Mb 149 Expression Nib - Calligraphy?

[Tom Kellie]

We hope that the potential of these nibs can been seen in or writing samples even though we are not calligraphs.

 

Best regards,

Fritz Schimpf

 

 

[dubhe]

Some photos of the nib and compared to a standard #9 nib on the Hemingway.

[Tom Kellie]

Some photos of the nib and compared to a standard #9 nib on the Hemingway.

 

~ dubhe:

 

Those comparison images of ‘working pens’ are especially appreciated.

It's heartening to see your Expression Nib in use.

With time, may it become an especially valued writing tool for you.

Tom K.

[wanderlust]

Thank you so much, thats very kind of you, I had a 743 and it was similar to my 912 so the 149 sounds perfect. It is now on its way to me and I should receive it tomorrow. Looking forward to it. Which ink is in your 149?, its a lovely blue and I dont think its one I have

The blue ink is Montblanc Writer Edition Homer ink. The ink has good shading and its colour will change to a lighter pastel blue after drying. 🥰

 

Enjoy your 149 Flex. Its a purchase thats hard to regret.

Edited September 3, 2019 by wanderlust

[Nurmister]

-

 

This is essential advice; my 149 is coming in tomorrow.

 

What exactly does it feel like to have a "worn out" flex nib from misuse?

 

I know iridium alloy tips can become flat-spotted after some years of heavy use, but I've never thought about the metal fatigue of the nib. What effect does that have on feel?

Edited September 3, 2019 by Nurmister

[thewritingraven]

The blue ink is Montblanc Writer Edition Homer ink. The ink has good shading and its colour will change to a lighter pastel blue after drying.

 

Enjoy your 149 Flex. Its a purchase thats hard to regret.

It’s arrived and wow I can’t give any more praise that has already been said. It’s wonderful

 

I have the same ink .. perhaps I need to re try it

[arcfide]

 

This is essential advice; my 149 is coming in tomorrow.

 

What exactly does it feel like to have a "worn out" flex nib from misuse?

 

I know iridium alloy tips can become flat-spotted after some years of heavy use, but I've never thought about the metal fatigue of the nib. What effect does that have on feel?

 

I can't speak much to this, as I don't work on them and I avoid such damage, but I believe it is much the same as any sort of damage you can do to a pen nib:

 

https://www.nibs.com/content/nib-repairs-after

 

With more traditional steel nibs, they will wear out and become dull, writing too broadly, or will begin to flex differently and not respond well to pressure. The tines might open up and not return to their original position, and so forth.

[oldrifleman]

So I have been reading this and really want a MB with a flex nib. The thing is that I like really like a wet nib and I keep seeing that the nibs write really dryish when not flexed. I am really not sure I would like the pen! I like the nib profile on the 146 (slightly broader) and don't really mind the slight extra effort to get flex (I really like the soft/bouncy nibs) but the examples of what looks like a Dry line (un-flexed) really turns me off.

[wanderlust]

So I have been reading this and really want a MB with a flex nib. The thing is that I like really like a wet nib and I keep seeing that the nibs write really dryish when not flexed. I am really not sure I would like the pen! I like the nib profile on the 146 (slightly broader) and don't really mind the slight extra effort to get flex (I really like the soft/bouncy nibs) but the examples of what looks like a Dry line (un-flexed) really turns me off.

The Montblanc 149 flex nib feels wet to me. I can see shading on the text when I write without flexing it.

[oldrifleman]

The Montblanc 149 flex nib feels wet to me. I can see shading on the text when I write without flexing it.

Thanks! I tend to go for larger pens (Conid Kingsize, Pelikan M1000, KOP, and of course the 149 (3 so far)) so that is great news!

[SchaumburgSwan]

 

I can't speak much to this, as I don't work on them and I avoid such damage, but I believe it is much the same as any sort of damage you can do to a pen nib:

 

https://www.nibs.com/content/nib-repairs-after

 

With more traditional steel nibs, they will wear out and become dull, writing too broadly, or will begin to flex differently and not respond well to pressure. The tines might open up and not return to their original position, and so forth.

 

Hi,

 

I have a lot of different flex nibs (Mabie Todd Swan) and sometimes I let other people try them...

I noticed when people rotate their pens nibs can get out of allignment quite easy. The left tine typically gets lifted/bent upwards. The pen feels scratchy then and needs a little work. These people are better served by a 30° oblique...

 

Best

Jens

[arcfide]

So I have been reading this and really want a MB with a flex nib. The thing is that I like really like a wet nib and I keep seeing that the nibs write really dryish when not flexed. I am really not sure I would like the pen! I like the nib profile on the 146 (slightly broader) and don't really mind the slight extra effort to get flex (I really like the soft/bouncy nibs) but the examples of what looks like a Dry line (un-flexed) really turns me off.

 

I think you might have to try it to see. I think these nibs might not match the normal categories of dry and wet for some people. I personally picked one that wrote more dryly than others, so there's some variation in the level of wetness out of the box between each pen. Sorry if this is common knowledge (me being new here and all), but what do you usually write with?

[Tom Kellie]

[oldrifleman]

 

I think you might have to try it to see. I think these nibs might not match the normal categories of dry and wet for some people. I personally picked one that wrote more dryly than others, so there's some variation in the level of wetness out of the box between each pen. Sorry if this is common knowledge (me being new here and all), but what do you usually write with?

Yeah I am getting the same opinion that these are a bit different. Many of my pens have been through nibsmiths to have them stubbed and made to write wet. My primary rotation includes a MB149 w/03B nib, Conid Regular with a wet Broad Stub, a Nakaya w/Medium Stub elastic nib and an Aurora Internazional W/Broad Stub. There are numerous others that migrate their way in and out of the rotation.

[gerigo]

Flex nibs are such a conundrum in our community. There is so much demand, yet the usage is so varied that there is not going to be one nib that fits them all. Being a user and someone interested in lettering and the practice of calligraphy, and have come to the realization that flex nibs is the one single offering that we all pursue but will probably never find the ideal nib since all our expectations are so different.

 

When I purchase the 149 a week ago, I purchased it with high expectations that would be a product that would stand out from the increasingly crowded flex nib offerings that now so many manufacturers have. Standout in the way that it would provide some level of true flex, since the name of the product contains calligraphy in it.

 

To cut to the chase, I am disappointed. Not in the way that Aurora disappointed me, but it's really not a true calligraphy tool. My main complaint is that the snap back is not fast enough. After a down stroke flex, it does not snap back quickly enough to a fine line for the upstroke. Is it a bad nib? NO. I have found that with my collection of flex/ soft nibs, I categorize them for different usage. Japanese soft nibs are great for writing mandarin characters. They are terrible for western lettering. The only pen that can truly be used for "calligraphy" is the Mottishaw modified Pilot Elabo/ Falcon. When I use that pen, I cannot perceive the difference between this nib and a dip pen.

 

So what of this new offering? I am still experimenting. The nib feels unfamiliar enough that I need to learn more. The one difference with this nib is that it's DRY and very fine when there is no pressure applied. So dry that for me it's almost unusable without any pressure. This is an approach that no mass product has taken. Most other products start out wet and then become gushers when pressure is applied. I think the reason for this approach is so that the nib can snap back post down stroke pressure. However as I have stated, the snap back is not fast enough so the upstroke has lingering wetness that looks ugly.

 

Having said all of that, I am thankful that Montblanc has chosen to make this nib available on the mass market. I am sure that us aficionados will chase after the pen. Hopefully it will become a main stay of their offering, and they will continue to refine and improve the product.

[fpupulin]

Not discussing the Expression nib of Montbanc, which I do not know, but I feel that gerigo has touched the exact point of the quest about flexible nibs.

 

Most of the nibs that I have in this category simply do not snap back quickly enough after the down stroke pressure to produce a sharp, wet but narrow upstroke. I call these nibs "soft", as they allow to spread out the tins, but they are not springy enough to turn back immediately to the original condition. Furthermore, most of the so called "flexible" nibs that I have are not extra-fine enough in their normal condition, but more similar to a F if not more.

 

The only fountain pen nibs that I have with true flexible characteristics are Omas nibs of the sixties, but they are not all the same. I have a Gentlemen that in my opinion is really a beautiful, extra-extra-fine flexible nib. Have a Gentlemen in pearl grey that is also extra-extra-fine, but not equally flexible. Great flexibility on a pearl grey Milord, but the nib is more lending to a fine than to an extra-fine....

 

This is just to say that, in the past, producers were more experienced in producing flexible nibs, but even in the "old good times" flexibility was quite a debatable concept...

Edited September 4, 2019 by fpupulin

[TheDutchGuy]

^—I find these two posts by gerigo and fpupulin to be extremely useful. I learned something. Thanks!

[fpupulin]

Maybe I have to add: a true extra-fine tip is required for some calligraphic styles, like the Copperplate and the Spencerian. You may obviously have any grade of tip on a flexible nib, and I had once a chance to write with a beautiful, flexible nib with a broad tip.

 

But, if you want to practice Spencerian, or Copperplate or any other analogous style, you really need to have a nib that is both A) a true flexible, and a true extra-fine.

 

 

P.S. I edited two times because I want to write "B" between parenthesis, but the corrector always decides that this has to be changed for an emoticon instead... Oh, poor writing...

Edited September 4, 2019 by fpupulin

[zaddick]

Maybe I have to add: a true extra-fine tip is required for some calligraphic styles, like the Copperplate and the Spencerian. You may obviously have any grade of tip on a flexible nib, and I had once a chance to write with a beautiful, flexible nib with a broad tip.

 

But, if you want to practice Spencerian, or Copperplate or any other analogous style, you really need to have a nib that is both A) a true flexible, and a true extra-fine.

 

 

P.S. I edited two times because I want to write "B" between parenthesis, but the corrector always decides that this has to be changed for an emoticon instead... Oh, poor writing...

Try an extra space ... B )

[michelim]

I' ve got the mine today, nice flex