149 Bent Tine And Stuck Piston

[luckduck369]

I really appreciate the inputs from the forum.

 

When I was trying to take a picture of the barrel, I thought I should try to fill the pen with water one more time. Unfortunately I am able to screw the piston nob completely off without even force it.

 

 

I think the barrel and cap are in good condition, very minimal micro scratches. Now what should I do? Send the nib to a nibmeister and then to have Montblanc to give it a overhaul? Or have a nibmeister take care of the entire pen? I read from the forum that if I tell MB specifically not to replace certain parts, they will not replace them. Could any one give me a rough idea how much it's going to cost me at the nibmeister (You can PM me)? Comments are extremely welcome.

 

[luckduck369]

Hope Montblanc dont go the way of Waterman in respect of servicing / repairing costings. New for 2014 is Watermans way of doing things which is copied at the end of this thread I started in the Waterman forum.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/261278-edson-nib-repair-quotation-joke/

Wow! Waterman charges more for a nib than a new pen! MB service told me if the nib needs a replacement, it is a $275 service. It is more expensive than a nibmeister (I guess) but much better than what Waterman charges.

Edited March 2, 2014 by luckduck369

[novarider]

Ink window looks clear to me. I would send it to MB. It will look the same when it comes back.

 

The ink window is several clear stripes correct?

Edited March 2, 2014 by novarider

[luckduck369]

Ink window looks clear to me. I would send it to MB. It will look the same when it comes back.

 

The ink window is several clear stripes correct?

Yes. The ink window is several clear stripes. They are a bit longer than modern 149 clear stripes, but much shorter than the vintage yellowish stripes.

[Chrissy]

The nibmeister will probably charge you more for the complete job than Montblanc will, and will take much longer as most of them have a backlog.

 

Montblanc will replace all of the parts required to fix it unless there are some that you particularly want to keep and advise them that you don't want them replaced. It's not a particularly old model so IMHO new parts will be the better way to go.

[Rowbo]

... It's not a particularly old model so IMHO new parts will be the better way to go.

 

Hmm?

 

Black plastic piston threads, two tone 14K nib, solid ebonite feed (missing one fin), single part barrel ...

 

According to our reference, that dates the pen '72-'75.

 

I don't know whether MB have spare parts from that era, but I doubt it. So, if any part needs changing it is likely that everything will get changed, except the clip and nib.

 

Is a modern spindle/knob assembly compatible with the plastic threads and the same diameter as an old barrel? Is a modern plastic feed compatible with an old section? I recall that the cap threads changed from 3-start to 4-start (or was it the other way round) as well.

 

So it may not be possible to tell MB to 'keep' some parts. But we know pen restorers who can work magic.

 

It seems a shame that all the 'good' old parts would be scrapped when there are those amongst us who could put them to good use.

[novarider]

That shaft is the only "broken" part. Are the new and old ones universal? I wouldn't think one broken fin off of the feed is enough reason to go to the modern plastic version.

 

There is a thread about a stronger version of this shaft.

[Rowbo]

That shaft is the only "broken" part. Are the new and old ones universal? I wouldn't think one broken fin off of the feed is enough reason to go to the modern plastic version.

 

There is a thread about a stronger version of this shaft.

Yes indeed there is, here http://www.fountainp...w/#entry2812473

... but it is not that easy to fit to the knob!

I know where I would want to send this pen.

[luckduck369]

I know where I would want to send this pen.

 

Rowbo, who do you have in mind?

[isaacrn]

 

Rowbo, who do you have in mind?

 

The answer is in his post. Fountainbel

[Rowbo]

The person who started the thread I linked to - Fountainbel.

 

I have not personally used his services, nor am I in a position to offer them. I am not sure if he does nib work though and the cost/delay in sending to Europe may not be acceptable to you.

 

Send him a PM with a link to this thread (though he may be following it already)

 

No affiliation etc.

[luckduck369]

The person who started the thread I linked to - Fountainbel.

 

I have not personally used his services, nor am I in a position to offer them. I am not sure if he does nib work though and the cost/delay in sending to Europe may not be acceptable to you.

 

Send him a PM with a link to this thread (though he may be following it already)

 

No affiliation etc.

I have read a lot of posts from him and sure he does great work. But as you said, him being in the UK is a big issue for me.

[luckduck369]

Sorry to bump this thread. Just want to update that the pen is sent to MB today for a repair. I will update again when I hear from them. I really appreciate everyone contributed.

[luckduck369]

Sorry to bump such an old thread again. I think it is necessary to give everyone an update.

 

I was contacted by the boutique around 3/12 for an estimate of $75 (the flat rate) to fix the piston and to take care of the nib. I was so excited at the time that MontBlanc will fix the nib within the level 1 service.

 

Around 4/12, I received another call from the boutique that the pen is ready for pickup. Just a side note here that this process took an entire month through the Chicago boutique, which is probably on the longer end of the turnaround time.

 

Because I live almost 3 hours away from the boutique, I went to Chicago and tried to pick up the pen today. When I examine the repair, the nib is left UNTOUCHED!! MontBlanc fixed the piston but the tines are in the same condition as I dropped the pen off over a month ago. The working order clearly stated that the nib has had hard impact. But there's no signs of attempt to fix the nib. The summary sheet from the service center only mentioned the repair of piston with no mention of the nib. Both the SA and I can see ink residual on the nib. I believe that's the same black ink I left on there when pen was in my possession.

 

So the pen is taking another trip to Texas. The store did say they will waive the $75. But don't know if the estimate will go up since the service center ignored the nib in the last attempt.

 

For those of you who are curious, MontBlanc did not change my cap, clip, barrel, and grip section from what I can see. The feed has been changed to a modern plastic feed and the piston is now a metal threaded one.

 

I will update again after I hear more.

[Chrissy]

What does it say was replaced on the service invoice? They would not exchange the cap and clip as a matter of course, unless they were damaged. They say they will only change what is required to get the pen working, but that isn't necessarily all that they always do.

 

It may be that the barrel wasn't changed because the latest one is a different size

[meiers]

How silly of them.

I guess they need a second attempt. They will make it right.

Edited April 20, 2014 by meiers

[luckduck369]

What does it say was replaced on the service invoice? They would not exchange the cap and clip as a matter of course, unless they were damaged. They say they will only change what is required to get the pen working, but that isn't necessarily all that they always do.

 

It may be that the barrel wasn't changed because the latest one is a different size

 

Chrissy, I did not have a chance to look at the detailed invoice at the boutique. So I don't know what was actually replaced except for the parts mentioned above, which can be seen by looking at the pen.

 

It is their ignorance that they forgot to fix the nib bothers me. I thought they have some sort of quality control at the service center. Anyone who tests write the pen at the QC process can notice this problem.

Edited April 20, 2014 by luckduck369

[luckduck369]

How silly of them.

I guess they need a second attempt. They will make it right.

I agree. I can't believe such mistake is taking place at Montblanc.

[Chrissy]

I agree. I can't believe such mistake is taking place at Montblanc.

I know they are. I sent off a brand new Thomas Mann for a free nib exchange. It came back with a badly damaged feed that was fine when it left here. So that had to go back again. Still they got it right 2nd time around, and I don't often have any problem with their service. Maybe someone just forgot to check that before it left Hamburg.

[Blade Runner]

Not good. I would call the supervisor at the service center about this, informing him of the wasted time and effort incurred by their mistake, and asking for his assurance to getting it absolutely right this time. I would also request that the pen get mailed directly to you at their expense since this is their fault.