Esterbrook 357

[Ken Fraser]

Written with an excellent nib

[Erica McPhee]

Lovely! One of my favorite nibs! 

[Cyril Jayant]

Beautiful writing.
This nib is very rare  to find and I have not seen any!!

[D B Holtz]

Looking at the shading on the W, I have to ask: Did you write this from right to left?

DB

[Ken Fraser]

Yes, it was written from right to left!

[Daniel McGill]

Oh how I wish that there was a nib made today that rivalled it. Imagine the popularity. Maybe that should be a point of interest for William-mitchell (I do not trust the Manuscript Pen Co after the LPEF fiasco).

[clonehappy]

Beautiful! I've been looking for one for a while ... found a couple for 12 bucks each.  Is that a pretty normal price at this point since they are so sought after?  LOL  I can't understand how a company out there wouldn't try to copy it in today's world. Seems that they'd make a pretty penny if they priced it right and made it as good as the original. I've never used one but anyone that talks about them says they are just the absolute best nibs.

[Erica McPhee]

I just pulled out one of mine yesterday to work on something special. It was a bit scratchy compared to my trusty Zebra G’s. But once you get it flowing, it does give a much finer line and nice swells. Ken makes it sing. @Ken Fraser what do you use for paper if I may ask?

I’m sorry you haven’t been able to locate any @clonehappy .  If you PM me your address, I’ll part with one of my beloveds for you. 

[Ken Fraser]

Most of the time I use the Austrian paper Mondi Colorcopy 120gsm and occasionally HP ColorChoice 100gsm. They are both beautifully, smooth papers. As an alternative to Esterbrook 357, I sometimes use a Hunt 101.  I find that they are very similar. I've recently started using Parker Quink black ink with a little Gum Arabic. There's  no bleed on the above papers and the hairlines are very fine.

[K-2]

@Ken Fraser - Thanks for the details!  I'm a huge fan of Parker Quink black ink.  I wrote a love letter to it a little while ago over in Tools & Supplies: https://theflourishforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=7330.0

Do you find the Hunt 101 wears out kind of quickly though?  I like them a lot, but I go through them...

--yours, K

[Ken Fraser]

I am a creature of habit regarding paper and ink and tend to stick with favourites. However it's different with nibs and I tend to select them at random depending on the flexibility required. I find it easier to control small writing with a slightly stiffer nib. My current collection comprises -
Gillott 404: Esterbrook 358 : Leonardt Principal EF : Hunt 101 : Esterebrook 357 : Brause 66EF : Brause Rose 76 : Gillott 170 : Gillott 303. As I do use them all at random, I've never noticed any specific problem with the Hunt 101.

[Erica McPhee]

Thanks Ken! I will have to look for those papers. The HP laser jet I was using isn’t sold around me anymore. And I have been using Rhodia but the last two pads, the bottom half of the paper isn’t taking the ink well. (Weird!) I tried using a glove in case it was because of oils from my hand but it didn’t make a difference.

@K-2 I wear through the Hunt 101s very quickly but I think it is because I take advantage of the flex too much. 

[Ken Fraser]

Hi Erica,
I'll have to look out for the lack of durability with the Hun 101 nibs. As I explained, I use so many different nibs in random rotation that I possibly just haven't noticed. I have a light touch which may help.
I've never tried Rhodia paper, but I know that it has a good reputation. I've settled on Mondi Colorcopy as my paper of choice. It's made in Austria and is easily obtained in the UK where I'm from. Interestingly, I see that it's "ColorCopy" and not "ColourCopy" so presumably it's intended for the US market?