My first Estie

[tleek]

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?

I have no idea! I don’t have it yet. It should be here next week.

I ordered some shellac and a sac to put on it.

 

 

 

I’ll update with nib number when it gets here. I’m hoping I’ll be surprised with something exciting.

[tleek]

The pen and pencil came today.

It has a 1555 nib. Wouldnt be my first choice but thats okay. I gave it the dry test and there is a surprisingly smooth and surprising small sweet spot.

 

I struggled a bit to get the section off. I soaked it with water, then with warm water, pulled harder than I should have. Eventually I hit it with the hair dryer and it came off easily.

 

I pulled out all of the bits of sac and touched the j bar up.

 

Im hoping my new sac and shellac will be here soon. Ill finish cleaning out the nib, barrel, and section, and hopefully re-sac it this weekend.

[Estycollector]

The pen and pencil came today.

It has a 1555 nib. Wouldnt be my first choice but thats okay. I gave it the dry test and there is a surprisingly smooth and surprising small sweet spot.

 

I struggled a bit to get the section off. I soaked it with water, then with warm water, pulled harder than I should have. Eventually I hit it with the hair dryer and it came off easily.

 

I pulled out all of the bits of sac and touched the j bar up.

 

Im hoping my new sac and shellac will be here soon. Ill finish cleaning out the nib, barrel, and section, and hopefully re-sac it this weekend.

 

I remember my first restoration last year and how satisfying it was to get the pen working again. Congratulations. I have a tool that spreads the top of the sac so that it attaches more easy. I've seen some use a tweezer with a long nose. Harbor Freight has them. Don't forget to talc the sac before assembling the pen.

https://www.indy-pen-dance.com/Fountain-Pen-Sac-Talc.html#:~:text=Fountain%20Pen%20Sac%20Pure%20Talc%20%28Talcum%20Powder%29%203-gram,sticking%20to%20the%20pressure%20bar%20and%20barrel%20wall.

[tleek]

Is it normal for the feeds to be this close to the tip?

 

I fiddled with it a bit and the feed slid in some, but its still pretty close to the tip of the nib.

Edited September 24, 2020 by tleek

[gweimer1]

Nope. That's not normal.

[tleek]

Nope. That's not normal.

I’ll try to push it a little farther into place

[Estycollector]

I wouldn't be concerned because it will be very easy to find another or a different nib. I was taught to hold the nib on top and bottom when turning to remove. The 2556 is one of my favorite nibs. There are three feed types with the more flatter profile being the oldest.

 

Here is a useful chart. http://snyderfamily.com/current/estienibs.htm

 

 

 

Edited September 24, 2020 by Estycollector

[tleek]

I wouldn't be concerned because it will be very easy to find another or a different nib. I was taught to hold the nib on top and bottom when turning to remove. The 2556 is one of my favorite nibs. There are three feed types with the more flatter profile being the oldest.

 

Here is a useful chart. http://snyderfamily.com/current/estienibs.htm

 

 

 

I was able to adjust mine and it definitely looks like that feed on the right.

 

 

I Just put on the new sac and polished everything up a bit.

 

The shellac should be dry soon. I was just going to skip the talc, but I just realized I have wind indicator for hunting, Im pretty sure its pure talc. I might squirt some of that on there before I assemble everything.

 

 

 

Im actually just noticing that the powder in the wind indicator is purple. Im not sure if I should do it.

Edited September 27, 2020 by tleek

[tleek]

Got everything put together. I polished the plastic and the metal parts with a fleece rag with some green polishing compound, then with a flannel shirt. Its dark so my picture didnt come out great, but the set is as shiny as I would want it.

 

I will talc the sac later. Its much easier to remove the section now. Im sure it will be fine for a week or so.

 

The nib has a bit of rust o took care of with 1200 grit sandpaper, and then the same polishing compound. Im way more happy with the nib than i thought Id be. It doesnt write nearly as fine as I was worried it would.

 

Sorry for hi jacking this thread with my own little restoration, but here is my first Estie.😀

[AL01]

 

 My first Estie was Blue just like yours, (well, there are only so many colors one could get for a first J anyways.)

 

 It most definitely won't be your last, as they are a little addictive...

 

 Enjoy your pen set!

[Distaff]

I finally got my beautiful green Esterbrook to work!   Bought it inexpensively "as is" off e-bay way back from a seller who admitted he had no clue.   Anderson Pens sent me a new sack and 9450 nib in November of 2019.   I had trouble getting the sack to fit in without crimping, There was a bunch of junk in the barrel, and some other stuff that looked like it was supposed to be there (and wouldn't come out), but I couldn't fit the sack in until today, with some better lighting.   There is still minor corrosion and gunk here and there - the whole thing could probably use a dip in one of those ultra sonic cleaners (safe??), but it writes!   Not my finest fine line (that one is still the vintage EF Platinum), but it is GOOD!

[Runnin_Ute]

My first was a green J with a 9550 bought from a fellow FPN member in the classifieds. That was in summer of 2013. I now have seven.

 

blue transitional J - currently a 2464

copper J - 1551

green J - 9550

gray J - Venus F

black J - 9550

Bell Systems LJ - the 2464 when it arrived, currently a 1555 Gregg. It does need some repair, so I moved the 2464 as I quite like the nib.

red SJ - 9450

[cat74]

Just came home with my first Esterbrook - nothing fancy - my mom gave me her old one from grade school (1950's)- a grey M2

looks pretty rough but I will try and clean it up and see if I can get it writing again

Looks like the nib is bent but I may be able to straighten (a 9128)

Seems like many nibs on ebay - are their other sources I should check in case a replacement is in order?

 

[gweimer1]

On 12/4/2022 at 11:35 PM, cat74 said:

Just came home with my first Esterbrook - nothing fancy - my mom gave me her old one from grade school (1950's)- a grey M2

looks pretty rough but I will try and clean it up and see if I can get it writing again

Looks like the nib is bent but I may be able to straighten (a 9128)

Seems like many nibs on ebay - are their other sources I should check in case a replacement is in order?

 

 

PM me if you are looking for a new nib.  I have a lot, but not necessarily some of the really special ones.

[cat74]

7 hours ago, gweimer1 said:

 

PM me if you are looking for a new nib.  I have a lot, but not necessarily some of the really special ones.

only just finding out the crazy world of Esterbrook nibs - had no idea there were a) so many b) 'special'/more sought after ##'s 

 

I was really just looking to replace the bent nib on my mom's pen!!

I found a nib repair place close by and have sent it to get fixed - might be in the $40 range but when people are asking $70/$80 for the same nib I figure it is worth a try!!!

 

My next thought is that maybe I'll get this pen back up and running and gift it back to my Mom for her birthday?

[Estycollector]

I hope you can restore and give the pen back to her. I bet it will provide some good memories. 

 

Esterbrook pens and nib prices have risen significantly since I started restoring around 2018. I found that the 2556 was a good performer and could provide varying experiences. 

[1930artdeco]

Just picked these two up at a local antique dealer. According to Esterbrook.net the green one is a dollar pen from pre-war days and is in great shape-except for dust rattling around inside of it. The blue one is from the late 50's a plunger fill Safari. I will try my hand at replacing the sacs in these to get them back working again. Any tips on the plunger model?

[gweimer1]

Nice color on the green Dollar pen.  My understanding is that while the restoration of the Safari is possible, it's not practical, nor a guarantee.  If you want a nice '50s Esterbrook, look for an M2.

[1930artdeco]

The Safari still seems to work, so I will see it still holds ink.

[Rob G]

Exactly fifteen years have gone by since I started this thread. Whoa. My handwriting is a bit shakier, but I still have my "Bell System Property" Estie with a cursive-italic 9668, loaded with Private Reserve Electric Blue.

 

It works just fine.

 

Rob G