100th Anniversary editions

[fpupulin]

5 hours ago, Zdenek said:

Franco, big congrats to your new toy. Use and enjoy it in the best health.

As to the Florentine cases, me too have got them. They hide nice 149s. 

 

Dear Pen Friend: thank you! I am happy to know that not only in my home many of those favorite 149 are hidden inside the beautiful leather quiver cases from Montblanc. They are truly special cases for special pens.

A hug. 

[NoType]

26 minutes ago, fpupulin said:

Here are two of my favorite Mesisterstück 149s, the legendary flexible Calligraphy and the more recent The Origin. I photographed them in what, in my opinion, is their "natural environment".

 

 

 

I notice, however (and I have always noticed), that Montblanc has not put any "special and permanent" mark on the beautiful Calligraphy. I don't think anything flashy, perhaps just a "calligraphic eight" engraved on the cap would have been enough, to be able to recognize it from the other 149s of the regular series. In the photo above, there is no doubt that one of the pens is "The Origin", but the other could be any of the other 149s that I own. It always seemed to me a failed choice on Montblanc's part.

@fpupulin This is a handsome composition which brightens an overcast Sunday morning.   Your masterpieces enjoy a lovely environment.  

 

I agree that the 149 Calligraphy could have benefited from a tasteful distinguishing flair on its cap or barrel, not only to assist the user in selecting it amongst others in the pen tray but also to celebrate its abilities.  A “calligraphic eight” on the cap as you suggest would have achieved this admirably and continued a practice carried out with the 149 Elbphilharmonie, to name just one example.

[fpupulin]

I am placing this brief digression on the width of Montblanc nibs in this post. Only recently, at least to my knowledge, Montblanc has offered a table indicating the thickness of its nibs. I also found one for the nib of the 149 The Origin (https://www.montblanc.com/Item/Index?cod10=1647597341706334&siteCode=MONTBLANC_AM / click on the nib guide link).

 

I was surprised that the difference between a broad nib (B = 0.92 mm) and a double broad nib (BB = 1.05 mm) is actually very small, just over a tenth of a millimeter (0.13 mm according to Montblanc). This means that a B nib is almost 90% as wide as a BB (87.6% to be precise). You can compare it with the difference between a Medium and a Broad, which is almost 1/3 broader.

 

Having just received a 149 The Origin with a B nib, I found it to be very similar to the double broad of my 149 from 1984, even if the design of the two tips is a little different. As you can perhaps appreciate in the photograph I took under the microscope, the 1984 nib is more "angular" and sharp than the modern one.

 

I believe (completely personal opinion) that a B nib for the 149, even with the beautiful stubbish features that characterize the broad nib produced in Hamburg, would benefit of a slightly smaller size, maybe around 7-8 mm wide, so that it is easier to use in everyday writing and is more distinct from a double broad nib.

[NoType]

On 10/6/2024 at 4:30 PM, fpupulin said:

the difference between a broad nib

 

On 10/6/2024 at 4:30 PM, fpupulin said:

and a double broad nib

 

On 10/6/2024 at 4:30 PM, fpupulin said:

is actually very small, just over a tenth of a millimeter (0.13 mm according to Montblanc).

@fpupulin I have noticed this amongst my own nib-exchanged nibs, where some are so similar in width that at times I am hard-pressed to say which are double broad, driving me to my notes for the answer.  More than once, upon examining a new nib exchange, I have had to confirm with the boutique associate that I am looking at a double broad and not a broad.  For this reason I always ask for a “narrow width” broad and a “wide width” double broad in the hopes of enlarging the size gap between the two nib widths, but this strategy has proven far from foolproof, thanks to the natural variation inherent in the handmade output between Montblanc’s (55?) nibbists.

 

I have a similar issue with EF and F nibs, which, according to Montblanc’s chart, differ by only 0.7 mm.  Though I enjoy the architect-grind character of some EF nibs — especially those predating the 2010s — I often find myself wishing for slightly narrower widths.  One supposes that that need is addressed by the Bespoke Nib Program’s EEF, but I yearn for a more cost-effective Montblanc factory option…

 

The chart is a useful reminder of the sizes of standard nibs that are on offer at Montblanc.  I had first seen this chart in a post by @Michael R., but its inclusion here is a welcome review.

 

And your marvellous nib close-up of your 1984 149 and The Origin 149 is as intriguing as it is bewitching.  However, to my myopic eye it seems that the 1984 149’s nib corners are more chamfered than that of The Origin 149.  Am I merely seeing things (or not seeing something, as the case may be)? Considering that I am blind in what was once my dominant eye, this is a question I often ask myself.
 

I concur with your opinion that a narrower B nib would be easier to use everyday, especially for those whose hand(writing) is compact, with the added benefit of distinguishing it further from a double broad nib.

[hari317]

8 hours ago, fpupulin said:

I am placing this brief digression on the width of Montblanc nibs in this post. Only recently, at least to my knowledge, Montblanc has offered a table indicating the thickness of its nibs. I also found one for the nib of the 149 The Origin (https://www.montblanc.com/Item/Index?cod10=1647597341706334&siteCode=MONTBLANC_AM / click on the nib guide link).

 

I was surprised that the difference between a broad nib (B = 0.92 mm) and a double broad nib (BB = 1.05 mm) is actually very small, just over a tenth of a millimeter (0.13 mm according to Montblanc). This means that a B nib is almost 90% as wide as a BB (87.6% to be precise). You can compare it with the difference between a Medium and a Broad, which is almost 1/3 broader.

 

Having just received a 149 The Origin with a B nib, I found it to be very similar to the double broad of my 149 from 1984, even if the design of the two tips is a little different. As you can perhaps appreciate in the photograph I took under the microscope, the 1984 nib is more "angular" and sharp than the modern one.

 

I believe (completely personal opinion) that a B nib for the 149, even with the beautiful stubbish features that characterize the broad nib produced in Hamburg, would benefit of a slightly smaller size, maybe around 7-8 mm wide, so that it is easier to use in everyday writing and is more distinct from a double broad nib.

Interesting to note the absence of the OBBB in the nib chart. Have they done away with it?

 

[maia]

I bought a 149 Origin Collection on local official Montblanc store (stock M nib) and asked for O3B replacement. I'll let you know how it goes.....

[digitorum- Leonardo_W]

4 hours ago, maia said:

I bought a 149 Origin Collection on local official Montblanc store (stock M nib) and asked for O3B replacement. I'll let you know how it goes.....

My friend did that on that same pen, and received an OBB, a little disappointment but this is what they offer,
still the pen had to be sent back, the filling mechanism makes a little noise, like a little click just at the beginning of unscrewing it, it shouldn't do that, so it went back to MB.

[Seney724]

7 minutes ago, digitorum said:

My friend did that on that same pen, and received an OBB, a little disappointment but this is what they offer,
still the pen had to be sent back, the filling mechanism makes a little noise, like a little click just at the beginning of unscrewing it, it shouldn't do that, so it went back to MB.

The O3B nib is (or, at least was) one of the nib options available for this special "Origin Collection" 149.  I wonder if the OBB nib on your friend's pen was just a mistake on the part of the MB nib exchange people?

At the very least, your friend should inquire, especially since the pen is being returned to MB anyway.  It would be a shame for your friend to not get the O3B nib if it is indeed available.  At least in my experience, the MB O3B nib t is very different than the OBB nib. 

[maia]

3 hours ago, digitorum said:

My friend did that on that same pen, and received an OBB, a little disappointment but this is what they offer,
still the pen had to be sent back, the filling mechanism makes a little noise, like a little click just at the beginning of unscrewing it, it shouldn't do that, so it went back to MB.

Hope that's not the case with mine...

 

Does anyone have a 149 Origin O3B here in the forum?

[Zdenek]

... oops...

 

[digitorum- Leonardo_W]

8 hours ago, Seney724 said:

The O3B nib is (or, at least was) one of the nib options available for this special "Origin Collection" 149.  I wonder if the OBB nib on your friend's pen was just a mistake on the part of the MB nib exchange people?

At the very least, your friend should inquire, especially since the pen is being returned to MB anyway.  It would be a shame for your friend to not get the O3B nib if it is indeed available.  At least in my experience, the MB O3B nib t is very different than the OBB nib. 

 

yes, good idea to ask

[fpupulin]

On 10/6/2024 at 8:04 PM, NoType said:

 

 

[...] to my myopic eye it seems that the 1984 149’s nib corners are more chamfered than that of The Origin 149.  Am I merely seeing things (or not seeing something, as the case may be)? Considering that I am blind in what was once my dominant eye, this is a question I often ask myself. [...]

 

Also in my opinion the 1984 BB nib was more chamfered, and the corners of the B nib (which is more recent) are also smoother, I will say, more round. This makes the writing experience more pleasant but also reduces the line variation between vertical and horizontal strokes.

[Centurion]

12 hours ago, fpupulin said:

 

Also in my opinion the 1984 BB nib was more chamfered, and the corners of the B nib (which is more recent) are also smoother, I will say, more round. This makes the writing experience more pleasant but also reduces the line variation between vertical and horizontal strokes.

chamfered = corners smoothed out, less of a 90 degree sharp corner?

[NoType]

12 hours ago, fpupulin said:

 

Also in my opinion the 1984 BB nib was more chamfered, and the corners of the B nib (which is more recent) are also smoother, I will say, more round. This makes the writing experience more pleasant but also reduces the line variation between vertical and horizontal strokes.

@fpupulin Thank you for affirming my observation of the 1984 BB nib.  I daresay that writers who tend to rotate their pens would consider the smoother experience of a more rounded nib to be worth the resultant reduction of line variation, while others might prefer increased line variation.  An example of how individualised a fountain pen can be for a writer.

[fpupulin]

5 hours ago, Centurion said:

chamfered = corners smoothed out, less of a 90 degree sharp corner?

 

This way, in my opinion:

 

Image from: eziil.com

 

But, in the case of the "present day" Montblanc broad nibs (and perhaps double broads), all the corners are round and smooth. This no doubt helps, as @NoType noted, those writers who rotate the pen, with a much improved smoothness of the nib on the paper, at cost of a reduced variation between horizontal and vertical strokes. 

[fpupulin]

A truly unusual and great 149, in my opinion.

 

 

[NoType]

3 minutes ago, fpupulin said:

 

This way, in my opinion:

 

Image from: eziil.com

 

But, in the case of the "present day" Montblanc broad nibs (and perhaps double broads), all the corners are round and smooth. This no doubt helps, as @NoType noted, those writers who rotate the pen, with a much improved smoothness of the nib on the paper, at cost of a reduced variation between horizontal and vertical strokes. 

@fpupulin Yes, thank you for capturing precisely what I meant; I could not have explained it better.

[NoType]

10 minutes ago, fpupulin said:

A truly unusual and great 149, in my opinion.

 

 

@fpupulin What a lovely paean in visual form of a distinguished new addition to the Maison’s oeuvre.  This subforum is immeasurably indebted to you for sublime images of your variegated and splendid scripts, as well as the implements with which they were created, the sum totals being so much more than writing samples.  May we be fortunate enough to be the recipients of much, much more of your largesse.

[Centurion]

5 hours ago, NoType said:

@fpupulin Yes, thank you for capturing precisely what I meant; I could not have explained it better.

I’m glad I asked 😊

[fpupulin]

Will try to show here, under the microscope, how it is chamfered/rounded the B nib of my 149 the Origin.