I do not yet have a Monteblanc. I think the most valuable pen I have is an Italian fountain pen, a green "Itoya" of some sort (godiamsuchaheathen) but no inks I like for it, and the most expensive pen I actually use is a silver Pilot G2 Limited (Which I am madly in love with.)

But I have my hopes and dreams. Also, I should note that I am 1) Very cheap, and 2) Have hoarding tendencies, and 3) It MUST :| be archival.

So I ask, are MB pens archival? Where can I get one relatively inexpensive? What's a good pen for a beginner? How should I go about utilizing it and caring for it?

Hello Agnium and welcome to FPN

I am not sure what you mean by 'archival' so please explain.. from what you say for your first MB I would suggest you consider buying a pre-owned MB.. firstly so that you can 'experiement' yourself/habits on it and also for it to fall within your desireable price range.. MB pens are great and a pre-owned MB could look and perform just like a brand new one

Hi! What I mean is it won't fade or bleed sneakily like i hear that alcohol-based ink does. Something that'll stay put for well over thirty years, like PITT or Micron or G2, etc. And I'm okay with used items so long as I can find good ones that were cared for, and a little more importantly, <i>in real life</i>; That is, no online shopping. I don't have the means to do that, and I live in something like a one-horse town. We don't even have a Staples in Fairbanks. Best we got is an OfficeMax and a Michael's in one mall strip, a Jo-Ann's Crafts, and a Ben Franklin Crafts in our neighboring town, North Pole.

I might want to inspect the Office Max a little more closely.

I agree with Pravda that many good pre-owned MBs can be found at good prices. A good MB for a beginner
would be a 145. It is relatively small and uses a converter or takes cartridges.

In addition to clarifying what you mean by "archival", can you also explain the reference to "Have hoarding
tendencies"? Thanks.
...Vintner

P.S.
Welcome to the Network!

I made the dumbass mistake to get a WHOOLE BUNCHA inky things that seemed to have dried up over a few years; certainly a lot faster than I was expecting. Kind of related to that is how I gather up a bunch of almost-expensive stationery things and then go "no, no, I'm not good enough yet to soil its immaculate pages just yet." like with my precious single genuine Moleskine that I only soiled two pages of so far in two months. But that's not related and I'm getting over that dumb habit.

I just don't want to catch a good sale of inks or something and end up with a bunch of dried and sealed inkbottles because I felt impulsed to buy them and then not use them for lame reasons.

Archival = Won't turn on me after a number of years and go 'splode like I hear ballpoint-inked things might. Will stay as is for the rest of my years. Stuff like that.

Ah, so you are looking for advice on pens AND inks? If inks, there are as many good choices as pens.
MB blue/black ink is archival, available and not a hording ink. Noodlers also makes some good archival
inks but may be limited in its availability to you.

Regards,
Vintner

I actualy had to look up the dictionary whats "archival".

My advice is get the MB 146.Second hand you can get it for 200$-250$.Its an awsom pen and will last you for years.My 146 is 30 years old and work like its brand new.