Five 149 Nibs Writing Samples

[fpupulin]

As kindly requested by kandarp, I prepared some writing samples of the five nibs to post on FPN. They are all written on Moleskine 5 x 8" sketchbook paper.

 

The five samples are not completely comparable, due to the different inks, but I just had the pen inked this way...

 

On the other hand, they all have the same texts written with the same lettering to facilitate comparison and to see different possibilities of the nibs. These include: normal handwriting, uncial, foundational hand, Medieval insulanum, and gothic alphabets.

 

From the left: EF, F, M, BB, and OB.

 

[Joane]

Gorgeous! What a treat! Thanks so much for the time and effort to do that. It's just a pleasure to contemplate.

[kandarp]

fpupulin,

 

Wonderful penmanship! Thanks for taking the time to post these writing samples.

 

Regards,

Kandarp

[psrivats]

Marvelous! Thanks for sharing these (and your nib photos).

[orfew]

simply lovely. A nice reminder that writing Is an art.

[falarcon]

Thanks! Lovely penmanship. And I love the choice of text ...

Que viva la raza quiché!

[A1979]

Very beautiful, thanks a lot!

A real "opera d'arte"!

Just a question: I can't see any difference between EF and F... Do I need to change my glasses or?

[leod]

nice, also moleskin friendly

[georges zaslavsky]

very good job

[Bo Bo Olson]

Can you date the nibs?

[Chris Chalmers]

Wonderful!

Thank you for your beautiful work!

[kandarp]

Can you date the nibs?

 

Bo Bo,

 

fpupulin had started another thread with pictures (equally stunning) of the nibs and their dates...

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/205343-five-149-nibs/

 

Kandarp

[saskia_madding]

Thank you so much for this. This really helped me last night when trying to decide if I could live with a broad nib on my recent MB purchase!

[fpupulin]

Thank you so much for this. This really helped me last night when trying to decide if I could live with a broad nib on my recent MB purchase!

Dear simonerodrigue: I saw in another thread you bought the beautiful Mann from Bryant. I had a chance to have one in my hands in a MB boutique not long ago, and it is a gorgeous pen. The broad nib of your Mann looks fantastic, and I really want to try a B nib on a 149: I have the feeling it could be the perfect, daily writer pen for me.

[smartgirlchic]

On 10/3/2011 at 2:24 PM, fpupulin said:

As kindly requested by kandarp, I prepared some writing samples of the five nibs to post on FPN. They are all written on Moleskine 5 x 8" sketchbook paper.

 

The five samples are not completely comparable, due to the different inks, but I just had the pen inked this way...

 

On the other hand, they all have the same texts written with the same lettering to facilitate comparison and to see different possibilities of the nibs. These include: normal handwriting, uncial, foundational hand, Medieval insulanum, and gothic alphabets.

 

From the left: EF, F, M, BB, and OB.

 

I just came across this, and I realize it is very old now - but just wanted to say thank you for adding these files! I have never seen an MB in person and have always wondered about the writing quality and different nibs. This was very interesting!

 

If you're still around and get this message...just wondering about the BB nib. I'm relatively new to fountain pens and have only used EF to M nibs. In the BB nib pic, there's something of a double line quality to the fonts...as if you wrote the letters twice. Is this due to the BB nib, the ink being used with a BB nib, or a writing technique?

 

Thanks so much!

[fpupulin]

I'm going from memory, @smartgirlchic, because it's been almost fifteen years since this old post...

 

The Moleskine I used for the tests was of the "sketchbook" type, with heavier paper, which prevents the ink from seeping onto the back of the sheet. The price to pay for this greater "resistance" is that the Moleskine Sketchbook paper is vaguely oily, so that the ink not only does not penetrate, but sometimes remains as if "floating" on the surface. The "tracks" you saw on the page written with the BB nib are the result of this lack of adhesion of the ink to the paper.

As for the BB nib: in my opinion it is a fantastic nib, but the size of the tip depends somewhat on the size of the nib. The BB nib of a Meisterstück 149 (which is larger) releases a wider stroke than the same BB on a 146, which in turn is wider than that of a Classic.

 

For everyday use, I mean not specifically for calligraphy, I would recommend a broad (B) nib. In fact, according to Montblanc's own specifications, the difference in width between a B and a BB nib is honestly small, but a slightly less broad nib may be more useful for general use.

[NoType]

On 2/12/2025 at 4:48 PM, fpupulin said:

I'm going from memory, @smartgirlchic, because it's been almost fifteen years since this old post...

 

The Moleskine I used for the tests was of the "sketchbook" type, with heavier paper, which prevents the ink from seeping onto the back of the sheet. The price to pay for this greater "resistance" is that the Moleskine Sketchbook paper is vaguely oily, so that the ink not only does not penetrate, but sometimes remains as if "floating" on the surface. The "tracks" you saw on the page written with the BB nib are the result of this lack of adhesion of the ink to the paper.

As for the BB nib: in my opinion it is a fantastic nib, but the size of the tip depends somewhat on the size of the nib. The BB nib of a Meisterstück 149 (which is larger) releases a wider stroke than the same BB on a 146, which in turn is wider than that of a Classic.

 

For everyday use, I mean not specifically for calligraphy, I would recommend a broad (B) nib. In fact, according to Montblanc's own specifications, the difference in width between a B and a BB nib is honestly small, but a slightly less broad nib may be more useful for general use.

@fpupulin The dark art of necromancy performed by @smartgirlchic has brought this old post of your writing samples to my attention, and it will be a great reference for me for when I next attempt a writing sample.

[fpupulin]

Ha ha ha, dear @NoType, the funniest part of the necromantic act was, for me, just realizing that I’m still here, fished out of a fifteen-year-deep hole, fifteen years older, and still speaking of pens and nibs…

[NoType]

2 hours ago, fpupulin said:

Ha ha ha, dear @NoType, the funniest part of the necromantic act was, for me, just realizing that I’m still here, fished out of a fifteen-year-deep hole, fifteen years older, and still speaking of pens and nibs…

@fpupulin That you are still here, speaking of pens and nibs, is a boon to the community.  Thank you for all that you do here.