Skipping Mont Blancs

[Lordarka]

I recently picked up a vintage-y Montblanc Solitaire (gold plated, barley pattern, West German), and special edition Patron of the Art in unused condition (box, warranty card, and everything included). Both are medium nibs, and both are skipping, particularly when used on crappy lined notebook paper (standard legal pads and spiral-bound notebooks) or lined journals (Moleskine). The problem goes away when used on bond or printer paper, but it would be nice if they worked on legal pads too. I don't have this problem with any of my other pens, save for an older Namiki Sterling that I plan to send in for servicing.

 

The skipping is on the downstroke. I've tried Mont Blanc Toffee Brown, Iroshizuku Asa Gao, and Iroshizuku Take Sumi in these pens. The older Mont Blanc Solitaire is skipping a lot less than the POA, which is surprsing to me. The POA is unused and far more expensive, so I expected the writing to be delectable. Turns out my Lamys, Namikis, and Porsche Design pens are far more reliable on all media I try them on.

 

Any thoughts? How would you fix the problem?

 

I appreciate your advice.

[meiers]

I would take it to an MB boutique and show them how you write with it.

It could be something you are doing.

Maybe the pens need an adjustment.

[jar]

Not sure there is a problem. How long have you had the pens and been writing with them?

[KAC]

I have had similar problems with many pens (mostly vintage) on low-grade paper, especially legal pads. The problem seems most evident with an oblique medium nib (e.g., on my Hemingway, which I don't classify as "vintage"). As I understand the situation, some cheaper papers are coated. For a fountain pen to write (aside from capillary action for ink flow), the nib actually needs to "cut" into the paper to lay an ink track. That doesn't happen too easily with coated papers, especially if the nib is broad, stepped, oblique, etc. Before you send the pen(s) away, consider trying different ink and another paper (or two).

 

With the usual disclaimers,

KAC

[Lordarka]

Thanks for the prompt advice. To answer some of your questions and concerns;

(1) It definitely appears that legal pad and notebook papers are coated with something. Not so sure about the Moleskine pads. However, these coatings pose no impediment to my other pens (Namiki Falcons, a Namiki Maki-e, Lamy 2000, Lamy Studio, Porsche Design 3110, Cross Townsend) which write beautifully and smoothly on those surfaces. It's only the Mont Blancs and an old Namiki Sterling that appears to be skipping. The skipping goes away when using printer paper or papers in my sketchpads, but I feel that these renowned pens shouldn't be so choosy about their surface.

(2) I haven't had either pen for long. The Solitaire maybe about 2 weeks, and the POA about 2 days.

(3) I don't think these nibs are oblique. They appear to be mediums with a rounded ball.

(4) I've used a variety of ink colors, including a few Iroshizukus (Momiji, Asa Gao, Take Sumi, Ku-Jaku) and Mont Blancs (Royal Blue, Toffee Brown). Mont Blanc insists that you only use Mont Blanc ink, but I'm not sure that is a recommendation that needs to be followed as long as one uses quality alternatives, which I think I am doing.

[dr saleem ali]

iIMHOP,somethimes ink-flow problems occur because of long storage as dirt etc accumulate in feed system , and also mis-alignment of feed with nib play a part in skipping.Sometimes nib-point needs rewieving .Anyway, these pens are very precious ,and need reffering to mb service facillity , to get modified to your satrisfaction ,( I can understand your frustration)

[Chrissy]

Do you have a pic of the Solitaire that we could look at?

[Lordarka]

Here's a picture of the Solitaire.

 

[Lordarka]

And here's a pic of the POA. I cleaned this one out and put it away temporarily until I can figure out how to deal with the skipping issue; 3 different inks, and it always starts skipping on notebook paper!

 

It writes beautifully when it writes (and works well when dipped), but skipping is such an annoyance.

Edited May 2, 2014 by Lordarka

[theverdictis]

  On 5/2/2014 at 1:58 AM, meiers said:

I would take it to an MB boutique and show them how you write with it.

It could be something you are doing.

Maybe the pens need an adjustment.

Ditto!

 

Ben

[agentdaffy007]

I would send it to a nibmeister like mikeitwork.com and he'll take care of the problem. I have dealt many times with MB Service Center and you pretty much pay shipping to them for no reason.

 

I had a MB Mark Twain that was doing that. Had to ship it to Mike for him to fix it.

[Lordarka]

  On 5/2/2014 at 1:58 PM, agentdaffy007 said:

I would send it to a nibmeister like mikeitwork.com and he'll take care of the problem. I have dealt many times with MB Service Center and you pretty much pay shipping to them for no reason.

 

I had a MB Mark Twain that was doing that. Had to ship it to Mike for him to fix it.

Maybe I'll just try this. He's pretty close to me... I could probably just drop the pens off in person. Thanks for the tip!

[Inked]

I find the problem is not with the pens but the paper. I have vintage MB's that skip like a stone across the water on HP, Rhodia, Japanese paper ...etc.

The same pens on Crane, G. Lalo or Amalfi paper write like dream. The Rhodia "R" line is a little better than the regular line.

 

I think the older pens were made with a different paper in mind than what is readily available these days. It looks like real writing paper is being marginalized and therefore more expensive.

 

I do realize most paper is designed for printers or ball points but it does have a negative impact on fountain pens. I don't have any desire to send in all my vintage MB's to be fixed or modernized when I bought them to enjoy them for the beauty they were and are.

 

I will just have to buy the paper they require to perform.

Inked

[agentdaffy007]

  On 5/4/2014 at 4:44 AM, Inked said:

I find the problem is not with the pens but the paper. I have vintage MB's that skip like a stone across the water on HP, Rhodia, Japanese paper ...etc.

The same pens on Crane, G. Lalo or Amalfi paper write like dream. The Rhodia "R" line is a little better than the regular line.

 

I think the older pens were made with a different paper in mind than what is readily available these days. It looks like real writing paper is being marginalized and therefore more expensive.

 

I do realize most paper is designed for printers or ball points but it does have a negative impact on fountain pens. I don't have any desire to send in all my vintage MB's to be fixed or modernized when I bought them to enjoy them for the beauty they were and are.

 

I will just have to buy the paper they require to perform.

Inked

I do not agree. I bought many new MB fountain pens and most of them skip on any type of paper i was throwing at them. Especially Broad nibs. I would almost always buy MB vintage pens. I wish MB makes good nibs like ST Dupont. Never had a skipping problem with ST Dupont! Edited May 4, 2014 by agentdaffy007

[Blade Runner]

  On 5/4/2014 at 4:44 AM, Inked said:

I find the problem is not with the pens but the paper. I have vintage MB's that skip like a stone across the water on HP, Rhodia, Japanese paper ...etc.

The same pens on Crane, G. Lalo or Amalfi paper write like dream. The Rhodia "R" line is a little better than the regular line.

 

I think the older pens were made with a different paper in mind than what is readily available these days. It looks like real writing paper is being marginalized and therefore more expensive.

 

I do realize most paper is designed for printers or ball points but it does have a negative impact on fountain pens. I don't have any desire to send in all my vintage MB's to be fixed or modernized when I bought them to enjoy them for the beauty they were and are.

 

I will just have to buy the paper they require to perform.

Inked

+1

The paper that is most readily available is fine for ballpoints but isn't very good for fountain pens. An extreme example is the glossy kind that is used for many postcards, but there are lesser degrees of unsuitability. I use 100% cotton papers, mostly Crane's, and they are the best for fps in my experience.

Edited May 4, 2014 by Blade Runner

[Lordarka]

Thanks everyone. I dropped both pens off at John Mottishaw's shop last week (he's less than five miles from my house!).

 

On another note, I recently picked up a new MB geometric dimension Meisterstuck (OBB) and some very nice paper (Rhodia' and C.D notebooks, a very smooth and somewhat costly Japanese writing paper). The new OBB nib starts skipping moderately on the toothier papers I usually draw on (Strathmore, Moleskine), performs perfectly on crappy notebook paper and Rhodia, and skips like a scratched CD on the Japanese FP paper. Looks like MBs are just very temperamental (and not in an endearing way).

[max dog]

Sounds like symptoms of baby bottoms (over smoothed nibs). Would have MB repair or a nibmeister check them. The MB's I have handle any paper or ink I throw at them just fine.

[WilsonCQB1911]

I took my 90th Anniversary 149 that was skipping and hard starting to a nib tech. He looked at it, and wrote with it and was able to reproduce the issue. He said it was a bit of baby's bottom, but that he recommended not doing anything with it other than just writing with it and wearing it in. He likened it to a new pair of shoes that needed to be worn and scuffed in a bit. He was right. A week or so later of writing daily and the issues were gone.

 

So, I'll echo jar's post. You just need to write more.

[Lordarka]

While writing today, I noted that, at least for my latest Mont Blanc, the inks matter, and Mont Blanc inks are not the best choice! I was previously using Mont Blanc's Black and Toffee Brown. The latter is a lovely ink., and while I enjoyed its shading and variability in the OBB nib, I decided to change things up a bit and load the pen up with Iroshizuku Asa Gao (Blue). What a difference! The skipping is gone, and the writing is smoother than ever (at least with this nib and pen). It is my new favorite writer!

 

Unfortunately, this ink didn't work similar magic on my POA medium nib, which skipped no matter what ink was in it, or what paper was being used (printer paper was better than most, but still not good). I'm sorry, but that is unacceptable for a limited edition pen valued at over $2000. I hope that John Mottishaw can cure what ails it.

[Ian from North Lincolnshire UK]

Hi, I just wanted to say a thank you to you guys for posting - I had a Mont Blanc (MB) Meisterstuck which I bought back in June and it skipped so badly that I sent it back to the store three times. Each time they told me that they had addressed the issue and it was now fine. In the end I threatened them with UK law about 'Non merchantable quality' within the Sales of Goods Act and pointed out that the local newsrag would enjoy a 'bad news day' story for free with all the attendant bad publicity. The shop refunded in full. I cannot get my head around buying an expensive fountain pen (FP) and it not working. Problem is that the pens look so nice and elegant.

 

I've used FPs all my life - usually just for letter writing but latterly at work too, for which purpose I bought a £30 Shaeffer cartridge FP which worked perfectly from the start, no issues whatsoever writing on printer paper, postit notes, the cheap meeting notebooks and pads which the company provides and the slightly nicer Pukka Pad paper. As an aside 20 years ago I treated myself to a Du Pont Lacque du Chine pen which is a really elegant looking pen but hideous to write with and skips something chronic. I gave up on the pen and relegated it to its box at the back of my stationery cupboard!

 

Five days ago my sister gave me a new MB Meisterstuck for Christmas as a big thank you present. We are not wealthy folk so this really was a cherished purchase and gift which gave her pleasure in giving and indeed I was delighted to receive. She had no idea that I'd had issues with a previous MB, earlier this year. She has been with me on occasion over the years as we passed shops which sold MB pens and I always stopped to look longingly at the display!!

 

I filled the pen on Boxing Day and started to write. Hey-ho, the skipping started about half way through the first page of A4. !!

 

I am going to sort this issue with this pen, no matter what, however I find the none functionality disturbing.

 

So: I flushed the pen and used the one drop of soap treatment and then flushing repeatedly. I bought some Iroshizuku ink over the internet with 'next day' delivery - I'd never heard of this ink but after checking on the internet this seemed to be the one everyone thinks is the best. I waited for the ink to arrive. It did help but the issue is still there on and off although much less frequently.

 

The ink by the way is the most fabulous colour and I now understand what people mean by 'shading' with the ink. Somehow the colour of the ink makes me smile when I look at it on paper - if you are debating buying this ink then I'd suggest you go for it. The range of colours is amazing and I'm thinking for the first time ever in my life of FP writing that I'm gonna end up with a collection of different coloured inks to use. I chose kon-peki ftu.

 

So a lubricated ink does seem to help, although reducing the frequency of the skipping and not completely resolving the issue. Further to this, as the volume of ink in the reservoir decreases the skipping issue increases and I truly don't understand why. If we are talking about the very last drops (fumes!!) in the tank then I'd understand and accept that the pen needs filling, but when there is clearly a little ink in the tank I'd expect the pen to still be working properly - other cheaper pens don't have this issue. Out of frustration and having read a comment/suggestion on a thread in here somewhere, I grabbed the shoulders of the nib and squeezed and then I did it again to teach the damned thing a lesson!! Guess what - just written a page with not one skip. I ought to point out that I refilled the tank and there never really was an issue when writing with a recently filled tank but here's hoping.

 

I've also seen somewhere that it is a good idea to put up with the skipping if it is only an infrequent issue until the pen is 'worn in'. I think this is about where I am at the moment, so I'm going to try the 'breaking the pen in' treatment.

 

Thanks for posting all your comments, its good to know that this isn't something I alone am suffering with!! Thanks for the advice and if you are new to the MB issues and ownership I've added my experience to the list.

 

I'm gonna give it a month or two and then seek out this Mike guy who is a nib-meister and get the thing bulldozed into submission. With luck I won't need to take this the last and ultimate step.

 

As a final comment, I came across Nakaya Decapod and Danitrio pens whilst researching my MB issues for a resolution. When my boat comes in I'm gonna buy one of each of these other pens - man, do they look classy pens - Dragon Rising Decapod cigar pen ..... I think I'd need to be winning a major prize on the lottery before I could get one of those bad boys but that's one seious piece of kit for someone who likes writing and letters.

 

http://www.nibs.com/NakayaDecapodTwistKuroTamenuri.html

 

http://www.danitrio.com/

 

Cheers guys - without this site I'd be screeming and smashing up a wonderful gift given with love and thought and more money than should have been spent - thank you.

Edited December 30, 2014 by Ian from North Lincolnshire UK