Pen-Fi (FPs, RBs, BPs, etc...) [56k Warning] - Page 13

Amazing the prices they are getting for the Parker 51. I wonder how much the set in pic below would sell for? (not that I am selling it was a gift from the original owner, my wife's uncle). Click on the thumbnail to view the full size pic.

This is a great thread with great photography. Some of those photos were making me seriously jealous. There's something about a good pen that's really special. I'm a stickler for Lamy pens, and my favorite inks are Private Reserve, Aurora (great, deep basic black), and of course Noodler's.

Thanks. Vintage MBs are definitely a totally different beast. The nibs actually have flex, and even the "precious resin" is made of a totally different material. Plus, the little things like engravings really make the pen look better IMO. Maybe its just in my head, but vintage MBs definitely feel more sturdy than most other vintage pens Ive used. Maybe its just because they usually have larger nibs, but I rarely feel like Im going to decimate a vintage MB by using it, unlike a lot of other older pens.

Congrats on snagging your 51, btw. Im sure youll love it.

Thanks too. I think MB history is pretty fascinating, but its not nearly as well documented (especially online) as, say, Parker"s.

Youre right, its either a 120 or a 140. Theres something wrong with the filler though, and I never got around to returning it to the seller for repair. Its a shame, as its got a nice flexy oblique nib iirc.

does anyone know where I can find a pen that has a line thickness close to that of a .5mm pencil despite the ink bleed?

I just bought a Cross ATX fountain pen in Basalt Black online direct from them, in which I probably paid too much for, but I really like to start writing longhand more in my Moleskines. It's definitely going to be my daily pen, though I'd hate to lose it. Cross has been a part of my family for years, notably with my mother, in which she still uses her 18k Century ballpoint that my father gave her for her college graduation over 25 years ago.



After a while I'd like to get a Mont Blanc Meisterstuck Le Grand 146 or 149, a big jump in price, but I'm willing to shell out and keep it as a future family heirloom.

Grats! Be sure to let us know how you like it. Nothing feels quite like a 51 does, they are oddly unique writers.

I'm not sure if you know Rick "The Penguin" Propas, but you might could shoot him an email. Pelikans of all models are his specialty: http://www.angelfire.com/mac/penguin0/ And a warning before anyone goes to that webpage: LOTS of really, really kick ass Pelikans, vintage and modern. Sorry about your wallet.

I own a Cross ATX, definitely a great writer, very smooth M nib. Not my cup of tea, so I am selling it, but still, Cross makes fine pens.

As far as a Meisterstuck goes, you can save yourself a TON of money buying used. The only problem with that is that there are tons of MB fakes out there, so let the buyer beware and all that. If you'd like to read more about learning to discern between fake and real MBs, you can check out the MB forums at www.fountainpennetwork.com. Or you can just do like me and buy Pelikans: nobody fakes Pelikans.

I did get the Medium nib, because I'm starting to write with a lot less weight, since having an embossed look on the paper isn't attractive. Are the vintage Mont Blancs that much better than the new ones? I don't mind buying either, but if I'm taking a risk buying a fake or having to repair the vintage after a little while, then I might as well buy a new one.

There is nothing wrong with modern MBs. The exception to this rule was the dreaded first model 144 released sometime in the 90s. This pen was the sole source of the MB "ink bomb" stories that circulated (pens seemingly bursting with ink for no apparent reason ), and it was also prone to cracks not only if the pen was dropped, but even if the cap was screwed on too tightly.

MB gets a bad wrap from some FP enthusiasts because they are no longer a fountain pen company, they are a luxury goods company. A lot of their advertising practices have been looked down upon (i.e. they will pay another company to put MBs in an advertisement for that company's product, in an ad which has nothing to do with FPs, weird stuff like that). So a company that used to stand for quality in a certain field "sells out": that can tend to hurt the original core demographic that kept your company alive for all those years. Think what this community would think if John Grado released some Grado Quiet Comfort 225 Noise Cancelling Headphones, or something to that effect.

Modern MBs are great pens. Waaaaaaaay overpriced, of course, but they are luxury items!

I can't speak for vintage MBs, I have never held one. But from what I've read, they are great pens.

Hmm, maybe I should just get used to my Cross ATX whenever it arrives. It's not that the prestige of owning a Mont Blanc attracts me, I just think it might be perfect for me. Having a Meisterstuck 146 just seems, right. I'll have to own one to really find out though.

My humble collection:



From left to right:
Waterman Kultur Christal Demonstrator (that's a 20yrs old pelikan black cartridge in the barrel), Waterman Phileas(fits only waterman carts); Parker Frontier; Pelikan Pelikano Lefthanded; Waterman Audace Enchanted Garden; another Parker Frontier; Waterman Apostrophe Green Marble; Lefthanded Pelikan schoolpen from the 80s, don't know the model.




Capless
The Waterman pens:






Both the Parker Frontiers:



And such a lovely picture quality.

Nothing wrong with modern Mont Blancs, but I've never been satisified with one bought at full retail. I had, at various points, a new 146, 149 and Boeheme, and I was left with a serious bad taste in my mouth after getting them home and using them. Fine pens, no doubt, but personally, I couldn't rationalize $500 for a new 149 when I could get one in NM condition for half of that, if not less. Plus, NONE of the 3 pens wrote perfectly out of the box. I do love some of the metal bodied variants, but they are tres expensive. I'm also particularly fond of many of the author series pens, especially at the eBay prices. My favorites are the less popular editions & understated editions, such as Voltaire and Dostoevesky. Now that I think of it though, I don't even know which ones have come out in the last few years, since Kafka (love that ****roach nib!). I do have a new 146 that writes very well after being tweaked by Richard Binder, but I got that substantially cheaper than MSRP on eBay.

Consider also that for less than most new MBs will cost, you can have Nakaya in Japan make you a custom fountain pen, laquered and made for your hand.

As far as vintage MBs go, they are, as stated before, a totally different animal. Think a vintage Rolex Explorer vs a blinged-out Yachtmaster. It feels more like a quality crafted tool vs the luxury-brand-icon'ness of the new ones. The good examples are in a different league than the new pens, but many of those are either very expensive, very hard to find, or both. If you read a bit and get an idea what you are looking for, and then spend some time hunting on eBay and the boards, you can find some very nice writing & looking examples for under $300 though.

Vintage MBs are a different animal, and I'd say that the good examples are better

A vintage Esterbrook with a firm extra fine should be pretty damn close. Nibs like that were made for accounting & bookkeeping and were surprisingly fine. Paper will have a hand in ink bleed too, though. Esties are pretty cheap, shouldn't cost you more that $30-35 and definitely under $50. Or you can try an extra fine japanese pen, as japanese nibs are generally 1 size finer than US/Euro nibs.

I'll have to check him out, thanks for the tip. That Pelikan (and a couple of the MBs) are due for the chopping block soon, but I need to get it fixed first.

Cordovan Brown is a great color!

What price point are you looking for? I have several pens with extra fine nibs that can give a line close to that of a 0.5mm pencil. The Lamys in particular have great extra fine nibs, I think. The Lamy Vista/Safari/Al-Stars with extra fine nibs that I have can do it for under $25 (a great daily wear-and-tear pen). As long as you use a quality extra fine nib with a good, smooth ink that doesn't feather, you can get a line that comes quite close to the 0.5mm pencil.