The Meisterstück 149 Calligraphy Appreciation Thread

[como]

6 minutes ago, invisuu said:

 

I wrote to them and they were very helpful and told me to send the pen back so they can service it. Their opinion was that the ink must have, for some reason, chemically bonded with the piston lubricant....

@invisuu That's good to hear! I had gotten all worked up about it for nothing 😀, never mind. As to my problem, it's just a converter so I took one out of another pen and used it. But it left me a negative impression of vendor's customer service attention. For now I want to forget about it and look forward to receiving the ebonite feed from flexiblenib.com to see if it can help with the flow. Enjoy your MB 149C!

[fpupulin]

10 hours ago, invisuu said:

 

And for sense of completeness - after my ink window was stained by Montblanc Permant Blue - I decided to fill the pen up with permanent blue again anyway - I mean what harm does it cause, the window is stained and I love the ink, right? I left the ink in for like a week and when I flushed the pen, the ink window was completely transparent again.

 

I have no idea how this happened and why, but it did.

I am so glad to know that the staining of your Calligraphy window had a unexpected self-solution! Even though you have shown to be wise enough to accept the staining as a “collateral effect” of using one of your preferred inks, it is good that you can now use your pen as pristine as she came from the factory!

Have a good writing, Frank.

[fpupulin]

On 9/12/2021 at 2:07 PM, como said:

@Frank C I'll let you know how it works out once I receive the feeds. By the way the slits look (especially 3-slit feed), they should be able to deliver generous ink flow. Will have to see how much line width is sacrifice, if any, due to ink flow increase. Thanks again for the great suggestion! 

[como]

 

@fpupulin Sorry for the terrible photo, very bad evening indoor lighting etc. So I continue here:

 

I explored a few options for a grind suitable for Spencerian script:

 

1. The nibs.com has several options there. They ranked from most favourable base nib to the least (still suitable) https://www.nibs.com/content/spencerian-customization-fountain-pens Here you get a complete pen. Some more beautiful base pens (Montegrappa Miya, Nakaya) are quite expensive of course.

 

2. Several pen/nib specialists offer a Needle Point/Flex grind, which I imagine should be suitable for Spencerian. 

 

http://www.indy-pen-dance.com/jowo-flex-nib.html Quick to sell out. I asked if I could pre-order one but didn't get an answer. This could be good if one has a Jowo compatible pen. About a little below $300 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFrEpngaQN4&t=468s

 

https://fpnibs.com/collections/jowo-size-6-14k/products/jowo-6-14k-nib-unit-ef-tip

This, once you add regrind and flex and ebonite feed, will also go to €250 range just for the nib.

 

3. Some nibmeisters are willing to do the Spencerian grind with your own nib. I didn't seriously inquire.

 

I don't want to go down the rabbit hole of hunting for the "best Spencerian" nib/pen, and spend too much money experimenting with different grinds. We already have an excellent pen here, the MB 149 Calligraphy. With the right inks it's quite suitable for Spencerian. As you said, Calligraphy is not perfect. But it's the closest I see in modern flex pens that near perfection in one package (the aesthetic, engineering, nib performance, paper options all considered). 

 

P.S. The above note was written on Tomoe River 52gsm, with Montblanc Oyster Grey. You see, I didn't dare to erase the guiding lines, for fear that the paper would wrinkle, as it's very thin paper. 

 

I will keep you posted once the ebonite feeds arrive!

[fpupulin]

[maclink]

On 9/15/2021 at 5:06 AM, fpupulin said:

Meanwhile, and taking advantage of the great virtues of flexibility of the Calligraphy nib, I prepared third version  of "The sense of Calligraphy", using more engrossed strokes in the Copperplate text (more Percossi's than Mediavilla's style). I probably like the version more because of the "evidence" of the script.

 

I also added a few flourishings on the upper part of the sheet, to visually fill the empty areas aside the title.

 

Here is the result:

 

 

And here is a shot of my desk with all three versions of the work, taken with a new wide-angle lens I bought for my Hasselblad camera:

 

 

Wow!  That's really, really good.  Inspiring. 

[fpupulin]

At the request of a kind member of this forum, I made another version (the fourth) of "The sense of calligraphy", with a few changes in the title and, mostly, in the thickness of the vertical strokes in the text.

 

I post it here for two good reasons. First, it will be the last of the "Sense of calligraphy" series (I am not planning to write a fifth verso, even though the fourth is still imperfect), and second...

 

This series is a monument to the ductility of the Calligraphy nib. It presents the same text written with different inks on different papers, and with different pressures of the strokes. These vary from light (version II) to more or less "regular" (version I and IV, a bit more on IV), to an almost engrossed style (version III). 

 

Here is version IV:

 

 

A few more details here:

 

[como]

Thank you, Franco, for showing us not only your beautiful calligraphy work, but also for explaining some details in "calligraphy" language. It helps us to further understand and appreciate the world of calligraphy, to look at different scripts, paper, inks, even photographic lighting etc with better trained eyes.

 

Meanwhile I continue to experiment with both Pilot Spencerian grind and MB Calligraphy pens. I received both 2-slit and 3-slit ebonite feeds for the Pilot Custom 912 with Spencerian grind. Here I used 3-slit. Without a doubt the 3-slit ebonite feed has very wide ink channel, so the ink flow should be better. It is, but not as much as I expected. I suspect that the ink flow may also be affected by how the backend of the nib is shaped, as material needed to be ground away to add flex. 

 

Line 1-3 with Pilot Custom 912 with Spencerian grind (3-slit ebonite feed)

Line 4 and on with Montblanc 149 Calligraphy

Paper: Fabriano Unica

Ink: Montblanc Homer Greek Blue

 

P.S. Sorry I didn't pay good attention while writing, mixing Copperplate and Spencerian again, and not minding the space in between letters and words 😞 I think I should just practice one for a while 😀 Calligraphy is indeed a very mindful exercise, a lot to learn! Being too anxious is not good for practicing.

[fpupulin]

On 9/22/2021 at 8:36 AM, como said:

Thank you, Franco, for showing us not only your beautiful calligraphy work, but also for explaining some details in "calligraphy" language. It helps us to further understand and appreciate the world of calligraphy, to look at different scripts, paper, inks, even photographic lighting etc with better trained eyes.

 

Meanwhile I continue to experiment with both Pilot Spencerian grind and MB Calligraphy pens. I received both 2-slit and 3-slit ebonite feeds for the Pilot Custom 912 with Spencerian grind. Here I used 3-slit. Without a doubt the 3-slit ebonite feed has very wide ink channel, so the ink flow should be better. It is, but not as much as I expected. I suspect that the ink flow may also be affected by how the backend of the nib is shaped, as material needed to be ground away to add flex. 

 

Line 1-3 with Pilot Custom 912 with Spencerian grind (3-slit ebonite feed)

Line 4 and on with Montblanc 149 Calligraphy

Paper: Fabriano Unica

Ink: Montblanc Homer Greek Blue

 

P.S. Sorry I didn't pay good attention while writing, mixing Copperplate and Spencerian again, and not minding the space in between letters and words 😞 I think I should just practice one for a while 😀 Calligraphy is indeed a very mindful exercise, a lot to learn! Being too anxious is not good for practicing.

 

 

 

On both papers, I wrote lines 1–2 with the extra fine of a Parker Duofold Senior Canada (circa 1926), and lines 3–4 with the Calligraphy. The blue ink is Cobalt Blue by Graf von Faber Castle; the other is Black Permanent.

[como]

@fpupulin Thank you! Here is my Duofold Sr Flat-top. saying hello to your Duofold Sr Streamlined. Here you see a comparison between the Pilot Spencerian, MB 149C and the Duofold Sr.

 

An update from nibs.com: They refunded me for the faulty converter. A little detail that I really appreciate. 

 

#1 Pilot Custom 912 with Spencerian grind;

#2 Montblanc 149 Calligraphy;

#3 Parker Duofold Sr. (ca. 1929)

[Karmachanic]

Zero-flex nib!  Say goodbye to 'nails'. 😀

[fpupulin]

Yesterday evening I was leafing through the beauifutl edition of the Carmina Burana that Professor David Traill published in two volumes in the Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library series by Harvard University Press.

 

With over 250 pieces of moral-satirical poems, love poems and poems on tavern life, Carmina Burana is the largest anthology of Medieval Latin poetry that has been conserved. The Harvard edition, with the Latin and English translation on facing pages, is enriched by a particularly informative apparatus of commentaries and notes.

 

In the first seventy pages alone I found a large number of verses which, taken in isolation, take on the meaning of little proverbs of universal value. I transcribed them in Latin, using the stub nib of my Montegrappa Extra, and then copied Professor Traill's translation in a sort of Spencerian cursive font, using the Montblanc Calligraphy.  

 

[halffriedchicken]

I don't own a MB 149. But I read this thread to appreciate what others can do with the pen. Wonderful writing!

[como]

On 9/26/2021 at 2:00 AM, fpupulin said:

Yesterday evening I was leafing through the beauifutl edition of the Carmina Burana that Professor David Traill published in two volumes in the Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library series by Harvard University Press.

 

With over 250 pieces of moral-satirical poems, love poems and poems on tavern life, Carmina Burana is the largest anthology of Medieval Latin poetry that has been conserved. The Harvard edition, with the Latin and English translation on facing pages, is enriched by a particularly informative apparatus of commentaries and notes.

 

In the first seventy pages alone I found a large number of verses which, taken in isolation, take on the meaning of little proverbs of universal value. I transcribed them in Latin, using the stub nib of my Montegrappa Extra, and then copied Professor Traill's translation in a sort of Spencerian cursive font, using the Montblanc Calligraphy.  

 

@fpupulin Thank you for introducing a very interesting book. South Tyrol is a region with fascinating history. It’s also a popular family holiday destination from here, being a German speaking Italian region.

 

I find the mix of the two contrasting scripts and inks very beautiful.

[Karmachanic]

The original XIII C text can be downloaded in .pdf form here

[como]

6 hours ago, Karmachanic said:

The original XIII C text can be downloaded in .pdf form here

@Karmachanic Beautiful Gothic minuscule script... Looking at such things, one can begin to understand why people like Franco have such fascination about these manuscripts and the material they were written on. Thank you for sharing the link of the digital download.

[como]

Pen: MB 149 Calligraphy

Paper: Amalfi Amatruda Letter Paper

Ink: KWZ Fontoplumo

[fpupulin]

What a beautiful letter, my friend!

 

In your hand the Calligraphy shines with all her potential, and your control of fine and bold strokes is really enviable.

 

There are things that one can not do, of course, without the proper tools, but this thread has shown that when paper, ink, and nib perfectly work together, and a good hand guides the pen, the Calligraphy is truly a great instrument for writing pleasure.

 

Thank you for posting this, como! 

[tunney]

What speed do you guys write at? How long to write, say, the word fountain ?

 I am wondering if I would benefit from slowing down

[fpupulin]

2 hours ago, tunney said:

What speed do you guys write at? How long to write, say, the word fountain ?

 I am wondering if I would benefit from slowing down

For calligraphy purposes, I would say that is advisable to write the letters one by one, each one with its correct ductus, which may be made by one or (more commonly) more strokes, between which you have to lift the nib from the paper.

So, in general, yes, calligraphy is a slow process.