Home Made Piston Removing Tool For The Mont Blanc 146

[vates]

Have a look on ebay Uk, there are a few on there now and some are still at 99 pence.

 

Paul

 

Thank you, Paul!

[Pterodactylus]

If a tool is ridiculous priced or not is relative.

 

I also think it is not cheap (I would try to make one by myself as Paul), but I'm sure they are handmade from a single member in Europe and from good quality.

Special tools produced in low batches for special purposes are normally expensive.

 

In general good tools are expensive, e.g. I can buy a cheap screw-wrench from a discounter, made in China, or I can buy a high quality one e.g. made in Germany.

 

The price difference will be immense, but also the material quality and production precision.

 

My father always said to me don't try to safe money on tools, with cheap low quality tools you may even get hurt or you won't be able to do the job (destroy the workpiece, need much more time or the tool break down).

And this is exactly also my experience (I don't expect you will get hurt by a cheap Chinese MB tool, but I think you got the point)

 

Just for comparison, here I pay about 60€ - 90€ for a mechanics hour at a car garage, is it really a ridiculous price when a person develop a special high quality tool and produce it handmade in a small badge series for other pen enthusiasts who can't or don't want to manufacture it by themselves?

I don't think so.

 

What would you charge if you develop and produce a similar a tool in a small batch series as a goody for other pen enthusiasts (take into account your time for development, production, handling, selling, shipping, your machinery energy, materials,.....) ?

 

Don't compare it with cheap Asian (mass) products, this is unfair.

[Sham69]

of course i understand that, but i am not paying 150 dollars for a little piece of metal with two tiny prongs, i would probably rather pay a montblanc service.

[Maxpens]

Regarding the price for the professional tool we offer in the classified ( shipping registered airmail included ) let me say some words to the pricing. It seems from the first view high, but this tool is usefull for decades and for most of the Editions of the past 24 years. As written, If you own more then one pen 146 or 149 or Edition it is a good tool for professional maintenance at the pen. With original correct dimension and matching lever action.

 

 

Sure all the other tools in this thread are also working, without doubt, but they are not like the original professional MB tool.

 

 

kind regards

 

Max

[Pterodactylus]

With all respect Max but this is wrong.

 

E.g. Begin of 1984 (January) the DM - $ exchange rate was about 0.35

 

The Dollar was always much higher than the DM, the ratio changed only significant after we got the € (and the Dollar got weak)

 

1 DM = 0.35 $ (Jan 1984)

 

Ergo 15.8 DM = 5,5 $

[Maxpens]

yes, correct, after my second coffe I am a little more awake :-)

[Pterodactylus]

But with the weak $ a real comparison isn't really possible

 

A comparison in € is better.

 

Exchange rate DM - € is 0.511292

 

So 15.8 DM = 8 €

 

And now you can add inflation

[vates]

Here's my "MB tool" made out of a binder clip handle: bent, cut and then filed to fit the piston holes.

 

 

 

[novarider]

I considered using a binder clip before I decided to use the TWSBI wrench

[I like mango cheesecake]

the TWSBI wrench is not wide enough to fit into the piston slot. You will need to widen the wrench in order for it to fit around the piston. The wrench opening diameter is 9mm exactly.

 

The prongs are exactly 10mm apart, centre to centre. Do not make the prongs more than 1mm x 1mm in size and do not have them stick out more than 1mm. These specs are for both the 146 and 149

 

these are the specs to the piston end only. For the feed/nib end, the measurements for the 149 are 8mm centre to centre. Make the wrench opening 7mm in diameter for the 149.

[vates]

The wrench opening diameter is 9mm exactly.

The prongs are exactly 10mm apart, centre to centre. Do not make the prongs more than 1mm x 1mm in size and do not have them stick out more than 1mm. These specs are for both the 146 and 149

these are the specs to the piston end only. For the feed/nib end, the measurements for the 149 are 8mm centre to centre. Make the wrench opening 7mm in diameter for the 149.

 

Thank you for the specs very much!

[novarider]

This one just popped up on ebay.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Montblanc-146-149-Pelikan-M800-fountain-pen-piston-wrench-disassemble-tool-/121257034672?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c3b7b83b0

[I like mango cheesecake]

that's still $35 I'd rather spend on inks or another pen. but, it's certainly better than the $100+ I've seen these go for. If you are not handy with power tools or metal making, then I'd say go for the $35 one. The last time he posted these up were in August of last year. I got tired of waiting for them so I made my own sometime in October last year.

[vates]

It was me who asked this seller to list these tools again.

 

Ironically though, by the time he responded to my request and re-listed the items, I homebrewed my own "permanent" tools, using measures generously provided by "I like mango cheesecake" and an old CD-drive chassis:

 

 

 

[Paul80]

Hi all

 

Following on from this Piston Removal tool thread i thought I would have a go at making a universal nib collar removal tool as well, some of you might have seen my previous attempts.

 

The main problem with the nib collars used by Montblanc on their Resin 146 & 149 pens is that you need 4 different versions and possible 2 sub versions as well so that's 6 tools you need.

 

Depending on which pen you have the locating lugs on the collar might be 180 deg apart or 120 deg apart and I have also seen the 180 deg ones on the 149 being slightly farther apart and if its the same on the 146, that's the 6 possible variations needed

 

So I sat down and gave some thought as to how to easily make a universal tool, and given that I only have access to hand tools machining was not an option. After a quick browse around my local tool shop I think I came up with a workable option that anyone can make with just a bench vice and a flat file.

 

We start of with a set of Internal Circlip pliers, I went for the forged metal variety as they would be stronger than the pressed steel type. The set I picked up cost £9.99

 

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l312/Paul-80/Pens/_DSF5396_zpsd5922a64.jpg

 

Then after a few minutes work with just a flat file i have it at this stage and it fits all the variations that I have which is 5 of the possible six and should fit the six one if it does actually exist.

 

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l312/Paul-80/Pens/_DSF5399_zps4785a04e.jpg

 

It works very well as it is but i will be adding some heat shrink to prevent any possibilities of metal to gold contact.

 

It only took a few minutes to make and only cost £9.99.

 

Why not have a go at making your own for those odd times you feel the need to pull the collar out.

 

Paul

[vates]

Good job! I bought two similar pliers for the same purpose but failed to find a decent file at home to adjust them They are too strong to be filed with something regular.

[Pterodactylus]

Paul,

great tool, well done.

I also thought that the tool steel is way too hard to file it down.

[Paul80]

Forged steel as used in spanners etc fill file ok with a standard good quality file, you will only have issues if its had some form of hardening process done to it.

 

The tool above was quite easy to file, so extra care was needed not to take too much off.

 

Paul

[Paul80]

One point to note with the above first production model I may have made the prongs a touch too long, they don't need to be that long and shorter ones would be stronger, I shall be correcting that the next time I go into my workshop/Shed.

 

Paul

[Paul80]

Hi

 

I see another Home Made Pen tool has arrived on ebay

 

This one is for the older Montblanc & Pelikan pens. Quite expensive but a lot of work has gone into it, not sure I like the way to nib tool works though as it clamps directly onto the nib so might damage it.

 

That makes it quite an expensive set of section pliers and early telescopic Montblanc tool, it would be much cheaper buying Francis's version of the piston tool and some spark plug pliers and not risk damaging the nib.

 

But if you have $369 sitting around burning a hole in your pocket

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/multi-function-tool-for-vintage-pelikan-and-montblanc-pens-/181321181564