Fountain pen users, rejoice!

[cdcastillo]

I know this might not be the place to comment this, but there is some overlap on people who wear glasses and those who enjoy fountain pens, so I thought I would pass the advice.

There is now some evidence pointing to wearing glasses "all day long" with a diminished risk of contracting COVID19 severe enough to require in hospital care,

So, if you use glasses, do not take them off, or at least use them for long periods. Just published today. Well, yesterday, but since I haven't gone to bed, it seems as today still.

Stay safe friends.

Zeng W, Wang X, Li J, et al. Association of Daily Wear of Eyeglasses With Susceptibility to Coronavirus Disease 2019 Infection. JAMA Ophthalmol. Published online September 16, 2020. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2020.3906

Association of Daily Wear of Eyeglasses With Susceptibility to COVID-19 Infection

This cohort study assesses the association between daily wear of eyeglasses and susceptibility to coronavirus disease 2019 among patients admitted to a single hospital with infection.

jamanetwork.com

 

[bunnspecial]

I've been on a bit of a buying binge recently, and have spent a bit too much with Goulet pens(a big US retailer that started with a still fairly young guy out of his shop, and has kept the "small business" feel).

In any case, I've bought...quite a few pens...the last couple of weeks, including the two Pilots I showed a little while ago.

Earlier this week, another order arrived. I really wanted a Pelikan m1000, but the pricing/availability on what I want(specifically I want a 1000, not a 1005, with gold trim and a two-tone nib) and the green striated barrel just looks right on those to me, but I couldn't find what exactly what I wanted in stock for the price I wanted to pay. Given that it's a pretty decent investment, I figure out it's worth making sure I can get exactly what I want(and I'm still dithering on nib size-I don't have a great track record with German fines, usually grab a Medium in German nibs, but feel like I have too many so am leaning towards a Broad, but it's still a big decision). So, I decided to put that one off. I did grab another m400 white/green tortoise in M from a friend, but that's nothing remarkable and for whatever reason I keep swearing off the 200/400 size pens as they seem to cramp my hand.

I did buy a handful of others, though.

First, despite swearing off Lamy, I decided to get another 2000(I have my first off to be fixed now). I opted for a broad on this one, since my other is a medium, to give some variation. The 2000 nibs are unique to those, so you can't get the easy to swap Lamy nibs on them...or rather taken apart I think they still come off/go on just as easily, but you can just only use a 2000 nib.

Second, again to my "famous last words" on Lamy, I decided to replace a pen that I've missed for several years. I had a Studio Palladium with an M nib at one time, and it's the only good fountain pen I've ever truly lost-I was walking across campus to teach one morning, stuck it in a pants pocket, and it was gone when I got back to my office after teaching. I finally bought a nearly identical replacement. The Studio line is a good step-up in Lamy pens from the introductory Safari/Al-Star. They have what I might call more conventional styling, but use the same nib/feed system as most other C/C Lamys which also have easy to swap nibs. The Studios are solid hunks of metal with a big "propeller" shaped clip on the cap. Most of the standard ones(about $80/each) have the same steel nibs as the Safari. The "special" editions have 14K gold nibs, with an interesting minimalist two-tone design that has a yellow gold "stripe" down the middle. Again, these will fit Safaris and the like, and Lamy sells nibs separately, so if you want a blinky and frighteningly expensive Safari you can stick a 14K nib on it. In any case, the one I had was a good, smooth Lamy nib but had a very different feel from the steel Lamy Ms I've experienced. I call it smooth, but it has a small but not offputting amount of feedback while still paradoxically feeling somewhat "softer" than the steel ones. The replacement feels just like I remember my last one.

An additional recent one was a Pilot Falcon, which has an interesting looking 14K "SEF"(soft EF) semi-flex nib.

I've also been buying a lot of Noodler's inks. The jury is still out for me on them, despite the fact that I now have 10 or so sitting on the shelf(including a few unopened ones). They-or rather Nathan Tardiff since he IS Noodler's-is an interesting company. Considering that at least at one time they cataloged something like 100 different inks, it can be difficult to make heads or tails of of their different variants. Nathan also likes to use his inks as a bit of a political soap box also(he's a pretty strong libertarian but also something of an environmentalist), something that doesn't matter to some, makes some like them better, and something that turns some off. I've had a bottle of Baystate Blue for a while(a fun ink that's a bright cobalt blue about like blue sharpie) but somewhat controversial ink for its staining and supposedly corrosive properties) and have played it safe with only cheap pens. More recently, I added Marine Green, a nice solid middle of the road green color, to my line-up, and have liked it. I also added Red-Black, which seems to be a weird ink that can sing sometimes with color transitions from dark red to black, but sometimes also just turns muddy brown(Noodlers inks are hand-mixed and are known for batch-to-batch variation). My last order had a bunch-Lexington Gray-a solid gray and a color I didn't have from any brand-Bad Belted Kingfisher, which is a solid middle-of-the-road blue "bulletproof" ink(should outlast the paper it's written on), "Black Swan in Australian Rose", which is supposed to be a more magenta ink with a lot of shading(although it's a bit pink for my taste), X-Feather, which is supposed resist feathering on cheap paper, and Bernanke Black. The last is one is meant for lefties(even though I'm not one) as it's a very quick drying ink(that I can see some uses for) so as to prevent smearing, but also a strong political statement named after Ben Bernanke, who needed a "fast drying ink" for the amount of money he was printing.

I also grabbed a couple of Noodler's pens. They sell some really inexpensive pens with interesting/high end features. What I bought was an Ahab and a Konrad. Both are "Flex nib" pens, with really springy steel nibs designed to be flexed(intentionally flexing a lot of modern nibs can spring them, even though it takes a really heavy hand to get any flex out of a lot-even 18K gold ones). They also have ebonite(hard rubber) feeds, which most makers quit using 30+ years ago in favor of easily machined plastic, but ebonite can be customized a lot more readily. The Ahab is made of rather pungent recycled plastic. These are $20 pens, and kind of designed for tinkering-they advise you in particular on how to modify the feeds both for optimum nib contact(they can be bent with heat) and also how to cut/trim them to change the flow.

In any case, with all that rambling, there are two. The Studio didn't make it in. It's worth mentioning that this is on 25% cotton rag(I have piles of it saved out of the garbage at work since theses/dissertations for formal library submission use to be required to be printed on it, and many folks would throw away 100+ pages of it after they were done, although that's dried up since only the signature page is submitted now-it's usually sold as resumé paper or as otherwise high end business paper), which is nothing exotic but is a nice feeling, well behaved, and generally fountain pen friendly paper with no feathering, no bleed through, and little enough show-through that you could use both sides. I was disappointed to see that Lexington Gray feathered badly on this.

I didn't have the Palladium inked to show.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I've been on a bit of a buying binge recently, and have spent a bit too much with Goulet pens(a big US retailer that started with a still fairly young guy out of his shop, and has kept the "small business" feel).

In any case, I've bought...quite a few pens...the last couple of weeks, including the two Pilots I showed a little while ago.

Earlier this week, another order arrived. I really wanted a Pelikan m1000, but the pricing/availability on what I want(specifically I want a 1000, not a 1005, with gold trim and a two-tone nib) and the green striated barrel just looks right on those to me, but I couldn't find what exactly what I wanted in stock for the price I wanted to pay. Given that it's a pretty decent investment, I figure out it's worth making sure I can get exactly what I want(and I'm still dithering on nib size-I don't have a great track record with German fines, usually grab a Medium in German nibs, but feel like I have too many so am leaning towards a Broad, but it's still a big decision). So, I decided to put that one off. I did grab another m400 white/green tortoise in M from a friend, but that's nothing remarkable and for whatever reason I keep swearing off the 200/400 size pens as they seem to cramp my hand.

I did buy a handful of others, though.

First, despite swearing off Lamy, I decided to get another 2000(I have my first off to be fixed now). I opted for a broad on this one, since my other is a medium, to give some variation. The 2000 nibs are unique to those, so you can't get the easy to swap Lamy nibs on them...or rather taken apart I think they still come off/go on just as easily, but you can just only use a 2000 nib.

Second, again to my "famous last words" on Lamy, I decided to replace a pen that I've missed for several years. I had a Studio Palladium with an M nib at one time, and it's the only good fountain pen I've ever truly lost-I was walking across campus to teach one morning, stuck it in a pants pocket, and it was gone when I got back to my office after teaching. I finally bought a nearly identical replacement. The Studio line is a good step-up in Lamy pens from the introductory Safari/Al-Star. They have what I might call more conventional styling, but use the same nib/feed system as most other C/C Lamys which also have easy to swap nibs. The Studios are solid hunks of metal with a big "propeller" shaped clip on the cap. Most of the standard ones(about $80/each) have the same steel nibs as the Safari. The "special" editions have 14K gold nibs, with an interesting minimalist two-tone design that has a yellow gold "stripe" down the middle. Again, these will fit Safaris and the like, and Lamy sells nibs separately, so if you want a blinky and frighteningly expensive Safari you can stick a 14K nib on it. In any case, the one I had was a good, smooth Lamy nib but had a very different feel from the steel Lamy Ms I've experienced. I call it smooth, but it has a small but not offputting amount of feedback while still paradoxically feeling somewhat "softer" than the steel ones. The replacement feels just like I remember my last one.

An additional recent one was a Pilot Falcon, which has an interesting looking 14K "SEF"(soft EF) semi-flex nib.

I've also been buying a lot of Noodler's inks. The jury is still out for me on them, despite the fact that I now have 10 or so sitting on the shelf(including a few unopened ones). They-or rather Nathan Tardiff since he IS Noodler's-is an interesting company. Considering that at least at one time they cataloged something like 100 different inks, it can be difficult to make heads or tails of of their different variants. Nathan also likes to use his inks as a bit of a political soap box also(he's a pretty strong libertarian but also something of an environmentalist), something that doesn't matter to some, makes some like them better, and something that turns some off. I've had a bottle of Baystate Blue for a while(a fun ink that's a bright cobalt blue about like blue sharpie) but somewhat controversial ink for its staining and supposedly corrosive properties) and have played it safe with only cheap pens. More recently, I added Marine Green, a nice solid middle of the road green color, to my line-up, and have liked it. I also added Red-Black, which seems to be a weird ink that can sing sometimes with color transitions from dark red to black, but sometimes also just turns muddy brown(Noodlers inks are hand-mixed and are known for batch-to-batch variation). My last order had a bunch-Lexington Gray-a solid gray and a color I didn't have from any brand-Bad Belted Kingfisher, which is a solid middle-of-the-road blue "bulletproof" ink(should outlast the paper it's written on), "Black Swan in Australian Rose", which is supposed to be a more magenta ink with a lot of shading(although it's a bit pink for my taste), X-Feather, which is supposed resist feathering on cheap paper, and Bernanke Black. The last is one is meant for lefties(even though I'm not one) as it's a very quick drying ink(that I can see some uses for) so as to prevent smearing, but also a strong political statement named after Ben Bernanke, who needed a "fast drying ink" for the amount of money he was printing.

I also grabbed a couple of Noodler's pens. They sell some really inexpensive pens with interesting/high end features. What I bought was an Ahab and a Konrad. Both are "Flex nib" pens, with really springy steel nibs designed to be flexed(intentionally flexing a lot of modern nibs can spring them, even though it takes a really heavy hand to get any flex out of a lot-even 18K gold ones). They also have ebonite(hard rubber) feeds, which most makers quit using 30+ years ago in favor of easily machined plastic, but ebonite can be customized a lot more readily. The Ahab is made of rather pungent recycled plastic. These are $20 pens, and kind of designed for tinkering-they advise you in particular on how to modify the feeds both for optimum nib contact(they can be bent with heat) and also how to cut/trim them to change the flow.

In any case, with all that rambling, there are two. The Studio didn't make it in. It's worth mentioning that this is on 25% cotton rag(I have piles of it saved out of the garbage at work since theses/dissertations for formal library submission use to be required to be printed on it, and many folks would throw away 100+ pages of it after they were done, although that's dried up since only the signature page is submitted now-it's usually sold as resumé paper or as otherwise high end business paper), which is nothing exotic but is a nice feeling, well behaved, and generally fountain pen friendly paper with no feathering, no bleed through, and little enough show-through that you could use both sides. I was disappointed to see that Lexington Gray feathered badly on this.

I didn't have the Palladium inked to show.

View attachment 962752 View attachment 962757

A most interesting read.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[bunnspecial]

These 1960s 1x, 2x, and 3x model Mont Blancs are honestly great, well built pens all around and you can build a collection of them rather inexpensively.

The 1x series are part of the Meisterstuck line and have a fancy cap band(sometimes called the Bishop's Mitre) and 18K gold nibs. The second digit designates the size, and the "4" size is the largest of the group. The 2x pens are a bit less decorated and have similarly constructed 14K nibs, while the 3x series has either more plain gold nibs or steel.

I am working on building a nice little set of 12, 14s, 22s, and 24s in different nib sizes. One of the other fun things about them is that a lot of specialty grinds(from the factory) are out there. Unfortunately, M and larger nibs seem few and far between, and a lot of the ones I see seem to be F and EF. The EFs are really nice-true EF but very smooth, and all I've seen have what could be called an "Architect Grind."

Here's a recent acquisition-a 14 with what I think is an F(the size was only marked on a long-gone sticker on the barrel). I have another 14 EF on the way, plus a handful of 22s and 24s.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

These 1960s 1x, 2x, and 3x model Mont Blancs are honestly great, well built pens all around and you can build a collection of them rather inexpensively.

The 1x series are part of the Meisterstuck line and have a fancy cap band(sometimes called the Bishop's Mitre) and 18K gold nibs. The second digit designates the size, and the "4" size is the largest of the group. The 2x pens are a bit less decorated and have similarly constructed 14K nibs, while the 3x series has either more plain gold nibs or steel.

I am working on building a nice little set of 12, 14s, 22s, and 24s in different nib sizes. One of the other fun things about them is that a lot of specialty grinds(from the factory) are out there. Unfortunately, M and larger nibs seem few and far between, and a lot of the ones I see seem to be F and EF. The EFs are really nice-true EF but very smooth, and all I've seen have what could be called an "Architect Grind."

Here's a recent acquisition-a 14 with what I think is an F(the size was only marked on a long-gone sticker on the barrel). I have another 14 EF on the way, plus a handful of 22s and 24s.

View attachment 975957

Gorgeous; Mont Blanc pens are wonderfully ergonomic and extraordinarily comfortable in the hand. Plus, I love the easy, flowing movement - they are a pleasure to write with.

Well wear, thanks for sharing and do enjoy using them and writing with them.

 

[bunnspecial]

Gorgeous; Mont Blanc pens are wonderfully ergonomic and extraordinarily comfortable in the hand. Plus, I love the easy, flowing movement - they are a pleasure to write with.

Well wear, thanks for sharing and do enjoy using them and writing with them.

Thank you!

I have to be honest-my first of the series, a 22, was one I never QUITE warmed up to. It was actually my first Mont Blanc, bought before my beloved and primary user, my 146. I have it in storage now(hopefully to be retrieved in the next two weeks or so), but I always felt that the barrel seemed to small. That seems to be a common issue I have with pens that have a tapered section-I tend to prefer a more rounded section) such as you find on a 146/149 or the Pelikan Souverain series(and nearly all other older American pens, whether cigar shaped like the big MBs or straighter like the Pelikans).

Supposedly these MBs were meant to compete with the Parker 51, which itself was insanely popular, so obviously the overall shape found buyers.

More recently, I've been revisiting some other old favorites, including the Lamy 2000. The 2000 design is a bit newer than these MBs, but not by much, and has a fairly extreme taper to the barrel along with the same sort of semi-hooded nib. I've kind of retrained myself to hold the section a little higher and it's made a night and day difference. I'm still taking to the larger 14 as opposed to the 22, though.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Thank you!

I have to be honest-my first of the series, a 22, was one I never QUITE warmed up to. It was actually my first Mont Blanc, bought before my beloved and primary user, my 146. I have it in storage now(hopefully to be retrieved in the next two weeks or so), but I always felt that the barrel seemed to small. That seems to be a common issue I have with pens that have a tapered section-I tend to prefer a more rounded section) such as you find on a 146/149 or the Pelikan Souverain series(and nearly all other older American pens, whether cigar shaped like the big MBs or straighter like the Pelikans).

Supposedly these MBs were meant to compete with the Parker 51, which itself was insanely popular, so obviously the overall shape found buyers.

More recently, I've been revisiting some other old favorites, including the Lamy 2000. The 2000 design is a bit newer than these MBs, but not by much, and has a fairly extreme taper to the barrel along with the same sort of semi-hooded nib. I've kind of retrained myself to hold the section a little higher and it's made a night and day difference. I'm still taking to the larger 14 as opposed to the 22, though.

I am female, and have small hands, so the 145 and 144 are both perfect for me; since my teens I have written - almost exclusively - with fountain pens, but spent years trying to find a pen that was comfortable, and easy in the hand and allowed for a smooth and flowing motion on the page.

Many of the pens I have used, over the years, - many were Parkers, (and, over the years, I used have used/owned Cross, Papermate, Schaeffer, Caran d'Ache, pens, among others), yes, I came to realise, that they were too large, too heavy, and were unwieldy, and uncomfortable to hold and to use. And the actual action of writing - for any of them - flowed a lot less easily than should have been the case.

However, my Mont Blanc seems almost like an extension of my hand - it is a cliché, but nevertheless, it is true - and the ergonomic comfort I experience when writing, and how it glides across the page, means that I can write for hours, if necessary.

For years, I thought that the reputation enjoyed by Mont Blanc was just hype, a triumph of marketing, until - an epiphany - I wrote with one; and now, I only use Mont Blanc pens for writing, and must say that I love them.

Enjoy yours.

 

[bunnspecial]

I am female, and have small hands, so the 145 and 144 are both perfect for me; since my teens I have written - almost exclusively - with fountain pens, but spent years trying to find a pen that was comfortable, and easy in the hand and allowed for a smooth and flowing motion on the page.

Many of the pens I have used, over the years, - many were Parkers, (and, over the years, I used have used/owned Cross, Papermate, Caran d'Ache, pens, among others), yes, I came to realise, that they were too large, too heavy, and were unwieldy, and uncomfortable to hold and to use. And the actual action of writing - for any of them - flowed a lot less easily than should have been the case.

However, my Mont Blanc seems almost like an extension of my hand - it is a cliché, but nevertheless, it is true - and the ergonomic comfort I experience when writing, and how it glides across the page, means that I can write for hours, if necessary.

For years, I thought that the reputation enjoyed by Mont Blanc was just hype, a triumph of marketing, until - an epiphany - I wrote with one; and now, I only use Mont Blanc pens for writing, and must say that I love them.

Enjoy yours.

Yes, as cliché as it sounds...I have a bunch of fountain pens. I enjoy playing with new and old ones.

I get along fairly well with old pens like the Oversize Balance. A lot of the smaller Pelikans were too small for me.

My hands are on the smaller size for a guy's hands, but not small. When I tried a 146, like you I had the "this is perfect for me" epiphany and is the one pen I wouldn't be without(well, aside maybe from my uncle's Sheaffer Oversized Balance).

There are a lot of great pen makers out there. The big Pelikans(m800 and m1000) are IMO every bit the equal of MB in construction quality, and have some pluses. If you compare them side by side with their MB equals, the main difference is in the shape-Pelikans basically carry forward the shape kind of pioneered by the Parker Duofold, which is a bit "straighter" while the MBs have the Sheaffer Balance "cigar" shape. Many folks are comfortable with one over the other, although I'm definitely in the "cigar shape" camp. I have Pelikans and like them, but I like the 146 a lot better.

I'm not wild by the way both brands do some things currently. By and large, there's no flex whatsoever in the nibs. I have my suspicions as to why, but none the less it's there. The m1000 does have a bit of a "soft" feeling in its nib, but it's still not exactly flexible. I've been looking for an 80s("Made in W. Germany") m800, which is supposed to have a very different feeling nib from the current ones, but they also seem to bring a premium.

The 146 is perfect for me, although admittedly I like the 149 also. Whatever the case, I find all the MBs in that range to be nice, well balanced pens and of course wonderfully smooth(even if stiff) nibs.

I know MB has pitched themselves as a luxury/"pocket jewelry" brand, and it's a shame that they have that reputation now as, at the end of the day, they do know how to make darn good fountain pens.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Yes, as cliché as it sounds...I have a bunch of fountain pens. I enjoy playing with new and old ones.

I get along fairly well with old pens like the Oversize Balance. A lot of the smaller Pelikans were too small for me.

My hands are on the smaller size for a guy's hands, but not small. When I tried a 146, like you I had the "this is perfect for me" epiphany and is the one pen I wouldn't be without(well, aside maybe from my uncle's Sheaffer Oversized Balance).

There are a lot of great pen makers out there. The big Pelikans(m800 and m1000) are IMO every bit the equal of MB in construction quality, and have some pluses. If you compare them side by side with their MB equals, the main difference is in the shape-Pelikans basically carry forward the shape kind of pioneered by the Parker Duofold, which is a bit "straighter" while the MBs have the Sheaffer Balance "cigar" shape. Many folks are comfortable with one over the other, although I'm definitely in the "cigar shape" camp. I have Pelikans and like them, but I like the 146 a lot better.

I'm not wild by the way both brands do some things currently. By and large, there's no flex whatsoever in the nibs. I have my suspicions as to why, but none the less it's there. The m1000 does have a bit of a "soft" feeling in its nib, but it's still not exactly flexible. I've been looking for an 80s("Made in W. Germany") m800, which is supposed to have a very different feeling nib from the current ones, but they also seem to bring a premium.

The 146 is perfect for me, although admittedly I like the 149 also. Whatever the case, I find all the MBs in that range to be nice, well balanced pens and of course wonderfully smooth(even if stiff) nibs.

I know MB has pitched themselves as a luxury/"pocket jewelry" brand, and it's a shame that they have that reputation now as, at the end of the day, they do know how to make darn good fountain pens.

Yes, I have had Shaeffer pens, as well, - some beautiful ones - in the past, but nothing writes with the effortless ease, and extraordinary comfort of my Mont Blanc.

And yes, I agree re the 'luxury/pocket jewellery' brand, so unnecessary, to my mind, and somehow detracts from the fact that their pens actually work as writing instruments; they make superb and exquisitely ergonomic, comfortable and beautifully crafted & designed fountain pens, pens that deserve to be used as intended for writing.

Long may you continue to enjoy your MB 146.

 

[bunnspecial]

BTW, what inks are you all using?

I have what's probably an entirely unreasonable number of bottles of ink-just counted 20 not including what's at work and what's still packed up after moving. Considering that it can take me a couple of days to empty a pen, and I tend to hit blues and blue-blacks most heavily, some of the more off the wall colors can stick around for a while.

I've mostly switched to greens for grading/mark up, although I'm not doing much of that by hand this semester. I'm searching in a sense for the "perfect" one of that. I love deep, rich greens and PR Sherwood Green would be my go-to, aside from the fact that wet saturated inks don't play nice on the paper I often use. I've used Pelikan Green in the past, and it's well behaved but kind of washed out looking. MB Irish Green is a similar color but a bit more saturated and of course is a dry and also well behaved ink. I have played with Noodler's Green Marine, and like that it's at least semi-bulletproof, but I have mixed thoughts on Noodlers inks in general and again it's not necessarily well behaved on cheap paper.

I've tested an unreasonable number of blue-blacks as I watch my bottle of MB Midnight Blue IG drop. Pelikan 4001 Blue-Black(which isn't still sold in the US, but I've been able to reliably get from Japan) is similarly behaved but is a bit dryer writing and doesn't have the purple undertones of the MB. TWSBI Blue-Black tends more blue and is a fairly wet ink, so may be where I end up. Noodler's Bad Belted Kingfisher has a great color and of course it has a bunch of features that make it a good permanent ink. Still, though, it has a weakness in that those properties kind of fall apart on "good" paper(testing the other day, I was able to mostly bleach it off Rhodia, while it bleeds-unlike standard bulletproof inks-but is perfectly legible on wet or bleached copy paper). Iron galls seem the best all around choice for me, especially since I don't look for people to go around bleaching my ordinary permanent notes.

I've really been enjoying Noodler's Black Swan in English Roses just as an all around fun ink with some subtle depth if you look for it. I tried the more popular Australian Roses version and said "Nope, that's not going to work for me", but English Roses is dark and subtle enough that it could pass in some situations as a general purpose ink. Noodler's Red Black should be similar, except mine seems to just be more of a maroon/brown color.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

These days, I just use Mont Blanc cartridges (black, mystery black, midnight navy, and I have occasionally used royal blue inks) and have occasionally used bottled Mont Blanc ink.

She years ago, I was given a gift of a bottle of "permanent grey" Mont Blanc ink by the store where I buy my Mont Blanc pens.

 

[stephenschimpf]

I grew up in a small town in Germany. For the first half of first grade, we used I guess what would be called a felt-tip pen. When we returned for the second half of the school year, we switched to fountain pens. I had a Pelikan pen and bought Pelikan ink cartridges in a little school-supply shop right across from the school entrance.

A few years later we moved to the U.S., and when my teacher saw me writing with a fountain pen, she said no, we don't use those, and gave me a big, fat blue pencil. I guess here in the U.S. people think kids will squirt each other with ink or something? Barbarians, I thought! I'd never used a pencil before, except for colored pencils for drawing.

A few years later I could use a normal, hexagonal yellow pencil. I was so happy when I got to high school and was "allowed" to use a fountain pen again. I currently have a Mont Blanc bought here in the U.S. and a Shaeffer bought during a trip to Germany.

 

[cdcastillo]

BTW, what inks are you all using?

I have what's probably an entirely unreasonable number of bottles of ink-just counted 20 not including what's at work and what's still packed up after moving...

You made me go look at my desk cabinet. I normally just use what I have at hand, and since my writing is mostly limited to signing orders and prescriptions (sometimes I write the patient notes by hand, but most days now the chart is computerized), I’m yet to finish a 3 pack of mysterious blue ink from waterman I bought almost 6 years ago. I have 13 bottles and 7 cartridge packs (for my Skywalker)

I have still a kaweco blue black bottle, my workhorses (MB midnight blue, mystery black and oyster grey), my “festive inks” (corn poppy red, lavender purple and Irish green) that I mostly don’t use because the chief nurse always berates me when I do (something about the law, or the national rules, or something ?), and some “special edition” inks that are mostly never used because I didn’t chose them, they were either a gift, or came free when purchasing a pen or a set (VHugo’s sepia brown, DDefoe’s palm green, WShakespeare’s velvet red, elixir colorist azure, and petit prince’s sand of the desert)

 

[bunnspecial]

I have still a kaweco blue black bottle, my workhorses (MB midnight blue, mystery black and oyster grey), my “festive inks” (corn poppy red, lavender purple and Irish green) that I mostly don’t use because the chief nurse always berates me when I do (something about the law, or the national rules, or something ?), and some “special edition” inks that are mostly never used because I didn’t chose them, they were either a gift, or came free when purchasing a pen or a set (VHugo’s sepia brown, DDefoe’s palm green, WShakespeare’s velvet red, elixir colorist azure, and petit prince’s sand of the desert)

Some of those special edition MB inks can bring big bucks on the secondary market if you're every inclined to sell, especially the ones that came packed with writer's editions.

In any case, I do occasionally bite the bullet and use cartridges, but it kind of pains me to. For pens that require a specialty cartridge(Lamy, Sheaffer, Parker, Pilot etc) I hate being limited to only what the manufacturer makes. At least international cartridges are available from a bunch of companies, but there's still nowhere near the variety as is available in bottles. Most higher end cartridge pens at least come with a converter, and I normally buy them separately if not included. I have a few where a converter isn't possible or the available one isn't great, so I tend to refill those cartridges with my choice of ink.

I hadn't owned any Pilot pens up until recently, but I've quickly found that I really dislike the CON-40 converter that they now use in everything and it also holds only a tiny amount of ink. Chances are good I'm going to start refilling Pilot cartridges, since they're pretty generously sized.

 

[bunnspecial]

A few years later we moved to the U.S., and when my teacher saw me writing with a fountain pen, she said no, we don't use those, and gave me a big, fat blue pencil. I guess here in the U.S. people think kids will squirt each other with ink or something? Barbarians, I thought! I'd never used a pencil before, except for colored pencils for drawing.

A few years later I could use a normal, hexagonal yellow pencil. I was so happy when I got to high school and was "allowed" to use a fountain pen again. I currently have a Mont Blanc bought here in the U.S. and a Shaeffer bought during a trip to Germany.

In the US, in elementary school, we weren't even permitted to use pens in any form for assignments. I can remember having a couple in my desk in 3rd grade, and my teacher went on a rampage one day and threw them out when she found them. Fortunately they were all disposables, but that was one of many, many reasons why to this day I still dislike that teacher(and unlike my other elementary school teachers who I still see occasionally and always spend time catching up with, that particular one just sees fit to glare at me and occasionally muster a greeting-my parents I think may well have disliked her even more than I did).

In any case, though, we were occasionally allowed to use pens in middle school, but they were mostly frowned on and most teachers still wanted pencil. I used nothing but pens in high school, and in fact only recently started appreciating better quality pencils like Blackwings. A good pencil is a joy to use. The ones where a 20 pack is less expensive than a single Blackwing, not so much.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Some of those special edition MB inks can bring big bucks on the secondary market if you're every inclined to sell, especially the ones that came packed with writer's editions.

In any case, I do occasionally bite the bullet and use cartridges, but it kind of pains me to. For pens that require a specialty cartridge(Lamy, Sheaffer, Parker, Pilot etc) I hate being limited to only what the manufacturer makes. At least international cartridges are available from a bunch of companies, but there's still nowhere near the variety as is available in bottles. Most higher end cartridge pens at least come with a converter, and I normally buy them separately if not included. I have a few where a converter isn't possible or the available one isn't great, so I tend to refill those cartridges with my choice of ink.

I hadn't owned any Pilot pens up until recently, but I've quickly found that I really dislike the CON-40 converter that they now use in everything and it also holds only a tiny amount of ink. Chances are good I'm going to start refilling Pilot cartridges, since they're pretty generously sized.

As I travel a lot (or, rather, I used to travel a lot, before the advent of the Corona virus transformed my professional, and indeed, personal, worlds), and use my Mont Blanc fountain pens daily, I have found that cartridges are a lot more convenient.

As a student, I used bottled ink.

 

[bunnspecial]

As I travel a lot (or, rather, I used to travel a lot, before the advent of the Corona virus transformed my professional, and indeed, personal, worlds), and use my Mont Blanc fountain pens daily, I have found that cartridges are a lot more convenient.

As a student, I used bottled ink.

I can understand the travel aspect, and agree traveling with bottles is a pain. A box of cartridges is a lot easier to fit into a bag or suitcase.

Mont Blanc even makes the somewhat obscure 147, aptly named the "Traveler" just for that reason. It's a twin to the 146 in dimensions, and apparently weight/balance from what I understand, but only accepts cartridges. In fact, presumably to give it the same feel as a 146, it has some extra "support" structure around the cartridge holder that prevents a long international(Waterman sized) cartridge from fitting as well as a converter.

 

[bunnspecial]

I think I have a problem, or a sickness, or something.

Last week, I was offered a really good deal on a barely used 145(and relatively recently produced). Even though I don't usually get along well with smaller pens and have a stated aversion to c/c pens, I figured I owed this one a shot. Among other things, the MB converter is supposed to be excellent, and even though it doesn't hold as much ink as the 146/149, it holds more than a short international cartridge.

I figured I'd give my thoughts and impressions, especially since it's been a topic of discussion here the past several days.

Of course the presentation was every bit what is expected of a Mont Blanc-a solid box with the pen on a cushion, and an included converter

Putting it to paper, there were a few things that hit me. The first was the size of the nib, which I think is about a #6 size(quite a common size) but looks small compared to what I'm use to on larger MBs. Also, the weight and balance feel very "off" for someone use to piston fillers. I'll touch on those more and some of the interesting things I think in the design to sort of "work around" these. Still, though, it looks great all around

Naturally, the next thing for me to do was do a side-by-side with my beloved 146. All around, the 145 is noticeably smaller-it's thinner, and capped is a tiny bit shorter. Neither of these should be surprising

This is where, to me, though, things get interesting and also where I'm a bit fascinated by how MB approached the size. The body of the pen(uncapped) is actually noticeably longer than the 146

One of my issues, I've realized, with shorter pens is that I tend to grab them at about the same relative spot on the pen, and that messes with the entire geometry of how I write. MB apparently realized this, and it was fascinating to me when I noticed it.

On the 146, I've noticed I tend to hold it roughly at the bottom third of the cap threads and not on the smooth part of the section.

The 145 section is longer-in fact considerably longer-than the 146. When I started looking at this, I realized something interesting. The tip

-to-threads distance is actually basically the same as the 146. I thought this is a super nice touch and is really well considered.

Posted length is about the same as a 146 also

I've never posted my 146(this was my first time in owning it) but the 145 will be used that way as I feel it's better balanced with the cap on top.

OAL is also similar to the 14, which I love

On the whole, the only real downside for me is the diameter, but I can still see myself using this a lot since it's more comfortable to me than most smaller pens(or what is technically a "standard sized" pen-the 146 is "oversized" and the 149 huge)

 

[bunnspecial]

I went to visit a friend yesterday.

I really went(in addition to just visiting) to do a bit of trading on one particular item. I sold him a gun and a couple of watches, and bought a watch from him along with this pile

A lot of these are kind of junky. I asked him about a Sheaffer Snorkel, and out came his "finds I haven't had a chance to do anything with" jar. I picked through it and found two Snorkels, three Parker "51"s, and a Parker "21" in various conditions. This pile cost me $140...

These were two pretty much immediately serviceable items out of there-the better of the two Snorkels a 51 Aeromatic. These just got a soaking/ultrasonic cleaning/good soaking.

The sack in the other Snorkel is completely shot. Since it's not a super high end one, I'll have to decide if it's worth having fixed, or if maybe it would be a good one to try myself.

There's a nice 51 Vac Filler that would probably work, but seemed in flushing to have a leak in the sack so I'm afraid to try it. I think it will be worth fixing. The 21 has a good sack and the nib seems to be bent, but it actually wrote okay. The last 51 I mentioned is a "special"(steel nib) that's been dropped and has a badly mangled nib. I don't think it's worth much beyond maybe getting a feel for how these work.

This was the real reason for the visit, though, and what I've been talking to this friend about for several days

I didn't appreciate until actually spending time seriously writing with this just how big-or really huge-these are. It's definitely great, although at the end of the day I can't pinpoint it but my 146 seems to be just a nicer writer. It could be just getting use to the size/girth/angle of it.

Even if I don't use it, I'd have not rested until I at least had a 149, and will likely hold on to it even if I don't use it at all. I don't see it replacing my 146 for daily use.

 

[AVBeatMan]

Has anyone had any experience of the Cross Townsend fountain pen? I have the Cross Townsend ballpoint pen which is excellent and am now considering this matching fountain pen.

CROSS Townsend Medalist Fountain Pen with 23CT Gold-Plated Appointments and Medium Nib incl. Luxury Gift Box – Refillable Cartridge Pen https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000EWS01U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fabc_OATSFbVKDVBTY?psc=1

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I think I have a problem, or a sickness, or something.

Last week, I was offered a really good deal on a barely used 145(and relatively recently produced). Even though I don't usually get along well with smaller pens and have a stated aversion to c/c pens, I figured I owed this one a shot. Among other things, the MB converter is supposed to be excellent, and even though it doesn't hold as much ink as the 146/149, it holds more than a short international cartridge.

I figured I'd give my thoughts and impressions, especially since it's been a topic of discussion here the past several days.

Of course the presentation was every bit what is expected of a Mont Blanc-a solid box with the pen on a cushion, and an included converter View attachment 1140746

Putting it to paper, there were a few things that hit me. The first was the size of the nib, which I think is about a #6 size(quite a common size) but looks small compared to what I'm use to on larger MBs. Also, the weight and balance feel very "off" for someone use to piston fillers. I'll touch on those more and some of the interesting things I think in the design to sort of "work around" these. Still, though, it looks great all around

View attachment 1141237

Naturally, the next thing for me to do was do a side-by-side with my beloved 146. All around, the 145 is noticeably smaller-it's thinner, and capped is a tiny bit shorter. Neither of these should be surprising

View attachment 1142169

This is where, to me, though, things get interesting and also where I'm a bit fascinated by how MB approached the size. The body of the pen(uncapped) is actually noticeably longer than the 146

View attachment 1142047

One of my issues, I've realized, with shorter pens is that I tend to grab them at about the same relative spot on the pen, and that messes with the entire geometry of how I write. MB apparently realized this, and it was fascinating to me when I noticed it.

On the 146, I've noticed I tend to hold it roughly at the bottom third of the cap threads and not on the smooth part of the section.

The 145 section is longer-in fact considerably longer-than the 146. When I started looking at this, I realized something interesting. The tip View attachment 1154457 -to-threads distance is actually basically the same as the 146. I thought this is a super nice touch and is really well considered.

Posted length is about the same as a 146 also View attachment 1154543

I've never posted my 146(this was my first time in owning it) but the 145 will be used that way as I feel it's better balanced with the cap on top.

OAL is also similar to the 14, which I love View attachment 1154722

On the whole, the only real downside for me is the diameter, but I can still see myself using this a lot since it's more comfortable to me than most smaller pens(or what is technically a "standard sized" pen-the 146 is "oversized" and the 149 huge)

Fantastic and fascinating post.

Arising from your post, I checked my MB 144 (my favourite pen by far), and yes, it is slimmer, and the section is longer than my larger MB pen, which is less comfortable to hold and to write with.

Now, this is something I had not been aware of, until now.

 

[bunnspecial]

Has anyone had any experience of the Cross Townsend fountain pen? I have the Cross Townsend ballpoint pen which is excellent and am now considering this matching fountain pen.

CROSS Townsend Medalist Fountain Pen with 23CT Gold-Plated Appointments and Medium Nib incl. Luxury Gift Box – Refillable Cartridge Pen https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000EWS01U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fabc_OATSFbVKDVBTY?psc=1

I have one put away somewhere.

The good-it's a true medium, smooth writing nib. It has no particular "sweet spot" that I can detect, and writes well at pretty much any angle I've tried.

The bad-the nib is pretty boring from my perspective. It's a stiff steel nib, which is a good think for someone who may never have used a fountain pen before.

As a general comment-Cross cartridges are proprietary, and converters seem few and far between. I've never tried it, but I suspect you shove an international cartridge on there and it would work. Proprietary cartridges also tie you to Cross ink, which doesn't particularly excite me. Mine has been my Baystate Blue pen for a while, and I fill it by refilling the cartridge with a syringe.

That's my thoughts. If you like it, go for it. If you want a fountain pen to match your ballpoint(and Cross makes great ballpoints), that's your choice. If you can forgo matching, there are a lot of really good fountain pens from other makers at that price point that I'd probably pick.

 

[bunnspecial]

Fantastic and fascinating post.

Arising from your post, I checked my MB 144 (my favourite pen by far), and yes, it is slimmer, and the section is longer than my larger MB pen, which is less comfortable to hold and to write with.

Now, this is something I had not been aware of, until now.

There again, I don't get along that well with the slimmer section, but as I said it was interesting for me to see on both pens that holding at the section threads gives the optimum nib angle for me.

BTW, I haven't checked side by side, but my 149 also seems "right" for me holding at the cap threads...I just need to compare the nib to thread length on it to the 146 also.

In other news, Model 12 OBB on the way from Germany. I'm expecting that to be a beast of a nib...

 

[AVBeatMan]

I have one put away somewhere.

The good-it's a true medium, smooth writing nib. It has no particular "sweet spot" that I can detect, and writes well at pretty much any angle I've tried.

The bad-the nib is pretty boring from my perspective. It's a stiff steel nib, which is a good think for someone who may never have used a fountain pen before.

As a general comment-Cross cartridges are proprietary, and converters seem few and far between. I've never tried it, but I suspect you shove an international cartridge on there and it would work. Proprietary cartridges also tie you to Cross ink, which doesn't particularly excite me. Mine has been my Baystate Blue pen for a while, and I fill it by refilling the cartridge with a syringe.

That's my thoughts. If you like it, go for it. If you want a fountain pen to match your ballpoint(and Cross makes great ballpoints), that's your choice. If you can forgo matching, there are a lot of really good fountain pens from other makers at that price point that I'd probably pick.

Thanks for you thoughts. I’ve decided to go elsewhere and have ordered a Lamy 2000. I have a couple of Lamy ballpoint pens and so like them. I’ve heard good things about the 2000.

 

[bunnspecial]

Thanks for you thoughts. I’ve decided to go elsewhere and have ordered a Lamy 2000. I have a couple of Lamy ballpoint pens and so like them. I’ve heard good things about the 2000.

I LOVE the Lamy 2000. It's a timeless design and Lamy legitimately makes a good product that they stand behind.

About 10 years ago, they redesigned the section to fix the biggest achilles heel that has plagued the pen since it was released in the 1960s-the Makloron section had a tendency to crack. The redesigned one has an all stainless section with a Makloron "insert". Externally, the only difference is that the back(where the fill hole is located) is now solid stainless rather than being plastic set into stainless. The main look of the pen hasn't changed, nor can I detect any difference in overall feel/balance.

Lately I've been enjoying a B, which gushes ink(in a good way) and has a bit of a stub grind so it writes a bit differently than a standard completely round tip(MB B and larger nibs have this same general grind).

For ~$200 the 2000 is a heck of a lot of bang-for-buck IMO and it's often my suggestion for someone looking for a step up from a Lamy Safari or equivalent.

Across the board, Lamy aesthetics are a bit minimalist and that doesn't appeal to some. Still, though, the 2000 has been around for over 50 years for a reason. If you have some BPs, you are familiar with the design of the brand.

One thing I will mention is that the 2000 can take a bit of adjustment since the section doesn't really have an obvious spot to grip like many other pens. The right spot for me to both be comfortable and get the correct angle is up right around the cap "ears". Most of the nib sizes, and especially the B, are a bit less forgiving of angle than a rounded nib, so if initially you have trouble getting it to write smoothly move it around and find the angle you need for it to write well.

Two other things I can think of. First, with the way it's all designed, my experience with a couple of them(and other folks have reported the same) is that filling design often means that the first time it's inked, or if it's cleaned well, the initial start can be really tough, although it should start immediately once you get over that hump. Second is that the ink window is a bit like the gas light on a car. Once you start seeing light through it(held nib down) you're pretty darn close to empty. I get a better measure of ink amount remaining by holding it nib up and seeing how far I have to tilt it to start seeing ink.

Have fun! You've made a great choice.