My first Estie

[webgeckos]

My first one, a gift from my sister. I loves it

 

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm186/webgecko1webgeckos/new%20pen_zpsgjmxeomy.jpg

[PenJockey]

That's a very pretty pen, and a gorgeous ink you have it filled with

[webgeckos]

Thank you, it is beautiful.

[fireant]

That's a very pretty pen, and a gorgeous ink you have it filled with

 

 

It was so difficult putting it in the box for her.

[webgeckos]

I know now I want grenade and there is none

 

/sobs in the corner

[j-e-g]

I am putting 2 + 2 together here..is "The Good Twin" your sister ??? I hope she will like your new pens

[fireant]

I am putting 2 + 2 together here..is "The Good Twin" your sister ??? I hope she will like your new pens

 

 

Yes I am her twin. I thought i'd better grab that moniker while the grabbing was good.

[PenJockey]

I have a new fine nib on mine courtesy of my good friend webgeckos, But I think the LJ is a little to narrow for my large man hands. I will be looking into getting a J as I have used a friends and that is much more suited to my hand.

[amberleadavis]

I have a new fine nib on mine courtesy of my good friend webgeckos, But I think the LJ is a little to narrow for my large man hands. I will be looking into getting a J as I have used a friends and that is much more suited to my hand.

 

 

Is your avatar from Howl's Moving Castle?

[PenJockey]

 

 

Is your avatar from Howl's Moving Castle?

It sure is. Calcifer the fire demon. One of me and my son's favorite movies.

[amberleadavis]

Great taste!

[PenJockey]

Great taste!

Why thank you

[webgeckos]

 

 

Yes I am her twin. I thought i'd better grab that moniker while the grabbing was good.

 

First it was Good Twin, then I realized I could do it so mine is The Even Gooder Twin... now I see you made yours The Absolute Best Twin ROFL!

 

And J-E-G: I am sharing one of your mint pens with her, as well and restoring two beat up pens she sent me. It was exciting, I installed my first Jbars

[BMG]

I just got my first Esterbrook: a pearl gray J with a 9550 nib. Filled it with Herbin Perle noire and took it out for a spin:

 

http://i.imgur.com/8mMOnBZ.jpg

 

While I like the size and feel of the pen, its overall aesthetic, and the 9550’s true EF line, the nib is pretty scratchy and frequently skips on horizontal strokes and upstrokes, as you can see in some of the As, Ms, and Es in the above pic.

 

As the tines seem properly aligned, I tried to remedy the problem by aligning the slightly misaligned nib / feed as per this thread, then by smoothing the nib using some grocery bag paper. The problem persists. I'm not quite sure what to do at this point: try a more abrasive smoothing paper, some other type of adjustment ( ? ), just live with it, get another nib...? The pen is certainly usable, just not very nice to write with as is. Any thoughts?

 

TIA.

[BMG]

Just a little update on the above post: by tinkering with the tines a bit I was able to remedy the skipping. It's still a bit scratchy but I'll work more on that in the coming days...

[OcalaFlGuy]

First, IXNAY on the brown paper bag idea.

 

Second, fix what you may have done using THAT. Get some 35mm film (emulsion removed with bleach) or brass shim stock and floss

out the slit of possible fluff from the paper bag.

 

Then go to your local Sally's Beauty Supply stores and get a couple 3 sided manicure sticks. They should have 3 different colored

grits on each stick for about $1.50-2.00 a stick. Get the ones with the Least amount of sponge base to the stick. The light gray side is the side you want to smooth with After You Are Sure The Tines Are Aligned.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[BMG]

Hmm, hmm.

 

Have retinkered with the tines and flossed the slit with brass shims (have used a bit of clear 35mm leader before, but not here). No more skips but still a bit scratchy. Will check out the manicure sticks.

 

Thanks for the tip. (No pun intended: nib work, tip, well...you know. )

[Venemo]

No more skips but still a bit scratchy.

 

Fine and extra-fine nibs are always prone to be a bit scratchy. I have a 9556 nib in a gray Esterbrook J (similar to yours) and it's quite okay but nowhere near as smooth as the 2668 in my desk pen.

[BMG]

I'm aware of the potential scratchiness of EF nibs, as they're the ones I most often write with. The puzzler here for me is that it still occasionally skips on up and horizontal strokes, esp. on cheaper papers. I find that if I rotate the pen ccw a bit, that happens less frequently.

 

On the whole I'm pleased with the pen, and like its almost spartan appeal. I'd like to get another nib or two (perhaps another EF and an OF) and see how they write.

[monkey1911]

Craigslist find. $10 for my first vintage pen. Esterbrook Icicle, green with no sign of imprint. Both jewels are intact, just a few scratches on the body. 1554 nib.

 

http://i.imgur.com/238bjH8.jpg

 

All cleaned up and taken apart. The j bar fell out. Section pulled out with almost no effort so I think someone's been in there before. the sac looks good, but I'm no expert.

 

http://i.imgur.com/xFrSnJB.jpg