The Meisterstück 149 Calligraphy Appreciation Thread

[Nick T]

Greetings,

 

Has anyone here run Rohrer & Klinger Salix or any other IG ink through their 149C's? If so, how was your experience with ink flow, shading, cleanup and anything else you care to share? Thanks!

[fpupulin]

Here it goes another calligraphic exercise with my 149 Calligraphy. I used what was left in the barrel of Rohrer & Klingner Alt Goldgrün, an ink that offers many shades even when used with fine nibs.

 

For the exercise I chose two very different kinds of paper. The first is a sheet of Amatruda paper in A3 format, a handmade paper that Amatruda sells as "second quality", intended for ink jet printers, weight 150 g, which I find a beautiful laid with the catenelle parallel to the short side, almost a very soft fabric . Literally, it drains the ink from the nib, allowing the Calligraphy to execute very thin lines, but occasionally producing some railroading when the texture of the paper interrupts the capillarity of the ink.

 

The second is a very smooth paper, a 250 gsm matte satin produced by Canson specifically for the airbrush. The nib flies on this paper with almost no friction. This is an old 24 x 32 cm block that I have had with me for countless years, which was called "Arctic Aero / Airbrush". Collated on all four sides, it has a slightly straw yellow color.

 

I photographed everything with the help of two studio flashes.

 

 

Amatruda paper is magical and allows total control of the nib.

 

 

 

Canson airbrush paper is impersonal and the pen runs almost uncontrolled through it.

 

If you are willing to accept some railroading, to be filled in later with care, this Amatruda paper offers in my opinion a priceless writing experience. Amatruda also produces a version in A4 format, slightly lighter (120 g), which has the same characteristics and the catenelle parallel to the long side of the sheet. Amatruda's "writing" paper is different. It is not laid out, but has a very thin and continuous texture, in addition to the beautiful watermark of the Amalfi house. It is, if possible, a paper that is even softer to the touch, but it feathers slightly, at least with this ink.

 

In my experience, once you have "worked your hand" on the nib of the 149 Calligraphy and the generosity of its flow when you apply just a little pressure, the pen writes well on all types of paper. The experience, however, is very different depending on the papers. I prefer papers with a certain resistance, which engage in hand-to-hand combat with the nib, and for this reason I mainly use laid papers for calligraphy and slightly dry papers (I don't know how to define them better) for everyday writing. Together with some OMAS Extra and Extra Lucens nibs from the 1940s and 1950s, the Montblanc 149 Calligraphy is without doubt the best flexible nib I own.

 

In the background you can see one of my cameras, on which is mounted a legendary lens, a Carl Zeiss Planar 100mm f/3.5, a lens so correct that it has long been used for aerial photography. I use it mainly for reproduction given its almost perfect geometry.

 

[Frank C]

On 8/29/2022 at 2:09 PM, fpupulin said:

Here it goes another calligraphic exercise with my 149 Calligraphy. I used what was left in the barrel of Rohrer & Klingner Alt Goldgrün, an ink that offers many shades even when used with fine nibs.

 

For the exercise I chose two very different kinds of paper. The first is a sheet of Amatruda paper in A3 format, a handmade paper that Amatruda sells as "second quality", intended for ink jet printers, weight 150 g, which I find a beautiful laid with the catenelle parallel to the short side, almost a very soft fabric . Literally, it drains the ink from the nib, allowing the Calligraphy to execute very thin lines, but occasionally producing some railroading when the texture of the paper interrupts the capillarity of the ink.

 

The second is a very smooth paper, a 250 gsm matte satin produced by Canson specifically for the airbrush. The nib flies on this paper with almost no friction. This is an old 24 x 32 cm block that I have had with me for countless years, which was called "Arctic Aero / Airbrush". Collated on all four sides, it has a slightly straw yellow color.

 

I photographed everything with the help of two studio flashes.

 

 

Amatruda paper is magical and allows total control of the nib.

 

 

 

Canson airbrush paper is impersonal and the pen runs almost uncontrolled through it.

 

If you are willing to accept some railroading, to be filled in later with care, this Amatruda paper offers in my opinion a priceless writing experience. Amatruda also produces a version in A4 format, slightly lighter (120 g), which has the same characteristics and the catenelle parallel to the long side of the sheet. Amatruda's "writing" paper is different. It is not laid out, but has a very thin and continuous texture, in addition to the beautiful watermark of the Amalfi house. It is, if possible, a paper that is even softer to the touch, but it feathers slightly, at least with this ink.

 

In my experience, once you have "worked your hand" on the nib of the 149 Calligraphy and the generosity of its flow when you apply just a little pressure, the pen writes well on all types of paper. The experience, however, is very different depending on the papers. I prefer papers with a certain resistance, which engage in hand-to-hand combat with the nib, and for this reason I mainly use laid papers for calligraphy and slightly dry papers (I don't know how to define them better) for everyday writing. Together with some OMAS Extra and Extra Lucens nibs from the 1940s and 1950s, the Montblanc 149 Calligraphy is without doubt the best flexible nib I own.

 

In the background you can see one of my cameras, on which is mounted a legendary lens, a Carl Zeiss Planar 100mm f/3.5, a lens so correct that it has long been used for aerial photography. I use it mainly for reproduction given its almost perfect geometry.

 

Thanks for posting this. I should get some Rohrer & Klingner Alt Goldgrün to try in my 149 Calligraphy. 

 

I'm sure that you've mentioned this previously, but what camera do you use with that Zeiss Planar lens? 

 

I recently purchased a Leica M11 and an R adapter. I've used my R series APO-Macro 100/2.8 lens on it. The photos are amazing. I need to take some to post here on FPN; I'm still working on my macro set up. 

[como]

@fpupulinThank you for the wonderful calligraphy and photography! I find it very difficult to do large size calligraphy exercises. The biggest sheets of paper I tried were size A4. Would you mind sharing any advice/suggestions when writing really big size letters please? Thank you very much!

[fpupulin]

On 9/5/2022 at 2:08 PM, como said:

@fpupulinThank you for the wonderful calligraphy and photography! I find it very difficult to do large size calligraphy exercises. The biggest sheets of paper I tried were size A4. Would you mind sharing any advice/suggestions when writing really big size letters please? Thank you very much!

 

Sorry, dear friend, for responding so late to your request, but I wanted to be able to show you a proof and I hadn't found the time to do it sooner.

On the leaflet that I am attaching to you in the photograph I have written with 149 Calligraphy in three different sizes.

 

 

The height of the first row at the top measures exactly 1 cm. I think you have already tried this measure, which I find is one of the easiest among those that can be made with this pen. It is a line just a little higher than the one I use most for calligraphic tests with the 149, which has a height of 8 mm, my favorite.

The middle row is 1.5 cm high. In order for the differences between thin lines and shadows to still be evident, it is required to press the nib more. This takes a little bit of practice to keep the wide curves from "breaking", but on the other hand, it makes the thin lines look really thin in comparison.

The third is a 2 cm line, the same used for the alphabet I sent above. I suppose I can also try a 2.5 cm high row, but we are - for my taste and my abilities - at the limits of what I can do with relative fluency.
The movement of the arm is wider here, and this is an advantage because it prevents one - involuntarily - from trying to draw the curves with just the movement of the fingers, but it requires more control of the "drawing" for the curves to continue to resemble each other (when the the characters are smaller, the differences are less noticeable).

Writing bigger is in my opinion - at least up to a certain size - much easier than writing smaller: more control, easier to distinguish thin lines and shadows, greater freedom of the arm. The large fonts also make it easier to refine the endings of the shafts so that they can be sharper.

It is easier to be mistaken with slanting - which become inconstant - and cannot be done, in my opinion, without a good set of guidelines. For a large size it is also very convenient to have prepared a preliminary sketch of the work, because on larger dimensions it is more difficult to improvise.

One last thing. Since I had a "Fabriano 1264 Disegno" block at hand, I used that for the test, but it's not worth using small sheets to write big: you lose half the fun.

 

The ink is the trusty Montblanc Blue. Permanent.

[como]

@fpupulin Thank you so much for taking the time to do all of these to show me how to write in bigger size script. I didn’t mean to make you do this amount of work, but it’s so great to see!! I will learn to make bigger movements with my arm and wrist and still make it smooth like how you did it. Will try and hopefully come back with something half decent 🙂.

[fpupulin]

With no there pen I have so much fun...

 

Today our second grandson, Artur Ottavio, arrived home after a few days spent in the Neonatology ward to check that the bilirrubin levels were within the normal range. Done!

 

[Frank C]

Congratulations nonno. That's a big name for a little guy. Was he premature? What did he weigh? 

 

Beautiful calligraphy—as one would expect. 

[fpupulin]

1 hour ago, Frank C said:

Congratulations nonno. That's a big name for a little guy. Was he premature? What did he weigh? 

 

Beautiful calligraphy—as one would expect. 

Yes, my friend, he came a couple of weeks before time, but he nevertheless was more than 4 kg!

 

I agree with you: it’s a quantity of a name to carry around… Better he will learn soon writing cursive…

[Frank C]

4 Kg is pretty much full-size. Nonno may have to teach him cursive. In the US, anyway, they no longer teach it in school—it isn't on the standardized tests, so no one needs to learn it. 

 

Glad to hear he's doing well and that his liver is mature enough to metabolize bilirubin. 

[mywatchgr]

On 6/7/2022 at 12:33 AM, Jreugenl said:

I had some problems with skipping because of the tines being a bit tight. It has now been rectified. And I’m happy to report that my pen now works splendidly. A quick sketch to celebrate

 

 

Did you rectify the issue by yourself? If yes how did you come around it?

[tanalasta]

Stunning calligraphy. 

I’ve tried to source a 149C in Australia but apart from the gold leaf versions (ouch) have hit a brick wall. Are there any of these left anywhere?

[Frank C]

4 hours ago, tanalasta said:

Stunning calligraphy. 

I’ve tried to source a 149C in Australia but apart from the gold leaf versions (ouch) have hit a brick wall. Are there any of these left anywhere?

I am not aware of any, except on ebay, and they are asking crazy prices. A 146 Calligraphy is fairly easy to find and a reasonable substitute. I called MB USA when I was looking for a 149C. They gave me the phone numbers for two boutiques in Florida that had the pens in stock. One of them had to pen promised to someone else, but the other boutique sold me one. Shipping was free, but I did have to pay Nevada State Sales Tax. Someone on this topic may have some other ideas. In the past, @fpupulin has had a few sources. I wish you well, I enjoy using my pens. 

[Sinistral1]

@tanalasta

 

stilographcorsani.com/product/meisterstuck-calligraphy-149-flexible-nib-special-edition/?lang=en

 

Try this site.  They also show as having a 146 Calligraphy available.

[fpupulin]

Sometimes I like shooting my 149 Calligraphy on film...

 

 

[mywatchgr]

6 hours ago, fpupulin said:

Sometimes I like shooting my 149 Calligraphy on film...

 

 

Love the colours, the lighting, the subject (obviously) your devotion and time spent (most importantly), the arrangement of objects, especially the pen holder has a very dark glow (just enough to make it stand out as an object) and if I kindly make a tiny comment about the sea shells, they are crowding a tad too much the attention of the viewer, as they are many objects, and due to the fact that they are white they have captured a lot of light. I would have used a dark pebble or stone acting maybe as a presse papier, to maintain the focus to the centre piece of penmanship/art that you have created, breathtaking !

 

On another subject I was lucky enough to have sourced from a MB boutique in Europe a 149 Calligraphy a few days ago, I was informed that they are still in production, small quantities though and the product IS NOT discontinued yet. But there will be only small quantities released to the market for 2022 still.

 

The advise on the MB Permanent Blue ink is sooooo spot on! (thank you!)

Paper suggestions also on the way from Amatruda Italy, and Fabriano Ingress is amazing ! (thank you)

 

I want also to say thank you to @fpupulin and @como for keeping this thread a piece of art, exceptional behaviour, well justified knowledge-base and truthful.

I am a forum owner and have been participating in many many others, this particular thread just surpasses everything I have felt so far, thank you!

 

Also thanking to all people participated in this thread for keeping the standards were the creator intended and graciously kept/keeping still !

 

Kind Regards,

Nikolas from the island of Tinos,

[fpupulin]

Dear Nikolas: I am really happy that you have managed to find a 149 Calligraphy and, I suppose, at its fair price rather than the disproportionate amounts that are required today on Ebay for pens that are often used. Since I had the opportunity to try this pen, two and a half years ago now, I have become a real fan of it, and I have perhaps done more than I should to convince the many aficionados of fountain pens of the unique and exceptional nature of this pen, at least according to contemporary production standards. I know more than one enthusiast who, once he made his mind to buy a 149 Calligraphy, had to deal with the great disappointment of not being able to find it ....

I have read in another post about your passion for calligraphy, and for this I know that in your hands the 149 Calligraphy will reveal all its virtues and also its defects, which make it an extraordinary but not perfect pen. Nevertheless, and despite some fountain pen nibs from my collection that are calligraphically more perfect, the pen that is always in use, inserted in its dedicated pen holder on my desk, is the 149 Calligraphy. I am sure you will have great fun with her.

 

Thank you very much for the precise and acute comments regarding the photo. Your criticism of the excessively light area in the upper left side of the image is certainly correct. The shells in the tray are, however, a patient creation of my wife, who collected them in many of the places we visited together, and are therefore a "sacred" object in our home. There is no brass tray without shells ...

 

The photograph is part of a series, with the presumptuous title of "Dreaming house", which portrays on film places, objects, moments and details of our home that have particular meaning for me. In this case, the subject was more than the pen ...

 

Thanks again.

[fpupulin]

[como]

On 10/7/2022 at 12:29 PM, mywatchgr said:

... I want also to say thank you to @fpupulin and @como for keeping this thread a piece of art, exceptional behaviour, well justified knowledge-base and truthful.

...

Nikolas from the island of Tinos,

@mywatchgr Thank you so much for your kind words! I don't deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence with @fpupulin. I am just one of so many members here who are inspired by and benefited from Franco's knowledge, enthusiasm, generosity and competence in 149C, inks, paper, calligraphy, and photographic skills.

 

I can say that this thread is the single most interesting thread in the whole of FPN (at least for me), rich in member participation, contribution, so many fantastic and meaningful discussions. 

 

Thank you, Franco! Thank you, everyone!

[mywatchgr]

7 hours ago, como said:

@mywatchgr Thank you so much for your kind words! I don't deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence with @fpupulin. I am just one of so many members here who are inspired by and benefited from Franco's knowledge, enthusiasm, generosity and competence in 149C, inks, paper, calligraphy, and photographic skills.

 

I can say that this thread is the single most interesting thread in the whole of FPN (at least for me), rich in member participation, contribution, so many fantastic and meaningful discussions. 

 

Thank you, Franco! Thank you, everyone!

 

@como you are so modest, that is a virtue which is not so easily recognisable by others in this hard world we live in!

But let me say the following: you do deserve to be mentioned, you just don't believe it yet.

 

On the matter of our object of appreciation, it has been 2 weeks of full use and a couple of permanent blue ink fills, I must say that this ink is just a tad dry, and the cause of this dryness is that my strokes are still a bit faster and a bit harder than they should be. So, out of laziness, i changed to ASA-GAO (Pilot) and it has been way better both for everyday usage and calligraphy workout.

The MB permanent blue has an amazing vintage tone and shade, and very good properties. As for the ink flow, it just needs patience and exercise to be mastered (which I do not posses, yet) so back at it...feel free for any advice on my below...much appreciated.