Repairing My Grandfathers Mb149

[Rhoddo]

Hi all,

 

My grandfather gave me his Montblanc for repair. Looking at Davids chart i think it's a pre 1959 model (tritone 18c).

It has a hairthin crack at the cap and the piston is not moving very well.

Is Montblanc offering lifetime support? Would it be wise to send the pen to hamburg or should I ask someone else?

What would an official service by montblanc cost me? I could try and get the tools to open it up myself?

 

Thanks for helping!

[CS388]

Welcome to FPN.

 

Yes, support is out there.

 

Montblanc will repair your pen (for a fixed fee) and they will replace all broken parts with new parts.

 

However, you have a rare and valuable pen and there are independent repairers who specialise in these older Montblanc pens.

The difference is that these people will try to keep as much of your original pen as possible.

 

I'm afraid I can't give you names or prices, as I've never used them.

I know of them from reading other posts on this forum.

I'm sure other members will soon chime in with specific details and advice.

 

And: Congratulations. You've got a wonderful pen there.

 

Good luck.

[Pen Nut]

Hi all,

 

My grandfather gave me his Montblanc for repair. Looking at Davids chart i think it's a pre 1959 model (tritone 18c).

It has a hairthin crack at the cap and the piston is not moving very well.

Is Montblanc offering lifetime support? Would it be wise to send the pen to hamburg or should I ask someone else?

What would an official service by montblanc cost me? I could try and get the tools to open it up myself?

 

Thanks for helping!

 

Welcome to you. Firstly on a pen of this era/value the DiY approach unless you are very confident is to be avoided, you may well make matters worse.

 

The other point to bear in mind is that MB may well replace parts on your grandfathers pen thus making the returned item a lot less of your grandfathers pen when you sent it off. I am sure other members will advise as to who can both repair and keep the original pen as original as possible whilst doing the required work. I am presuming that you have an interest in keeping the pen as original as possible but that may not be of interest to you so MB may well be the way to go if this is the case.

[hari317]

Hi all,

 

My grandfather gave me his Montblanc for repair. Looking at Davids chart i think it's a pre 1959 model (tritone 18c).

It has a hairthin crack at the cap and the piston is not moving very well.

Is Montblanc offering lifetime support? Would it be wise to send the pen to hamburg or should I ask someone else?

What would an official service by montblanc cost me? I could try and get the tools to open it up myself?

 

Thanks for helping!

 

 

Pls post some pictures of your pen, it will help us date it.

 

If it is indeed a 50's pen, the repair is involved. MB repair dept does not handle these repairs and it is best to approach a third party repairman who has expertise in these pens.

 

But first, let us see your grandpa's pen.

 

Best

Hari

[Rhoddo]

Thank you for your advice!

 

For my grandfather the most important is that he (and I after him) can keep on using the pen.

If a part inside the Piston mechanism has to be replaced for it to function properly again, it would still have the same emotional value I suppose.

I wouldn't want the nib or feed to be replaced though. Here some pictures. I dont have experience with other montblancs but I love the way this pen writes.

 

 

 

[madzaxmax]

*sigh*

[Rhoddo]

Whats wrong with it madzaxmax?

[hari317]

Thank you for your advice!

 

For my grandfather the most important is that he (and I after him) can keep on using the pen.

If a part inside the Piston mechanism has to be replaced for it to function properly again, it would still have the same emotional value I suppose.

I wouldn't want the nib or feed to be replaced though. Here some pictures. I dont have experience with other montblancs but I love the way this pen writes.

 

 

Ok. Thanks for posting the pics and yes you will be able to use the pen fully again.

 

Salient features:

 

18C tritone nib

Split Ebonite feed

One piece barrel

Perhaps a press fit filler, cant say for sure from the pics. Do you see two small slots near the golden ring at piston knob end?

 

You don't show the cap or the pen as a whole so some more clues can be unearthed when you show them.

 

I suggest a mid 60's pen. Definitely not a celluloid pen from the 50th. If press fit filler(I think yes 99%), the pen underwent a feeder change midlife. Ask grandpa if he ever sent the pen off for repair.

 

Tom W or Max Schrage can fix your pen.

 

BTW what exactly is wrong with the pen except the cap crack? does it fill and hold water well?

Edited March 16, 2013 by hari317

[Chrissy]

You have a choice of either sending or taking it to your nearest Montblanc boutique and have Montblanc repair it for a fixed fee of GB£60 (or US$70). You can ask them not to change the feed if you particularly need to keep the old feed, and they definitely won't change the nib.

 

They will however replace all of the internal piston parts and it will come back looking like a new pen within less than 4 weeks.

 

Or you can try to find a different repairer to repair it, maybe wait longer, and take more of a risk that they may do a perfect or less than perfect job at a greater cost. Depending on where you are in the world you may also have to pay Customs fees for it to be returned to you.

 

The decision is up to you.

Edited March 16, 2013 by Chrissy

[Chrissy]

*sigh*

LOL +1

[hari317]

You have a choice of either sending or taking it to your nearest Montblanc boutique and have Montblanc repair it for a fixed fee of GB£60 (or US$70). You can ask them not to change the feed if you particularly need to keep the old feed, and they definitely won't change the nib.

Hi Chrissy, pls be aware that the older feeds cannot be accommodated into the case feeder of latest 149. It is wrong information to suggest that MB will retain the older feed but swap out other parts if you ask them to. Maybe their only recourse in such cases will be to return the pen as is back to customer. The OP can try this experiment.

 

Hari

[JLS1]

You have a choice of either sending or taking it to your nearest Montblanc boutique and have Montblanc repair it for a fixed fee of GB£60 (or US$70). You can ask them not to change the feed if you particularly need to keep the old feed, and they definitely won't change the nib.

Hi Chrissy, pls be aware that the older feeds cannot be accommodated into the case feeder of latest 149. It is wrong information to suggest that MB will retain the older feed but swap out other parts if you ask them to. Maybe their only recourse in such cases will be to return the pen as is back to customer. The OP can try this experiment.

 

Hari

 

Given the age of the pen and its nostalgic value to the OP, I think it's a safer bet to send it to one of the vintage MB restorers mentioned above. Considering the OP's location (Switzerland), it would take much less time for the pen to be shipped back and forth than from N. America or India.

[Rhoddo]

The crack is very small, I can't get it on photo. But the piston moves very unsteadily and there seems to be an issue with the feed.

I was able to fill the pen with ink and it doesn't leak, but the inkflow is not consistent. I have to turn the knob from time to time to bring ink into the feed manually.

 

Feed and nib don't seem to be aligned properly, maybe that's the reason why.

 

Yes, there are two small holes on the inside of the turning knob, my mobile phone tried hard to autofocus on them..

 

 

 

[Rhoddo]

I get it that when I send the pen to Montblanc directly it will be cheaper and they will not replace the original nib.

But if they have to change the feed to match a different housing, won't that effect the writing qualities of the pen?

The nib on my Montblanc is the old and flexy one, isn't it? It sure feels springy. I wouldn't want it to be stiff as a nail after repair.

 

[Rhoddo]

Thank you all for helping. If my grandfather agrees I'll send the pen to Mr. Schrage.

[JLS1]

The crack is very small, I can't get it on photo. But the piston moves very unsteadily and there seems to be an issue with the feed.

I was able to fill the pen with ink and it doesn't leak, but the inkflow is not consistent. I have to turn the knob from time to time to bring ink into the feed manually.

 

Feed and nib don't seem to be aligned properly, maybe that's the reason why.

 

Yes, there are two small holes on the inside of the turning knob, my mobile phone tried hard to autofocus on them..

 

 

 

 

Hmm...these symptoms might be as simple as some old, dried up ink gumming up the feed/barrel. Did you do a soak/flush cycle to see what comes out of the 149?

[seffrican]

Have you considered simply taking it in to the Montblanc Boutique in Zurich and talking to them about what they think and what the options are? You are are not obligated to follow the course of action that they suggest if it does not suit.

 

The people in the MB boutique here in Genf certainly have the reputation of knowing what they are talking about.

[dduran]

I agree! Try soaking it first! Then see if the piston moves a little better-- if it does, fill then wait for a few hours before trying it again. Hope it's just a simple fix!

[Rhoddo]

The crack is very small, I can't get it on photo. But the piston moves very unsteadily and there seems to be an issue with the feed.

I was able to fill the pen with ink and it doesn't leak, but the inkflow is not consistent. I have to turn the knob from time to time to bring ink into the feed manually.

 

Feed and nib don't seem to be aligned properly, maybe that's the reason why.

 

Yes, there are two small holes on the inside of the turning knob, my mobile phone tried hard to autofocus on them..

 

 

 

 

Hmm...these symptoms might be as simple as some old, dried up ink gumming up the feed/barrel. Did you do a soak/flush cycle to see what comes out of the 149?

 

 

I agree! Try soaking it first! Then see if the piston moves a little better-- if it does, fill then wait for a few hours before trying it again. Hope it's just a simple fix!

 

 

I had it standing in soapy water for 3 days until I was finally able to turn the knob just a little bit, another 2 days and about a hundred flushes later I felt like I could ink it up. I think at some point, probably many years ago, ink or water got into the piston filler mechanism..

[Rhoddo]

Have you considered simply taking it in to the Montblanc Boutique in Zurich and talking to them about what they think and what the options are? You are are not obligated to follow the course of action that they suggest if it does not suit.

 

The people in the MB boutique here in Genf certainly have the reputation of knowing what they are talking about.

 

 

There are security people in black suits standing around and usually the salesperson in those high price boutiques look at me in disgust upon entering.. quite intimidating

 

but yes, might be worth a try