Weird obstruction on MB 144 from the early 80's

[Noeluxo]

I've recently found this pen in an old drawer, and by doing my research on this forum I've learned it is a 144 from the early 80's (monotone gold nib, gold trim near nib, resin threads, ebonite smooth feed, etc..) . However, there's a little detail in my pen that no one seems to mention, so it makes me doubt the authenticity of the pen. The barrel is not completly hollow, it is only until you reach the gold trim area, where it just becomes (apparently) solid. This makes it so that it is impossible to fit anything slightly bigger than a small cartridge. The pen writes very well and all the other details match the stuff I read here 100%. I'd appreciate any help on this matter. Thank you in advance.

 

Edit: I should mention that if I put the phone light through the pen cap, it glows red, so the pen is almost surely genuine, right?

Edited October 13, 2021 by Noeluxo

[CS388]

Are you sure that it's not an old cartridge stuck in there?

It's common practice to put a spare cartridge (upside down) in the barrel, above the working cartridge.

One may have got stuck in there? Clean it up and if it looks like transparent plastic, it could be a cartridge?

 

Nice find.

These pens are great writers and very handy as everyday carry pens.

 

Good luck.

[DvdRiet]

I'm having this same issue (looks the same inside the barrel) with an old pen I just got and I'm pretty sure it's got to be an old cartridge. Any tips for how to get a stuck cartridge out? I kind of need to use a converter with this pen because the old cartridges are no longer available, but it doesn't fit with a cartridge stuck in the barrel.

 

This pen originally came with a 'system' whereby two cartridges were fitted end-to-end inside a metal tube so that one was in use and a spare was conveniently held at the other end. So I'm not at all surprised that there is probably a cartridge stuck in the barrel, but the metal tube is missing (also not surprising), which also means I can't use that to get it out. 

[JulieParadise]

13 minutes ago, DvdRiet said:

I'm having this same issue (looks the same inside the barrel) with an old pen I just got and I'm pretty sure it's got to be an old cartridge. Any tips for how to get a stuck cartridge out? I kind of need to use a converter with this pen because the old cartridges are no longer available, but it doesn't fit with a cartridge stuck in the barrel.

 

This pen originally came with a 'system' whereby two cartridges were fitted end-to-end inside a metal tube so that one was in use and a spare was conveniently held at the other end. So I'm not at all surprised that there is probably a cartridge stuck in the barrel, but the metal tube is missing (also not surprising), which also means I can't use that to get it out. 

 

You'll need a screw with a very pointy end, a corkscrew or something similar to drill into the (supposedly stuck) cartridge and get a hold of it. Prepare for an inky mess and wear latex gloves or at least try to perform your operation over a sink. Good luck! 🤭 

[DvdRiet]

3 minutes ago, JulieParadise said:

 

You'll need a screw with a very pointy end, a corkscrew or something similar to drill into the (supposedly stuck) cartridge and get a hold of it. Prepare for an inky mess and wear latex gloves or at least try to perform your operation over a sink. Good luck! 🤭 

 

Thanks! A long thin screw would probably work. I've tried soap and the electrosonic bath, but it's good and stuck. So yeah, I'm afraid there isn't much I can do to salvage the old proprietary cartridge (that I assume it is), which is a shame because they are hard to come by... 

[DvdRiet]

Update: I gave up trying to find a way to salvage the cartridge and used a long wood screw twisted into the bottom to pull it out. I have blue fingers now but luckily most of it washed off again. Turned out to be a regular standard international cartridge - which does not fit these pens at all! - so I'm glad I went ahead with the simple method of using a screw. I think I would have been a bit ticked off if I had gone to heaps of trouble to salvage an old proprietary and then a modern standard international popped out, haha! The wider neck of the international cartridge compared to the old proprietary ones does also explain how it got stuck in the first place. 

 

And now I also understand why the seller was keen to sell the pen... lol

 

Edit: For anyone coming along now and thinking I'm talking about an MB 144 not taking international standard cartridges, sorry, I am talking about a completely different brand/pen that happened to have the same issue of a stuck cartridge. I just happened upon this thread while searching for a solution and have no idea whether an MB 144 uses international standard cartridges.

Edited February 2, 2022 by DvdRiet

[CS388]

6 hours ago, JulieParadise said:

 

You'll need a screw with a very pointy end, a corkscrew or something similar to drill into the (supposedly stuck) cartridge and get a hold of it. Prepare for an inky mess and wear latex gloves or at least try to perform your operation over a sink. Good luck! 🤭 

 

Excellent. I've also used a long wood-screw, to good effect.

Once things get moving, they tend to come out pretty easily.

Yes. Always a messy job.

 

You can also try soaking the barrel, overnight.

Sometimes, it's just dried-up old ink/gunk that's keeping it stuck - and a good soak can help to release this.

 

Good luck.