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Hi all, Righto. I bought a second hand 149 as you do. It's probably late '80s and likely has been sitting in a drawer for the last decade or so with dried out ink in the nib, feed, and inside the reservoir as they do. I've been flushing like a mad fool and am still getting ink coming out, which is depressing, but my bigger issue is the nib. (See photos) I think I need a US-based nibmeister. I don't want to send the pen off to MB because I don't want them to replace the nib - I simply want it repair it and maybe have it tuned. I've only ever used MB service for a nib exchange on a new pen, nothing vintage. The thing is I haven't even tried to ink it because I'm still trying to clean it out. So, I guess where I need advice is the following: 1) Anyone want to recommend a nibmeister based in the US? I've seen a couple of names when I went searching, but some of the posts mentioning names were quite old. 2) Do I try to ink it anyhow and see what the line looks like? 3) Commercial pen flush or no? Or send it off to a nibmeister who might take pity on me? Whatever happens, I don't want to screw up this pen, but I feel like I might've been overconfident in my abilities to clean it . . . as you do. LOL. Sigh. Shawnee

Hello Everyone! My friend told me about this site and now I'm hooked! Figured instead of lurking I'd just make an account. I've been using fountain pens for about three years now, mostly for basic writing and fancy lettering purposes. I don't have the money for very fancy fountain pens, but I have some AWESOME friends that let me borrow theirs! My favorite everyday pen is Kaweco Classic Sport for the compact design and the fact that it's not meltdown-worthy if I misplace it. I also like the lack of a clip so it doesn't scratch my phone when thrown in my purse. I tend to like fine nibs over thicker ones, and blue or brown inks over black. I go through a lot of sketchbooks/notebooks each year and I definitely think a fine paper can make even the cheapest pen look ten times better! So I guess you can say I'm a bit of a paper/notebook snob. I also have a super-soft spot for well-designed accessories like pen pouches, leather notebook covers/cases, notebook bands with pen slots, etc. I follow a lot of pen blogs, but I come here almost exclusively before I buy a pen for trusted reviews. Can't wait to add to the conversations and start learning a whole lot more! –Tori