A New 139. It's A No Brainer... Or Is It?

[bunnspecial]

Briefly perusing the Astoria website, is their "Goliath" pen the 139 homage? I see some on the page stated as having a #8 nib(and that this is equivalent to an MB #9)...

 

 

[Wael El-Dasher]

1 hour ago, bunnspecial said:

Briefly perusing the Astoria website, is their "Goliath" pen the 139 homage? I see some on the page stated as having a #8 nib(and that this is equivalent to an MB #9)...

 

 

I had the second Goliath pen Max made. It’s a beautiful pen but it is longer than the Hemingway. Mine was a button filler. I believe Max now offers it as either button or piston last I recall. I don’t have that pen anymore but was fond of it. It had a nice wood box too. 

[Karmachanic]

And here it is.  Matte black Ebonite:

Bock #8 is a placekeeper.  When it arrives it will be fitted with a 149 nib.

 

 

[sansenri]

Where, did you order it, if I may ask, Karmachanic?

It does look quite lovely without being too much of a close copy.

[Karmachanic]

11 hours ago, sansenri said:

Where, did you order it,

 

From Manoj at Fosfor .

 

to add; the body/cap dimensions are correct.  The section is a little longer to accommodate the longer Bock 380 housing.  As you may know, the 139 appeared in several iterations.  I took elements from three of those and intergrated then into one pen. Tall cap finial, medium length ink window, and single cap band (which may be a little narrow). So yes, it's not a close copy.

[sansenri]

2 hours ago, Karmachanic said:

 

From Manoj at Fosfor .

 

to add; the body/cap dimensions are correct.  The section is a little longer to accommodate the longer Bock 350 housing.  As you may know, the 139 appeared in several iterations.  I took elements from three of those and intergrated then into one pen. Tall cap finial, medium length ink window, and single cap band (which may be a little narrow). So yes, it's not a close copy.

 

Interesting, although I hear he's very busy, was the wait long?

[Karmachanic]

8 hours ago, sansenri said:

 

Interesting, although I hear he's very busy, was the wait long?

 

57 weeks when I signed up.  Then an additional 18 months.

[IlikeInksandIcannotlie]

16 hours ago, Karmachanic said:

And here it is.  Matte black Ebonite:

Bock #8 is a placekeeper.  When it arrives it will be fitted with a 149 nib.

 

 

So you did get over your fears of the telescopic piston unbalancing the pen. How is it?

[K Singh]

16 hours ago, Karmachanic said:

And here it is.  Matte black Ebonite:

Bock #8 is a placekeeper.  When it arrives it will be fitted with a 149 nib.

 

 

That's one beautiful pen. Congrats.

[sansenri]

8 hours ago, Karmachanic said:

 

57 weeks when I signed up.  Then an additional 18 months.

wow, that needed a lot of patience...

well, glad you got it at last!

in my case it might be faster waiting for MB to release a 139 replica...

[Karmachanic]

45 minutes ago, sansenri said:

in my case it might be faster waiting for MB to release a 139 replica

 

True.  But there are other custom pen makers around who may be able to make one for in a fraction of that time.

[katerchen]

9 hours ago, Karmachanic said:

 

57 weeks when I signed up.  Then an additional 18 months.

 

Whoa 😮

 

Renee @Scriptorium Pens made this for me:

 

 

 

[Karmachanic]

Nice!

[CS388]

Congratulations, Karmachanic, that's a beauty!

[como]

@Karmachanic @katerchen Congratulations on your 139 replica! As some said, that's a lot of patience to wait for this wonderful custom made pen. I do wish that Montblanc will make a no-frills modern 139 release. It would be very cool...

[Karmachanic]

10 hours ago, como said:

I do wish that Montblanc will make a no-frills modern 139

 

I find the original no-frills to be one of its alluring characteristics. 

 

As for patience Manoj has a reputation as a fine craftsman who charges reasonable prices.  Part of the delay was due to health problems, then the C thing shutdowns.  Then there's his attention to detail in making each pen as perfect as possible.  He estimates how long it will take, but making one-off custom orders may take longer than expected.

 

The pen was, of course, a want rather than a need.  It made waiting for a Hakase look like express service!

[fountainbel]

Hi all,

I'm also a fan of the 139 shape coupled to its large ink content.

However these telescopic fillers become hard to find and when defective difficult to repair

So I've went to the drawing board..

Within the same barrel length I've designed and made me a compact single stage  "non telescopic " robust piston filler with an identical piston stroke as the 139.

I use these fillers on my celluloid GF piston fillers which I only make  for my personal collection.

Attached a picture showing some of my MB 139 inspired celluloid GF piston fillers.  Ball clip, GF cap top logo & rings home made in sterling silver.

Best regards,

Francis

 

[Aether]

AFAIK MB don't really listen to what their customers may want, rather taking the position of being the style setters themselves.

[KAC]

The persistence of this topic suggests to me strong interest in a new 139 model by fountain pen lovers. It would likely become a linchpin in the MB line-up along with such classics as the 149: enduring, constant (but maybe not spectacular) seller and it would demonstrate fealty to the company's tradition. I think the same considerations apply to many now discontinued vintage MB models.

 

After all, collectors (and users of modern fountain pens) seem to like traditional styles and, if you're going to invest in a nice pen, why not buy one that has perfect dimensions, form-follow-function styling and can be used to write, rather than broadcast an "I have arrived" message from your pocket?

[NoType]

KAC said. “ . . .if you're going to invest in a nice pen, why not buy one that has perfect dimensions, form-follow-function styling and can be used to write, rather than broadcast an "I have arrived" message from your pocket?. . .”

 

@KAC I concur that this is a very likely rationale for Montblanc connoisseurs and fountain pen aficionados alike.