Mb 149 Expression Nib - Calligraphy?

[Tom Kellie]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uWNSotzqQXM

 

~ Zdenek:

 

Unfortunately, in the area where I work and live, YouTube is unavailable.

I hope that eventually a few Expression Nib owners might be kind enough to take a few images of their pen nibs as well as handwriting samples.

Such photos need not be magazine-quality. Rather, imagery to illustrate what their own Calligraphy Collection Expression nibs do as writing tools.

Tom K.

[dbs]

I strongly recommend you put down "flex" idea for at least two weeks. When you come back later, I bet you will have different vision about this "flex" thing. Flex nib has been phased out for at least 30 years. It was out for a good reason and this reason is still valid today.

 

Here are some samples you requested. Keep in mind, flex 149 nib is very rough on most paper, as rough as scratching paper with a pin

 

 

 

 

 

 

~ Zdenek:

 

Unfortunately, in the area where I work and live, YouTube is unavailable.

I hope that eventually a few Expression Nib owners might be kind enough to take a few images of their pen nibs as well as handwriting samples.

Such photos need not be magazine-quality. Rather, imagery to illustrate what their own Calligraphy Collection Expression nibs do as writing tools.

Tom K.

[dbs]

If you have Pilot 823 F nib, the flex 149 nib looks identical to Pilot 823 F nib, same width, same roughness. But 823 nib's stiffness is slightly higher than 149 flex.

[Pravda]

I strongly recommend you put down "flex" idea for at least two weeks. When you come back later, I bet you will have different vision about this "flex" thing. Flex nib has been phased out for at least 30 years. It was out for a good reason and this reason is still valid today.

 

Here are some samples you requested. Keep in mind, flex 149 nib is very rough on most paper, as rough as scratching paper with a pin

 

 

 

Removed

 

dbs if youre not happy with the 149 flex, check the tines for alignment and if not take it back.

 

The 149 flex is one of the smoothest slippery nibs I have tried. Just glides on the paper, much more than the 146 flex which I found a bit more toothy. Maybe you got a bad Apple?

Edited November 8, 2019 by PenHero
Removed profanity

[Tom Kellie]

~ dbs:

 

Thank you for posting the 149 Expression Nib images.

It's useful to see a handwriting sample.

As it happens, occasionally I direct young students to threads in the Montblanc Forum to read certain posts or see how pens have been photographed.

Unfortunately, if coarse language is posted, it's no longer comfortable to share a link with those in the early stages of education.

I hope that you'll eventually enjoy using your 149 Expression Nib.

Tom K.

[Vlad Soare]

I just bought this pen and love it. Of all the modern fountain pens claiming to be flexible that I had the opportunity to try out, this one seems to me to be the closest to the idea of flex. It takes the least amount of force to flex (except the Ogiva Alba, which flexed a bit easier, but was too thick to begin with and didn't snap back quickly enough, which made it useless to me), snaps back reasonably quickly, and is very easy and pleasant to use for normal, quick writing with no flexing. It also gives just the right amount of feedback - it's not as slippery as normal Montblanc nibs, but not scratchy either.

 

What I don't feel very comfortable with is that it exhibits an enormous amount of nib creep. I guess I'll have to educate myself to embrace this 'feature'. I see that many people around here use to love nib creep and to consider super-clean nibs 'boring'. Given enough time, I might be able to convince myself to think like that as well, but for the time being I'm obsessive-compusive about having perfectly clean nibs, and I feel uneasy each time I take the cap off and see that big ink splotch on the nib.

 

Another thing that bothers me a little is that it does seem to have some starting issues. If I rest the tip of the nib on the paper for one second, and then start writing, then all is well. But if I try to write immediately, it won't start. Maybe it has a bit of baby bottom, or maybe some contaminants left over from the manufacturing process (I didn't clean it, but just filled it with ink and started using it right away). I'll give it a good cleaning and will take a close look through a loupe. Hopefully I won't need to send it back for repair.

Edited November 8, 2019 by Vlad Soare

[PenHero]

~ dbs:

 

Thank you for posting the 149 Expression Nib images.

It's useful to see a handwriting sample.

As it happens, occasionally I direct young students to threads in the Montblanc Forum to read certain posts or see how pens have been photographed.

Unfortunately, if coarse language is posted, it's no longer comfortable to share a link with those in the early stages of education.

I hope that you'll eventually enjoy using your 149 Expression Nib.

Tom K.

 

 

Photo is removed. Thanks

[masterguns]

dbs if youre not happy with the 149 flex, check the tines for alignment and if not take it back.

 

The 149 flex is one of the smoothest slippery nibs I have tried. Just glides on the paper, much more than the 146 flex which I found a bit more toothy. Maybe you got a bad Apple?

I’m in agreement. I don’t find my 149 the least bit scratchy. Perhaps those used to dealing with butter smooth nibs all the time would have a different take, but I tend to like my nibs with just a bit of tooth like any EF might be considered having. Love this pen...

[masterguns]

I just bought this pen and love it. Of all the modern fountain pens claiming to be flexible that I had the opportunity to try out, this one seems to me to be the closest to the idea of flex. It takes the least amount of force to flex (except the Ogiva Alba, which flexed a bit easier, but was too thick to begin with and didn't snap back quickly enough, which made it useless to me), snaps back reasonably quickly, and is very easy and pleasant to use for normal, quick writing with no flexing. It also gives just the right amount of feedback - it's not as slippery as normal Montblanc nibs, but not scratchy either.

 

What I don't feel very comfortable with is that it exhibits an enormous amount of nib creep. I guess I'll have to educate myself to embrace this 'feature'. I see that many people around here use to love nib creep and to consider super-clean nibs 'boring'. Given enough time, I might be able to convince myself to think like that as well, but for the time being I'm obsessive-compusive about having perfectly clean nibs, and I feel uneasy each time I take the cap off and see that big ink splotch on the nib.

 

Another thing that bothers me a little is that it does seem to have some starting issues. If I rest the tip of the nib on the paper for one second, and then start writing, then all is well. But if I try to write immediately, it won't start. Maybe it has a bit of baby bottom, or maybe some contaminants left over from the manufacturing process (I didn't clean it, but just filled it with ink and started using it right away). I'll give it a good cleaning and will take a close look through a loupe. Hopefully I won't need to send it back for repair.

I don’t think the nib creep is normal. I believe this topic came up earlier in this thread with another user. I *think* an ink change solved it, but can’t recall. I don’t have any nib creep at all, so it may be good to keep an eye on it to see how it progresses.

[arcfide]

I’m in agreement. I don’t find my 149 the least bit scratchy. Perhaps those used to dealing with butter smooth nibs all the time would have a different take, but I tend to like my nibs with just a bit of tooth like any EF might be considered having. Love this pen...

 

Here's another. I've mentioned this in my comments and posts above, but I'll reiterate it here: for what it is (an EF Flex nib targeting actual flex use), this is an extremely smooth nib. Compared to some of the commonly available dip nibs, my Namiki Falcon Spencerian grind, and others, this is an extremely smooth nib. I actually thinks that hampers its raw performance just a little.

 

I suspect that MB tried to improve durability and feel on typical papers by tweaking a few variables, one of them being the smoothness of the nib. This makes the nib glide better and improves the durability a little bit in real use, and combined with the initial "stiff break" before the nib truly starts flexing, you have a nib that's relatively forgiving to a lot of new users. However, that smoothness I think also means that spring back requires a slightly different technique than what I'm used to in other nibs (I have to lift off faster and more than with other nibs to avoid too much ink on the nib) and it also means that you don't get quite as fine a line as you would with something that were willing to be a bit more toothy and scratchy. You can still get a really fine line, but it requires, IMO, more practice and a bit more of a "light touch" to really make it as fine as I might want, versus other nibs which are scratchier, but easier to get a fine line. Overall, it's probably the right amount of trade-off, and I'm pretty happy with mine so far.

 

The real trick will be how these nibs age with heavy use.

[arcfide]

I don’t think the nib creep is normal. I believe this topic came up earlier in this thread with another user. I *think* an ink change solved it, but can’t recall. I don’t have any nib creep at all, so it may be good to keep an eye on it to see how it progresses.

 

I'm using MB permanent black and I can also report that I don't get nib creep. I might get a touch of excess after wiping the nib on filling, but that amount tends to stay static and the nib doesn't get more later on.

[Vlad Soare]

That's good to know. I'll give other inks a try.

In the meantime I found an older thread, in which someone said he had gotten rid of it by giving the nib a gentle swipe with a q-tip dipped in Rain-X. That might also be worth a shot.

[Vlad Soare]

I switched from Midnight Blue to Royal Blue, and the amount of nib creep is the same. Not that I'm surprised, given that they're probably very similar.

I never had any nib creep with these particular inks in any of my other fountain pens, so I don't think they're actually at fault. I also have some Diamines lying around; I'll give them a try, too, but I won't be holding my breath. I guess I'll have to accept that it's a feature of this nib.

Anyway, with Royal Blue it doesn't look that bad. I think I can live with it.

[thewritingraven]

Must admit I don’t think I have found an ink that doesn't nib creep. I am getting used to it now and it no longer bothers me as much as it did at first

[Michael R.]

Nevertheless, I'm interested in seeing other samples of Calligraphy Collection Expression Nib writing from either the Gold Leaf 146 or the 149 models.

As this is a largely unfamiliar set of nibs, images may offer as much or more than descriptions.

Tom K.

 

 

 

...no Calligraphy 149 yet but a 146 Gold Leaf:

 

P1490501 by pensninks, auf Flickr

 

All images on flickr and here: Calligraphy Gold Leaf

 

Cheers

 

Michael

 

 

[Tom Kellie]

~ Michael R.:

 

You're a gentleman and a fountain pen scholar.

Thank you so much for the handwriting sample image above.

That's of greatest value towards better understanding what the Solitaire Gold Leaf 146 Expression Nib does in a capable hand.

Very clear, such that it's an effective advertisement for the fountain pen model.

It's subtle, with graceful touches here and there.

My heartfelt appreciation to you for posting this in the FPN Montblanc Forum.

Tom K.

[ItsMeDave]

I had to pull out a guide in order to refresh my memory on the basic copperplate strokes (my experience is minimal). I can see that I'm not lifting enough during the up and connecting strokes.

The pen works pretty good, no railroading at all.

 

 

[Vlad Soare]

Another thing that bothers me a little is that it does seem to have some starting issues. If I rest the tip of the nib on the paper for one second, and then start writing, then all is well. But if I try to write immediately, it won't start. Maybe it has a bit of baby bottom, or maybe some contaminants left over from the manufacturing process (I didn't clean it, but just filled it with ink and started using it right away). I'll give it a good cleaning and will take a close look through a loupe. Hopefully I won't need to send it back for repair.

Problem solved. A few loops drawn on a piece of 12000 grit Micro Mesh did the trick. Now it starts normally each and every time, as it should.

Edited November 18, 2019 by Vlad Soare

[Harry44]

I wonder how it compares to the Omas extra flessible or the aurora flex nib.

[Uncial]

The Omas extra flessibile is a lovely nib, but look at it wrong and that nib will spring.