| Nibs: The Renew-Point, by Esterbrook |
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[ Reference Info Index | Glossary ]
(Information on gold-plated 3000-series nibs provided by Andrew Gnoza. Information on 5000- and 7000-series nibs provided, and nibs and feeds lent, by Brian Anderson. Osmiroid nib chart provided by Ray Ulrich.)
Unlike the earlier dip pens, whose nibs could generally be interchanged in a moment, fountain pens usually had a nib/section assembly that made changing nibs a job for a professional. A few companies devised schemes using nibs that were pressed or molded together with their matching feed units and then threaded as an assembly into the pen’s section. Among vintage makers, Esterbrook, with its “Renew-Point” design, was perhaps the most successful of the vintage American companies. At various times, Renew-Point nibs were available in 33 styles. The standard Renew-Point was the Duracrome series. For a short period beginning about 1938, Esterbrook also produced the 3xxx of Osmiridium Tip nibs; these nibs have a very attractive sunburst design. Production of 9000-series Master Series nibs began in 1940; like the 3xxx, these nibs were tipped with osmiridium and provided better performance and durability than the standard nibs. During the Second World War, Esterbrook made 8000-series nibs of 12K palladium alloy to conserve critical war resources.
(Revised March 2, 2008)
The Wahl Personal Point system (from the 1920s) and Sheaffer’s Fineline pens (from the 1940s and ’50s) used unique designs; but Osmiroid, Tuckersharpe, and some Venus pens could accept Esterbrook Renew-Point nibs. Venus even packaged its nibs in boxes bearing the words “Standard Thread.” The pen illustrated here, a Tuckersharpe, is interesting because of its transparent section and nib assembly.
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Click on the thumbnail to the left to see a 1959 Esterbrook in-store countertop nib chart. For comparison, click on the thumbnail to the right to see an Osmiroid nib chart. (Download time for either image: about 30 seconds at 56K) |
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Today, the most prominent maker of user-interchangeable nibs is Pelikan; but Pelikan’s nibs come in several sizes to fit different pen models, and not all sizes are interchangeable.
Below is a list of all the Renew-Point nibs with which I’m familiar. If you know of any that I’ve missed and can add to this list, please send mail.
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1xxx and 2xxx: Duracrome Nibs | |||
| Number | Style | Use | ||
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| 1314 | Flexible stub | Social use and manuscript | ||
| 1461 | Rigid fine | Manifold | ||
| 1550 | Firm extra-fine | Bookkeeping | ||
| 1551 | Firm medium | Student | ||
| 1554 | Firm medium-fine | Clerical | ||
| 1555 | Firm fine | Gregg shorthand | ||
| 1556 | Firm fine | Fine writing | ||
| 2048 | Flexible fine | Shaded writing | ||
| 2128 | Flexible extra-fine | Fine penmanship (Pitman shorthand) | ||
| 2284 | Broad | Signature stub | ||
| 2312 | Medium italic | |||
| 2314-B | Relief broad stub | |||
| 2314-F | Relief fine stub | |||
| 2314-M | Relief medium stub | Social correspondence | ||
| 2442 | Falcon fine stub | Backhand writing | ||
| 2450 | Fine extra-firm | Bookkeeping | ||
| 2460 | Rigid medium | Manifold | ||
| 2461 | Rigid fine | Manifold | ||
| 2464 | Rigid broad | Manifold | ||
| 2550 | Firm extra-fine | Bookkeeping | ||
| 2555 | Firm fine | Gregg shorthand | ||
| 2556 | Firm fine | Fine writing | ||
| 2668 | Firm medium | General writing | ||
| 2788 | Flexible medium | Shaded writing | ||
| 2968 | Firm broad | General writing | ||
| FINE[1] | Firm fine | General writing | ||
| MEDIUM[1] | Firm medium | General writing | ||
| BROAD[1] | Firm broad | General writing | ||
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3xxx: Osmiridium Tip “Sunburst” Nibs | |||
| Number | Style | Use | ||
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| 3312 | Dip-less Fine Stub | |||
| 3312[2] | Relief medium italic (duplicate number?) | |||
| 3314[2] | Relief medium stub | |||
| 3550 | Firm extra-fine | Bookkeeping | ||
| 3556[2] | Firm fine | Fine writing | ||
| 3668 | Firm medium | General writing | ||
| 3968 | Firm broad | Script | ||
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5xxx: Dip-Less Nibs[3] | |||
| Number | Style | Use | ||
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| 5284 | Broad | Signature stub | ||
| 5442 | Falcon fine stub | Backhand writing | ||
| 5460 | Firm medium | General writing and record keeping | ||
| 5461 | Rigid medium | Manifold | ||
| 5550 | Firm extra fine | Bookkeeping | ||
| 5554 | Firm fine | Penmanship and secretarial work | ||
| 5556 | Firm fine | Fine writing | ||
| 5668 | Firm medium | General writing | ||
| 5788 | Flexible medium | General writing | ||
| 5968 | Firm broad | General writing | ||
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| (Image not available) | 6xxx: Conical “Triumph”-Style Nibs | |||
| Number | Style | Use | ||
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| 6668 | Firm medium | General writing (apparently a prototype design) | ||
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7xxx: Dip-Less Nibs[3] | |||
| Number | Style | Use | ||
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| 7550 | Firm extra fine | Bookkeeping | ||
| 7556 | Firm fine | Fine writing | ||
| 7668 | Firm medium | General writing | ||
| 7968 | Firm broad | General writing | ||
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8xxx: WWII Palladium Nibs[4] | |||
| Number | Style | Use | ||
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| 8440 | Firm extra-fine (“Superfine”) | Bookkeeping | ||
| 8461 | Rigid fine | Manifold | ||
| 8550 | Firm extra-fine | Bookkeeping | ||
| 8556 | Firm fine | Fine writing | ||
| 8668 | Firm medium | General writing | ||
| 8996 | Firm medium (?) | Script | ||
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9xxx: Master Series Nibs | |||
| Number | Style | Use | ||
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| 9048 | Flexible fine | Shaded writing | ||
| 9128 | Flexible extra-fine | Fine penmanship (Pitman shorthand) | ||
| 9284 | Broad | Signature stub | ||
| 9312 | Medium italic | |||
| 9314-B | Relief broad stub | |||
| 9314-F | Relief fine stub | |||
| 9314-M | Relief medium stub | Social correspondence | ||
| 9450 | Extra-firm fine | Bookkeeping | ||
| 9460 | Rigid medium | Manifold | ||
| 9461 | Rigid fine | Manifold | ||
| 9550 | Firm extra-fine | Bookkeeping | ||
| 9555 | Firm fine | Gregg shorthand | ||
| 9556 | Fine | Records and charts | ||
| 9650 | Medium | Manifold | ||
| 9668 | Firm medium | General writing | ||
| 9788 | Flexible medium | Shaded writing | ||
| 9968 | Firm broad | Script | ||
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Notes:
These numberless nibs may reflect an effort to cut costs; or they may be an indicator of the public’s declining interest in nib variety due to the rise of ballpoint pens.
Specimens of the footnoted 3000-series nibs have also appeared that were made in the United Kingdom. As illustrated here by a 3314, these British nibs are gold plated and have only the later-style longitudinal numbers, with no sunburst design. (Original scan provided by Andrew Gnoza.)
Early 5000- and 7000-series Dip-Less nibs are technically not Renew-Point nibs; they slip with a mating feed into a threaded socket (which can accept either these nibs or Renew-Points) and are locked in place. I include the 5000 and 7000 series here because they bear 4-digit numbers and are contemporaneous with the Renew-Point. (Later versions of these series are Renew-Point interchangeable.) The photos of feeds shown here have been retouched to show the feeds’ features more clearly.
8000-series specimens exist, as illustrated here by an 8440, with a gold-plated variant of the 3000-style Sunburst design. I have no information on why these unusual and very attractive nibs were given numbers in the 8000 series.
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