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

[dannyboy]

Another terrific photo, Tom! And with the title, it's very much like a haiku. Thanks and keep them coming!!!!!!!!!!

[JungleJim]

Here's hoping that Zuji has a very fast and uneventful recovery. And don't be surprised if Zuji has a sudden fascination for tennis balls.

[Tom Kellie]

Spotted Doves at the Snow-covered Balcony Feeding Station

Snow Patrol

Zuji the Snow Pug

[Tom Kellie]

Winter's Glory

Mid-Winter OBBB Story

[GranTorino25]

Incredible photos Tom!!

[thygreyt]

I finally have a nib in each color!

 

Which by the way means I finally got my Virginia Woolf pen!!

 

[jmccarty3]

Needless to say, I've given my word to the widow that the pen, now treasured once again, will never part my company and will continue to be used, adored, and appreciated for many years to come. Although I'm only on the periphery of the tragic circumstance, I am glad to have offered some closure to the grieving surviving spouse that at least a small part of the dearly departed's legacy will continue on in the writing that I do with their once-beloved instrument.

 

What a wonderful story! When we come into possession of pens or other objects that have a backstory, it makes them that much more valuable to us. I hope the owner's widow obtains some comfort from the knowledge that her husband's pen is so much appreciated.

[Ghost Plane]

This thread makes me ridiculously happy.

 

Nothing beats nipping in here on a coffee break to enjoy the art and hear the stories.

[jmccarty3]

Now here, as Sherlock Holmes would say, is something a little recherché. Even considering that this pen is NIB and sports an OBBB nib, the asking price is right out, but when I saw the name of the seller, I wasn't surprised.

 

http://ebay.to/2DFalKr

[BillH]

Pass. Pretty pen though.

[Tom Kellie]

Photographer's Long Shadow

Last Year's Pomegranates and Snow

Tracks in Snow

Snow Veteran

Why Are You Writing With A Pen When We Could Be Outside In the Snow?

[Ghost Plane]

Love that last look. Silly human!

[jconn]

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.

 

[Cyrille81]

[CS388]

 

 

 

What a beautiful face.

We humans tend not to think of 'wrinkles' as being desirable, but I wouldn't mind that many, if they looked that good. (No offence intended, Zuji!)

 

And congratulations to jconn. That's a nice looking nib - and a 342 is always a useful pen to have around.

 

Enjoy.

Edited January 28, 2018 by CS388

[Ghost Plane]

I’m impressed by both Cooper and the vintage nibs.

[jconn]

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.

[Tom Kellie]

~ Cyrille:

 

Thank you so much for your very kind handwritten comment.

Your UNICEF Skeleton is a joy to see in use. I’m honored that you used it here.

Such lovely limited edition pens deserve to be used as pens.

Your very nice image and handwriting sample are exemplary.

Yes, you're right.

Zuji very much likes to play with snow...and with fountain pens.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

What a beautiful face.

We humans tend not to think of 'wrinkles' as being desirable, but I wouldn't mind that many, if they looked that good. (No offence intended, Zuji!)

 

~ CS388:

 

Zuji thanks you!

He's pleased to know that someone appreciates his wrinkle pattern as being “beauty marks”.

He is beautiful, although he has the innate capacity to be a rascal, if temptation's door is left open by a careless Tom.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

Zuji's Tale

Day of Arrival — Zuji at Seven Weeks

~ One of the most satisfying writers among the Montblanc fountain pens on my desk is a Platinum Mozart EF nib.

It was never a pen that I'd daydreamed about, but rather was a purchase of a special order pen which had been rejected by a potential purchaser.

I requested an EF nib exchange which turned out to be a positive change, as an EF nib on such a diminutive fountain pen was an excellent match.

Over time two primary uses developed — taking discreet notes in rugged outdoor locations where a larger fountain pen might not be entirely appropriate and scrawling notes in book margins.

Using a syringe from a life sciences laboratory, the cartridge was conveniently refilled with Diamine China Blue ink, which wrote very well through the EF nib.

Up through the latter half of December, 2017 I'd used the Platinum Mozart EF to underscore passages in a book, while comfortably propped up on pillows.

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

When adding a puppy to an existing household, it's essential to “puppy-proof” the house, i.e. remove or cover all wires or items which might easily be chewed by teeth in small mouths.

If anything is damaged, marred or destroyed by a puppy, it's not their fault as it's instinctual for them to explore their surroundings using their well-equipped mouth.

The onus is entirely on a dog owner to “think like a puppy”, carefully scrutinizing all areas accessible to their new dog, removing any form of temptation.

Before seven week old Zuji arrived on 25 July, 2017, several rooms had been carefully “puppy-proofed”, with access to other rooms restricted by puppy fences.

Puppy-appropriate chew toys were available, such as the pink Kong shown in the image above, taken the afternoon that Zuji arrived.

As Zuji grew it was apparent that he had two primary interests: (1) Anything unfamiliar yet bite-sized (2) Anything associated with Tom, especially socks and shoelaces

My vigilance declined as habit replaced caution. Forgetting that Zuji was still in the puppy stage, I trusted him where it was unwarranted, mistakenly supposing that he knew what not to do.

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

The Event

Deep in the night of the Winter Solstice, 21 December, 2017, I was writing on the 27-inch iMac, with Zuji fast asleep in the darkened adjoining room...or so I thought.

The house was silent yet I noticed faint but distinct crackling sounds, as if a nut was being crunched.

Despite it being in the wee hours, and no lights on, I turned around to see if Zuji was awake, possibly chewing a toy with plastic.

Walking into the next room, turning on the light I saw Zuji smoking a small cigar, or what resembled one.

It was the Platinum Mozart EF which I'd left inside a closed book on a low coffee table.

My first concern was for Zuji's safety and wellbeing. Had he swallowed anything which might require an emergency visit to Dr. WANG Bo, his veterinarian?

I couldn't find the pen's cap for ten minutes, which caused anxiety that he might have swallowed it. The missing cap turned out to have slipped behind cushions on the sofa.

There were blue ink stains around his mouth and on a paw. Diamine China Blue is apparently non-toxic for Pugs, as Zuji showed no ill effects the following day.

What about the pen?

Following are images taken of the damage. WARNING: Not for the faint of heart...

Damaged Pen Barrel

Damaged Nib Feed

Damaged Nib Right Side View

Damaged Nib Upper View

Damaged Nib Left Side View

Over the next few days, including on Christmas Day, I came to terms with the damage. Zuji wasn't at all to blame despite having been the direct cause of the damage.

No, it was a careless fountain pen owner who had left a small ‘object of interest’ out where an inquisitive Pug puppy might find and examine it.

After the semester concluded in early January I contacted my good friend and former student in Peking University Health Sciences Center, ZHU Jinjie, who now resides in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.

He's met Zuji, and understood the full context of the situation. He readily agreed to take the damaged Platinum Mozart EF to a Montblanc boutique in Hangzhou.

Accordingly, the pen was shipped to him. He reported that the service quality in the Hangzhou boutique was excellent.

The pen was left at the boutique on 9 January and was returned by the Montblanc Shanghai Service Center on 20 January — eleven days later.

This afternoon I picked up an express small packet. The repaired Platinum Mozart EF was within, as shown in the images below.

It writes as well as before, without any issues. The replacement nib has the same outstanding feedback and lack of scratchiness as the previous nib had.

On the lower part of the barrel Zuji's teeth marks remain as scars, reminding me of my foolish imprudence.

The pen was briefly shown to Zuji, who was naturally highly interested in it. That won't happen again, as I've learned my lesson.

A very warm “Xiexie” 谢谢, or “Thank you”, to my talented photographer friend, Jinjie, and to Montblanc China for restoring a delightful fountain pen.

As for myself, this is a cautionary tale. Pens and puppies are both precious and deserve to be treated as such, albeit separately.

Tom K.

Envelope

Blue Clip

Returned Platinum Mozart EF

Battle Scars

Just Like Before

Reunion