Hi Everyone,

Been a lurker of the forum for the past few months. Thank you all for fueling this new addiction with your wonderful pictures and discussions. I am a newbie in love with alot of different pens especially the montblanc safety fillers. Something about that vintage look and that white star. So I am looking for some guidance, how do I find one? How did everyone else find theirs? Is ebay my only option? Are they extremely rare? Do I just have to be really patient and wait? Any recommended sites to visit? What should I expect to pay?

Second part, any recommendations for readings on vintage pens/montblancs, how to care, fix, restore? Or do people usually take this to the experts to do?

Thank you. My apologies for the mass questioning.

toefoo
First, welcome to FPN. As you have already discovered, it is a great space with many great people.

On the MB safety filler question, are you only looking at vintage? I ask because MB released their historical 100 year pen in 2006 and it is a safety filler. Those are still available to be had.

Regards,
...Vintner

Well, the "Historical Edition" looks like a safety filler but only is a cartridge filler.

Looking for real safty fillers you should visit one of the pen shows as they are hardy offered on the internet.

Good luck,
Axel

Hi ,

I have 4 of the vintage safety fillers and one of the Anniversary pens. I also have 2 others that are identical to the Montblanc but are made by other companies, German and USA. The German one has a large white dot on the top, the other is just black. There is no comparison in the composition or the "feel" you get when you hold these vintage pens. The surface warms to the touch and isn't hard and unyeilding like the new models. You can scan the internet or use Ebay. All that I bought were from Ebay and are genuine. Type in Safety pen or Simplo, and there are usually several listed, mostly from Italy and Germany. Expect to pay in the $400- $700 price range, or more for a nice one. Fill the pens with water and allow the cork seals to expand if they haven't been replaced, before putting ink in them. (if you want to write with them). Most that I bought had oxidation which is common with rubber. Your car tires do the same thing resulting in the brown residue. This is easily removed by placing them on a padded surface with a towel, and using a paste car wax such as RainDance, dampened with a soft cloth. The pens return to the dark black, and you have conditioned the rubber and sealed it against further deterioration. And they really shine like new. It will also remove the yellowing from the white snow cap. For all my pens that I buy used, I use this wax because it will buff out tiny scratches on the body and the metal clip. DO NOT use this on the nibs, as it may plug them up. Then a general shine up with a soft cloth sprayed with Turtle Wax express shine for the finishing touch. It wipes on and off, leaving a shine that resists dust and fingerprints. They wipe of easily. It also protects the pens against ink stains. I bought some large glass test tubes that I store the pens in, with cork stoppers. They allow them to be shown without handling the pens, and stops air from further aging them.