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

[GranTorino25]

Okay, that definitely has me drooling over an OB nib!!

[Tom Kellie]

This is a quick snap shot of my Double Broad nib on my Dostoevsky Pen.

 

~ Zaphodbebullbrox:

 

I've be wanting to see a BB nib on a Dostoevsky.

You've made my wish come true.

Thank you for posting the image.

I hope that the nib will be a reliable regular writer for you.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

So here is a photo I took when I bought my 1912, with writing sample of both 1912 and 1906.

 

~ 16m3mx:

 

The handwriting from the OB nib is terrific, bringing out the ink's red-hued beauty.

Thank you so much for preparing and posting such a nice handwriting sample.

Recently the OB nibs shown in the Montblanc Forum have been especially nice.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

Hand-Crafted

Highbrow

[Tom Kellie]

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/281451-are-we-becoming-a-stagnant-forum/page-1

 

~ As the above thread is several years old, I'm posting it here, rather than adding a comment to it. I was recently gently asked not to revive many older threads.

When reading through this thread this evening I was laughing in recognition of my own feelings being expressed by others. I'd never read any of this before, so it was fresh to me.

Social media remains a challenge for me. It requires taking in stride attitudes which are far from anything in my professional or personal experience.

Someone recently chided in another thread by advising not to “get bent out of shape”, a phrase I hadn't read or heard in decades.

A public forum like Fountain Pen Network embraces a broad cross-section of personalities from widely diverse backgrounds.

The thread above asked several years ago if the Montblanc Forum had become stagnant. The forum seems reasonably lively, but I often wonder if I've become stagnant.

It's necessary for me to regularly refresh my tolerance for other attitudes and interests. What most frequently causes me to cringe are overt references to price or cost issues.

There are posts which make a point of noting that this or that pen model is “expensive”. Why that occurs is beyond my comprehension, especially when someone is referring to one of their own pens.

I was raised in a time and in circumstances where financial considerations weren't generally publicly discussed. Times have changed and my default feelings are out-of-step.

Therefore there was mirth and a feeling of solidarity to read a number of posts in the above thread from others who share several of my feelings.

The Montblanc Forum is an ongoing education for me about how others feel and think. It's useful to be challenged by unfamiliar attitudes, even if occasionally their bluntness causes me to wince.

Montblanc fountain pens are my desk toys. More for idle sketching and less for writing, I enjoy using them to visually muse as a break between projects.

This evening the Johann Strauss M nib Donation Pen inked in Montblanc Irish Green was in my fingers, sketching the recently arrived Montblanc 32 OBBB.

Both pens are excellent writers without any flaws. I particularly like the violin bow clip on the Johann Strauss pen. Its M nib is reliable to a fault. How I would have loved such a fine writer when I was a student.

The Montblanc 32 OBBB from the early 1960s is a delightful writer. Currently inked in Montblanc Miles Davis Jazz Blue, it glides across paper without and skipping or lurches of excess ink.

Montblanc fountain pens are an especially happy facet of my life. I could relate to pwsuba's description of her Beatles pen as a “happy pen”.

The pleasure of actually writing with such finely-crafted writing tools brings happiness, day after day. Doing so reduces any stagnation in my own attitudes.

Now that March has arrived in the Northern Hemisphere with a lovely full Moon tonight, more flowers will be seen, which will be fun to see and photograph.

Tom K.

[Ghost Plane]

Now you know why our head Admin refers to FPN as “our little nuthouse on the prairie.” We have all self-selected for a fascination with some facet of fountain pens. The rest is subject to change without notice.

[mulrich]

 

Highbrow

 

 

 

You are a brave soul. I'm all for using my pens in all situations but I've never considered balancing one on the nose of a statue. I don't think I have enough trust in local wind patterns to try such a photograph.

[mulrich]

 

It's necessary for me to regularly refresh my tolerance for other attitudes and interests. What most frequently causes me to cringe are overt references to price or cost issues.

There are posts which make a point of noting that this or that pen model is “expensive”. Why that occurs is beyond my comprehension, especially when someone is referring to one of their own pens.

 

I think there's a time and place for making comments about prices. But, if people come into a MB forum/topic they shouldn't act dismayed and offended that the pens cost more than a Pilot Metropolitan. Similarly, I would be a obtuse for recommending a MB to someone looking for an entry-level pen. And ultimately, you're correct, what pens someone chooses to buy with their money is their business.

[Tom Kellie]

Now you know why our head Admin refers to FPN as “our little nuthouse on the prairie.” We have all self-selected for a fascination with some facet of fountain pens. The rest is subject to change without notice.

 

~ Ghost Plane:

 

Every week there are moments when I do feel like an acorn buried by the squirrelly know-it-alls in my classes.

Is the rumor true that those who lean toward the Broad Side have self-selected towards above average cookie consumption?

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

You are a brave soul. I'm all for using my pens in all situations but I've never considered balancing one on the nose of a statue. I don't think I have enough trust in local wind patterns to try such a photograph.

 

~ Mulrich:

 

Your very kind comment gives far too much undeserved credit.

The image above, as others, doesn't show the subtle techniques to stabilize and protect fountain pens.

For certain shots it sometimes seems that an explanatory comment might be posted, as filmmakers do with regard to animal stunts:

“During the making of this image no fountain pens were scratched, snatched or dispatched by natural forces, including dogs, small kids or wind gusts.”

Setting up the shots requires a certain degree of patience as well as time. They're seldom a quick snap of the shutter button.

Tom K.

[Ghost Plane]

~ Ghost Plane:

 

 

Every week there are moments when I do feel like an acorn buried by the squirrelly know-it-alls in my classes.

Is the rumor true that those who lean toward the Broad Side have self-selected towards above average cookie consumption?

Tom K.

Burrrrrrp!

I can neither confirm nor deny.

[Tom Kellie]

I think there's a time and place for making comments about prices. But, if people come into a MB forum/topic they shouldn't act dismayed and offended that the pens cost more than a Pilot Metropolitan. Similarly, I would be a obtuse for recommending a MB to someone looking for an entry-level pen. And ultimately, you're correct, what pens someone chooses to buy with their money is their business.

 

~ Mulrich:

 

It's very nice of you to offer such a realistic comment on prices.

The internal hangup is entirely mine and certainly no one else's fault. My entire career and private life has concentrated on other aspects of life, with affordability issues very seldom brought up for discussion.

The shift towards a more out-in-the-open approach to financial matters is a wave I somehow neglected to ride.

Looking at the Montblanc fountain pens on the desk at which I'm seated, it never occurs to me to recall their price, which I've entirely forgotten in nearly every case.

Likewise, enjoying pen and nib photos posted in the Montblanc Forum, I admire the design, the imaging quality and, where appropriate, any handwriting sample. At no time would I wonder what they cost.

As it's me that's out-of-step with the zeitgeist, it's necessary to take it all in stride and move on. Nevertheless, when posts note “this pen is expensive” or “it costs more” I instinctively cringe.

The beauty and superb functionality of Montblanc pens is what I enjoy, whether those on my desk or those presented in the Montblanc Forum.

Almost the last thing on Earth that I consider are the financial underpinnings of fountain pens. I'm focussed on the nib and pen design by Montblanc's Hamburg Nib Design Team.

For any and all others, I truly hope that they'll be happy with the deals, discounts and special prices that come their way.

What I hope is that will be a minimal consideration and that they'll generously share images of the beauty of their pens and nibs, as well as handwriting samples.

I've greatly enjoyed posts by jconn showing handwriting samples, and the posts from Cyrille and Reed_thoughts present their lovely pens in attractive compositions.

Thank you for your comment.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

Pre-Dawn Moon

[Tom Kellie]

~ FPN Member mana, from Finland, posted a terrific image series

of his rescue dog, Adele. I noticed in his signature that he writes

with a Tortoise Pelikan 400NN OF, which is nearly the same as

the Tortoise Pelikan 400 OF which I recently received.

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/247413-dogs-and-cats-and-pens-oh-my/page-9?do=findComment&comment=4014780

I like the following quote which is in his signature.

[Tom Kellie]

Curiosity

[jmccarty3]

Tom--

 

My wife loves pugs, and when you post your beautiful photographs of Zuji, I have taken the liberty of forwarding them to her. We both get so much enjoyment watching him grow up!

[Ghost Plane]

I can almost hear the whuffle snuffle as he sniffs.

[Pen Nut]

"Looking at the Montblanc fountain pens on the desk at which I'm seated, it never occurs to me to recall their price, which I've entirely forgotten in nearly every case"

 

Or as Sir Fred is supposed to have said : "The quality will remain long after the price is forgotten"

 

Sir 'Fred' being Frederick Henry Royce, usually reffered to as Henry rather than Fred.

Edited March 3, 2018 by Pen Nut

[mulrich]

 

~ Mulrich:

 

 

Your very kind comment gives far too much undeserved credit.

The image above, as others, doesn't show the subtle techniques to stabilize and protect fountain pens.

For certain shots it sometimes seems that an explanatory comment might be posted, as filmmakers do with regard to animal stunts:

During the making of this image no fountain pens were scratched, snatched or dispatched by natural forces, including dogs, small kids or wind gusts.

Setting up the shots requires a certain degree of patience as well as time. They're seldom a quick snap of the shutter button.

Tom K.

Great photography usually involves some encouragement of the subject. I wonder if you could pull off the same balancing act with Zuji instead of a statue.

[Cheetah]

I have a vintage MB 220 with an OB nib with some flex. Wonderfull to write with . I can post samples if wished. It gives a really nice line variation and is my 2nd preferred pen and nib. But nothing comes close to my vintage MB 144 fine flex nib.