Oxidation on the Writer’s Edition Brothers Grimm?

[AndyLogan]

I’ve noticed some oxidation on the cap & section of the ruthenium coating, also noticed this on the piston end section, not sure if this is brassing or oxidation. It looks cool tho & I haven’t polished it off as I’m concerned that the ruthenium coating would rub off. Any thoughts?

[dbs]

Not oxidation, but the fading of ruthenium plating. Yours looks much better than mine. My pen's section is half brass color (yellow) and only about half still has ruthenium plating.

 

If you polish, it will be brass color.

[ak47]

What a bad surprise for an expensive pen!

[JohnRobison]

AK47 - why is it a bad surprise?  It looks the same as the example I have.  Isn’t that just the peculiarity of that particular limited edition pen?

[ak47]

I do not understand. Is it not a bad thing? It is an expensive pen, beautiful, but this event for a company like montblanc means for me that they do not put care or attention in handcrafted workings.

[Arcadian]

It is a bad thing. Montblanc sucks at ruthenium coating. I haven't actually had problems with my Grimm (yet), but I have with my Borghese and my Purdey. And exposing the underlying brass is not a good thing. This isn't some metallic version of urushi, where the dragon slowly emerges. I likely won't be buying ruthenium coated pens from Montblanc again. You could try to talk to the place where you bought it, and see if it's covered by the warranty. 

 

 - P. 

[AndyLogan]

On 8/17/2023 at 1:08 AM, dbs said:

Not oxidation, but the fading of ruthenium plating. Yours looks much better than mine. My pen's section is half brass color (yellow) and only about half still has ruthenium plating.

 

If you polish, it will be brass color.

 

Ahhh, I have read about this in another post, I purchased this pen around October last year & got a BB nib change. I guess its the same as the Beatles pen (which I did not get because of the same issue as I've read from the previous post of the Beatle's owners). ALso thank you for letting me know, I will not polish this off.

[AndyLogan]

21 hours ago, Arcadian said:

It is a bad thing. Montblanc sucks at ruthenium coating. I haven't actually had problems with my Grimm (yet), but I have with my Borghese and my Purdey. And exposing the underlying brass is not a good thing. This isn't some metallic version of urushi, where the dragon slowly emerges. I likely won't be buying ruthenium coated pens from Montblanc again. You could try to talk to the place where you bought it, and see if it's covered by the warranty. 

 

 - P. 

I guess this & the SAILOR pen that I got (both are ruthenium coated) will be the last, Even if this was covered by the warranty (which still is because I got this last October), going by the previous owners of the Beatles pen, the problem persisted even after a new pen was given, I'll just have to suck it up.

 

[CS388]

Well, if it is still under warranty, I'd be sending it back to them to see if they can address the issue?

Even if it will happen again, you may get a replacement, while you have the opportunity?

 

These pens are (or should be) built to stand the test of time.

From your experience (and other experiences, which I've read about) the plating isn't of sufficient quality.

 

Just my opinion. 

Good luck.

[SpecTP]

interesting.. I've owned my WE Grimm for over a year now, and not a trace of discoloration on mine. I wonder what is causing yours.

[dbs]

6 hours ago, SpecTP said:

interesting.. I've owned my WE Grimm for over a year now, and not a trace of discoloration on mine. I wonder what is causing yours.

Simple: We are the writers, and you are a collector.

 

 

[SpecTP]

On 8/22/2023 at 1:25 AM, dbs said:

Simple: We are the writers, and you are a collector.

 

 

 

I use every pen I've ever bought. I don't know why you think I'm just a collector.

[Waltz For Zizi]

On 8/23/2023 at 9:35 PM, SpecTP said:

 

I use every pen I've ever bought. I don't know why you think I'm just a collector.

It also depends on how many pens you have and how much you have used a certain pen.

I had a Pelikan m200 always inked for 2 years straight with Pelikan turquoise ink, and half of the gold plating on the nib disappeared, meanwhile other gold plated nib pens inked 4-5 times/year and are in pristine condition.

 

But that being said I also have a Montegrappa Fortuna that I inked 3-4 times since I got it and the plating on the nib is already wearing off.

[AndyLogan]

On 8/26/2023 at 6:36 AM, Waltz For Zizi said:

It also depends on how many pens you have and how much you have used a certain pen.

I had a Pelikan m200 always inked for 2 years straight with Pelikan turquoise ink, and half of the gold plating on the nib disappeared, meanwhile other gold plated nib pens inked 4-5 times/year and are in pristine condition.

 

But that being said I also have a Montegrappa Fortuna that I inked 3-4 times since I got it and the plating on the nib is already wearing off.

 

There are just some things that we can't control, ink properties, storage perhaps, the important thing is we don't get too fussed about it and learn to live with it.

[NoType]

7 hours ago, AndyLogan said:

 

There are just some things that we can't control, ink properties, storage perhaps, the important thing is we don't get too fussed about it and learn to live with it.

Just to add to @AndyLogan’s wise words, as a perfectionist I am constantly challenged to accept flaws and defects, especially those beyond my control.  I attempt to embrace the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi.

 

According to Wikipedia (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabi-sabi), “In traditional Japanese aesthetics, wabi-sabi (侘寂) is a world view centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection.  The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of appreciating beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete" in nature.  It is prevalent in many forms of Japanese art.

 

”Wabi-sabi is a composite of two interrelated aesthetic concepts, wabi (侘) and sabi (寂). According to the Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy, wabi may be translated as "subdued, austere beauty," while sabi means "rustic patina."  Wabi-sabi is derived from the Buddhist teaching of the three marks of existence (三法印, sanbōin), specifically impermanence (無常, mujō), suffering (苦, ku) and emptiness or absence of self-nature (空, kū); however, the two were originally seen as distinct concepts. . .”

 

Having said this, however, as one who possesses both the Grimm 9800 FP and Grimm 1812 FP, I will struggle to embrace a wabi-sabi attitude when the ruthenium coatings of these pens show the wear described by the original poster.  (Merely briefly touching with one’s bare hands the matte finish ruthenium body beneath the vintage gold-coated overlay of The Grimm 1812 FP,  leaves a dark discolouration.)

 

 

[AndyLogan]

On 8/28/2023 at 3:36 AM, NoType said:

Just to add to @AndyLogan’s wise words, as a perfectionist I am constantly challenged to accept flaws and defects, especially those beyond my control.  I attempt to embrace the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi.

 

According to Wikipedia (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabi-sabi), “In traditional Japanese aesthetics, wabi-sabi (侘寂) is a world view centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection.  The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of appreciating beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete" in nature.  It is prevalent in many forms of Japanese art.

 

”Wabi-sabi is a composite of two interrelated aesthetic concepts, wabi (侘) and sabi (寂). According to the Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy, wabi may be translated as "subdued, austere beauty," while sabi means "rustic patina."  Wabi-sabi is derived from the Buddhist teaching of the three marks of existence (三法印, sanbōin), specifically impermanence (無常, mujō), suffering (苦, ku) and emptiness or absence of self-nature (空, kū); however, the two were originally seen as distinct concepts. . .”

 

Having said this, however, as one who possesses both the Grimm 9800 FP and Grimm 1812 FP, I will struggle to embrace a wabi-sabi attitude when the ruthenium coatings of these pens show the wear described by the original poster.  (Merely briefly touching with one’s bare hands the matte finish ruthenium body beneath the vintage gold-coated overlay of The Grimm 1812 FP,  leaves a dark discolouration.)

 

 

 

Well said @NoType , I for one was originally planning on getting the Grimm 1812 FP, but I watched a lot of reviews from owners of the Grimm 1812 and it came off that the plating process for the 1812 overlay was not "gold" enough, for a pen of that price point & that the owner felt that with handling & time, that gold coating would wear off.

[Karmachanic]

My 80s 149 is nice and shiny.  Just sayin'

[NoType]

7 hours ago, AndyLogan said:

 

Well said @NoType , I for one was originally planning on getting the Grimm 1812 FP, but I watched a lot of reviews from owners of the Grimm 1812 and it came off that the plating process for the 1812 overlay was not "gold" enough, for a pen of that price point & that the owner felt that with handling & time, that gold coating would wear off.

@AndyLoganMontblanc describes the gold-coated overlay as having a “special vintage coating,” which leads me to believe that the unevenness in the intensity of the overlay’s gold colour, is intentional.  

 

The maison has utilised a “vintage optic” effect before in pen fittings (e.g., the various Heritage Collection Rouge et Noir silver-coloured galvanised alloy clips), and these metal fittings (featuring a proprietary galvanisation and stripping process) have tended to be stable.  I expect the Grimm 1812’s overlay, though developed by perhaps different technologies, to follow suit.  

 

It will be interesting to see if the reviewers are proved correct in their suspicion that the colour of the gold-coated overlay will diminish with time and continued use.

 

Though not anxious about the durability of the overlay’s gold colour, I am slightly disappointed in the lack of polish to some of the overlay’s side edges, and more disturbed by the darkened areas of the body’s matte ruthenium coating, the latter effect seeming to be a reaction to skin oils.

 

Despite these concerns, I still consider the Grimm 1812 to be a standout design in the Writers Edition series, and a favourite in my Montblanc box, holding its own against models both less and more dear (e.g., various Masters for Meisterstück | Meisterstück Great Masters, 149 skeletons, and Patrons of Art). 

 

 

[Inked]

Hello

 

So has anybody heard back from Montblanc in regards to warranty or explanation on this issue?

 

Inked

[inkstainedruth]

I was wondering the same thing, after stumbling across this thread just now.  

And it makes me less and less interested in EVER owning a MB pen....  I kinda liked the look of the Beatles pen, but couldn't afford it (and wasn't sure that I liked the clip even if I could have afforded the pen).

Looks like I'm gonna be sticking to lower end pens a whole lot longer....  (Mind you, I was ready to cry when the Pelikano I paid five bucks for at a pen show snapped in two, right at the join between the barrel and the ink window....)

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth