Desk Pen Edition Of Show Off Your Esterbrooks

[ScienceChick]

Very nice! I still love seeing the colored sets.

 

Update: My desk set gets daily use at school (my work) and I'm impressed every time I pick up the pen - never a hard start or a hesitation. It's got a stubbed 2668 nib (thank you, Art) and performed flawlessly with every ink I've used including KWZ IG.

Edited March 17, 2016 by ScienceChick

[Anne-Sophie]

How would one refill a 401 Dip-Less well, they are really stunning!

 

Thank you for the reference page ac12 and for the beautiful pictures, everyone.

Edited March 19, 2016 by Anne-Sophie

[AAAndrew]

All right. All y'all enablers have done it. I've now purchased my first Dipless, standard chained 445 (for some odd reason I love the chained pens), and then I just picked up this little beauty. I call it the UFO model as there's no model number I can find. I'm assuming it's pretty late as it looks awfully close to 60's in design.

 

That makes one pre-war 8-ball, one maroon later 8-ball with matching pen in box, desk pen with red taper, desk pen with clear taper, desk pen in tan with clear taper, a dipless 445, and now this avacado flying saucer. A mere couple of months ago all I had was a lonely little 8-ball with no pen.

 

Thanks.

 

 

 

[Bitzel]

Ooo, that's really nice! Good find!

[ac12]

AAAndrew,

NICE FIND. I'm jealous.

[AAAndrew]

Ok, ok! I've got to stop. It's my last one, I promise. Last night I was trolling through unknown waters and ran across one of the WWII 407 Dipless holders, this one for the "Air Force US Army" for $30. It's missing the pen, so I need to get a pen from the time, but I couldn't resist. These military ones show up from time to time, but not that often. It looks like it's also an army brown bakelite rather than the black, but that could be the pictures. I'll post better ones when I get it. It was a risk without great pictures, but I thought it was worth it for one of the military ones.

 

Y'all are not helping.

[ScienceChick]

That's a beauty! I'm a little green myself.

[AAAndrew]

It's partially your fault, Science Chick. You gave me the first pen to go with my 8-ball. Thanks for the shove down this slippery slope.

 

I'm afraid I don't know much about the dip less pens. I guess I have some reading to do. I see the nibs every once in a while on the bay. I guess you change the nibs as needed while using the same feed? Friction fit?

[Tom Heath]

Andrew's post got me to go to archives for this neat desk item

The Stylist Desk Set with Cartridge Fill fountain pen

 

I have taken mine apart too reveal the innards especially the two , 2 sided disks which may be employed to change the " Motif" if you will or eve install a photo of you favorite subject>

 

Enjoy

Tom

[AAAndrew]

That sure looks like it. Thanks, Tom! Now I know the model. I had no idea I could pop off the top and change the color, or add my own picture. I think I'll keep the avocado color disk in there. The only difference is that mine has a lever-filler and not a cartridge. Not sure if the pen is original to the base, or just an earlier or alternate version.

 

Thanks!

[ac12]

Andrew, the dipless pens use the same nib assembly as the J series fountain pens.

[AAAndrew]

I've seen loose nibs with "dip-less" on the nib itself that are meant to be replacement nibs for Dip-less pens. My understanding was that some of the early ones didn't use the same renew-point nibs, but had a separate section and nib which you could take out and replace.

 

But I'm very limited in my knowledge of these pens. I'm sure others on here know better.

 

I'd love to find a Dip-less pen for the circa-WWII 407 I just purchased. It would be even better if it was appropriate for the period. What should I look for?

[AAAndrew]

First Dip-less restoration. Not as bad as I feared. Pretty stuck together, but now it sits by the kitchen phone for messages, and my wife will be less likely to walk away with the pen.

 

[ac12]

yay, a dipless in actual use

Edited April 10, 2016 by ac12

[ScienceChick]

It's partially your fault, Science Chick. You gave me the first pen to go with my 8-ball. Thanks for the shove down this slippery slope.

 

Sweet, I've achieved coveted Enabler status. And you're welcome. Beautiful restoration, btw. Desk pens are just so darn practical. Edited April 10, 2016 by ScienceChick

[Tom Heath]

_{In my haste today at the flea market I gathered this Esty Dripless desk pen}

_{to be figured out later}

 

_{Well this is later Nice pen but an OMG nib # 2048 Flexible Extra Fine " Falcon "}

 

_{Nib have a nice pair of Falcon Ears....}

[AAAndrew]

Congrats on the Falcon! Those can be great nibs!

[Brian Anderson]

Turned out to be a Dripless, base by none other than the R. Esterbrook Pen Company

Appears to be Bake o Lite, A sort of Terra Cotta base with pen rest and a Neat ink reservoir under the slip on Red Cap

 

Would anyone know , does it simply just contain a large quantity of ink or was there a bottle to fit this one.

 

These did have a glass ink bottle underneath the cap. Red capped versions are quite rare. Consider yourself lucky. I have images of some of the doubles, but can't seem to locate them, so will put this one out there for everyone:

 

http://collection.andersonpens.com/dbldeskset.jpg

 

Cheers!

Brian

[Hobiwan]

I'd love to find a Dip-less pen for the circa-WWII 407 I just purchased. It would be even better if it was appropriate for the period. What should I look for?

 

I'm not as knowledgeable about desk pens as others, but near as I can figure, it should be one of these. This one calls itself the Esterbrook Dip-less Universal. The imprint also has "Pat Pending Made in USA". It has a sleeve into which is mounted a regular Renew Point (or "Re-New Point") as they called it back then. The 1461 point this one came with is (I think) a later WWII nib ('43 - '45?) with smooth-bottom comb feed. I'm guessing that without the sleeve, you could mount a "regular" dip-less pen point ....? With sleeve in the barrel and point in the sleeve, it fits with the color flush to the 407 hole.

 

 

I can be corrected on this, but I think the 3 'ribs' at the base of the taper make the holder around 1942, like the bandless fountain pen.

[AAAndrew]

Very interesting, Paul.

 

Periodically I see on the evilBay individual nibs marked "Dip-Less" and it seems I've read somewhere that the early dip-less pens just had a friction fit section and nib that you could take out and replace the nib.

 

I suspect when they came out with the renew points they made some retro fit accommodations like the one you show.

 

I'll keep an eye out for such a beast. Meanwhile just a plain old dipless pen will be good enough for now. Now I just need to find one.

 

Thanks!