Montblanc Agatha Christie Repair Question

[beffjezos]

Hi everyone,

 

I am new to the forum and fairly new to the hobby, so I hope you all can help me with a quick question about repairs on a Montblanc pen. The pen belonged to my late grandmother and to my knowledge has spent the last 10 years or so rolling around in one of my dad's desk drawers without a case (I even remember playing with it as a kid because I loved the snake design....cringe). It wasn't cleaned out after it's last use, so the dried ink must have been at least 15 years old, but after soaking/flushing it with warm water I cleaned it up a bit and dislodged what I think is a broken spindle. Given I don't know how to even disassemble the pen further than I have in this photo, I need to send it out for professional repair and I am just wondering what experience others have had with Mb mail in service, like how long it takes for service with them and how expensive it might get based on the damage you can see here....Also, if there are other companies I might consider for repairs? Attached is a photo of the pen as is! Thanks so much to anyone who has a spare moment to reply.

 

 

Edited February 26, 2021 by beffjezos
typo

[FredRydr]

You are lucky to own what is probably the most sought-after Montblanc Writer's Edition fountain pen. You are also lucky that the break is in a part common across all Meisterstucks from the '90s, assuming it is the same length.  If it was my pen, I would wait 'til a pen show to ask Osman Sumer if he had the part.  Otherwise, I'd send it to Montblanc service for installation of a replacement part, a three-month journey.

[zaddick]

1 hour ago, FredRydr said:

You are lucky to own what is probably the most sought-after Montblanc Writer's Edition fountain pen. You are also lucky that the break is in a part common across all Meisterstucks from the '90s, assuming it is the same length.  If it was my pen, I would wait 'til a pen show to ask Osman Sumer if he had the part.  Otherwise, I'd send it to Montblanc service for installation of a replacement part, a three-month journey.

What about the Hemingway Fred? Proust? 

 

There are aftermarket spindles that can he had and I think repair folks outside of a top level MB guy like Osman who could do the work. Where are you located in the world?

 

While this looks like an easy fix for MB, I think they send all LE pens to Hamburg for repair which could add time. I could be wrong on this, but it was the case at one time.

[beffjezos]

@FredRydr@zaddickThank you both for your replies! I do feel very fortunate to have the pen and although it's personal value to me is more sentimental than as a collectible item, that makes me more inclined to make sure I use and care for it well :). @zaddick I live in Portland, OR but also travel to Seattle and Tucson frequently to see family/friends. We do not have a MB boutique location or licensed retailer in Portland afaik, but it does seem that fountain pens/calligraphy are popular here and we have a number of small presses/brick and mortar shops who sell vintage pens (I've only lived in the area for about a year so my knowledge is a bit limited). The owner of a brick and mortar pen shop/local press here recommended  I contact a local fountain pen repair/restoration guy (Michael McNeil of Northwest Pen Works). He does not specialize in MB pens from what I can tell on his website (http://northwestpenworks.com/NW_PEN_WORKS_I/indexx.html), but he does have many years experience with vintage pen repair/salerestoration. From the feedback you both provided, it seems like sending my pen to MB or a top tier MB repair expert might not be necessary given the parts I need repaired, or at the very least it  probably won't hurt to contact a local restoration expert to take a look at the pen?  Thanks again!!

Edited February 28, 2021 by beffjezos