Enjoying Montblanc Pens — Broad, Oblique, Extra Fine, Le & Bespoke

[Matlock]

What a lovely story with a happy ending.

[Pravda]

Spectacular method of story telling, but then again its Tom Kellie!

 

Happy to hear it had a happy ending, I cringed at first at the sight of the pen. Glad Zuji is unharmed.

 

My son nearly pulled my Heritage 1912 to the floor yesterday.. is it time for Montblanc to produce G-shock Meisterstucks?

[Ghost Plane]

Tom and Pravda remind me that I have some major unpacking to complete and consideration to do before I can introduce a fur baby into my current living space.

[BillH]

Great story and pictures Tom. Thanks for sharing. Zuji is a sweet dog.

 

Theo's toy/chewie collection approaches the size of my Montblanc collection but his current favorite is one particular pen shipping tube that he discovered in the pen repair tool box in the office. He came galloping down the hall the other morning and went straight into his crate... a sure sign he was up to no good. He was blissfully chewing "his" new toy and argued with me about whether I could have it back. He has since pushed the office door open two more times and found the same tube and does the same sneak in the crate routine. Puppies. Gotta love 'em. But I need a new place for my toolbox.

 

But lest we blame the pups and children for all hazards, I dropped the Platinum Chopin off the table a few days ago and bent the nib badly... trying to photograph the pen in comparison with a Chinese fake. The fake went with it to the oak floor and shattered the barrel. The Chopin is now with Mark Bacas. I'm considering retrofitting my table with the same kind of edging found on yacht tables.

Edited January 28, 2018 by BillH

[Cyrille81]

 

Zuji's Tale

[...]

Reunion

 

 

 

[tinta]

Well, this was a great dog story with a positive ending.

Good thing your pup did not swallow any part of your pen. I know full well what some puppies can do to things. My first dog Shadow was an aggressive chewer. In her first year she devoured a corner out of a valuable Persian Bokhara. Her enthusiastic tail also wiped objects off any low table. We quickly learned to puppy proof our house.

Thumbs up to MB China to affect such a fine repair.

[Inkling13]

Lucky dog... pens arent the only things that are edible...

[Amit.]

TOM ~ My blood pressure jumped upon seeing the damaged nib . Happy to see the pen restored and to know that Zuji is safe. Happy writing once again !!!

[jmccarty3]

Cooper the Puppers appreciates the kind words. He'd respond personally, but alas, no thumbs.

 

Coop has a big fight in front of him. Born with a congenital heart defect, he's got to have heart surgery at about 6 months old (so 4 months from now) to try and repair it. Good news, these surgeries have a high success rate. Bad news, with no corrective action, his life is significantly shortened to less than 2 years, at best. He was actually surrendered to my local vet and good friend by his previous owner after finding out the diagnosis. Lucky for me, my vet called me and asked for my help with him, since I have experience with fostering dogs with health problems and a big home for wayward canines. Technically, I'm just "fostering" him but that's a semantic argument. This little guy gets to stay as long as he wants.

 

How wonderful of you to take care of Cooper. He's a beautiful dog--I love his ears!

[Tom Kellie]

1953 3-42G Broad Nib with Local Friend

[jconn]

 

1953 3-42G Broad Nib with Local Friend

Tom,

 

Despite being cautious about smaller diameter pens due to my hand injuries, I am quite smitten with the 342G OBB I just received. So much so, in fact, that another 342 in extra-fine will soon join it whenever DHL delivers.

 

I did notice that the 342 OBB requires a bit more rotation to make full contact with the page than a modern 149 OBB. Oblique angle looks about the same, but the sweet spot just a bit different between old and new.

 

Jeremy

[GranTorino25]

I have a question, and hopefully someone here can help

 

How does a Rogue et Noir compare for 'feel in the hand and writing experience, compared to a 149? Or is there another pen in the Montblanc lineup that feels similar to a 149 with a different design?

[Tom Kellie]

I have a question, and hopefully someone here can help

How does a Rogue et Noir compare for 'feel in the hand and writing experience, compared to a 149? Or is there another pen in the Montblanc lineup that feels similar to a 149 with a different design?

 

 

~ GranTorino25:

 

I've never yet held a Rouge et Noir.

Whoever replies with a comparison of the two will educate both of us.

For me, writing with a 149 has been effortless from the first use, as it was the first Montblanc I ever saw or used in writing.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

A tale of two OBBs--one new, and one vintage.

 

(Mama told me not to refer to anything manufactured within a decade of her birth as "old", so "vintage" it is).

 

The 3-42G is a new acquisition, as well as the 149, both coming to me second-hand in the last few weeks.

 

According to the wonderful information here, "344, The Humble Montblanc", this pocket-sized wonder is a 5th series, produced from 1956-1957 or so. It's factory-stamped on the filler knob as "OBB" and side by side comparison with my 2000s model 149 OBB shows a remarkable similarity in nib width and line variation, even considering the #2 versus #9 nib sizes.

 

Please excuse my tremendously poor photography. I think I just discovered a (several, actually) scratches on the lens of my smartphone camera, so I'm having much difficulty getting it to focus in macro photos.

 

As a note, the Pix 272k was included in the purchase of the 3-42G and is a delightful surprise, even considering that I only spent around $100 for the both of them! Expectations exceeded dramatically!

 

And following the trend of puppy pics, I present Cooper, who needs no further introduction.

 

~ jconn:

 

Your newly acquired 3-42G OBB is a honey, as many vintage gals are.

The strokes and jots it produces are a delight to one's eye.

Thank you so much for explaining your recent purchases with images.

It's not that words are inadequate, but when discussing fountain pens images such as you've kindly shared bring everything into focus.

As to Cooper, Zuji joins me in welcoming portraits anytime. Cooper's striking looks are more than adequate introduction.

This thread is both pet-friendly and cookie-friendly.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

[Tom Kellie]

Tom,

 

Despite being cautious about smaller diameter pens due to my hand injuries, I am quite smitten with the 342G OBB I just received. So much so, in fact, that another 342 in extra-fine will soon join it whenever DHL delivers.

 

I did notice that the 342 OBB requires a bit more rotation to make full contact with the page than a modern 149 OBB. Oblique angle looks about the same, but the sweet spot just a bit different between old and new.

 

Jeremy

 

~ Hi, Jeremy!

 

Having two 3-42 Gs will be twice the fun!

Yours truly has followed the same path as you, with both a B and a BB 3-42 G.

Both of mine have a mild Flex quality which adds emphasis where needed.

They're such smooth writers, aren't they?

Despite my size (191 cm.) and relatively large hands, the 3-42 Gs have been comfortable to use when reading books or writing short notes.

I hope that the 3-42 G EF will match the OBB in overall writing quality.

Thank you so much for sharing your 3-42 G experience in this thread.

Whenever both 3-42 Gs are together, a photograph would be most welcome, with or without Cooper as the brand model.

For you I'll post an image of my two 3-42 Gs, the 1951 BB above the 1953 B.

I'm especially fond of the 1953 B, as it shares my birth year.

Tom

[Tom Kellie]

Two Reliable Friends from My Generation

[Tom Kellie]

31 January, 2018 Lunar Eclipse — “Super Blue Blood Moon”

Photographed in Central China at 8:49 pm under cloudless skies, -2ºC, 400mm, f/2.8, 1/80 sec.

[thygreyt]

Sharing my Virginia Woolf NOS! With an oblique broad nib. It writes amzing.. the best out of the box writer!

Edited February 1, 2018 by Reed_thoughts

[Pravda]

I have a question, and hopefully someone here can help

 

How does a Rogue et Noir compare for 'feel in the hand and writing experience, compared to a 149? Or is there another pen in the Montblanc lineup that feels similar to a 149 with a different design?

They cannot be more different pens. The R/N is a slim pen, small ink reservoir (houses a converter inside) and small nib. The 149 has a hug ink capacity, thick girth and the biggest Montblanc nib.

 

The most similar to the 149 design are maybe the 139 and naturally the various 149 skeletons