Ink Flow Problem With Montblanc M Ultra Black

[jporos]

Until now, I have been really happy with ink flow with my Montblanc M Ultra Black. I could pull out the pen and it would keep writing or sketching until I put it away. In the recent month or so, I am not so happy. I will pull the pen out, the ink will flow fine for several minutes, and then no ink will flow from the pen. I will usually have to violently shake the pen to get the ink flowing again. I have been using both Montblanc Mystery Black ink and Montblanc UNICEF ink and have experienced this behavior with both. I have disassembled and soaked the pen for about half an hour in filtered water between changing ink, but the behavior comes back. The pen gets used daily.

 

Do I need to soak the pen overnight, use pen cleaner, or does the pen need to go to Montblanc for service? Thanks for your responses. Here is a photo of the pen.

[CS388]

That's some beautiful pen!

 

Sorry to hear of the troubles. Very disappointing. No matter how good it looks, it's primary function must be as a writing instrument! Are you using cartridges? (I believe some people have put converters into the M pens, but I think MB is only selling it as a cartridge pen?)

 

It would be a shame to have to send it back to MB - and lose it for a few weeks. But, if it's still under warranty, I think that's what I'd do - along with a letter expressing my disappointment that a new pen should exhibit this behaviour, so soon!

If it's out of warranty, I'd go for the pen-flush, rather than pay for an expensive service to (basically) have it cleaned.

 

Good luck.

[A1979]

Until now, I have been really happy with ink flow with my Montblanc M Ultra Black. I could pull out the pen and it would keep writing or sketching until I put it away. In the recent month or so, I am not so happy. I will pull the pen out, the ink will flow fine for several minutes, and then no ink will flow from the pen. I will usually have to violently shake the pen to get the ink flowing again. I have been using both Montblanc Mystery Black ink and Montblanc UNICEF ink and have experienced this behavior with both. I have disassembled and soaked the pen for about half an hour in filtered water between changing ink, but the behavior comes back. The pen gets used daily.

 

Do I need to soak the pen overnight, use pen cleaner, or does the pen need to go to Montblanc for service? Thanks for your responses. Here is a photo of the pen.

Not sure if this helps, but I had a similar problem with the same pen (skipping, inconsistent flow). Ive sent the M to a nib expert and the diagnosis - in my case - was that *the most obvious possible cause of the skipping is easy to sort, the tips were about 0.5mm apart, about 5 times the maximum where a pen works reliably* . On a general note, he added that *I see a lot of both Starwalker and M pens for work on flow and nib work, usually for being dry, inconsistent and hard starting....the nib/feed combination is a pain generally*.

 

Now my pen writes correctly, with a consistent flow and no skipping. I use a MB Royal Blue cartridge.

Edited November 8, 2018 by A1979

[dubhe]

I had one that was a year old with the same problem. I took it to a boutique in London earlier this week and they swapped it for a new pen. Problem solved, but not quite sustainable.

[jporos]

Thanks for all of the replies! Since the pen is a little over a year old, maybe back to Montblanc is the way to go. I hope this is not endemic to this pen because I really enjoy using it and was looking forward to using it for years to come.

[siamackz]

Maybe it needs a good cleaning? Thats a good place to start. Flush it several times with water and a drop of mild detergent, then fill it with water a few times and keep the nib face down on a paper towel so that the ink can leak out slowly.

 

Also, if you have a loupe then it would be a good idea to check the tine spread - if it is too wide this might make the pen a super wet writer but sometimes it means the feed wont cope up with the ink demands of the nib and it will stop writing for a few seconds before re-starting.

[888007888]

It could simply be paper fiber build up. A few quick swipes from a brass sheet should fix it in a jiffy.

[jporos]

It could simply be paper fiber build up. A few quick swipes from a brass sheet should fix it in a jiffy.

 

Could you point me to some instructions or a video showing how to do this fix correctly?

[888007888]

This link has the product and some videos. Personally, I went to the local hardware store to grab a brass sheet. It was a while back, so it could have been a hobby shop. But it is cheaper just ordering from here I think. Hope this helps.

 

https://www.gouletpens.com/collections/pen-tuning-supplies/products/goulet-brass-sheets?variant=11884650463275

[jporos]

This link has the product and some videos. Personally, I went to the local hardware store to grab a brass sheet. It was a while back, so it could have been a hobby shop. But it is cheaper just ordering from here I think. Hope this helps.

 

https://www.gouletpens.com/collections/pen-tuning-supplies/products/goulet-brass-sheets?variant=11884650463275

 

Thanks 88, I think I will try a more thorough cleaning and flush first before messing with the nib.