Custom Edition

[Caligula]

For a grand or so, I'm definitely in.

[chicagoben]

I'm in if and only if there's something other than the usual boring modern Montblanc nibs.

[pdimitriou]

I'm in for 2. I'd also vote for 149 instead of 146. If we reach the 100 and it helps with the pitch to montblanc one of the two is for a government cabinet member

[FredRydr]

My first contacts with Montblanc indicate this will be a serious effort. Therefore, what started out as a lark may be turning into a real project. The goal is the reissuance of a great pen, a modern retro pen that Montblanc can be proud of. Have patience, though, since this is the very beginning.

 

Fred

Edited February 27, 2009 by FredRydr

[Ghost Plane]

I'd rather the 149 than the 146. But better 1 of either than none of either.

[Blade Runner]

What fun! If there's a possibility for a nice pen, I can wait a long while. After all, anticipation is part of the joy.

[niksch]

I would like to mention a couple of things from my viewpoint as we move forward with this ambitious project--knowing that Montblanc Gmbh still needs to agree, and it could be a year or two before we realize a goal of a custom pen.

 

For folks wanting custom 149s and 139s: I do to, but it appears to me that MB holds the 149 as sacred, and will not do anything to change the current gold on black styling, let alone release it in a material never done before. That's why Fred picked the 146. And while I believe the 139 was produced in very limited number in the PL (silver/black celluloid), I doubt that MB will remake a replica 139, especially in anything other than black, any time soon because in two interviews with top MB executives it was ruled out. (Those interviews are in old posts here)

 

I talked with Fred tonight, and we think we can effect a great replica of a 146 in this interesting striated celluloid if we FPNers collaborate well and realize limitations on design (HEY ARCHIE, Where ya at?) and manufacturing processes. We can be successful if we minimize design aspects that cause re-tooling expenses, and capitalize on those aspects that already exist, therefore maximizing our wants and desires and minimizing cost and effort to MB.

 

One idea I had was to make this pen with a gripping section similar to that of the Doesteovsky WE section because it resembles the vintage 146 sections. We could go with the current 146 section, but the vintage style is so much nicer in my opinion. The vintage section was made from the same stock as the barrel and cap, and I think our repro should be similar, thoughts?? So maybe I need to take my Doesteovsky apart to see if it works with 146 parts...unless someone wants to volunteer their WE??? Or maybe someone will go in halvsies on a Doesteovsky we can buy on eBay for this experiment?

 

This thread could become very cumbersome with all the ideas and suggestions, and unless someone has a better collaborative tool, so I will volunteer to begin to collect FPNer thoughts, recommendations, suggestions, etc, for our limited custom special edition. PM me here at niksch or email me at eric@niksch.us and I will collate them and re-post them here to keep everyone updated.

 

Bring it on!!

 

Eric

Edited February 28, 2009 by niksch

[Blade Runner]

Eric,

 

Just emailed you a few thoughts that you have no doubt already considered.

 

Here's a link to see the original pen from the great site fountainpen.de : http://www.fountainpen.de/old-50-146-172-1...en-striated.htm

 

While a faithful replica would be my first choice, I think a beautiful unique 146 of a design yet imagined would also be very intriguing proposition.

 

Jeen

 

 

[Caligula]

I wonder... if someone here came up with a design intriguing enough, would MB ever consider using it on one of their upcoming LEs? Like we pitch a design for our custom pen and they like it enough to use for their next WE pen, or something along those lines?

 

Eric,

 

Just emailed you a few thoughts that you have no doubt already considered.

 

Here's a link to see the original pen from the great site fountainpen.de : http://www.fountainpen.de/old-50-146-172-1...en-striated.htm

 

While a faithful replica would be my first choice, I think a beautiful unique 146 of a design yet imagined would also be very intriguing proposition.

 

Jeen

 

[fuchsiaprincess]

Yes, I'm in Fred! Medium stub please. Thank you!

Soki,

 

Well, those flex and stub nibs were my fantasy. The reality is probably the nibs already available (EF, F, M, B, BB, OM, OB, OBB). I'll do what I can, but one step at a time!.

 

Fred

 

Damn! Thought you were for real Okay, back to reality. I'll have one with a broad nib then.

 

Thanks, Fred!

 

Regards,

Soki

[varmas]

I would like to mention a couple of things from my viewpoint as we move forward with this ambitious project--knowing that Montblanc Gmbh still needs to agree, and it could be a year or two before we realize a goal of a custom pen.

 

For folks wanting custom 149s and 139s: I do to, but it appears to me that MB holds the 149 as sacred, and will not do anything to change the current gold on black styling, let alone release it in a material never done before. That's why Fred picked the 146. And while I believe the 139 was produced in very limited number in the PL (silver/black celluloid), I doubt that MB will remake a replica 139, especially in anything other than black, any time soon because in two interviews with top MB executives it was ruled out. (Those interviews are in old posts here)

 

I talked with Fred tonight, and we think we can effect a great replica of a 146 in this interesting striated celluloid if we FPNers collaborate well and realize limitations on design (HEY ARCHIE, Where ya at?) and manufacturing processes. We can be successful if we minimize design aspects that cause re-tooling expenses, and capitalize on those aspects that already exist, therefore maximizing our wants and desires and minimizing cost and effort to MB.

 

One idea I had was to make this pen with a gripping section similar to that of the Doesteovsky WE section because it resembles the vintage 146 sections. We could go with the current 146 section, but the vintage style is so much nicer in my opinion. The vintage section was made from the same stock as the barrel and cap, and I think our repro should be similar, thoughts?? So maybe I need to take my Doesteovsky apart to see if it works with 146 parts...unless someone wants to volunteer their WE??? Or maybe someone will go in halvsies on a Doesteovsky we can buy on eBay for this experiment?

 

This thread could become very cumbersome with all the ideas and suggestions, and unless someone has a better collaborative tool, so I will volunteer to begin to collect FPNer thoughts, recommendations, suggestions, etc, for our limited custom special edition. PM me here at niksch or email me at eric@niksch.us and I will collate them and re-post them here to keep everyone updated.

 

Bring it on!!

 

Eric

 

Dear Eric,

many thanks for volunteering. Fred for the initial idea. If this goes through then many who want a unique/vintage MB can own one without the exorbitant asking prices and a brand new pen to boot.

 

Other MB experts please share your thoughts with Eric to make a pen FPNers can proudly call our own.

 

I am no MB expert by any stretch of the imagination but if I can help (order pizza, go for coffee, update namelists - you get the picture) let me know.

 

Stay well,

Solomon

 

 

[FredRydr]

...limited custom special edition.

You mean the LCSE? I don't think that'd fit on the box!

 

Thanks for gathering the historical data, Eric! I looked at my own Dostoevsky, and I see the attraction of that curved section.

 

Fred

[hexyr]

nevermind posted my comment before reading page 4.

 

Edited February 28, 2009 by hexyr

[Kalessin]

Simplicity is best.

 

I'd take one in a B nib.

 

[QM2]

For folks wanting custom 149s and 139s: I do to, but it appears to me that MB holds the 149 as sacred, and will not do anything to change the current gold on black styling, let alone release it in a material never done before. That's why Fred picked the 146. And while I believe the 139 was produced in very limited number in the PL (silver/black celluloid), I doubt that MB will remake a replica 139, especially in anything other than black, any time soon because in two interviews with top MB executives it was ruled out. (Those interviews are in old posts here)

Very good point. No sense wasting energy on what could never become a reality.

 

One idea I had was to make this pen with a gripping section similar to that of the Doesteovsky WE section because it resembles the vintage 146 sections. We could go with the current 146 section, but the vintage style is so much nicer in my opinion. The vintage section was made from the same stock as the barrel and cap, and I think our repro should be similar, thoughts?? So maybe I need to take my Doesteovsky apart to see if it works with 146 parts...unless someone wants to volunteer their WE??? Or maybe someone will go in halvsies on a Doesteovsky we can buy on eBay for this experiment?

 

Yes, please. The straight sections on the MS line are one reason I dislike them... But are they likely to go for this, given that it would involve making a major design change on the 146?

 

 

I will volunteer to begin to collect FPNer thoughts, recommendations, suggestions, etc, for our limited custom special edition.

 

I don't suppose there would be any point in my suggesting that instead of this project, we start a petition to make a regular-production domed-top model -- kind of like the Christie but sans snake, or kind of like the Schiller but all-black with more modest trimmings?...

 

 

Edited February 28, 2009 by QM2

[niksch]

The straight sections on the MS line are one reason I dislike them... But are they likely to go for this, given that it would involve making a major design change on the 146?

 

Fred and I discussed this by e-mail this morning. The Dostoevsky wasn't the only pen with that gripping section. The Proust, Poe, Voltaire, Dickens, Wolfe and Christie all had similar sections that are reflective of the vintage 146. So it should be able to be done without much effort. The Schiller, Wilde, Faulkner, and Fitz all have sections different that the modern 146. The Cervantes is the only one that has a section exactly like a modern 146.

 

I don't suppose there would be any point in my suggesting that instead of this project, we start a petition to make a regular-production domed-top model -- kind of like the Christie but sans snake, or kind of like the Schiller but all-black with more modest trimmings?...

Actually, I have thought about this. But let's work this project and see how it goes. Fred and I discussed on the phone last night that there are a core group of folks--certainly not all active in this forum--that like the vintage design on modern pens. It's worth a shot in my opinion, but the head honchos at Montblanc Gmbh need to be made aware of the 'wants' of this demographic. So your 'want' of a remake of a safety-filler style pen is in-line with this 146 LCSE project. More to follow.

Edited February 28, 2009 by niksch

[QM2]

I don't suppose there would be any point in my suggesting that instead of this project, we start a petition to make a regular-production domed-top model -- kind of like the Christie but sans snake, or kind of like the Schiller but all-black with more modest trimmings?...

Actually, I have thought about this. But let's work this project and see how it goes. Fred and I discussed on the phone last night that there are a core group of folks--certainly not all active in this forum--that like the vintage design on modern pens. It's worth a shot in my opinion, but the head honchos at Montblanc Gmbh need to be made aware of the 'wants' of this demographic. So your 'want' of a remake of a safety-filler style pen is in-line with this 146 LCSE project. More to follow.

 

Oh, that is good to hear. Just to clarify, I do not suggest they make it a safety; it would be a piston filling pen, but with the 1920s-30's shape. Given that they've done this on the Medici, Prince Regent, Christie, Wilde, Dostoyevsky, Schiller, and (sort of) Faulkner, it should not be problematic from the manufacturing standpoint at all.

 

The biggest challenge as I see it, is that in order for them to agree to anything of this sort, the decision-makers at Montblanc need not only to "be made aware of the 'wants' of this demographic," but also to have numerical assurances. Just because a bunch of FPN people like something and want to have it made, does not guarantee that the model will be generally marketable to their target audience. We need to find a way to show them that the consumer preferences of MB buyers around the world would support such a model moreso than whatever else they might choose to release next (i.e. another atrocity like the Etoile).

[MDI]

What strikes me is that MB now makes pens by the tens of thousands (with rare exceptions). Imagine what kind of commitment it is for them to produce a particular pen design, whether limited or standard production. I would expect, on matters of production, MB decision makers rely on the input of their design bureau. If one had access to that department, the likelihood of MB ultimately making such a pen would be higher than of simply offering a small pen batch to MB executives (who--I bet--trust the talent of their designers above all in such matters).

Edited February 28, 2009 by MDI

[niksch]

Update time. Starting from the pointy end working to the cone.

 

Nibs. There seems to be a demand for a full selection of nib sizes. Two folks pointed out that maybe a modern rendition of the vintage bi-color nib would be appropriate, ie a nib without the scrollwork and a wider gold edge. This may need to be pursued further.

 

Section. There seems to be consensus on the vintage gripping section. Ideally it would be of the same material as the rest of the pen--just like the original.

 

Ink window. Any thoughts on that? It would depend on the material used to replicate the striate celluloid, but the originals did not have them.

 

Piston ring. I would like to see a rounded piston ring, but a flush ring is not a show stopper for me.

 

Cap. There were a couple recommendations about silver rings on either side of the center cap ring, but that was only done on the 139 and 149. Do we want a breather hole? The clip is a non-issue probably, but we could have special engraved SN#s on the clip ring.

 

MB Star. There is consensus that the star needs to be ambered to reflect the aging of the celluloid star.

 

What else?

 

 

[niksch]

Oh, that is good to hear. Just to clarify, I do not suggest they make it a safety; it would be a piston filling pen, but with the 1920s-30's shape.

 

Got it. I meant "safety-filler style" and should have put it in quotes.

 

The biggest challenge as I see it, is that in order for them to agree to anything of this sort, the decision-makers at Montblanc need not only to "be made aware of the 'wants' of this demographic," but also to have numerical assurances. Just because a bunch of FPN people like something and want to have it made, does not guarantee that the model will be generally marketable to their target audience. We need to find a way to show them that the consumer preferences of MB buyers around the world would support such a model moreso than whatever else they might choose to release next (i.e. another atrocity like the Etoile).

 

Well, I think that is part of the goal of this 146LCSE project. By asking for a limited quantity (100 or 200) and showing the "agree to buy" list of buyers for every one of these pens, I think we can assure them. Plus it fits right in with their 'exclusitivity' marketing scheme. Then, we can encourage them to explore the market for future vintage replicas. But you make a valid point.