Green Esterbrook J Model

Posted Mon Dec 19, 2011 in Writing

This green Esterbrook J model is a pen I picked up off eBay a few months ago. When it came to me, the nib wasn’t in very good condition and the ink sac was “ossified” — which is a ten-dollar word for useless because it is no longer pliable. The pen was not in usable condition.

The next thing I noticed is the mismatch between the colors of the cap and the barrel. I thought that there was some aging of the plastic cap (the pen was probably made in the 1950s). But, on further reflection I think it’s a mismatched cap and body. Either the owner messed up and had two greens or there was a problem with the cap and it was replaced by the seller.

In some sense it doesn’t matter much to me. I replaced the ink sac, cleaned up the pressure bar, and replaced the nib with a new Esterbrook 9556 (firm fine) nib. The pen is my daily writer. I use a green-black ink (Noodler’s Zhivago) that has strong water-resistant characteristics, but doesn’t look too green in this pen. The writing in the image is the ink.

It’s a good pen, fits me well, and writes reliably. The end jewels are in good condition and so is the cap and barrel. So, regardless of the color mismatch, I’m going to continue using this pen. It’s a good writer.