My first Estie

[The Kid Line]

Please do!

 

It may take me a day or two before I can get the scanner going, but hopefully I should have it posted by the end of Monday.

[Mrsal]

mine was a blue 2 with a 2668 nib, a firm medium. got my second today. a copper j that is getting a new nib soon.

[wangjianwei]

Hi everyone, my first Estie has just arrived in the mail. I'm not sure what model this is, won it on ebay a couple of weeks back.

 

Looking forward to use it after work today.

http://i705.photobucket.com/albums/ww52/wangjianwei/estie.jpg

Edited November 30, 2009 by wangjianwei

[ZeissIkon]

Hi everyone, my first Estie has just arrived in the mail. I'm not sure what model this is, won it on ebay a couple of weeks back.

 

Looking forward to use it after work today.

 

For whatever it's worth, the cartridges that came with those two pens are worth many times what the pens are; don't toss them when they're empty, they can be refilled many times each. Esterbrook cartridges haven't been made in something like forty years...

[Rae]

My first Estie - bought just over 2 months ago - was a copper J which ended up being a bit of a dud. It turned out to be a fairly beat up pen, but had a 9668 nib I thought I could salvage... so far, no luck. It might prove to be a good practice pen for removing a section, replacing a sack, etc etc.

 

Since then I've bought another six Esties.... and am awaiting yet another seven pens. It is definitely addictive.

Edited December 16, 2009 by Rae

[professionaldilettante]

An Esterbrook J was one of the pens gifted to me by a FPN member, a wonderful pen.

[Jules]

Hi FPNers,

 

I'll be getting my first Estie soon, a pretty red SJ I bought from one of the members here. I checked around and there's stuff about replacing the sac, which I don't think I'll have to do for a while yet. However, just for future reference, I was wondering how to check if the sac is in good condition. Do you only have to pull the section out if you're having problems with the lever, or do you have to take the pen apart to know for sure?

 

Thanks. :]

[PenFisher]

Hi FPNers,

 

... I was wondering how to check if the sac is in good condition. Do you only have to pull the section out if you're having problems with the lever, or do you have to take the pen apart to know for sure?

 

 

If when you raise the lever 90 degrees and return it to the closed position the pen fills and has no leaks, then all would seem to be ok. If you can not raise the lever then the sac could be hardened from age and unusable. In either case, the best way to check is to simply remove the section and take a look at the sac. The sac is (or should be) affixed to the rear of the section and will just come out as a unit unless the sac has atrophied and broken off. If it comes out as a unit, then you can check for signs of age and wear. Good luck

Edited January 7, 2010 by PenFisher

[OcalaFlGuy]

Also...

 

First, why not just ask the seller if the pen has been resacced. They may have either done so themselves or know for sure that the person they got it from did. If it's been resacced recently, you should be fine. That's one good thing about getting an Estie from here is that more than likely if it's been passed down from a couple FPNers, someone along the way has resacced it.

 

Yes, the only real way to accurately access the condition of the sac is to pull the section and inspect it. Pulling the section is not difficult in the least. When sacs are on the downswing of their lifespans they can get harder spots on them and generally be just less flexible to let you know you are writing on borrowed time. (but still fill perfectly well...) Another reason to pull the section is to shine a light down in there and inspect the j-bar. It might have just some surface rust on it that it's better to remove before it becomes more than just SURFACE rust.

 

More often than not, even if a sac fails, it's likely to give you some warning, ie; leaking, before it finally comes assunder if it actually does that and drops it's full load of ink into your hand or pocket. I would think it's actually somewhat rare for any perfectly normal writing pen to unsymptomatically just hari-kari itself without any warning.

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

[raleighrover]

Oh Lord, what have I done?

I managed to build up a small collection of new or NOS fountain pens over the last several years, but until last night I managed to avoid vintage pens altogether. That changed when I bought my first vintage pen, an Esterbrook Dollar Pen in Dubonnet Red with a 1551 nib from Richard Binder (no affiliation, just a satisfied customer, etc.). I just don't know what came over me. Now I've been online searching and reading and printing stuff on Esterbrooks, and I feel a new obsession coming over me... I guess I'm going to need another pen case. I don't know which sensation is more telling, the excitement of waiting for the pen to arrive, the overwhelming amount of information available here and online for Esterbrooks, or the worry that I now have another way to spend money on pens... If I start buying "nibs" now instead of new pens perhaps I'll save money that way?!?

Not having held the pen, or used an Esterbrook previously, I am most impressed now with how these were built and marketed as solid, working pens - something that would bring a high-quality pen to the table without excessive flash or expense.

I have my fingers crossed, and I'm going to hide my credit cards...

[Windwalker]

Here are numbers 2 and 3, number 1 is another gray with a 2668 nib. Number 2 carrys a 9314M from Brian, (still trying to get used to this one), the nib that came in it a 9556, is now in the copper. Unfortunately the copper has 2 cracks in the cap, you can see one in the picture. After a search, it seems that replacing is the way to go. They both could use a good polishing. I resacced the copper, and number 1 needs one as well, as soon as I can find it again. We just moved and this will teach me to leave the packing to someone else. :embarrassed_smile:

[mdoering]

Esterbrooks were among the first additions to my collection... I have several of them, two are fully functional (the solid black and left most grey one) and the rest are mainly in need of new sacs(one is missing the bottom "jewel") The colors are vibrant on these pens and none of them have any cracks. Hope you enjoy the pics.

[fpman]

My first Estie was a olive and chrome mystery pen I got rather cheaply from eBay. It had what I eventually found out it was an Aerometric filler and thanks to the terrific Esterbrook.net site I found out it was an M2. Then I overspent on a similar grey and chrome pen that turned out to be a CX-100 sans cartridge. Thanks to some creative knife work with the wrong end of a standard international cartridge I got it to work, sort of. Both wrote very very nicely. Now, in short order, I have four more Esties and am eyeballing nibs (some attached to still more pens). A short, slippery slope to becoming a C.

[dinomium]

my first Estie is my first vintage find!

 

I was strolling through an 'antique' mall today trolling for valentines' day gifts for the wife and just started keeping an eye out for fountain pens for me. This one of those places that have many stalls of Elvis plates and Rose's tea animal 'collectable' figurines, so I was not holding out hope for something for either of us. But in an old Timex display case filled with pocket knives, non-vintage spinning reels and dime store dishes, on the bottom shelf I spied something shinny. Since I am such a n00bie, I really didn't know what I was looking at. I flipped the lever and it looked clean, so I bought it.

It is gray and has two black ends.

I logged on here and found out that my new acquisition is really J Double Jewel Esterbrook and it works! It is really fantastic looking a writes so incredibly smooth. I feel very lucky to have just grabbed a random pen and have it work out...

[OcalaFlGuy]

my first Estie is my first vintage find!

 

I was strolling through an 'antique' mall today trolling for valentines' day gifts for the wife and just started keeping an eye out for fountain pens for me. This one of those places that have many stalls of Elvis plates and Rose's tea animal 'collectable' figurines, so I was not holding out hope for something for either of us. But in an old Timex display case filled with pocket knives, non-vintage spinning reels and dime store dishes, on the bottom shelf I spied something shinny. Since I am such a n00bie, I really didn't know what I was looking at. I flipped the lever and it looked clean, so I bought it.

It is gray and has two black ends.

I logged on here and found out that my new acquisition is really J Double Jewel Esterbrook and it works! It is really fantastic looking a writes so incredibly smooth. I feel very lucky to have just grabbed a random pen and have it work out...

 

I hadn't thought about it before, but if there could be any more of an enjoyment than KNOWING you wanted a certain Estie and looking to find it (and finding it) the better one might be NOT knowing anything about Esties, finding a nice one and getting it and THEN discovering what a great pen you'd found.

 

Good on ya Dinomium!

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

[HenryLouis]

My only estie is a grey transitional J which i got with a NOS 9668 nib... It's a bit thick, but it's a nice pen...

 

I'll have to get another one soon, probably a clean red or dark blue J... with a finer nib.

[redbike]

My first and only is a transitional J style in red with the flat top and the three hash marks across the jewel on the cap. It came with a 9556 nib, which felt too fine at first but I'm getting to like it the more I use it. I purchased it from another member who re-sac'd it and really got it into very good condition. I'm very happy with it.

[IWantThat]

My first Estie, which I've ordered but not received yet, is a fully restored J in blue with nickel-plated trim. The nib is defined as very rare - an 8668

Edited March 28, 2010 by IWantThat

[Sesheta]

My first Estie is a little red SJ which came with a 2550 nib and an Osmiroid soft medium Rolatip (which is a lovely smooth writer). It's currently sporting a 9555 nib which I'm getting used to in preparation for using it for shorthand. I'm in love. It's a lovely little pen, the perfect size for my rather small hands and lovely and light. It's my first full size (almost full size) vintage pen (I've got two Peter Pan pendent pens) and it's georgeous. I've already got a list of nibs I want - I'm waiting for an Osmiroid left handed nib and drooling over a whole list of other ones - 9048, 9128, 2442, 2048, 9134F...for starters anyway.

I'm also waiting on a big brother for this little red one, a copper J that might even be an LJ in need of a new sac.

[79spitfire]

I got sucked in to the Estie thing just today! I bought 2 desk pens they were only $5 each! One appears older perhaps the front section is hard rubber? it has several bug bites and #2556 nib, the other is in better shape, likely newer, has a #9550 nib and I can't tell if the nib section is hard rubber or plastic. Does the direction of the name and numbers make a difference in vintage? The 2556 is across the nib where the 9550 is lengthwise down the nib. They both have had sacs replaced at some point, the 9550's is nicely done and appears to have been a professional job, where the 2556's wasn't "shellaced" in place and appears to be too long for the pen body, kinky folds at the bottom.