Earlier this year, I contacted Shawn Newton about making a nib holder for my large collection of Esterbrook nibs. I thought it would be a great solution for ink testing since the nib holder has no ink reservoir. This makes clean up fast and easy.
Shawn was super easy to work with and the whole transaction was organized through email. I chose the material for the pen and my order was put into the queue. He’s a single man operation so all work, whether its custom pens or nib work are handled in a first-come, first-serve order.
I chose a light jade alumilite which is a mixed resin material. Its a cool green with threads of white which is quite reminiscent of jade stones.
The pen is just a nib holder, it has no cap, no ink reservoir… just beautiful, comfortable to hold resin body that is threaded to fit my Esterbrook nibs. The taper at the grip is very comfortable and the resin is smooth without being slippery.
I’ve been using this nib holder for ink reviews for several months now and I actually look forward to writing ink reviews since this nib holder is so pleasant to hold and use. Since the Esterbrook nib units have feeds built into them, a dip into ink will fill the feed allowing me to write for quite awhile without having to dip again. I can often write a whole page or more without needing to dip the nib again.
With the nib unit installed the pen measures 6 inches and weighs 12 gms. The nib holder actually weighs less than a Kaweco Sport in plastic but is a full sized pen!
For my test page I continually swapped out nibs and dipped in the ink again. As you can see the first nib I used hadn’t been cleaned so the ink came out much darker than it should have been. I bounced between various nibs as I was writing and dropped the used nibs into a glass of water to clean.
If you have wanted to experiment with the wide variety of Esterbrook nib units, a custom made nib holder is a great option. NOS and used Esterbrook nibs are available from Anderson Pens or you can scout around on Ebay.
Threaded nib holders start at $75. Contact Shawn directly to make arrangements.
Tested with discontinued Sailor Jentle Apricot ink (sorry!) on Rhodia Uni-Blank No. 18 pad with 6mm guide sheet.
Very cool idea. Thanks for sharing.
That’s a beauty! But for right now, with money being a little tight, I might just use one of my Esterbrooks awaiting re-sacing. Still a great idea though!
I never knew about this type of dip pen nib! If I purchase an Easterbrook dipless nib, in what sort of non-custom holder would it fit?
Esterbrook nibs fit in vintage Esterbrook pens. They can be found for reasonable prices on eBay and at pen shows. You can dip them rather than fill them as many of the old pens will have broken or no rubber sacs.