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Fixble Mb 146 Nib?

23Larsen

By 23Larsen
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23Larsen Mint

23Larsen

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Ok, so this is probably going to be a long and picture heavy post. So if you don´t want to read the whole thing feel free to skip to the end where i summarize this post.

 

 

 

Recently i inquired a online vintage store if they had any fountain pens currently not listed online. Turns out they did.

They had one Pelikan 140 i was very interested in (which turned out to be very disappointing once i got it) and also they had a MB 146. Now, i must admit i´m not really into MB pens as i find them kinda boring (sorry!) and also out of my prize-range.

 

The seller stated that this MB had a broken nib and they asked what amounts to about 20 $ for it. For that prize curiosity got the best of me so i bought them both. I figured that even if its unusable i can se what this pen is about and why people like it so much.

 

I got it last saturday and i gave it a good cleaning and tried the piston. Nothing happened. This was disappointing because i had a small hope it would work and that i might change the nib and get a working pen at some point.

 

But, as i read on this board about the vintage MB 146 i found out the once from the 50s have a slightly different filling system. I thought this would work like my TWSBI 580, but no. If i continued to turn the nob past the point were i previously had stopped suddenly the pen soaked up water. Earlier i had stopped as soon as i felt any resistance afraid i would brake something and thinking that was as far as i could turn it.

The filling mechanism works, if i turn the nob past the slight resistance it engages and soaked up water.

 

Soon i got it cleaned to the point were i could clearly see the ink window. Now, i´m no expert on any fountain pen, but especially not MB. I have no stores near me were i can observe what an MB 146 really looks like. This could well be a fake for all i know, and for the price i paid i would not be angry should that be the case. Based on pictures i´ve seen it looks real to me.

 

Here are some pictures

 

http://i.imgur.com/Oa99ZHMl.png

 

http://i.imgur.com/A0gNNWo.png

 

http://i.imgur.com/hDMP8m8.png

http://i.imgur.com/nmazgUb.png

 

Size comparison, MB-580- Pilot Custom 74:

http://i.imgur.com/gN65ztt.png

 

http://i.imgur.com/qzUsj3q.png

 

http://i.imgur.com/q8AMY5w.png

 

 

There are some things that make me wonder if this is real. There is a gap here that should not be there:

 

http://i.imgur.com/MhUTaVv.png

 

Also the cap ring which says Montblanc-Meisterstuck spins around. I would think this is not what it is supposed to do? Also, the ring above it is kinda loose.

 

Ok, so the one thing a have not posted a picture of yet is the nib. Remember the seller said it was broken?

Well, to me it looks like its the tipping that has broken of, not the nib itself:

 

http://i.imgur.com/9Xr1ise.png

 

http://i.imgur.com/bPfs9U2.png

 

http://i.imgur.com/kKcRgFb.png

 

 

If its only the tipping then surely the nib could be re-tipped by a nibmeister?

 

Oh, and i shall try and get a better picture of the nib engravings but its really hard to get a proper picture.

 

 

Summary:

 

Is this MB 146 a real vintage MB and can the nib be fixed?

My fountain pen instagram account

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hari317 Museum Piece

hari317

Posted
Posted
...

Is this MB 146 a real vintage MB and can the nib be fixed?

Yes and yes. send the pen to Francis for overhaul first and then onto Mottishaw for the nib.

In case you wish to write to me, pls use ONLY email by clicking here. I do not check PMs. Thank you.

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hari317 Museum Piece

hari317

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Thanks a lot!

 

Wow, i can´t help to feel excited about that, a real MB :)

 

Mottishaw i know of, but i am not familiar with the name Francis?

 

(sorry if i´m asking stupid questions. I´m still fairly new)

Francis Goossens = Fountainbel

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/user/753-fountainbel/

In case you wish to write to me, pls use ONLY email by clicking here. I do not check PMs. Thank you.

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23Larsen Mint

23Larsen

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Did not expect to get a response that quickly, thanks again hari317! :D

 

I´ll message him and hear if he is willing to do some work on my pen.

Most importantly i need to convince my girlfriend that this would be money well spent, she is of the opinion i have gotten a bit overboard on this hobby. But, as she likes vintage stuff i might be able to convince her this would be well worth it.

 

Thanks Per, i´m really happy with it!

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hari317 Museum Piece

hari317

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It looks like a pen that has received little use, perhaps the nib failed early on in its life. This is a pen worth spending the money on to bring back to full condition. All the best and do report back when the job is done!

In case you wish to write to me, pls use ONLY email by clicking here. I do not check PMs. Thank you.

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stavanger Near Mint

stavanger

Posted
Posted

NIce catch. Ths nib is definitely broken. It seems to have sufficient material left for a reground, and if you prefer, retipping. It may set you back a bit.

Also - remember the weird Norwegian Customs regulations; 200 kr. is free of import taxes, 201 kr. will cost you 25 per cent Vat + approximately 130 kr in handling charges.

This will apply on return of the pen from repair, be sure that the value stated is the cost of the repair, and not the value of the pen.

 

Best of luck in the repair of your beautiful 146.

 

Ove

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playtime Extremely Rare

playtime

Posted
Posted

you're the sumgai for today:) nice catch!

 

I suspect your pen is made of celluloid, which can shrink over time, causing the gap. and the cap rings of vintage MBs can come loose.

 

whatever the case all the above advice is sound. this pen can and should be restored if you can afford to do so. a glorious pen.

 

goldnibs.com is located in spain - they can retip it for you. or there is Mr Adarlo in Spain as well who can retip. Or you can buy a vintage nib from Regina Martini........

 

whatever the case, do let us know if/when the pen is restored! would love to see how this turns out:)

 

J

"Writing is 1/3 nib width & flex, 1/3 paper and 1/3 ink. In that order."Bo Bo Olson

"No one needs to rotate a pen while using an oblique, in fact, that's against the whole concept of an oblique, which is to give you shading without any special effort."Professor Propas, 24 December 2010

 

"IMHO, the only advantage of the 149 is increased girth if needed, increased gold if wanted and increased prestige if perceived. I have three, but hardly ever use them. After all, they hold the same amount of ink as a 146."FredRydr, 12 March 2015

 

"Surely half the pleasure of life is sardonic comment on the passing show."Sir Peter Strawson

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23Larsen Mint

23Larsen

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Yes, i know about our customs, but sometimes it can work in your favor. When i bought my two TWSBI Micarta they came with the notebook, and since books are not taxable the tax was very low indeed :)

 

Goldnibs was a good tip, thanks! I´m thinking shipping time to them would be shorter than sending the pen to the states. I need to do some thinking on what i should do, and it may take some time get the pen in proper condition, but i´ll definitely post some appropriate pictures once it is done.

 

Awesome help people, thanks to one and all. And if anyone reading this has other links to post feel free to do so :)

My fountain pen instagram account

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Sblakers Vintage

Sblakers

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Incredible find! You are very lucky. 50's 14x series pens are amazing. It looks to be in fantastic shape as well. Good job!

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logantrky Vintage

logantrky

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Looks like a beautiful 50s 146. I would encourage you to get it restored and retipped. Congrats!

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orfew Collectors Item

orfew

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I have sent several vintage MBs to Francis for repair. His work is amazing. Please do get this great pen fixed. These celluloid MBs are great writers.

" Gladly would he learn and gladly teach" G. Chaucer

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Chrissy Museum Piece

Chrissy

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NIce catch. Ths nib is definitely broken. It seems to have sufficient material left for a reground, and if you prefer, retipping. It may set you back a bit.

Also - remember the weird Norwegian Customs regulations; 200 kr. is free of import taxes, 201 kr. will cost you 25 per cent Vat + approximately 130 kr in handling charges.

This will apply on return of the pen from repair, be sure that the value stated is the cost of the repair, and not the value of the pen.

 

Best of luck in the repair of your beautiful 146.

 

Ove

I would hope that all of the expert nibmeisters that FPN members deal with would only put the value of the repair on a returning item

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Dillo Donor Pen

Dillo

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Posted

Hi,

 

For the nib, I recommend Greg Minuskin. I've had him do a number of retips for me. You can get the body of the pen checked by fountainbel as previously mentioned. There are also some other repair people in Europe who can repair it as well.

 

Dillon

Stolen: Aurora Optima Demonstrator Red ends Medium nib. Serial number 1216 and Aurora 98 Cartridge/Converter Black bark finish (Archivi Storici) with gold cap. Reward if found. Please contact me if you have seen these pens.

Please send vial orders and other messages to fpninkvials funny-round-mark-thing gmail strange-mark-thing com. My shop is open once again if you need help with your pen.

Will someone with the name of "Jay" who emailed me through the email system provide me an email address? There was no email address provided, so I can't write back.

Dillon

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soapytwist Vintage

soapytwist

Posted
Posted

Plus one for Greg. He managed to re-tip an Onoto nib for me that had a piece of one tine missing.

 

Before: https://www.flickr.com/photos/19134612@N02/14150506085/in/photostream/lightbox/

 

After:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/19134612@N02/14170550413/in/photostream/lightbox/

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/19134612@N02/14150661644/in/photostream/lightbox/

 

Yours will look better than mine, as he tried to save as much of the platinum plating as possible. Your nib is the reverse of mean which means he'll be able to polish it up nicely.

"Truth can never be told, so as to be understood, and not be believ'd." (Wiiliam Blake)

 

Visit my review: Thirty Pens in Thirty Days

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23Larsen Mint

23Larsen

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Thanks everybody! :)

 

I have been in contact with Francis and he has been very helpful, the pen will be sent to him. I will send an email to Greg Minuskin to see if he will do the re-tipping. I did not have time to do it yesterday.

If everything goes well this will be taken care of much faster than what i had anticipated.

My fountain pen instagram account

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jar Ancient Artifact

jar

Posted
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Thanks everybody! :)

 

I have been in contact with Francis and he has been very helpful, the pen will be sent to him. I will send an email to Greg Minuskin to see if he will do the re-tipping. I did not have time to do it yesterday.

If everything goes well this will be taken care of much faster than what i had anticipated.

Since Francis is now doing full pens be sure to ask him if he can see to the retip too?

 

 

 

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