for sale. Best part is they're either new old-stock or he's tweaked them so they're as good or better than NOS.

 

Don M.

[mmoncur]

For what it's worth, that bend doesn't look bad enough to cause a flow problem to me. I would suspect a clogged feed instead. Try giving the nib unit a good soak in warm water with a bit of soap, preferably in an ultrasonic cleaner.

 

If that doesn't work, Richard Binder sells good nibs.

[Curly2001]

I have purchased new 2556 nibs and they are not smooth. They also flow heavy lines. curly

[spencerfan]

Thank you all for the very useful insights, which have led to my new plan: I will work on the ink-flow issue first, and then, once it is resolved, buy a new nib to suit my purposes. After reading up on nib problems, I have also decided to borrow a 10x loup from my daughter, to better examine my various nibs. Even with makeshift 5x magnification, I can see that what I thought was a bend in the Esterbrook nib was a slight rise in one tine, which I think I have now fixed-- at least well enough to line up the tips and eliminate the scratchiness. 10 x mag must be wonderful...

The inkflow problem: perhaps I didn't dry out the parts enough before re-inking the pen? could even the slightest bit of moisture render the emerging ink pale? If a page of doodling circles doesn't result in a darker line, then I will empty the pen and re-ink it. I am using Noodlers Zhivago, which in another pen, produces a very dark, almost imperceptibly greenish, line.

[mmoncur]

Water mixed with the ink will make it pale, but it usually flows well - just not as dark.

 

I'm pretty sloppy about cleaning out esties and I've never seen the water remaining in the barrel cause any trouble. In fact I usually don't give it any time to dry...