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

[Tom Kellie]

[Tom Kellie]

Many thanks, Tom, for my Zuji fix. Bless every one of his adorable wrinkles!

 

The pen is pretty nice too...

 

~ empliau:

 

Zuji appreciates your warmth...tail vigorously wagging in a curly way.

The 2001 PoA Marquise de Pompadour continues to exceed all of my expectations.

Not only does it have substantial concentrated mass, it’s a wonderfully smooth writer.

Thank you for your nice comment.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

Congratulations Tom on the long anticipated arrival of your recent purchases- the MdP is particularly spectacularl..!! As I once mentioned before, it must be one of the most underrated Montblancs out there- but now gets all the attention it deserves because its truly beautiful.

What all you FPNers own/have weighing scales at home now?

 

~ Pravda and Ghost Plane:

 

When the recent posts by MontblancLover and Ghost Plane showed pens on digital scales, I too wondered if this was a common household device.

I asked three friends overnight — Switzerland, Japan and South Africa — if they had a digital scale in their home.

All three replied in the affirmative, with one asking me if that meant that I didn't.

I must be behind the times. Maybe it's time to seek out digital scales on offer here, in order to weigh pens or other objects of interest.

Finding one capable of weighing Zuji might be a challenge.

Thank you so much for the very kind comment on the two pens which arrived.

They're both exceptionally fine writers without any discernible flaws.

While the 2001 PoA Marquise de Pompadour is the weightiest fountain pen I've ever used for sketching or writing, it's great fun to use.

My desk pens are no longer monotone black resin, with welcome color added to the group.

Tom K.

[Ghost Plane]

 

Oh dear. Now I’m mopping my keyboard. What a laugh this gave me!

[zaddick]

 

 

This seems close, but it would not have text on the crystal (that is not MB's style) and it is missing some MOP logo component. The base should also be wrapped in leather.

[Tom Kellie]

This seems close, but it would not have text on the crystal (that is not MB's style) and it is missing some MOP logo component. The base should also be wrapped in leather.

 

~ zaddick:

 

Ha! My light-hearted approach to gentle Montblanc fantasy is off.

Time to send my funny bone in for a tune-up!

Tom K.

(It's a a good thing that I didn't sketch the local version with a Siberian sable-lined pen trough and LED red dragons in constant motion...)

[Tom Kellie]

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/99888-when-did-people-start-using-blue-rather-than-black-ink/

~ The above thread from 2009 addresses a recurrent question from my students over the past couple of decades.

“Why do you always write with blue ink, not with black?”, they ask.

The fact is that I don't exclusively write in blue, but shades of blue are the most frequently used in my Montblanc fountain pens.

They live in a culture which for over two millennia has utilized brush and ink for calligraphy.

In museums here the treasured ancient scrolls with stylized characters are invariably written in tints of black, the ink having understandably faded with time in many cases.

Accordingly, it’s standard practice for students to be taught to write in black, just as official cars are black Audi A6s, and lofty officials dress alike in somber black suits.

The prevalence of black suggests propriety, the absence of frills, a sober approach to life, study and business.

Students here readily accept bright red ink to correct their homework assignments or examination papers, as that suggests contrast and has patriotic appeal.

Yet notes in blue seem “strange” to them, as they can't see any point in using the color of the sky as an ink.

My friends who were employed in Beijing Montblanc boutiques explained that well over 90% of the Montblanc ink they sold was Mystery Black.

Bottles of other ink colors were for show, as the boutiques rarely stocked more than a couple of bottles of other colors, e.g. Royal Blue.

Other Montblanc ink colors were available by special order, but they steered customers to the Montblanc China on-line store to purchase them.

There's a store in a back street in Shanghai's Puxi District, near Nanjing East Road, which stocks a variety of inks.

Visiting there last year, I was told that most such non-black inks were sold to “foreigners”.

Student friends know that I greatly admire the oil paintings/sketches by Frans Hals. His fluency in shades of black and white is dazzling.

Hals mastered the technique of slightly faded tints of black. I like fountain pen ink which is black but readily shades, giving an aged look to writing.

Yet the truth is that blue inks are my default, especially Diamine China Blue, Montblanc Leo Tolstoy and Pilot's Iroshizoku Tsuyu-kusa.

“Why?”, my students want to know.

My late dad.

As a small boy I was aware that he used Sheaffer Skrip blue ink in his fountain pens.

That became associated in my little kid thoughts with adult writing. Somehow that persisted through the decades.

There are other ink colors which I use and enjoy, but shades and tints of blue remain my default.

What prompted these thoughts is that a major test is being given to dozens of students on Thursday.

It’ll require several days to correct. Which color should I use? Something different than red or blue?

When FPN friends post handwriting samples, it's very nice to see a rich variety of colors...not only black or blue.

BTW: If I have a preferred color overall, it might be a moderately dark charcoal grey. I wonder why that is?

Tom K.

[Ghost Plane]

Maybe because gray lends itself to sketching as well as writing?

 

It might be fun to use random colors for grading, perhaps leading students to wonder what colors they’ll get & maybe scrutinize their corrections more closely.

[thygreyt]

Imagine grading in purple or green..? Wouldnt it be a delight to see the colors in the annotations?

[Uncial]

I saved hard this month and I've taken the plunge. The 149 went in to be fitted with a double broad. Oh yeah, baby!

[empliau]

I graded with Pelikan Violet for years, and now use Yama-budo. The contrast with the blackish grey from the printer is arresting and enjoyable, at least for me. If I were looking into the green color family, my current favorite is syo-ro, a delightful teal that is more green than blue.

[Ghost Plane]

I saved hard this month and I've taken the plunge. The 149 went in to be fitted with a double broad. Oh yeah, baby!

Can’t wait to see

[Tom Kellie]

“Why do you use fountain pens?” by Prof. John Morgan

http://faculty.haas.berkeley.edu/rjmorgan/openions/new_page_1.htm

https://faculty.haas.berkeley.edu/rjmorgan/index.html

~ Prof. John Morgan of the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business wrote an article about why he uses fountain pens.

Of special interest to me was that in high school he used Sheaffer No Nonsense fountain pens, as did I.

Tom K.

[Feamat]

 

Why do you use fountain pens? by Prof. John Morgan

http://faculty.haas.berkeley.edu/rjmorgan/openions/new_page_1.htm

https://faculty.haas.berkeley.edu/rjmorgan/index.html

~ Prof. John Morgan of the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business wrote an article about why he uses fountain pens.

Of special interest to me was that in high school he used Sheaffer No Nonsense fountain pens, as did I.

Tom K.

My reason is More passional instead of practical.

Edited March 29, 2018 by Feamat

[Feamat]

 

~ Following is the updated list with all of the materials from several preceding posts with an addition offered by SergioAA:

*************************************************************

• Alligator Leather

• Amber

• Anodized Aluminum

• Anthracite

• Brass

• Carbon Fiber

• Celluloid

• Ceramics

• Citrine

• Coral

• Cowhide Leather

• Damask Steel

• Diamond

• Ebonite

• 750 Gold

• Granite

• Grenadilla Wood

• Hematite

• Jade

• Lacquer

• Lapis Lazuli

• Malachite

• Marble

• Mother-of-pearl

• Pine

• Platinum

• Porcelain

• Red Gold

• Rose Gold

• Rosewood

• Rubber

• Ruthenium

• Sapphire

• Shark Leather

• Stainless Steel

• 925 Sterling Silver

• Tiger-eye

• Titanium

• Vermeil/Silver-gilt

 

*************************************************************

 

Tom K.

Hi Tom

 

During my never ending investigation for my Montblanc Limited And Special Edition Guide, I found another Great Pen , with an unusual material for your list: Montblanc Statue Of Liberty, ltd. 50, Artissn Edition, its cap and barrel are cover with gray PVD coating covering.

 

BTW, congratulations for your new two pens!,

 

Regards

 

Feamat

[Tom Kellie]

My reason is More passional instead of practical.

 

~ Feamat:

 

That's certainly understandable.

Perhaps many Montblanc users are motivated by a lively mix of passion and utility.

My initial attraction to Montblanc was practicality. With longer experience passion has increased.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

During my never ending investigation for my Montblanc Limited And Special Edition Guide, I found another Great Pen , with an unusual material for your list: Montblanc Statue Of Liberty, ltd. 50, Artissn Edition, its cap and barrel are cover with gray PVD coating covering.

 

BTW, congratulations for your new two pens!,

 

~ Feamat:

 

A very special thanks to you for this.

I'd never heard of it. You've provided a welcome education about a material and a pen previously unknown to me.

I've added it to the list below, as well as adding crystal, after seeing the photos of the 2007 Max Reinhardt edition with mountain crystal inlays shown by Axis.

Thank you for your kind remarks. Both new pens have been used for several days, each writing exceptionally well without any issues.

 

*************************************************************

• Alligator Leather

• Amber

• Anodized Aluminum

• Anthracite

• Brass

• Carbon Fiber

• Celluloid

• Ceramics

• Citrine

• Coral

• Cowhide Leather

• Crystal

• Damask Steel

• Diamond

• Ebonite

• 750 Gold

• Granite

• Grenadilla Wood

• Hematite

• Jade

• Lacquer

• Lapis Lazuli

• Malachite

• Marble

• Mother-of-pearl

• Pine

• Platinum

• Porcelain

• PVD Coating

• Red Gold

• Rose Gold

• Rosewood

• Rubber

• Ruthenium

• Sapphire

• Shark Leather

• Stainless Steel

• 925 Sterling Silver

• Tiger-eye

• Titanium

• Vermeil/Silver-gilt

*************************************************************

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

I saved hard this month and I've taken the plunge. The 149 went in to be fitted with a double broad. Oh yeah, baby!

 

~ Uncial:

 

A 149 BB — walking on the wild side is both fun and creative.

I'm very glad to read this, as it'll be a welcome excuse to indulge in more fresh cookies.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

I graded with Pelikan Violet for years, and now use Yama-budo. The contrast with the blackish grey from the printer is arresting and enjoyable, at least for me. If I were looking into the green color family, my current favorite is syo-ro, a delightful teal that is more green than blue.

 

~ empliau:

 

Thank you for telling this.

There was a large written test given this afternoon.

When grading it this weekend, I'll consider an other-than-usual ink.

The Iroshizuku inks you're using are beauties!

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

~ “Fountain pens are back in fashion as millennials in search of a digital detox turn to handwriting” U.K. Daily Telegraph, 24 March, 2018

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/03/24/fountain-pens-back-fashion-millennials-search-digital-detox/

~ “The unparalleled joy of writing with a fountain pen — and five beautiful pens to inspire you” Country Life, 23 March, 2018

http://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/style/unparalleled-joy-writing-fountain-pen-five-beautiful-examples-175439

Tom K.