149 - Service And Cleaning

[Komitadjie]

So, complete newbie to Montblancs here, guys, and I just had the incredible stroke of luck to come into a nonfunctional 149 in a pen swap with a friend. They described it as "in good shape, but not working," which is a nice, generic kind of malfunction description that could mean darn near anything! So I was rather surprised when it showed up to find it in very nice visual condition, with the usual light surface marking and soforth from a number of years of carry in her purse. This is a mid-70s model, if I am reading things correctly, having a two-tone 14K nib, "Germany" engraved on the back of the clip band, and a plastic thread unit for the filler. There is no serial number or "PIX" mark, but if I am reading things correctly, that is as it should be for this era of pen. (I'll post some photos when I get home tonight, of course!)

 

My first attempt, of course, was to fill it with water to see if it would function at all. Interestingly enough, when I dipped the nib to fill... there was no ink residue what-so-ever. Which surprised me, because my experiences with used pens have ALWAYS shown them to be dirty as blazes when I first get them! The piston moved with slight resistance, but only the tiniest bit of water was visible being drawn into the filler, along with... black sand? Uh-oh... That's precipitation... someone had a bad ink reaction. (Turns out, after talking with them later, that it was Montblanc Mystery Black and black Parker Quink) After a bit of careful reading here, and watching a number of YouTube videos on the process, I made myself a simple spanner wrench and very carefully removed the front section of the pen. This particular pen has a pair of spanner slots in the plastic beside the feed, and it came off with relatively little resistance once the pink sealant was broken loose. Sure enough, the entire lower section of the ink chamber was full of black grit, and NOW I was getting some ink residue! The back of the feed was completely caked, and the two ink channels were not even visible under the layer of gunk. First stop was the sink, for a good rinse under cold tap water to knock as much of the "sand" out as I could, then the nib, feed and collar all went into the ultrasonic tank, with a 10% ammonia solution.

 

That is where it stands right now, it's been soaking for about eight hours. I plan to leave it for another eight or so, then attempt to very carefully drive the nib and feed out of the collar. Normally I wouldn't take a disassembly that far, but in this case I don't think I have a choice if I want to get it running again, that ink reacted absolutely everywhere! I'll need to make another spanner wrench this afternoon sized for the piston assembly, that's tonight's project, after I get the nib disassembled and cleaned well.

 

So, pointers for the Newbie? I am familiar with restoring Sheaffer Touchdowns and Snorkels, and I've played with my TWSBIs enough to have a general idea about the operation and care of piston fillers, but this is my first time doing anything with a Montblanc. Actually, my first time TOUCHING a Montblanc. I've read through most of the threads here that I can find on disassembly, reassembly, and cleaning, and at THIS point I'm not seeing anything that looks particularly vicious about the job... When I re-assemble the front of the pen, I see that beeswax, silicone grease, and section sealant are all mentioned as good choices at various points. I have the silicone grease (100% pure) and section sealant (rosin based), both from Ron Zorn available in my shop. Where, precisely, should they be placed? Is this a "threads only" sealing, or should I place some at the end of the nib holder/grip section as well?

 

Again, sorry for the lack of photos, I'll correct that when I get home tonight! It's rather atypical of me not to have photographed the entire disassembly in detail as I did it, I just was rather excited and it totally slipped my mind.

 

[meiers]

Silicone grease is for lubricating the piston.

[meiers]

Do not remove the nib.

Remove the piston assembly and that gives you access to the inside.

[Komitadjie]

I have currently removed the nib holder and grip section from the barrel, leaving the nib and feed still in place in the nib holder. Unfortunately, the lower portion of the barrel (on the ink side of the piston seal) had quite a lot of insoluble precipitate from the ink reaction that took the pen out of action. As far as I can tell, that residue is highly resistant to both water and to my usual 10% ammonia soaking solution (the previous owner had already used repeated 24-hour soaks to attempt to unclog it as well). As of last night (when I began the soak of the removed nib holder) I was unable to blow any air through the feed and nib, which would seem to indicate to me that the passages therein are also similarly blocked. Certainly the exposed back of the feed was covered thoroughly with the granules! The thickness was ~.030 or so, and both openings in the feed were completely obstructed. The initial ultrasonic bath was able to remove that exposed particulate matter, and partially clear the visible openings in the feed, but there is clearly still ink remaining in them.

 

I have some hope that they will at least partially open with the combination of soaking in the ammonia solution and ultrasonic cleaning, but given how the bottom of the ultrasonic tank contains still-undissolved precipitate particles from the exposed sections I am rather doubtful that it will resolve that way. So far, the only success I can detect in removing the residue has been by mechanical action of the ultrasonic physically displacing the granules from the exposed surfaces.

 

Is there a soaking solution that WILL reliably dissolve ink precipitate? As I mentioned, this is apparently a reaction between Montblanc Black and Parker Quink, if my friend's recollection of events ~18 years old are correct.

Edited August 12, 2014 by Komitadjie

[jar]

Patience.

 

It took years to dry up the ink, it will take time for it to dissolve.

[Komitadjie]

Given that I'm reasonably sure this is a ~70s-vintage 149 (I'll post pictures for you guys to weigh in on that this afternoon), is there any materials in it that will be damaged by extended-duration soaking in water or a 10% Water / ammonia solution? Speaking of the nib section, of course, the piston section seems like it should clean out very easily, 99% of it simply detached and fell free of the barrel in the first flushing.

 

Thanks for your help, guys! This is my first time playing with a Montblanc, and I certainly don't want to cause damage!

[meiers]

Patience is the name of the game.

I wouldn't worry. I am not a great pen mechanic. I have "serviced" all of my MB pens and have only damaged one... Off it went to MB service for an $80 tune-up and it came back looking brand new. This is always your fall-back option, if something goes seriously wrong.

 

 

 

Good luck!

[Chrissy]

I must admit I would also have sent it to Montblanc rather than take the risk myself.

 

However Mb would just get the nib out and replace everything else other than the nib, cap & clip with brand new parts, and some users don't like this with older model pens

[I like mango cheesecake]

make sure your pen is not a celluoid pen, as soaking it in solution for that long really kinda ruins the pen.

[Komitadjie]

That is actually precisely why I was even willing to take a shot at it, to be honest. I figure that if all else fails and I CAN'T manage something, I'll just put it all back together, shell out the cash to have MB do the repair for me, and fix the bits I've managed to hose up.

 

I honestly really enjoy working on pens in general, though, particularly ones that are this nicely made. It's a challenge, and a REALLY awesome feeling when you pull it off! Particularly a case like this, where it comes in totally nonfunctional to start with.

 

I really appreciate all the pointers, guys, thanks!

[Komitadjie]

make sure your pen is not a celluoid pen, as soaking it in solution for that long really kinda ruins the pen.

 

I'm fairly sure mine is too late for celluloid, but I'll post some photos this afternoon. The only part I am soaking is the nib and holder assembly, the nib holder doesn't need it, and the barrel and piston will be cleaned separately. They're not NEARLY as crudded-up as the nib and feed!

[Komitadjie]

And finally, some photos! I'd really like to get the piston assembly out, but I think I'm going to need to order the proper tools for this one. My field expedient spanner wrench (a paperclip bent properly) is simply not cutting it. I'm afraid to use any more force on it, I'm near bending the paperclip already. None of the videos I've watched have noted that much pressure required, making me think my tool is simply not sufficient for the job.

 

Here it is in its present state:

 

http://i1158.photobucket.com/albums/p603/Komitadjie/IMG_20140812_163403_zpscc5b258e.jpg

 

 

And the cap alone:

 

http://i1158.photobucket.com/albums/p603/Komitadjie/IMG_20140812_163416_zps7f7c83f8.jpg

 

 

The nib:

 

http://i1158.photobucket.com/albums/p603/Komitadjie/IMG_20140812_163449_zps54b1d9e2.jpg

 

 

And the blind cap showing the threads:

 

http://i1158.photobucket.com/albums/p603/Komitadjie/IMG_20140812_163439_zps32e0bb6f.jpg

[TLMG]

Don't worry-- not celluloid!

[Komitadjie]

VICTORY! Thanks for all your encouragement, guys, and for the advice! I'll still be sending 'er to the service center, I was a clumsy idiot at the very last stage of assembly, and lost my grip with my finger and thumb as I was re-assembling the nib and feed. I managed to slice my finger, and snap off a couple of the fins. First time that's EVER happened to me (about a dozen nib assemblies done now with nary a problem) and it would HAVE to be on my nicest pen! Still writes very nicely, though. But unless I get that fixed, it'll bug the heck out of me. I really love the big, wet, juicy nib!

 

 

http://i1158.photobucket.com/albums/p603/Komitadjie/IMG_20140812_204332_zps76f5a6f9.jpg

 

 

This is why I ended up pulling the nib apart in the first place, check out the precipitate in there! And the stuff is completely water-insoluable as far as I can tell, it just sat at the bottom of the ultrasonic tank like sand, despite the ammonia/soap solution and the ultrasound! Definite note, NEVER to mix those two inks!

 

http://i1158.photobucket.com/albums/p603/Komitadjie/IMG_20140812_163951_zpsbc7009d5.jpg

 

Really, really lovely nib! The two-tone is beautifully suited to the size and detail level involved.

 

http://i1158.photobucket.com/albums/p603/Komitadjie/IMG_20140812_164055_zpsc33a3f45.jpg

Edited August 13, 2014 by Komitadjie

[WilsonCQB1911]

What two inks caused this reaction?

 

NM: I found it in the first post.

 

Thank you for the neat writeup!

Edited August 13, 2014 by WilsonCQB1911

[Komitadjie]

And she's off to the service center! Probably should have just sent 'er there to begin with, but I now have a much better knowledge of the pen than I had before, and I definitely know that I don't pull that nib again unless it's an absolute necessity! That was officially a PAIN to get back in.

[Garageboy]

Was that a split ebonite feed?

[Komitadjie]

To be entirely honest, I am unsure. I know it was ebonite from the feel, and the damaged corners where I hosed it up were the brown-ish colour I would expect from it as well. I'm not sure about being "split", though. It looked more or less like a standard feed to me, with the one exception that near the tip, it had a cut horizontally to a depth of ~1/4" or so perpendicular to the long axis.

 

I'm STILL cussing myself for that fumble, too.

 

EDIT: After doing some research on "split ebonite feed", yes, that is what it had. Seems correct for the time period as well, as far as I am aware, this was a mid-to-late 70s model. Which corresponds neatly with what my friend told me about rough purchase dates, so I'm inclined to call that correct, barring any other indications.

Edited August 19, 2014 by Komitadjie

[TLMG]

How long have they quoted you until you get your baby back? :-(

[Komitadjie]

It just hit their step today (USPS missed the first delivery, so it was received on re-delivery today) so I hope to hear back from them with a quote in a day or two. Should be pretty easy, if I had the pieces I could do it myself with no trouble!

Edited August 20, 2014 by Komitadjie