Montblanc 149 Calligraphy Nib: A Personal View For Those Still On The Fence

[fpupulin]

In less than a week I finished the first "full" of ink in my new 149 Calligraphy. I must admit that the pen has seen a lot of action ...

Now, taking advantage of the empty barrel and before refilling with a classic black ink, I rinsed the nib to try it with a bit of color (nothing bright), and here is the result of the Calligraphy nib with Graf von Faber Castell Deep Sea Green on the bambagina cotton paper. Wow! I like it...

 

 

 

[canibanoglu]

Amazing and very dangerous review. I've been considering one of these very seriously for the past couple of weeks and I had decided to put it off because I thought that it wasn't a special edition or anything and that I could buy it anytime but reading your review, I'm not so sure.

 

Could someone please enlighten me whether the calligraphy 149 is a normal edition that I can buy anytime I want or should I go ahead and get one before it becomes impossible?

[Tasmith]

Wow!

[fpupulin]

  On 3/18/2020 at 2:45 AM, canibanoglu said:

[]

 

Could someone please enlighten me whether the calligraphy 149 is a normal edition that I can buy anytime I want or should I go ahead and get one before it becomes impossible?

 

canibanoglu, other respected members of this forum may perhaps have a more direct communication channel with Montblanc representatives and may give you a more authoritative answer.

 

For what I understood, Montblanc is releasing a series of Expression nibs, which are offered as Special Editions on a yearly basis. The 2019 release was the Meisterstück Calligraphy Flexible Nib Special Edition (this is what is written on the pen box). The 2020 Special Edition of the Expression nibs will be a Curved nib, apparently to be released in September, the characteristics of which are still unclear to me.

 

So, the short answer to your question is: Yes, the Calligraphy flexible nib is a Special Edition, and it is not intended to be maintained as a regular offer among the nib choices of the Meisterstück series. I have no idea of how many of these Special 149 pens wth the Calligraphy nib have been produced, but I understand they are a determinate number and that no more of this Special Edition nib will be produced.

 

I was struggling with your same question and uncertainty, but the AD where I bought my own Calligraphy Flexible pen told me that they can not re-stock this particular model. This was enough to me for deciding not to pass on the opportunity. It may well be that in the near future some Meisterstück 149 Calligraphy Flexible Nib Special Edition will appear on the used market, but I decide not to take the risk to buy such a special (and in a way delicate) nib second hand.

[max dog]

After 4 weeks of continuous use, and lost count of how many times refilled to this point, I can't put the pen down! The flow, smoothness, everything just keeps getting better with more use. I wouldn't pass up the opportunity to get this pen if MB will not produce any more after the current SE run finishes.

[Thymen]

I look at your handwriting..... then I look at mine ....

[DipIt]

I am in the US and called MBusa last week. They would not take an order for the 149 calligraphy saying the computer purges back orders in about a week. I was told that they would call when they were back in stock but that would be 4-6wks.

 

There was every indication that they are in production but not in stock. No doubt COVID will screw that up.

[gordeeal]

The pen brings out the best in your spectacular handwriting. i have one but I could never get the pen to produce that kind of writing. And I like the pen quite a lot.

[Mercian]

I applaud your handwriting skill, and I also applaud Montblanc for making a modern nib that enables one to write like that.

 

The pen’s price is daunting for a hamfisted klutz such as me, but if I were to have developed my handwriting ability to a level of skill such as yours, I think that I would be able to justify the pen’s purchase, because it is an exceptional tool for an unusual job.

To me it seems to provide the skilled user with the same degree of line-variation as a dip-pen nib, but from a gold nib attached to an undeniably-well-made fountain pen.

 

You should not, in my opinion, have any qualms about having bought it.

 

(And I am writing this as someone who likes Pelikan pens, and who has never even considered buying a Montblanc for himself.)

[canibanoglu]

  On 3/18/2020 at 5:10 AM, fpupulin said:

canibanoglu, other respected members of this forum may perhaps have a more direct communication channel with Montblanc representatives and may give you a more authoritative answer.

 

For what I understood, Montblanc is releasing a series of Expression nibs, which are offered as Special Editions on a yearly basis. The 2019 release was the Meisterstück Calligraphy Flexible Nib Special Edition (this is what is written on the pen box). The 2020 Special Edition of the Expression nibs will be a Curved nib, apparently to be released in September, the characteristics of which are still unclear to me.

 

So, the short answer to your question is: Yes, the Calligraphy flexible nib is a Special Edition, and it is not intended to be maintained as a regular offer among the nib choices of the Meisterstück series. I have no idea of how many of these Special 149 pens wth the Calligraphy nib have been produced, but I understand they are a determinate number and that no more of this Special Edition nib will be produced.

 

I was struggling with your same question and uncertainty, but the AD where I bought my own Calligraphy Flexible pen told me that they can not re-stock this particular model. This was enough to me for deciding not to pass on the opportunity. It may well be that in the near future some Meisterstück 149 Calligraphy Flexible Nib Special Edition will appear on the used market, but I decide not to take the risk to buy such a special (and in a way delicate) nib second hand.

Thank you very much for your answer, I was dreading something like this. I see a big expense in my near future...

[RoyalBlueNotebooks]

Breath-taking penmanship, pen, plus Italian, thank you so much for sharing : (

[fpupulin]

So, with the Spencerian handwriting we agree, it requires a very subtle stroke and a few engrossments here and there: the Calligraphy nib can do this quite well.

But what, for example, with Copperplate? Here things are different, because practically all descendants are engrossed and the ascendants thin. I tried to do some slightly enlarged Copperplate with the 149 Calligraphy and below I will show you what the pen is able to do (and no doubts it can do better).

But first let me say that Montblanc's data seems to be accurate. I don't have such a precise instrument to be able to measure with exactitude the few tenths of a millimeter of the thinnest line (Montblanc says that their flexible nib leaves a line of 0.3 mm, but I would say a little less by eye), but the broadest line is actually in the order of 1.6 mm, as Montbalnc stated. I measured - with some imprecision - the broad lines of the "engrossed" part of the text I wrote, and I would say that they reach 1.7 mm, but in a couple of points the feeder touched the paper.

But, look at the two words "Engrossed" and "Light": they are written with the same nib, one after the other!

Is it a perfect nib? Certainly not. Nonetheless, what you see on the sheet, the pen can really do it, and I would say that it is not bad ...

EDITED to add: the ink is Aurora Black, the paper Fabriano Ingrés "Avorio".

 

 

Edited March 19, 2020 by fpupulin

[TheDutchGuy]

I passed on this MB 149 Calligraphy because I vowed never to spend that much money on a pen and because I have some other pens that get me in the ballpark for much, much less. Judging from fpupulin’s impressive photo’s, I’m beginning to think that I might have made an error of judgement. Here’s what my pens can do:

 

 

Though impressive if you take the very small size of some these nibs into account, it’s not even close to what the MB can do...

 

PS the Pilot is not a (semi-)flex pen, it’s a pen that can be either soft or rigid.

[fpupulin]

I believe that the flexible nib of the Calligraphy is designed so that the tines, at rest, are pushed very close to each other. This reduces the ink flow on the tip and allows to obtain the thin and relatively "dry" line that this nib is capable of when writing with a light hand. As the pressure increases, and thanks to the geometry of the nib and the flexibility of the material, the tines separate and, in addition to producing a line of greater thickness, they allow more ink to flow out.

 

After a few days of testing, I am now quite convinced that the reason why with the Calligraphy nib the line continues to be broad in the trait that follows pressure does not depend on a certain slowness of the tines to return to the resting position, but on the excess of ink flow that must be somehow "disposed of" on the paper.

It is due to this construction with the tips of the tines very close that the Calligraphy nib sometimes produces a tic sound that has also been noticed by other members of the forum. In the specific case of the my nib, this tic is only audible when I change the lateral inclination of the tip, making a slight "twist" of the tines, so to speak.

[Pointyscratchy]

fpupilin and other responders to this thread.

 

I have found the comments examples and shared knowledge absolutely inspirational.I got this pen because intellectually I imagined such a pen- the pairing of form and function to be just this, a flexible nib on a 149 chasis, and almost as if MB read my mind (or one of the if only wish list threads on here when we pretty much spelled out just this)- anyway I got what I wanted which doesn't happen often in life.And to own something whether it be a sports car, mountain bike, or in this case a fountain pen that in your opinion is the absolute pinnacle of artistic perfection is also rare.

 

Here comes the but; but while I've got the brains to appreciate the aesthetics, I lack the skill level that should this pen deserves.I've had my pen quite a while and also got the book on penmanship to try to bring myself up to scratch.I was probably pressing too hard, got rail lines and a lot of skipping.I saw other threads which mentioned skipping and more or less began using my ef 149 instead because it was more predictable.

 

However this thread has re inspired me, and with a lighter touch, smaller writing I am back using it again and am happy with.I accept I will never be able to do some of things that others can do, but that's okay, I suppose.But through this thread at least I know what is possible, so thanks.

[amberleadavis]

WOW you would make any pen look good but thank you for making me consider this pen!

[fpupulin]

  On 3/24/2020 at 12:14 AM, Pointyscratchy said:

fpupilin and other responders to this thread.

 

I have found the comments examples and shared knowledge absolutely inspirational.I got this pen because intellectually I imagined such a pen- the pairing of form and function to be just this, a flexible nib on a 149 chasis, and almost as if MB read my mind (or one of the if only wish list threads on here when we pretty much spelled out just this)- anyway I got what I wanted which doesn't happen often in life.And to own something whether it be a sports car, mountain bike, or in this case a fountain pen that in your opinion is the absolute pinnacle of artistic perfection is also rare.

 

Here comes the but; but while I've got the brains to appreciate the aesthetics, I lack the skill level that should this pen deserves.I've had my pen quite a while and also got the book on penmanship to try to bring myself up to scratch.I was probably pressing too hard, got rail lines and a lot of skipping.I saw other threads which mentioned skipping and more or less began using my ef 149 instead because it was more predictable.

 

However this thread has re inspired me, and with a lighter touch, smaller writing I am back using it again and am happy with.I accept I will never be able to do some of things that others can do, but that's okay, I suppose.But through this thread at least I know what is possible, so thanks.

 

 

Dear Pointyscratchy, I found your post specially interesting, for several reasons.

 

First of all, like you, I considered that the match of a Meisterstück 149 pen body (my first true fountain pen when I was little more tan a kid...), one of the most "simple" and perfect pens out there, with a flexible nib in a way "guaranteed" by Montblanc, was really like a dream becoming true. I still think that this was quite an unexpected gift (maybe a bit too expensive...) from Montblanc to the followers of the brand. Too much good to pass on it...

 

Is this nib perfect? As I repeatedly said, it is not. Is it a good nib? I found it quite exceptional. It is a truly extra-fine nib, good for normal writing, and it is a flexible nib, largely (if not perfectly) comparable to vintage nibs, for flexible writing when requested.

 

But your comment seemed to me particularly enlightening of what one can expect not from this nib, but from a flexible nib in general.

 

Flexible nibs require, in general, a light hand. They are not soft, but the tines are designed to spread easily under the lightest pressure.

 

I am quite confident with all of my nibs, and according to my experience, most of them (almost any of them) can flex under the right amount of pressure. In some cases, this "right amount" is a fairly strong pressure, so much so that the tines spread but the nib almost makes an incision on the paper.

 

On a flexible nib, as the tines are designed to spread out easily, if you make a lot of pressure it will probably railroad (unless it is a super-flex). This is essentially what a fountain pen user has to learn: to stay light, writing comfortably with no pressure, and adding here and there a few engrossed strokes that can be obtained making a bit of pressure on the nib.

 

This eventually means that you can use your extra-fine Calligraphy nib simply as an extra-fine nib. If you will stay light, you will realize that it is a truly enjoyable nib for normal, extra-fine writing: smooth, with no resistance on the paper.

 

 

 

As you made some pressure here and there, you will obtain a more "expressive" handwriting (from here the general name of the series that Montblanc choose for these nibs, "Expression").

 

 

 

You may eventually learn how to strongly flex your nib (to the limit of 1.6–1.7 mm strokes) to do some traditional or modern calligraphy.

 

 

 

 

I hope that these arguments make stronger your desire to experiment with your 149 Calligraphy pen. As we are sentenced to stay at home longer than usual, it is an unexpected propitious time to seat down at the desk writing...

[amberleadavis]

Please excuse the drool. Your writing is inspiring.

[RoyalBlueNotebooks]

Oh my gosh, more masterfully written Italian, be still my heart : ((

[Tasmith]

I could look at your calligraphy and photography all day!