Knocking Out The Nib/feed Out Of The Collar...

[pajaro]

Just a bit maybe.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

 

Actually, I was being sarcastic. There are some Esterbrook nibs I like. I think the rest of them are rubbish.

[Brian Anderson]

You are likely to need a section to screw the nib in when using a knock out block, otherwise you won't get the nib in the block as the width of the nib exceeds the width of the collar. Be carefull, as you can break a section this way. I had a special tool designed to screw in the nib and I knock it out with that.

[pajaro]

You are likely to need a section to screw the nib in when using a knock out block, otherwise you won't get the nib in the block as the width of the nib exceeds the width of the collar. Be carefull, as you can break a section this way. I had a special tool designed to screw in the nib and I knock it out with that.

 

This is absolutely true. Trial and error made me remember that Brian had posted this somewhere. You need something to hold the collar, because it is too small and flimsy to resist the tapping out force, slight though it might be, and a section is the most logical thing to use. I guess you could call it one of Anderson's Rules of Procedure.

[Brian Anderson]

I actually took a cracked section and a friend encased it in a hard plastic mold. Now I can screw it in and knock it out.

 

Anderson Rules of Procedure, lol I like that

[pajaro]

It rolls well off the tongue.

[GG917]

Well I finally took care of this nib unit. After trying to unsucessfully remove the nib out as recommanded by johnmc2, I decided to use the knock out block. I warmed the collar into hot water, screwed the nib unit into the section an knock it out. Thanks for the tip Brian, saved me from ruining the groves on the nib unit!

 

There was a sensation like some sand was inside it when it came out and once the feed out I found that there was still plenty of dried ink still in it. I guess it might be some iron-gall or pigment-based ink, since I cleaned it before in the ultrasonic bath with some homemade pen flush (ammonia, water and dish soap) and nothing was coming out.

 

But the tip of the notch was sort of cut by the feed, so now I have a small hole on the nib collar! Could that be problematic? looking to the feedI guess the ink should no go there, there is no ink channel leading to the hollwed part of the nib...

[Brian Anderson]

Glad it worked out, there are some things an ultrasonic just cannot clean out. I have had the problem you describe, try rotating the collar that should alleviate the problem.

[pajaro]

I had one of the J series pens that wouldn't seem to flow any ink. I tapped the nib and feed out of the collar and used a soft old toothbrush on the feed and nib and soaked them. That seemed to cure that pen. I have a bunch of Sonnets that are sticky and dry out fast. I disassembled six of them, taking the nib and feed out from the section and soaked the lot and used the toothbrush on the nib and feed. I inked only one of them, and it is good as new. The point being that sometimes you seem to have to take the pen apart and clean it. I hate doing this, because of the risk of damage or wearing out a fitting, but sometimes you have to do it.

 

With the Esterbrooks you can usually afford to replace the nib unit and avoid the work. Sometimes we like the pens so much that we actually like messing with them, though. It's challenging and you learn things you wouldn't have learned otherwise.

[GG917]

Glad it worked out, there are some things an ultrasonic just cannot clean out. I have had the problem you describe, try rotating the collar that should alleviate the problem.

 

That was I was thinking, putting the "hole" on the collar to the opposite side of the ink channel, so it should not leak... basically in the way it was before!

 

I have one copper J that is in a very poor state, looks like its section will become my offical section for knocking feeds out!

[Tom Heath]

Beside the knock out block you may need a specialty template cut out to hold the collar from falling thru your knock out block while you try to separate them.

I made one out of copper flat plate, I drilled about a 1/4" round hole then cut about a 1/3 of it away so as to make it able to sock up against the nib but under the collar, which I then place all three onto the block and proceed to punch

the nib and feed thru keeping the collar and template above the block.

 

You may need a pair of nib pillars to push them back together once cleaned or a new nib is installed.