Mb 149 Expression Nib - Calligraphy?

[Tom Kellie]

[thewritingraven]

Pardon my ugly handwriting. I compared the writing from a few pens, including Pilot FA nib. The Montblanc 149 writes the thinnest. I will do another around of comparison with flexing.

Thank you, I really appreciate you taking the time to compare and your writing is lovely, which would you say was the softest nib?

[TheDutchGuy]

I have the Pilot FA Nib and the MB Expression Nib. They write different. Maybe because the Pilot is broken in or something...but it flex waaaaay more and it is easier to flex than the MB. But look for yourself. Pilot writes thicker than MB and is more wet, same ink I think...I forgot what I put into my Pilot.

The 149 really writes a fine line, I like that! Thank you for the comparison.

[thewritingraven]

Sorry for my bad handwriting

 

I have the Pilot FA Nib and the MB Expression Nib.

 

They write different. Maybe because the Pilot is broken in or something...but it flex waaaaay more and it is easier to flex than the MB.

But look for yourself.

 

Pilot writes thicker than MB and is more wet, same ink I think...I forgot what I put into my Pilot.

 

Thank you, much appreciated. My 912 is a lovely soft easy flex and it always has been so I’m in a quandary .. the Wahl was such a disappointment and I found the flex so stiff ... but the MB does appear to have more flex looking at your sample

[Cyrille81]

 

~ Cyrille:

 

After the 2019 Great Characters, it might be possible to begin 2020 with careful consideration of the 149 Expression Nib.

If so, any images you'd share would be of great interest, especially handwriting samples.

Tom K.

 

Yes why not But I'm not sure I could write well with flex nib, playing with pressure on the nib and paper to have down and up strokes is not something I'm used to. I think I have better result with oblique nib than with flex. But I will try it in store when I will have opportunity.

[GTuned]

I have just read all 9 pages of this thread with great interest! Many thanks to all contributors, this forum really is the best source of information.

 

Does anyone with the new 149 think it would be useful for everyday use (note taking etc)?

 

I love the idea of line variation, but in previous attempts to achieve this, I found my Pilot 912 FA a little bit too soft for my handwriting style and perhaps even a tad scratchy with my writing style due to its very fine nib point.

[Memorexx]

I have just read all 9 pages of this thread with great interest! Many thanks to all contributors, this forum really is the best source of information.

 

Does anyone with the new 149 think it would be useful for everyday use (note taking etc)?

 

I love the idea of line variation, but in previous attempts to achieve this, I found my Pilot 912 FA a little bit too soft for my handwriting style and perhaps even a tad scratchy with my writing style due to its very fine nib point.

 

The 149 is a bit stiffer than the Pilot. The Pilot is really soft compared to the 149.

However the 149 does not feel scratchy So there is that to it.

[GTuned]

 

The 149 is a bit stiffer than the Pilot. The Pilot is really soft compared to the 149.

However the 149 does not feel scratchy So there is that to it.

 

Thank you! That's super helpful I see a purchase in my future

[dubhe]

I have just read all 9 pages of this thread with great interest! Many thanks to all contributors, this forum really is the best source of information.

 

Does anyone with the new 149 think it would be useful for everyday use (note taking etc)?

 

I love the idea of line variation, but in previous attempts to achieve this, I found my Pilot 912 FA a little bit too soft for my handwriting style and perhaps even a tad scratchy with my writing style due to its very fine nib point.

My fast note taking is better with a stiff nib, after three days playing with the new 149 I have found it isnt great on cheap paper and for scribbling notes, but it excels on good paper and when you have time to write. It also isnt very good for my signature either, but I usually use a broad nib for that.

[GTuned]

My fast note taking is better with a stiff nib, after three days playing with the new 149 I have found it isnt great on cheap paper and for scribbling notes, but it excels on good paper and when you have time to write. It also isnt very good for my signature either, but I usually use a broad nib for that.

Very useful comment; that sounds quite a bit like my experience with the 912 FA, so despite it being stiffer it still is a bit too flexible for this kind of use. Many thanks!

[Nurmister]

Well, the embargo should be over: has anyone got some pictures to post?

 

My 149 flex-es are on order from Appelboom; review to come soon after they arrive!

[Fritz Schimpf]

Last Saturday we celebrated the launch of the new Montblanc Calligraphy line with two nib masters from Montblanc in our shop. One of the Montblanc nibmasters, Mr. Krohn, is the developer of the new flex nibs, the other, Mr. Nier, is the person responsible for the Montblanc Bespoke Nib Program.

 

It has been a wonderful event and our guests and us have been able to test the new nibs and receive lots of additional information regarding the nibs.

 

We would like to share some of the information here.

 

The 149 Flex and the Solitaire Gold Leaf (size 146) are both available with flexible nibs. The nibs of the 149 and 146 have a different nib design and different writing characteristics.

 

The Montblanc Calligraphy 149 fountain pen has a very fine nib, which writes like a fine EF nib when written without pressure. The ink flow without pressure is very soft and produces a light thin line. Once pressure is applied the ink flow increases directly. The nib can be flexed up to around 1.2 mm before the ink feed touches the paper or railroading starts. It is a pleasure to write with.

 

The Montblanc Solitaire Gold Leaf 146 has a different nib design. The point of the nib is rounded and therefore broader than the 149. It also comes with the adaptive ink flow and flexes to around 1.3. mm. The writing characteristics are a bit smoother than with the 149.

 

To us the nib of the 149 is the expert nib, with a broader range of widths and more interesting writing characteristics. The nib of the 146 is easier to handle but not as fascinating.

 

We are highly impressed by Montblanc and their nib expertise which is proven with these new nibs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

[Nurmister]

-

 

 

Thanks a million for the story and the pictures! It is fascinating that these nibs were conceived by quite a small team.

Edited September 2, 2019 by Nurmister

[wanderlust]

Sharing the photos of 146 Gold Leaf fountain pen with the 149 Gold Leaf notebook.

[Zdenek]

Last Saturday we celebrated the launch of the new Montblanc Calligraphy line with two nib masters from Montblanc in our shop. One of the Montblanc nibmasters, Mr. Krohn, is the developer of the new flex nibs, the other, Mr. Nier, is the person responsible for the Montblanc Bespoke Nib Program.

 

It has been a wonderful event and our guests and us have been able to test the new nibs and receive lots of additional information regarding the nibs.

 

We would like to share some of the information here.

 

The 149 Flex and the Solitaire Gold Leaf (size 146) are both available with flexible nibs. The nibs of the 149 and 146 have a different nib design and different writing characteristics.

 

The Montblanc Calligraphy 149 fountain pen has a very fine nib, which writes like a fine EF nib when written without pressure. The ink flow without pressure is very soft and produces a light thin line. Once pressure is applied the ink flow increases directly. The nib can be flexed up to around 1.2 mm before the ink feed touches the paper or railroading starts. It is a pleasure to write with.

 

The Montblanc Solitaire Gold Leaf 146 has a different nib design. The point of the nib is rounded and therefore broader than the 149. It also comes with the adaptive ink flow and flexes to around 1.3. mm. The writing characteristics are a bit smoother than with the 149.

 

To us the nib of the 149 is the expert nib, with a broader range of widths and more interesting writing characteristics. The nib of the 146 is easier to handle but not as fascinating.

 

We are highly impressed by Montblanc and their nib expertise which is proven with these new nibs.

 

 

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

 

 

Nicely described, thank you.

[wanderlust]

thewritingraven, on 01 Sept 2019 - 18:25, said:

Thank you, I really appreciate you taking the time to compare and your writing is lovely, which would you say was the softest nib?

I did a comparison between a few of my flex nib pens and found Omas Ogiva to be the softest. Armando Simone Club Magic Flex, Montblanc 149 flex and Pilot Custom 743 FA are quite similar in their nib softness. Interestingly, Pilot Custom Urushi medium nib (nib size 30) is as soft as them. Montblanc 146 flex is the least soft and takes the most pressure to flex it.I don’t flex my nibs normally and don’t know calligraphy so I just haphazardly apply pressure to flex them to show you the effect. Photos of the pens, nibs, flex writing and normal writings are attached. Not sure why the files uploaded have low resolution. Nevertheless, have a look at the pictorial comparison!

[thewritingraven]

 

thewritingraven, on 01 Sept 2019 - 18:25, said:

Thank you, I really appreciate you taking the time to compare and your writing is lovely, which would you say was the softest nib?

I did a comparison between a few of my flex nib pens and found Omas Ogiva to be the softest. Armando Simone Club Magic Flex, Montblanc 149 flex and Pilot Custom 743 FA are quite similar in their nib softness. Interestingly, Pilot Custom Urushi medium nib (nib size 30) is as soft as them. Montblanc 146 flex is the least soft and takes the most pressure to flex it.I dont flex my nibs normally and dont know calligraphy so I just haphazardly apply pressure to flex them to show you the effect. Photos of the pens, nibs, flex writing and normal writings are attached. Not sure why the files uploaded have low resolution. Nevertheless, have a look at the pictorial comparison!

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 Edited September 2, 2019 by thewritingraven

[arcfide]

I thought I would put in a quick note on the "skipping" that I think some people will experience or have experienced. I do not believe that this is due to ink flow in the pen. Rather, because MB went with a very smooth writing fine point flex nib, I think it's the nature of the beast that such a pen is going to be more sensitive to nib angle. If you don't pay careful attention to nib angle, and you keep very light pressure, you will see the ink flow stop, and appearance of skipping. I don't know if you would really call this skipping or not.

 

I have a video of my 149 uploading right now that will show the various writing characteristics. Hopefully it will show a bit about how one might have traditionally used such a pen in the U.S. in the 19th century (pointed flex nib penmanship). I'm no calligrapher though. :-)

 

I did try the 146 at the shop when I was looking at them, and I didn't think it was particularly hard to get working, but there is definitely a tighter feel on the nib (stiffer maybe) than the 149.

 

For those who are used to other Montblanc style nibs, I feel the writing characteristics are very different, and expectations should be set accordingly. For those who have never used a true flex nib before, the angle, pressure, and rotation of the nib through the entire stroke of the pen is very important. Many people subconsciously (including myself) tend to rotate the nib in the hand throughout the stroke.

 

Someone discussed this pen for a daily writer for notes and the like. I think the nib has a lot of "tough" characteristics that would make it suitable for such *if* you are familiar with flex nibs and can write appropriately with them under those conditions. Flex nibs will be more sensitive to wear and damage over time with pressure applied to them in the wrong direction. They are really only designed to receive pressure on the down stroke, whereas with the very stiff and tough nibs that MB uses normally, you can have some high pressure in any direction and the nibs will generally hold up reasonably well over time. Using high pressure on a cross or up stroke with a flex nib is asking for trouble. Thus, if you can have a meticulous hand and be "polite" to the pen even when taking notes or writing during the day, then you'll probably have a lot of fun with these pens. I am personally using mine as a daily writer right now, and I'm not having any issues with it so far. I think I've already refilled the ink twice due to writing.

 

I also heard back from MB customer service about using the Elixir inks in the Flex Nib and the like. They recommended, of course, that mystery black be used for everyday writing, but indicated that the Elixir inks could be used, along with other permanent black inks provided that they were flushed with lukewarm water before each refilling and that they were given the appropriate care that comes with permanent inks. In other words, take care of your pen and realize that inks with high solids content requires more maintenance and more attention to your pen, and you should be fine. Otherwise, if you don't want to put up with that, then don't use the permanent or Elixir inks.

[arcfide]

Here's my video demonstrating the 149 Flex Nib's characteristics:

 

 

I'm not a calligrapher, not a professional, and I don't have a lot of time, so the video isn't well lit and I'm afraid that it also distorts the proportions a bit, but I hope it gives you some idea of how the nib works, as well as how important angle is (as you can note in some of my mistakes, of which there are many). I have attached a photo of the finished product as well.

[wanderlust]

I thought I would put in a quick note on the "skipping" that I think some people will experience or have experienced. I do not believe that this is due to ink flow in the pen. Rather, because MB went with a very smooth writing fine point flex nib, I think it's the nature of the beast that such a pen is going to be more sensitive to nib angle. If you don't pay careful attention to nib angle, and you keep very light pressure, you will see the ink flow stop, and appearance of skipping. I don't know if you would really call this skipping or not.

 

I have a video of my 149 uploading right now that will show the various writing characteristics. Hopefully it will show a bit about how one might have traditionally used such a pen in the U.S. in the 19th century (pointed flex nib penmanship). I'm no calligrapher though. :-)

 

I did try the 146 at the shop when I was looking at them, and I didn't think it was particularly hard to get working, but there is definitely a tighter feel on the nib (stiffer maybe) than the 149.

 

For those who are used to other Montblanc style nibs, I feel the writing characteristics are very different, and expectations should be set accordingly. For those who have never used a true flex nib before, the angle, pressure, and rotation of the nib through the entire stroke of the pen is very important. Many people subconsciously (including myself) tend to rotate the nib in the hand throughout the stroke.

 

Someone discussed this pen for a daily writer for notes and the like. I think the nib has a lot of "tough" characteristics that would make it suitable for such *if* you are familiar with flex nibs and can write appropriately with them under those conditions. Flex nibs will be more sensitive to wear and damage over time with pressure applied to them in the wrong direction. They are really only designed to receive pressure on the down stroke, whereas with the very stiff and tough nibs that MB uses normally, you can have some high pressure in any direction and the nibs will generally hold up reasonably well over time. Using high pressure on a cross or up stroke with a flex nib is asking for trouble. Thus, if you can have a meticulous hand and be "polite" to the pen even when taking notes or writing during the day, then you'll probably have a lot of fun with these pens. I am personally using mine as a daily writer right now, and I'm not having any issues with it so far. I think I've already refilled the ink twice due to writing.

 

I also heard back from MB customer service about using the Elixir inks in the Flex Nib and the like. They recommended, of course, that mystery black be used for everyday writing, but indicated that the Elixir inks could be used, along with other permanent black inks provided that they were flushed with lukewarm water before each refilling and that they were given the appropriate care that comes with permanent inks. In other words, take care of your pen and realize that inks with high solids content requires more maintenance and more attention to your pen, and you should be fine. Otherwise, if you don't want to put up with that, then don't use the permanent or Elixir inks.

For someone like me who uses fountain pen for regular writing, your advice has been useful. Will spend some time during the weekend to explore more of these flex nib pens. Thanks for the advice.