The Meisterstück 149 Calligraphy Appreciation Thread

[como]

@JulieParadise @fpupulin Thank you both for your encouraging words! I looked through different scripts under the “Modern” category. Really not many can be written with a pointed nib. Most of them require a truncated nib or a brush. I really like this Elegant script. Many thanks to Franco for introducing us this script.

 

While I was practicing, I also thought about how much I liked these two pens: Omas old style Paragon Arco Brown and MB 149C. If I am only allowed two pens, these would be the two! I hope it won’t come to this. I have about 50 currently. I think if I am very disciplined, my number should be around 35-40. But it doesn’t really matter.

 

Franco, you are most likely right about the paper and oil from hand. It’s been very hot here for the month of May. It happens sometimes to paper that is not known for problems. Interestingly the trouble areas are generally on the right side where my writing hand rests. So it could be that.

[fpupulin]

Sometimes I miss pen pals in flesh and blood, tangible, that I can meet at a coffee table and with whom to pour out our quarrels of pens and papers, with the leather cases made shiny by use piled on the coffee table, each guardian of who knows what treasures ...

Sometimes I really think about starting a "Costa Rican Fountain Pen Academy" to have a place to meet others who write and scribble with their pens. There must be, I tell myself, because the rare times I visit the shop that sells Montblanc pens, they always tell me they have a ballpoint pen, or a pencil, but that the fountain pen has already sold out. Someone will have bought it ... and it will be somewhere, in a house around here, in a black or brown case along with other wonders ...

Nahhh, laziness prevails, and I'm happy to throw down on a sheet the logo of the Academy that doesn't exist, with the but faithful 149 Calligraphy together with other elective pens, and show them to my intangible friends here on the forum...

 

 

 

 

The orchid is not one of the more than 1600 species that naturally live here in Costa Rica, but a plant that comes from Japan. Because of my botanical work, I prefer not to have any plants that come "from the woods" in the house, unless I have to document it scientifically. Among the house orchids (not many, actually), we only have exotic species and hybrids.

[txomsy]

Off-topic, and likely better for the Chatter sub-forum, but...

 

I had a good friend in Costa Rica, we had worked together in international projects until he asked me to direct his PhD. I loved when we met at international meetings, with many other good friends, and I loved going there to meet him and his family. He died last year of COVID-19. No more traveling to CR for now, I fear.

 

Point is, since the pandemic all travel has gone away. I miss all those friends with whom I shared so many interests, not just academic but in so many other dimensions, with whom I had fun, not by a single shared interest but also by the social interaction and lively events.

 

I also tend to be more of a "doer" than an "organizer", but the few times I did coordinate (wouldn't call  it 'lead') it was hard yet certainly satisfactory; though most of the times I've tried to lead a project Reality has kicked in to make it impossible for one reason or another.

 

I can fully understand you, and fully sympathize. And would still encourage you to give it a try.

 

Maybe only a small step, just open a thread here and in the Spanish fountain pen forums asking for FP users in Central America. You might be surprised, and even find enough people to organize an in-person meeting.

[fpupulin]

On 5/25/2022 at 1:43 AM, txomsy said:

Off-topic, and likely better for the Chatter sub-forum, but...

 

Dear txomsy, Covid has left large gaps everywhere, often more than anyone is willing to admit, , in addition to having changed into radical form - and who knows for how long - some of our more normal habits of life.

 

Here in Costa Rica there is a great effort to get things back to normal, perhaps even with a haste that cannot be said if entirely justified by elementary health prescriptions. Even our university, which was one of the most cautious in restoring attendance to the classes, is now doing it in full form, and the courses for the next semester will be entirely presential. We will see.

 

In my experience, every social group requires an active "engine" which provides the thrust and which must maintain the inertia of the movement against the laws of "human gravity", which tend to reduce the thrust to zero. This engine is normally made up of one or more members of particular dedication, and in most cases it includes - perhaps it is logical - the founder or group of founders.

 

At this stage, I'd rather be just an attendee, but obviouslyI can't attend the meetings of a group that hasn't been founded yet...

 

Who knows, if my energies will allow it, it could be a good project for the post-retirement, within a few years...

[txomsy]

I had a very good friend professor in U of S. Jose. Died of COVID19 last year. I had directed his PhD and we had some collaborative work pending publication. I was actually planning to go to CR before the pandemic stroke. Alas, now that won't happen.

 

Still, Latin Americans are often fond of in-person meetings, so finding a suitable safe place and proposing a tentative date may be all that's needed for others to show up. At least, you wouldn't loose anything by sending a post asking for other FPN members from CR. That's not too much work and may give you an idea of how lonely or crowdy you are.

[dftr]

I'll add that I specifically did NOT go to the LA Pen show; not because I was afraid of COVID but b/c I was afraid of the reaction to COVID.  

I would feel odd going to a show and being awkward about shaking hands or holding a pen and watching the other guy becoming nervous about wiping it down afterwards.  

 

But COVID has gotten me to start writing more.  Ironically as we use more Zoom and electronics for communication, I find the written letters help to keep and maintain a connection.

 

[dftr]

On 5/10/2022 at 12:03 PM, invisuu said:

I'm sorry for being off-topic in advance, but I feel like this thread has well progressed past that point anyway and has generated a small community all on it's own. I don't really have anyone else to share my excitement with, except this group, so I'd like to announce here that I have gotten a Montblanc 149 "the expressive" - a limited edition of 80 pieces that Fritz Schimpf ran a while back. It's the calligraphy nib, but ground as a crisp italic. I'm looking forward to receiving it (I only just paid it) and playing around with it. It supposedly writes ~0.2mm in horizontal and ~0.8mm in vertical, being able to flex up to ~1.6mm in vertical direction.

I liked your writing sample.  I am hoping they will do another release of the pen or something similar.  I may prefer a less crisp italic.  

Also if they offer their flexible nib in their Limited editions, that would also tempt me   

[fpupulin]

On 5/16/2022 at 1:52 PM, invisuu said:

Here is a writing sample; I can't do the nib justice really, it would be much better suited in the hand of fpupulin and the like, but I am enjoying myself. From my observation the specifications from Fritz Schimpf seem to be pretty spot on; about 1:4 ratio between verticals and horizontals, double that under pressure. 

 

 

I really like Schimpf's The Expressive! When Schimpf launched this edition, its price was a bit steep for my means, so I had to pass on it, but I really regret not having been able to acquire one of these interesting pens. I guess that the true italic nib, together with the flexibility of its design, should guarantee a very pleasant writing experience, in a way similar to that of a real goose feather...

 

I remember having read a few years ago that a truncated nib was scheduled in the "Expression" series of the 149, possibly after the Flexible and the "Fude de manne" (which eventually never hit the market), so I maintain my hopes.

 

Seriously speaking, from a functional point of view (aesthetic considerations apart), it may well be that a Montblanc 149 Calligraphy with flexible nib, and a truncated companion of the same quality, is anything one needs for anything that can be wrote...

 

Enjoy your terrific pen, invisuu!

[fpupulin]

I post here the photograph of a typical page of my evening "exercises". I like to try various types of letters (and on occasion I do not disdain a few drawings), some canonical, others half-invented, with the superfluous excuse of some things I have done or seen during the day.

 

In this case I had just loaded the 149 Calligraphy with an ink that I not only really like as a color, but that works perfectly with my nib: the Rohrer & Klingner Alt Goldgrün.

 

The paper is that of a Fabriano EcoQua notebook. Execution time for the exercise: about 20 minutes.

 

 

[Englander]

9 hours ago, fpupulin said:

I post here the photograph of a typical page of my evening "exercises". I like to try various types of letters (and on occasion I do not disdain a few drawings), some canonical, others half-invented, with the superfluous excuse of some things I have done or seen during the day.

 

In this case I had just loaded the 149 Calligraphy with an ink that I not only really like as a color, but that works perfectly with my nib: the Rohrer & Klingner Alt Goldgrün.

 

The paper is that of a Fabriano EcoQua notebook. Execution time for the exercise: about 20 minutes.

 

 

I think these ‘exercises’ are beautiful and far better than I could produce as a final piece. I like your drawings of a round arch and a Gothic arch at the bottom of the page too. I’ve often wondered whether a switch from round hand calligraphy to italic script was entwined with changes to buildings) at least in Europe. Is that too fanciful? 

[invisuu]

10 hours ago, fpupulin said:

I remember having read a few years ago that a truncated nib was scheduled in the "Expression" series of the 149, possibly after the Flexible and the "Fude de manne" (which eventually never hit the market), so I maintain my hopes.

  

Something very interesting and new is coming very soon in their Expression series, as Sebastian from Fritz-Schimpf has let me in on a little secret. It will be a very unique grind. I hope I am allowed to share this info - at least Sebastian has said nothing about keeping it a secret. They're preparing a new series, coming in July, with what is essentially a stub nib, that allows for extra-fine writing if you rotate the nib by 80 degrees.

 

10 hours ago, fpupulin said:

When Schimpf launched this edition, its price was a bit steep for my means

 

It was steep for me as well. My plan is to "pay it off" (it's paid off already of course, I don't like credit), by not purchasing anything for a long while, something I can happily live with anyway. I also received a watch I ordered several months ago within the same week as this pen, and as you have shown you can appreciate a good watch as well, you know the prices can get crazy on that side, certainly  a lot more than in fountain pens world. Luckily my hobbies are books, fountain pens, and cooking, none of which require any money really to enjoy.

 

I honestly feel a lot of guilt for purchasing so much for myself in such a short time, so the pen is now sitting in the box until I can get to terms with my guilt. I know this sounds weird, but I really don't like to spend money on myself. My family is more than well taken care of, of course, but it's still hard for me to enjoy spending so much on myself. I grabbed the pen because it was now or never, as I got the very last piece. And the watch purchase was 7 years in the making, so also not a rushed purchase.

 

10 hours ago, fpupulin said:

Enjoy your terrific pen, invisuu!

 

Thank you!

[como]

7 minutes ago, invisuu said:

  

Something very interesting and new is coming very soon in their Expression series, as Sebastian from Fritz-Schimpf has let me in on a little secret.

...

Oh that’s what happens to secrets on the internet... Either it was not a secret or it is not any more! 😀

[invisuu]

23 minutes ago, como said:

Oh that’s what happens to secrets on the internet... Either it was not a secret or it is not any more! 😀

Well in the business world I am from (automotive R&D), anything that is shared to the outside is either public, or the informed party has agreed to not share the information. Sebastian shared the info with me and has said nothing about keeping it a secret - if he said so, I would have complied of course! I really hope I didn't do something I shouldn't have, but the fault lies with him if that's the case  

[como]

@fpupulin It's incredible that you wrote all these different scripts with one pen only! Nowadays I have both 146C and 149C inked, mostly just to switch between them and see how they are different. There really isn't much difference, other than that my 149C feels slightly softer to flex. This can be due to that I've had 149C much longer than 146C, or perhaps the longer tines of 149C are easier to flex. Hard to say... Perhaps I will know more once I use the 146C much more.

 

@invisuu Of course I was just joking. Congrats and enjoy your new pen!

[fpupulin]

20 hours ago, invisuu said:

I honestly feel a lot of guilt for purchasing so much for myself in such a short time, so the pen is now sitting in the box until I can get to terms with my guilt.

 

Dear invisuu: in my humble opinion and experience, the only way to happily survive the guilty feeling of spending money for something that we do not strictly need, is using it as much as possible! In economic terms, it resembles an amortization: the more you use a thing, the less it costs for each individual use.

 

After years of intensive use, a fountain pen ends up costing very little. In about ten years, the cost of your beautiful The Expressive will have been less than 30 cents a day if you have used it constantly!

[singlechange]

On 5/20/2022 at 12:16 AM, fpupulin said:

So, have you had a chance to play with your new pen? Your long silence makes me fear that something did not correspond to your expectations…

 

Please, post your impressions and a few pics of your writings! 

Thank you for checking in on me. My silence is because here in Washington, D.C. where I reside the recent Memorial Day activities has been so busy for me. When I received my 149C I gave it a cursory inspection and put it away until the hubbub of the holiday subsided and I took devote proper attention to it. Just the other day I gave the 149 a good going over that I do for starting a new pen, such as inspecting,  holding it, feeling balance, posting dry writing, inking with water and stopped short of filling it with my favorite ink. I came upon an issue and it is this. The cap when screwed in slightly wobbles.  I examined the cap with my 10X loupe and I see no cracks or irregularities and the threads look fine. I was considering driving to the local Montblanc Boutique to ask about it. Thinking other Montblanc 149C and 149 owners might have some information, I posted about this issue on another fountain pen forum, fountain pen geeks.jcom

[Karmachanic]

 

[singlechange]

To continue with my earlier post, a couple of responses on fountain pen geeks.com note that Montblanc will say that this wobble is normal. One responder reported that his new 146C does not have the problem of the cap wobbling. I checked my other pens in my collection, like the vintage 1925 Parker Duofold Senior "Big Red" and vintage 1942 Esterbrook Bandless Dollar Pen. Both caps screw in securely without the slightest wobble and the cap on the barrel is rock solid stable. My only other Montblanc is a 1980's 146 and that cap does indeed wobble slightly just like on my new 149C. I need some refills for my Montblanc ballpoint so I will visit my local Montblanc Boutique very soon and ask about the wobble. I will hold off on inking it in any case.

Again thank you for asking about my new pen.

[Jreugenl]

54 minutes ago, singlechange said:

To continue with my earlier post, a couple of responses on fountain pen geeks.com note that Montblanc will say that this wobble is normal. One responder reported that his new 146C does not have the problem of the cap wobbling. I checked my other pens in my collection, like the vintage 1925 Parker Duofold Senior "Big Red" and vintage 1942 Esterbrook Bandless Dollar Pen. Both caps screw in securely without the slightest wobble and the cap on the barrel is rock solid stable. My only other Montblanc is a 1980's 146 and that cap does indeed wobble slightly just like on my new 149C. I need some refills for my Montblanc ballpoint so I will visit my local Montblanc Boutique very soon and ask about the wobble. I will hold off on inking it in any case.

Again thank you for asking about my new pen.

I have 3 MB 149 pens and 1 MB 146. All of them have this slight wobble. 

[fpupulin]

Out of the five Montblanc 149s I have at hand, ranging from 1978 to contemporary (1978, 1984, 1990, early 2000s, 2020), only the cap of my 149 Calligraphy has a wobble, but I have to actively search for it. I would probably have not noted it, if not because I was looking for the wobbling. The other caps are rock solid.