The Meisterstück 149 Calligraphy Appreciation Thread

[fpupulin]

On 3/13/2023 at 12:19 PM, Toolattack said:

@fpupulin you are such a scholar, I do not know where to start with my praise for your beautiful work. I realise that this is a topic about the 149 calligraphy, but have you tried the 146 calligraphy flex nib? The 149 is too big for my hand and the 146 is more comfortable - particularly for writing over long periods of time. Thank you for your help.

 

Sorry for answering so late your question Toolattack. I just tried once, for a few minutes, the 146 Calligraphy of a friend. I found it a great nib, a bit less flexible that the nib of my 149s Calligraphy, and a bit more elastic (better snapback). Too short a time for the test to have a serious opinion, but nonetheless I had the impression that the nib of the 146 Calligraphy was on par with that of the 149, if not better, for calligraphic purposes. 

 

Trying it again would be a risky maneuver for my wallet...

 

I am so used to the size of the Meisterstück 149 (44 years of continuous use) that I feel this pen absolutely comfortable to my hand, and the 146 (of which I own a sample of the mid-80s) a bit smaller for me. But I am sure that this only depends on my long-term association with the 149 size.  

[fpupulin]

23 hours ago, fpupulin said:

Every now and then, let's say every 4 or 5 "fills" of the tank, I like to change the permanent inks that I use the most in my 149 Calligraphy for one that is lighter and brighter, more watery and nuanced. My favorites for this fuel swap are Diamine Terracotta or Akkerman SBRE Brown - which are almost equivalent - Diamine Ancient Copper, Golden Brown and Tobacco Sunburst, Graf von Faber Castell Olive Green and Rohrer & Klingner Alt Goldgrün ( also the latter two are very similar to each other).

 

This time it was the turn of an ink that I hadn't used for a long time, and that I had never tried in 149 Calligraphy, the Iroshizuku chiku-rin.

 

I used it on Fabriano's Studio Watercolor paper, a slightly smooth support for my writing tastes but truly calligraphic in terms of its perfect interaction with the ink.

 

As you could see from the result, it was the ink that dictated the words, to stay within its color theme...

 

 

Marsh water, sap, / sprout, new leaf, / spring meadow, / bamboo forest in the sun, / chiku-rin ink. /
[With the Meisterstück 149 Calligraphy]

 

Another quite cheap paper that you have to try with the 149 Calligraphy is the laid paper by the German Hahnemühle. It is available in blocks and spare sheets of various sizes. I like buying the blocks of 30x40 cm, both white and in several light colors, and the sheets 50x70 cm, which I cut according to the use I have in mind. I will post a few examples soon for your judgement.

[Toolattack]

Thank you for your advice @fpupulin - I really appreciate it.

[fpupulin]

You welcome, @Toolattack.

 

Here I am showing what I consider a very good combo of pen and ink, the extra-fine, flexible nib of the 149 Calligraphy on the laid paper by Hahnemühle.

 

One of the interesting things about the paper produced by Hahnemühle is that it is a pretty inexpensive product. I usually buy it from an e-shop based in Italy, "Mondo Artista", which is part of an international chain also present in Germany and, if I well remember, in Switzerland. The sheets of laid paper are about 50x70 cm, and you have to buy a minimum of 10 sheets in a single color or different colors, but the cost per sheet is just about 1.25 dollars, and then you may cut the sheet at the size(s) you prefer.

 

I used it here with my trusty 149 Calligraphy and Iroshizuky chiku-rin ink. You will have perhaps noted that in general I prefer the papers that have some teeth, which someway react with the nib: the Hahnemühle allows a perfect control of the pen, with no feathering at all and no bleed through, notwithstanding the paper is pretty thin.

 

 

In the next pic you may see at work not only the 149 Calligraphy, but also my world champion among calligraphic fountain pens, a circa 1964 Omas Gentlemen fitted with a extra-fine OMAS Extra nib, inked here with Graf von Faber Castell Cobalt Blue. The Omas still has a small edge over the Montblanc, but both nibs are a pleasure and a joy to write with on this magnificent paper.

 

 

 

[fpupulin]

And one more, done yesterday night.

 

[Toolattack]

This is very interesting @fpupulin - I will definitely check out your paper recommendation.

In your first sample there appears to be some ink pooling (darker, thicker line) around the 'b' in 'Scribo' and in all letters of the word 'vivo' and in your third sample in the letters 'bo' in 'bolder'. Is this as a result of more nib pressure being applied, inconsistent feed on the 149, the consistency of the ink or maybe imperfections in the paper?

Sorry for all the questions!

[Uncial]

This is a very bad thing - more paper I'm tempted to buy.

[Inkyways]

Wonderful paper to match fine writing and lettering !!!

[fpupulin]

3 hours ago, Uncial said:

This is a very bad thing - more paper I'm tempted to buy.

 

Try to see the bright side of the thing, friend Uncial. I doubt you can buy just a couple of sheets, but a dozen sheets of Hahnemühle don't come to fifteen dollars, and you can make almost a hundred letter-sized sheets of it to play at writing without having to save on the sheets of paper.

That's what I do too. I'll be in Europe in May, and I'm placing my order of 10 sheets in various colors plus a 30x40cm white pad. Maybe this paper does not reach the sublimity of Amalfi handmade paper, but it is a very fine paper nonetheless at a fraction of the cost.

[fpupulin]

7 hours ago, Toolattack said:

This is very interesting @fpupulin - I will definitely check out your paper recommendation.

In your first sample there appears to be some ink pooling (darker, thicker line) around the 'b' in 'Scribo' and in all letters of the word 'vivo' and in your third sample in the letters 'bo' in 'bolder'. Is this as a result of more nib pressure being applied, inconsistent feed on the 149, the consistency of the ink or maybe imperfections in the paper?

Sorry for all the questions!

 

A keen eye you have, @Toolattack... I would say that the ink pooling may perhaps depend on a bit of all your guesses, but first and foremost, on deliberate more pressure. With a light or very light pressure you just have thin strokes and shadows, but with stronger pressure you also have - at least with a light ink like this - a lot of beautiful variation in color intensity.

[Toolattack]

5 hours ago, fpupulin said:

 

A keen eye you have, @Toolattack... I would say that the ink pooling may perhaps depend on a bit of all your guesses, but first and foremost, on deliberate more pressure. With a light or very light pressure you just have thin strokes and shadows, but with stronger pressure you also have - at least with a light ink like this - a lot of beautiful variation in color intensity.

That’s very interesting @fpupulin I enjoy the change in intensity and as always your style really shows the ink at its best.

[fpupulin]

Books... Paper and pens... Week end...

 

 

Life is a child who plays, who moves the pawns on the chessboard. A child's kingdom. - Heraclitus -

[Uncial]

On 3/23/2023 at 2:58 AM, fpupulin said:

 

Try to see the bright side of the thing, friend Uncial. I doubt you can buy just a couple of sheets, but a dozen sheets of Hahnemühle don't come to fifteen dollars, and you can make almost a hundred letter-sized sheets of it to play at writing without having to save on the sheets of paper.

That's what I do too. I'll be in Europe in May, and I'm placing my order of 10 sheets in various colors plus a 30x40cm white pad. Maybe this paper does not reach the sublimity of Amalfi handmade paper, but it is a very fine paper nonetheless at a fraction of the cost.

Good to know it is not too expensive. I'm a sucker for the Amalfi papers but I will definitely be testing this paper. Thank you.

 

[fpupulin]

Small intervention just off topic, because the pen is not the one of this thread...

Yesterday evening we had dinner with friends and my dear friend Sylvia, knowing of my passion for calligraphy, brought me on loan her Montblanc Le Grand Calligraphy so that I can use it here at home for a few days. A fantastic thought.

I don't think anyone has ever opened an "appreciation thread" for this pen, but using it briefly last night and this morning I found it simply amazing!

 

 

[Toolattack]

Great to hear this @fpupulin - I'm a big fan of the 146. Lovely writing as always!

[a student]

13 hours ago, fpupulin said:

Small intervention just off topic, because the pen is not the one of this thread...

Yesterday evening we had dinner with friends and my dear friend Sylvia, knowing of my passion for calligraphy, brought me on loan her Montblanc Le Grand Calligraphy so that I can use it here at home for a few days. A fantastic thought.

I don't think anyone has ever opened an "appreciation thread" for this pen, but using it briefly last night and this morning I found it simply amazing!

 

 

 

Thank you indeed. I wonder if it is too much to ask about a thread on a comparison between the 146 and 149 Calligraphy pens, sharing your thoughts and images, should the matter interest, or at least intrigue, you? Perhaps other FPN friends, who are fortunate enough to have both could also use that space to add to the fun.

[JulieParadise]

3 hours ago, a student said:

 

Thank you indeed. I wonder if it is too much to ask about a thread on a comparison between the 146 and 149 Calligraphy pens, sharing your thoughts and images, should the matter interest, or at least intrigue, you? Perhaps other FPN friends, who are fortunate enough to have both could also use that space to add to the fun.

 

Someone with time on their hands might do this, although I think it is a bit futile: The differences are more something you can feel when writing, which does not lend itself to a description. One might attempt to describe any differences in that sensation ("a bit harder/softer", "feels a bit more/less resistant", etc.), but this will not necessarily show in pictures nor might someone who has never used such kinds of nibs really grasp the difference. Some things you have to experience for yourself and compare to be able to make a decision. I have been lucky to try out several of these pens and would say that the 146 nibs tend to be a bit stiffer, but these have also always been the ones that had been used less, so who knows how those nibs feel once they have been used more by their owners?

 

Another thing that I always find difficult is to assess what the "normal nibs" are like, on average, as I mostly get to see those nibs that the owners have problems with, so my samples probably are not representative. (I do not own any of these, but had several of both 146 and 149 flex with me sometimes over months to fix their nibs. Some owners rather pick them up in person than have them sent by mail.)

 

Besides: Each individual nib is different, so there's another factor that is hard to convey or extrapolate.

[a student]

6 hours ago, JulieParadise said:

 

Someone with time on their hands might do this, although I think it is a bit futile: The differences are more something you can feel when writing, which does not lend itself to a description. One might attempt to describe any differences in that sensation ("a bit harder/softer", "feels a bit more/less resistant", etc.), but this will not necessarily show in pictures nor might someone who has never used such kinds of nibs really grasp the difference. Some things you have to experience for yourself and compare to be able to make a decision. I have been lucky to try out several of these pens and would say that the 146 nibs tend to be a bit stiffer, but these have also always been the ones that had been used less, so who knows how those nibs feel once they have been used more by their owners?

 

Another thing that I always find difficult is to assess what the "normal nibs" are like, on average, as I mostly get to see those nibs that the owners have problems with, so my samples probably are not representative. (I do not own any of these, but had several of both 146 and 149 flex with me sometimes over months to fix their nibs. Some owners rather pick them up in person than have them sent by mail.)

 

Besides: Each individual nib is different, so there's another factor that is hard to convey or extrapolate.

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to explain your point of view. As a result, I am wiser in this respect

[Seney724]

6 hours ago, JulieParadise said:

 

Someone with time on their hands might do this, although I think it is a bit futile: The differences are more something you can feel when writing, which does not lend itself to a description. One might attempt to describe any differences in that sensation ("a bit harder/softer", "feels a bit more/less resistant", etc.), but this will not necessarily show in pictures nor might someone who has never used such kinds of nibs really grasp the difference. Some things you have to experience for yourself and compare to be able to make a decision. I have been lucky to try out several of these pens and would say that the 146 nibs tend to be a bit stiffer, but these have also always been the ones that had been used less, so who knows how those nibs feel once they have been used more by their owners?

 

Another thing that I always find difficult is to assess what the "normal nibs" are like, on average, as I mostly get to see those nibs that the owners have problems with, so my samples probably are not representative. (I do not own any of these, but had several of both 146 and 149 flex with me sometimes over months to fix their nibs. Some owners rather pick them up in person than have them sent by mail.)

 

Besides: Each individual nib is different, so there's another factor that is hard to convey or extrapolate.

All are very, very  good points.  There is nothing to disagree with here.  It is 100% pure wisdom.

But, that said, I always find it interesting to hear about the personal preference (and reasons why) from those who have tried both the MB 146 & 149 Calligraphy pens.

This would be especially so if the information were to come from @fpupulin .........because he has  such a wonderful way with words and the way he expresses things.

 

[Toolattack]

8 hours ago, JulieParadise said:

Someone with time on their hands might do this, although I think it is a bit futile

@JulieParadise If (like me) you spend your life collecting and enjoying fountain pens, ink, paper, etc, you already have time on your hands and life is futile!!! 😂🤣😂🤣