The Meisterstück 149 Calligraphy Appreciation Thread

[ardene]

Thanks to all contributors for the photos of the very appealing handwriting. I observe, especially in Franco P.'s progress that the pen requires some adjustment to on the writer's part. Does it flex with minimal pressure or does it require ballpoint pressure application and above (for the minimum noticeable line variation)?

[max dog]

  On 7/1/2020 at 3:45 PM, ardene said:

Thanks to all contributors for the photos of the very appealing handwriting. I observe, especially in Franco P.'s progress that the pen requires some adjustment to on the writer's part. Does it flex with minimal pressure or does it require ballpoint pressure application and above (for the minimum noticeable line variation)?

It's not a wet noodle flex pen. Under normal writing pressure where I am not trying to flex but write like I would a ballpoint, it flexes slightly giving minor line variation. It's very soft so does not need much pressure to flex. It's nothing like a Pilot Falcon Elabo nor the steel nibbed Noodlers that require a lot of pressure to flex, which makes it hard to control. This is a vintage like flex nib.

[max dog]

In my normal writing, I don't apply a ballpoint like writing pressure anyway on any of my fountain pens. I can write with this EF with ease as a normal writer with light to no pressure and it behaves like a normal nib allowing for quick rapid note taking, but it's soft enough that flexing requires very little pressure to start getting line variation. If you do quick cursive writing with light to moderate pressure without intentionally flexing like doing your signature for example, it becomes a marvelous responsive nib giving slight line variations and character to your cursive without inhibiting fast effortless writing that wet noodle kind of overly soft nibs can be like. When you intentionally want to flex, it does not require much pressure at all. Montblanc did a wonderful job on this nib to make it such a diverse writer. It's better than vintage flex nibs in this regard. It's set it's own standard as a practical versatile flex nib.

Edited July 1, 2020 by max dog

[max dog]

Here is a writing sample with the 149 Callgraphy flex pen under light pressure every day quick writing like I would do with a non flex nib. Then below is with slightly more pressure to get line variation. Notice the very small line variation from just the slight pressure variances from normal quick hand writing.

Ink = Parker Quink washable Blue

Paper = Rhodia 80g

Edited July 1, 2020 by max dog

[ardene]

  On 7/1/2020 at 6:03 PM, max dog said:

Here is a writing sample with the 149 Callgraphy flex pen under light pressure every day quick writing like I would do with a non flex nib. Then below is with slightly more pressure to get line variation. Notice the very small line variation from just the slight pressure variances from normal quick hand writing.

Ink = Parker Quink washable Blue

Paper = Rhodia 80g

 

Thank you for the info and the writing sample! This looks good; it indicates that a little bit of pressure is required though (the line variation on the X over the word year is more pronounced than the downstrokes in the letter shapes in the sentences). The pen is interesting; some writer attuning, conscious at the beginning obviously, is evidently required. I.e. some ballpoint-style pressure might be advisable. (I also normally do not apply any pressure at all with a fountain pen).

 

Concerning vintage flex nibs I do not have much experience of them, wet noodles or stiffer. I am aware though that the wet noodles are exceptions and most of these exceptions were anyway probably never designed with the intent to produce so exaggerated line variation. I have a 90-year old Parker Duofold with a nib of even older imprint and therefore design on it (a Jack-Knife nib). The nib itself is very springy, hopping very pleasantly during writing, but the line variation it produces is practically imperceptible and to produce that small line variation it requires conscious effort and slow writing.

 

Samples of my own calligraphic-style writing with a dip pen (Leonhardt Steno 40 "blue pumpkin" copperplate nib) follow. I usually print, i.e. write letters upright and unconnected with each other. This was written in my usual writing speed (as a result the nib got stuck in the paper when I was writing the s in 'style'), The missing part on the right has only half the word 'calligraphy' missing. The paper is Nu school notebook (these work well for all my fountain pens - and dip pens as well). The ink is slightly watered down Waterman serenity blue remnants to increase its surface tension (tap water, no ill effects about mould and the like, this bottle is dedicated exclusively to dip pens though; however the aniline does oxidise to green rather fast).

 

 

Detail

 

 

Detail

 

 

Gradually rusting nib

 

[max dog]

Ardene. At work when I write, I usually print the vast majority of my writing. Here is a sample of how I print at my normal speed with the lightest possible pressure with an EF nib in case it might be useful to you or others. If you click on the image you can see it at full size and view the details. At the lightest of pressure the line variation appear mostly as shading, with some subtle line width variation. It functions as a very reliable and smooth writer in this mode. A little more pressure and you are flex writing where I spelled out Einstein's name. I am not flexing to the maximum here as I can squeeze a little more out if I wanted to, but this is about how much I feel comfortable.

[ardene]

@max dog. Thanks again. As I said, this is very nice flex from a fountain pen, especially a modern one. I'll keep looking into it.

[max dog]

My pleasure Ardene. 🙂

[loganrah]

Coincidentally I was just thinking of posting a photo of the unflexed line I can get out of this pen, see below. This was written with very light pressure, and relatively slowly, but no conscious effort is required to achieve this line.

 

I'm not sure how hard you press on your ballpoints but I dont require anything like ballpoint pressure to get maximum line variation out of this pen.

 

 

Edit: Paper is Rhodia Heritage 90gsm, which is quite absorbent. Ink is (new) MB permanent blue.

Edited July 2, 2020 by loganrah

[fpupulin]

I like using this nib also for modern scripts, which allow me to flex freely on long strokes.

 

To answer several questions at this respect, I would say that a very, very light pressure is required to flex this nib. Even when it is not flexed and with the hand very light on it, the Calligraphy is very smooth and a perfect companion for everyday writing.

 

 

[Croma]

Hello:

Thank you for your consideration, Mr Pupulin. My respects and thanks.
Best regards.

[Glenn Atkins]

  On 6/25/2020 at 3:04 PM, fpupulin said:

Exercises...

 

 

 

Very, very nice! At what speed do you write these kinds of pages? And the others you have shown? Thanks.

 

Glenn

[fpupulin]

  On 7/2/2020 at 3:22 PM, GAtkins said:

 

Very, very nice! At what speed do you write these kinds of pages? And the others you have shown? Thanks.

 

Glenn

 

 

Glenn: the writing speed largely depends on the kind of "exactness" I want to reach. As simple and spontaneous some writings could appear, there is quite an amount of planning in them. Mostly for the writings that require to be centered on the leaf, I usually made a first draft to visualize how long any line would be, then I trace the guide lines in pencil, at the correct distance from each other. It takes some time. The final text is written quite quickly, as you can not linger on the curves or they will interrupt and make angles.

 

To be honest, however, I never took before a record of the speed I am writing with, so I did for you yesterday night.

 

Writing a page of the notebook took me a few more than 5 minutes. This include thinking what I have to write, so I guess that if I was just copying a text, it could be faster. Furthermore, as the texts are letters to my wife (we remained trapped by the Covid-19 in two different continents...), I do some small "embellishment" here and there to please her, and this takes some additional time with respect to a note-taking script.

 

I hope that this helps.

[Glenn Atkins]

  On 7/3/2020 at 1:55 PM, fpupulin said:

 

 

Glenn: the writing speed largely depends on the kind of "exactness" I want to reach. As simple and spontaneous some writings could appear, there is quite an amount of planning in them. Mostly for the writings that require to be centered on the leaf, I usually made a first draft to visualize how long any line would be, then I trace the guide lines in pencil, at the correct distance from each other. It takes some time. The final text is written quite quickly, as you can not linger on the curves or they will interrupt and make angles.

 

To be honest, however, I never took before a record of the speed I am writing with, so I did for you yesterday night.

 

Writing a page of the notebook took me a few more than 5 minutes. This include thinking what I have to write, so I guess that if I was just copying a text, it could be faster. Furthermore, as the texts are letters to my wife (we remained trapped by the Covid-19 in two different continents...), I do some small "embellishment" here and there to please her, and this takes some additional time with respect to a note-taking script.

 

I hope that this helps.

 

 

Thank you for your efforts. Indeed it does help. I'm still in awe! Do you happen to have any videos of your writings? )

 

Best,

 

Glenn

[fpupulin]

For those who asked about the ability of the 149 Calligraphy to write without pressure, and about the amount of pressure required to flex the nib, here I am showing a page written with no pressure at all except in the title, where a very light pressure was added to make it stand out over the text.

 

It is a very ductile tool.

 

 

[max dog]

The 149 Calligraphy flex pen is proving to be such a great all around writer! It's incomparable. Love it. Montblanc as a fountain pen brand has really earned it's keep with me more than any other.

Edited July 7, 2020 by max dog

[TheDutchGuy]

Dear fpupulin, you’ve lived with your 149C for a few months now and you’ve grown to love it. Based on your reports as well as those from many others, clearly the nib is spectacular. The 149C would appear to have become your main pen, with intensive daily use and you’ve used various different inks in it. How is the pen holding up in terms of durability, scratches, maintenance, etc? Do you keep it at home or is it always in your breast pocket? Would you consider it to be an easy pen to flush and clean?

 

(I’m still on the fence about it. My local store just received a new batch, all of which were sold in advance. More are coming in later this year and I’m waiting for that, so I can save up for it as well as make up my mind.)

 

Thanks!

[goodpens]

Thanks to all for the info and images here.

Never have I wanted a 149, but now I want this one with calligraphy nib.

[fpupulin]

  On 7/10/2020 at 11:18 AM, TheDutchGuy said:

Dear fpupulin, you’ve lived with your 149C for a few months now and you’ve grown to love it. Based on your reports as well as those from many others, clearly the nib is spectacular. The 149C would appear to have become your main pen, with intensive daily use and you’ve used various different inks in it. How is the pen holding up in terms of durability, scratches, maintenance, etc? Do you keep it at home or is it always in your breast pocket? Would you consider it to be an easy pen to flush and clean?

 

(I’m still on the fence about it. My local store just received a new batch, all of which were sold in advance. More are coming in later this year and I’m waiting for that, so I can save up for it as well as make up my mind.)

 

Thanks!

Dear TheDutchGuy, you are correct in saying that the 149 Calligraphy has become my daily writer since I bought it four months ago. It is simply so easy, so funny, so ductile, that the pen permanently lives just in front of me, in a dedicated 149 pen stand, to be always ready for duty.

 

Admittedly, my other 30 or so pens have seen very little use in the last times, even though I cherish them a lot and sometimes I use one or another to maintain them in exercise...

 

I can’t tell you about the durability of this specific pen, as, like me, she hasn’t let home in four months... I have other Meisterstück 149s, however, and to my eyes they are as perfect as the first day, even after long use and abuse. One of them has been with me, wherever, in the last 42 years!!

 

As to easy of maintenance, I usually carefully flush my 149s any time I change ink. I do not flush them if I just refill with the same ink. With the Calligraphy, as I am using for the first time the MB Black Permanent ink (which is pigmented), I flush the pen with care at any refill. After a few months of use of this ink, the window of the pen body is still perfectly clear. I confess you, however, that I would accept the window becoming grey as a price to use this pen with this ink, which for me is a formidable duo!

 

I would like so much that Montblanc would retain this nib as part of his standard offer for the 149! I am saying this for all those who would have a chance to try it in the future and also, egoistically, for myself. I like this nib so much that I would like having a chance to buy another to save as a spare, but I can not afford buying another Calligraphy at this point.

 

I know that, with such premises, my suggestion is superfluous, but I really support your idea of buying a 149 Calligraphy. Whatever use you will give to the pen, you won’t regret it.

[TheDutchGuy]

Thank you for your reponse! When I’ve got the funds together, then I will spend some time with the pen at my local brick & mortar. Shape, size and weight are very important to me at the moment, and I’m more concerned about those aspects than I am about the nib (I’m pretty sure that I will love the nib). If I get a pen with a price tag like the 149C, then I will use it a lot, everywhere, like I do with my two Visconti HS pens. So durability is important as well.

 

I hope you’ll continue to enjoy your 149C for many many years ahead!