Singing the Praises of the Esterbrook Fountain Pen

[John in Covina]

At the LA Pen Show Sunday I got a red estie J model with the toaster top jewel that means it's the style where the lines on the top cap jewel line upp with the clip and go across the top instead of around. Popped a 9460 medium point in the pen today.

 

[David Conwill]

I have a 9460 which is a manifold (carbon copies type of firm) medium that is smooth too. I do also like the 9968 which is for firm broad script a great addressing envelopes nib.

I am determined to end up with a J eventually, and I found the nib chart very interesting. I just bid on a J with a 2556 nib, which looks like it’s for “fine writing”. It looks like the 2968 or 9968 is what I’ll want to acquire next.

I have a fairly broad nib in my Sheaffer Prelude, and love the way it writes. Too fine a nib and my handwriting turns to chicken scratch (unless I’m writing quite small, such as in my check register).

I’m curious about the “carbon copy” nibs. I hadn’t realized there was a good way to write on carbon copies with a fountain pen. Maybe I should get one, so I don’t have to always carry a modern throw-away pen with me to court.

-Dave

 

[John in Covina]

Specifically the firm carbon copy nibs are designed NOT to flex under pressure.

Most nibs have a tiny bit of springy flex in them but the pressure of writing with carbon copies (CC) would be pushing rather hard, the springyness in the nib would be pushed beyong rebound so the nib does not recover or return to it's original setting and as the old phrase says "the spring is sprung."

A sprung nib means the tines don't line up properly anymore and will write poorly usually rather scratchy since the nib's writing ball halves don't meet up correctly anymore.

While many makers mostly made non-flex nibs, one could with enough pressure tweak the nib out of shape so manifold or firm nibs for carbon copies were made long before ball point pens were available.

RE: Flex nibs
For those that don't know about flex nibs, (Esterbrook shaded) American handwriting before about 1910 often used flex nibs for truly beatiful writing. A flex nib is just that on lettering down strokes a little extra pressure was given and the two tines seperated which created a thicker line. The thin thick line variation gives a neat look to the writing but it is writing using "whole arm movement" where as today we write from the wrist. Examples abound, go to the web site "John Neal Bookseller" and look at the books on Spencerian and Copperplate lettering to see what this style writing can produce. It is different than using an Italic, oblique, music or stub nib.

 

[John in Covina]

Hi Everyone!

I have loaded some video of our local Southern California Pen Collectors Club meeting from a year or so ago. I have a couple of segments Part 2&3 where Paul Hoban author of the Fountain Pens of Esterbrook gives a talk about Esterbrooks and collecting. Chris Odgers and Fred Krinke add some info for the club members. It was at the Fountain Pen Shop in Monrovia, CA.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qw_pmhQvdkI

If the link gets blown out do a search for SCPCC in you-tube or if you find my page john91722 the fountain pen meeting will be part of the videos I have uploaded. The quality is so so but I haven't gotten to how to upload the HQ versions yet.

 

[DeaconKC]

Nice to see the Esties getting some love. I have several and enjoy using them on a regular basis.

 

[John in Covina]

Getting ready to flush out some other pens for storage and snag an Esterbrook or 2 for everyday writing today.

 

[John in Covina]

Nib Chart Sorted on size EF / F / M / B

Esterbrook Nibs 1000-9000 Series for Fountain Pens
Nib # Decs 1 Desc 2 Additional Information
2284 Firm Stub Broad Signature
2314B Relief Broad Oblique
2464 Rigid Broad Rigid
2968 Firm Broad Firm
3968 Firm Broad Firm
9314B Stub Broad Stub
9968 Firm Broad Script
9460 Manifold Carbon Copies Manifold
1550 Firm Extra Fine Bookkeeping
2128 Flexible Extra Fine Shaded Writing Flex
2450 Firm Extra Fine Bookkeeping
3550 Fine Extra Fine Fine
8440 Firm Extra Fine Superfine - Sunburst
8550 Firm Extra Fine Firm
9128 Flexible Extra Fine Pittman Shorthand / Fine Penmanship
9450 Firm Extra Fine Posting
9550 Extra Fine Posting
2550 Firm Extra Fine Medium Bookkeeping
1554 Firm Fine Clerical
1555 Firm Fine Gregg Shorthand
1556 Firm Fine Fine Writing
2048 Flexible Fine Shaded Writing Flex
2314F Relief Fine Oblique
2461 Rigid Fine Manifold
2555 Firm Fine Gregg Shorthand
2556 Firm Fine General Writing
3312 Stub Fine Dip Less (Signature Stub) Gold Plated
3556 Fine Fine Fine Writing Gold Plated
5556 Firm Fine Dip Less
8556 Fine Gold Plated
9314F Stub Fine Stub
9461 Rigid Fine Manifold
9555 Firm Fine Gregg Shorthand
9556 Fine Fine Writing (Records & Charts)
1461 Rigid Medium Manifold / Carbon Copies
1551 Firm Medium Student
2312 Italic Medium Italic
2314M Relief Medium Oblique
2460 Firm Medium Firm
2668 Firm Medium General Writing
2788 Flexible Medium Shaded Writing
3668 Firm Medium Firm
8668 Firm Medium General Writing
8996 Firm Medium Firm
9312 Italic Medium Italic
9314M Stub Medium Stub
9650 Manifold Medium Carbon Copies
9668 Medium General Writing
9788 Flexible Medium Flex
9284 Stub Music / Signature Signature Stub
9048 Flexible Shaded Writing Flex
1314 Flexible Stub Signature Stub
2442 Falcon Stub Backhand Writing (Lefty?)
1000 Series DuraCrome Point Renew Point Steel tip rolled to make ball
2000 Series DuraCrome Point Renew Point Steel tip rolled to make ball> Early Thin Flat / Medium Flat / Later Round feed
5000 Series Renew Point
9000 Series Master Point Series Esterbrook tipped with Iridium (Top Quality replacement higher cost
3000 Series Sunburst Renew Point Esterbrook alloy ball tip Osmiridium (Hard to find)
8000 Series WWII Renew Point Esterbrook ball tip Palladium WW11 (Hard to find)

 

[DeaconKC]

John, thanks for an excellent article of work!

 

[John in Covina]

John, thanks for an excellent article of work!

I just put the Snyder family chart into Excel and sorted on Size. I am definately leaning away from fine points and more towards mediums and broad points for smoother writing. When I use fine or extra fine it makes my writing look spidery and enhances all of the detrimental aspects of my cursive writing.

 

[Ande1964]

Thanks in large part to this thread, I now own my first working Esterbrook. I stumbled across John's post here awhile back, and seeing the pens brought back a lot of memories. When I was a kid, my grandpa had a drawer-full of old fountain pens, many of them Esterbrooks. They always fascinated me, even though they were dried out and useless. Of course, I didn't really know how they worked, and had no idea they could be repaired. When my grandparents were gone, the pens went with the other misc. little stuff of the estate.

So, when I saw the pictures here, I told the wife I wanted a restored Esterbrook. Valentine's Day was coming up, and my wife is awesome, so...

This pen is an SJ model. The nib is a 9461 Rigid Fine. It loaded up and wrote great right off the bat. I love writing with it. I've already purchased another. I wanted a J model, so one is on the way now. It also comes with the 9461. I'm looking into buying a more flexible nib. I'd like to try one.

So, thanks to John for starting this discussion. I love the pen, and love thinking about those afternoons at my grandparents' house, digging through drawers of cool old stuff. I've always been fascinated by vintage things, even before I knew what the word meant. The Esterbrook is a nice connection to the past. A practical one, too.

Best,
Anj

 

[DeaconKC]

That is a beauty!

 

[John in Covina]

Thanks in large part to this thread, I now own my first working Esterbrook. I stumbled across John's post here awhile back, and seeing the pens brought back a lot of memories. When I was a kid, my grandpa had a drawer-full of old fountain pens, many of them Esterbrooks. They always fascinated me, even though they were dried out and useless. Of course, I didn't really know how they worked, and had no idea they could be repaired. When my grandparents were gone, the pens went with the other misc. little stuff of the estate.

So, when I saw the pictures here, I told the wife I wanted a restored Esterbrook. Valentine's Day was coming up, and my wife is awesome, so...

This pen is an SJ model. The nib is a 9461 Rigid Fine. It loaded up and wrote great right off the bat. I love writing with it. I've already purchased another. I wanted a J model, so one is on the way now. It also comes with the 9461. I'm looking into buying a more flexible nib. I'd like to try one.

So, thanks to John for starting this discussion. I love the pen, and love thinking about those afternoons at my grandparents' house, digging through drawers of cool old stuff. I've always been fascinated by vintage things, even before I knew what the word meant. The Esterbrook is a nice connection to the past. A practical one, too.

Best,
Anj

Looks like a nice one and you're not stuck with the nib you have. Although the flex ones are hard to find. I have actually bought Esterbrooks because of the nib it came with as you can find rare nibs on a pen but they may elude you looking for one in the box.

 

[John in Covina]

I haven't seen them but according to several sources Venus and Osmiroid both made nibs that would work like the Re-new Points and screw into the Esterbrook.