Spent 4 hours trying to fix a 1940s fountain pen nib and still messed it up

Honestly, I found this old Esterbrook fountain pen at a thrift store for $5 last month. The nib was all bent and I figured how hard could it be to straighten it out? Took me 4 hours with a loupe and some pliers, and I ended up making the scratchy line even worse than when I started. Shoulda just left it alone or sent it to a pro. Has anyone else tried DIY repair on a vintage pen and totally regretted it?

2 comments

2 Comments

rileyl982h ago

Tinker with the nib under a magnifying lamp instead of a loupe next time, the wider view helps you see the tines bending in real time instead of just noticing after it's too late. Also try using shim stock instead of pliers, it gives way more control and you won't accidentally warp the tipping material. What kind of ink were you using to test it?

corac9110h ago

There's something almost ritualistic about spending way too long on a repair and making it worse, isn't there? I've definitely been there with vintage sewing machines, thinking I could fix a timing issue and ending up with a pile of parts I couldn't reassemble.