Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Fountain pen users, rejoice!
- Thread starter sk1wbw
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
My current clutch… missing is the Mont Blanc Meisterstuck 149. Lying in storage right now, I fell out of love with it — very ostentatious, feels like you're signing a declaration of war or the like. 
1. Lamy Safari, very fine point. This is my sketching tool.
2. Noodler's Ahab - Iroquois. A lovely fat pen — a bit too long — and the colour is gorgeous. But this is the third one, both the previous ones dripped ink. I have heard the Noodler's can be temperamental, but I am never sure what to expect when I unscrew the cap! Always some tissues handy.
3. Mont Blanc Boheme. A precision writing instrument. The cap screws precisley on to the rear, the thread stopping it so it is always exactly lined up.
4. My favourite… J Herbin with this little cheap throw away Herbin you can write and write all day long.
And then of course you need ink.
Favourite brand is J Herbin — but Diamine is cheaper and have a lovely Ancient Copper…
*Sigh* it never ends.
1. Lamy Safari, very fine point. This is my sketching tool.
2. Noodler's Ahab - Iroquois. A lovely fat pen — a bit too long — and the colour is gorgeous. But this is the third one, both the previous ones dripped ink. I have heard the Noodler's can be temperamental, but I am never sure what to expect when I unscrew the cap! Always some tissues handy.
3. Mont Blanc Boheme. A precision writing instrument. The cap screws precisley on to the rear, the thread stopping it so it is always exactly lined up.
4. My favourite… J Herbin with this little cheap throw away Herbin you can write and write all day long.
And then of course you need ink.
Favourite brand is J Herbin — but Diamine is cheaper and have a lovely Ancient Copper…
*Sigh* it never ends.
Last edited:
My current clutch… missing is the Mont Blanc Meisterstuck 149. Lying in storage right now, I fell out of love with it — very ostentatious, feels like you're signing a declaration of war or the like.
1. Lamy Safari, very fine point. This is my sketching tool.
2. Noodler's Ahab - Iroquois. A lovely fat pen — a bit too long — and the colour is gorgeous. But this is the third one, both the previous ones dripped ink. I have heard the Noodler's can be temperamental, but I am never sure what to expect when I unscrew the cap! Always some tissues handy.
3. Mont Blanc Boheme. A precision writing instrument. The cap screws precisley on to the rear, the thread stopping it so it is always exactly lined up.
4. My favourite… J Herbin with this little cheap throw away Herbin you can write and write all day long.
And then of course you need ink.
Favourite brand is J Herbin — but Diamine is cheaper and have a lovely Ancient Copper…
*Sigh* it never ends.
View attachment 631744 View attachment 631745 View attachment 631746 View attachment 631747 View attachment 631748
Lovely collection and thanks for sharing.
Which Mont Blanc 149 did you have? One of the special editions, or a standard Meisterstuck?
That pen is quite large in the hand, and rather heavy if memory serves, (I have held one in Mont Blanc shops, but would never have been tempted to buy one).
Thank you.
One of life's pleasures is being able to write with a decent pen. Even though I am as digitally enabled as the next Apple fan, handwriting still wins.The 149 was a graduation gift from my parents… 1989… an age ago!
In fact I suspect even before they started special editions. So just a "bog standard" one.Yes, very heavy. Weighty and serious.
Thank you.
The 149 was a graduation gift from my parents… 1989… an age ago!
Yes, very heavy. Weighty and serious.
Oh, yes, agreed.
I have been writing with fountain pens since I was at school, and, in the past decade have managed to graduate to using Mont Blancs, which I admit are lovely to write with.
As my hands are quite small, my personal preferences are the 144, and the 145; to be honest, even the 146 is a bit too large and heavy in my hand for me to find it comfortable while writing.
And yes; the 149 is a veritable monster. But, should you wish to share an image of the graduation gift, I'll be more than happy to admire it.
Having said that, it is one of life's pleasures to be able to write with a good quality pen; unfortunately, that full enjoyment of that act requires access to decent quality paper, which is not always guaranteed these days.
Out of curiosity, how much experience do YOU have with iron gall inks?
BTW, here are a couple of threads on FPN with regular iron gall users who basically are doing the same thing as me
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/231293-fp-cleaning-routine-iron-gall-ink/
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/f...ix-or-registrars-in-lever-and-button-fillers/
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/242668-iron-gall-inks/
Last edited:
I have an old bottle of Lamy blue-black that I've nearly finished, and it's supposed to be an iron gall ink. It's never given me any issues in my daily pen - my Lamy 2000 hasn't been cleaned even once since I started the bottle. It *may* have messed up one of my Parker converters however.
One ink that I found IS harmful if left in your pen is the J Herbin Rouge Hematite - which I think is some sort of a pigment ink. It's absolutely gorgeous though. The ink definitely destroyed a Parker converter - it became brittle and disintegrated after a while. The nib and feed were fine luckily.
One ink that I found IS harmful if left in your pen is the J Herbin Rouge Hematite - which I think is some sort of a pigment ink. It's absolutely gorgeous though. The ink definitely destroyed a Parker converter - it became brittle and disintegrated after a while. The nib and feed were fine luckily.
Last edited:
Lamy Blue Black bottles were IG up until 2012 or so. I have a bottle of it, and I've used it in a pinch although the Mont Blanc is my preferred ink.
I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with the Lamy bottle. On one hand, it's ugly and quite large for the volume of ink it holds. On the other hand, it's the very epitome of function and an extremely well thought out design-I'm sure you've noticed the well in the bottom to help you get the last drops of ink out. You also can't beat the fact that they give you a roll of blotting paper with every bottle.
That reminds me-the section on my Lamy 2000 just recently broke for the second time. Lamy fortunately has wonderful service so it's just a matter of sending it in, but this is getting a bit frustrating. It hadn't even been anywhere but my desk drawer and I think I'd only put some "gentle" inks through it(probably Waterman Blue). Mine is the "old" design, and supposedly the new ones were redesigned to make that less of a problem. I had hoped that they would use the supposedly redesigned section in the repair, but apparently not.
As a heavy user of MB midnight blue..lots and as a general ink user...lots. That's what you get when you have many inks and write daily.
Out of curiosity: why are you not even reading the things you are linking to? The very first topic shows lots of people using cleaning solutions, etc. instead of using a simple rinse with water. The others show no different and are in line with what I'm saying: a simple clean every now and then is enough. You have to do it a bit more than ordinary inks but not excessively more.
Out of curiosity: why are you always blowing things out of proportion, not reading posts or links you use and continuously picking fights?
I did indeed read through those threads and thoroughly at that, and there are quite a few folks stating a maintenance interval more in line with what I've stated-i.e. every few months, not weekly as you said.
I'm not trying to "pick a fight"(in fact in reading through this thread I could easily turn that accusation around) but I have an interest in accurate information. I would humbly suggest that you're the one blowing things out of proportion with your latest accusations.
However, on that point I will just say that I've stated my habits with iron gall inks and posted my experience and will comment no further on the subject publicly. If you, dyn, wish to continue to debate it I would be happy to continue doing so through PM but don't wish to discuss the subject any further.
Any further comments I make in this thread will be about my experiences and preferences on pens and inks.
Last edited:
I've just managed to buy this Mont Blanc Meisterstuck off eBay for £104. Seller says condition is "perfect". I know it's a bit of a gamble buying something that you haven't seen but there is eBay seller protection...
V excited as it'll be my first Mont Blanc! Question; can someone explain "4810, 14K and 585"?
Also, where's the best place to buy ink? Thanks.
V excited as it'll be my first Mont Blanc! Question; can someone explain "4810, 14K and 585"?
Also, where's the best place to buy ink? Thanks.
As far as I know, 14K describes the degree of purity of the gold used in the parts of the pen where gold is used: K = carat, the measurement of purity used in gold.
Gold comes in 9k, 14k, 18K, 22K, 24K - and there are others. The numbers indicate how much gold there is (a higher number denotes 'purer' gold, but 'purer' gold, physically, is an increasingly soft metal, whereas an alloy - say, of silver - can offer strength - and durability - to gold).
A stamp of 14K suggests that something between 58.3%-62.5% of the material used is pure gold, whereas a stamp of 24K is close to solid gold (99%). Thus, 14K is 585 parts of gold per thousand parts of gold.
The figure 4810 is found on the nib of every Mont Blanc pen, and denotes the height of Mont Blanc (the mountain) after which the pen range is named.
I hope you enjoy the pen when you receive it. What size is it (a 145? 144? 146?, or larger?)
Last edited:
I'm not sure about the size (I've just asked the seller). I presume 145, 146 etc refers to the pens length in mm?
I'm sure I'll enjoy the pen and after seeing what they're going for should be able to recoup my money should I decide to sell on.
Going back to ink, will me Waterman cartridges fit or can I purchase some off Amazon?
That is the size I love; this means that it is quite a small pen, and is my favourite size for comfort and ease of writing, as my hands are quite small, too.
To the best of my understanding, Mont Blanc no longer manufacture pens in the 144 size, but some authorised dealers have kept some, not least to be able to cannibalise them for replacements. Mind you, Mont Blanc will still service them, and repair them (the resin casing cracked on one of mine two years ago, and was sent to Switzerland to be repaired).
Well, it is a lovely, easy, pen to write with, one where the ink will glide easily and - above all - will not tire your wrist out.
Well wear, and enjoy owning it and using it.
Personally, I use Mont Blanc ink (in bottles), or - mostly - in cartridges.
I also received this J Herbin today for £8.47! Very simple but effective pen. This is one you can take anywhere on your travels and not be too worried if it gets lost or left behind. The nib is v fine in comparison to by Waterman which is a medium nib. Anyway, for the price you can't go wrong.
Just read in my newspaper this morning that Michael Palin writes his diary on Florentine marbled paper. Anyone?
No. Not yet. (But some day, hopefully).
The closest I have come to that are some notebooks (things with covers and paper), usually bought in some excellent stationary shops, or museum or art gallery shops, (the sort which stock such things) where the hard covers resemble that wonderful Florentine/Venetian marbled paper, while the actual paper, is solid, creamy and very well made.
Congratulations, Medz1! Enjoy your new, wonderful pen!
I would use Montblanc ink with a Montblanc Meisterstück.
I would use Montblanc ink with a Montblanc Meisterstück.
Thanks! Already bought these off Amazon.Congratulations, Medz1! Enjoy your new, wonderful pen!
I would use Montblanc ink with a Montblanc Meisterstück.
Congratulations, Medz1! Enjoy your new, wonderful pen!
I would use Montblanc ink with a Montblanc Meisterstück.
Agree completely.
That is what I do and what I would recommend, also.
[doublepost=1463867027][/doublepost]
Excellent; these are what I write with, and you will find them easy to use.
Now, a small word of advice: I always have two of these in the pen, one attached to the nib, and the other - reversed - stored as a reserve, in the base of the pen.
This is because I cannot begin to count the number of times I have run out of ink while taking notes at serious meetings, and it is very handy to have the second cartridge tucked away in the pen so that it can be brought into action immediately.
Then, when I have returned to wherever I have initially set out from, I will dispose of the old cartridge in the wastepaper basket (perhaps wrapped in a tissue), and add a new second cartridge to the bottom of the pen, so that I have a fresh source of ink which can be used as a replacement.
[doublepost=1463867175][/doublepost]Moreover, I usually carry a box of those cartridges in my briefcase.
Thanks for the tip! I was not aware that you were able to keep a spare cartridge in the pen. A great idea. Reminds me of my Bose Quiet Comfort headphones where theres a little tube in the carry case where you can store a spare battery for when the one in the phones runs out.
I'm now in that "zone" where one worries about the quality of what one's bought. Just hope the pen's condition is as described by the seller, that is "perfect". Fingers crossed!
I'm now in that "zone" where one worries about the quality of what one's bought. Just hope the pen's condition is as described by the seller, that is "perfect". Fingers crossed!
You can put it into the pen so that the base of each cartridge face one another: Thus, the one attached to the nib has a base that goes around half way down the body, or barrel, of the pen, and the other one, once inserted, will fit if reversed, i.e. base to the top of the pen, - so that the base of each cartridge will almost touch one other, - and the point of contact with the nib will fit at the bottom of the pen. If you try to insert them so that they both face the same way, they will not fit.
Because the cartridge is still sealed, and hasn't been punctured, the pen will take no damage from using one cartridge as a spare, stored in the bottom of the pen. I have been doing this for years and find it very handy if one uses the pens regularly.
Yes, I hope that the pen is indeed as described - and photographed - by the seller.
But if it is, you have bought yourself a beautiful writing instrument; it is easily the most comfortable pen I have ever held in my hand, and is gorgeous to write with. And, when you do get it, make sure you enjoy using it.
Incidentally, if problems do arise, you can always send the pen to Mont Blanc for a service (via an authorised dealer).
Last edited: