Mb 149 Servicing

[Dutchpen]

today i serviced my modern MB 149.

 

This is a 2003 Montblanc meisterstück 149 with a F nib in tri-tone.

 

you need:

-water (cold from the tap)

-nib removing tool

-piston removing tool

-flat screwdriver

-needle

-siliconen grease (100% siliconen)

-loctite (243)

-silver polish

-polishing cloth

-some paper towels

-piece op gripping material or nock out block

 

 

what to do:

 

 

First:

 

-Empty the pen, or wait until it is empty.

-Flush the nib under the tap with cold water and turn the piston knob a couple of times clockwise and anti-clockwise until the water is not too colored anymore.

-Dry the nib carefully with some paper or a soft cloth.

-Clean the complete pen from the outside first before taking it apart.

 

 

Disassembly of the body:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-Remove the nib section, there are two little pricks in the collar at both sides of the feed. insert the nib removing tool in there and turn the the nib unit anti clockwise out of the barrel.

 

-Remove the nib and feed out of the collar, the best way is to use a nock out block but a piece of rubber gripping is also possible, just pull and turn a little to take the nib out, but do it gentle.

-Clean the feed, nib and collar under the tap with cold water, do not use hot water because this can damage the feed, do not clean the nib with silver polish because the plated material can be polished away.

-Dry the nib, feed and collar with a soft cloth and leave it to dry for 30 minutes.

-Remove the complete piston unit with the goldplated ring.

-Turn the knob anti clockwise to get the piston out, turn the knob further until it comes of the brass treaded unit.

-Clean the piston with a soft cloth until all the ink is off.

-Clean the piston rod with a soft cloth, all the old grease has to be off.

-Clean the brass unit with water and a soft cloth, u can use the needle to take the old loctite out of the threads, clean the threads where the piston knob runs carefully.

-Clean the piston knob and take out all the old grease.

-Clean the goldplated ring with water and a soft cloth.

-Clean the barrel under a running tap with cold water until al the inks is gone.

-Use a soft cloth to clean the inside of the barrel including the ink-chamber carefully.

-Dry the barrel with a soft cloth.

 

If there are micro scratches on the barrel and cap, you can use some silver polish to polish the resin of the pen.

 

Now you have to put back together all the parts an lubricate the moving parts.

 

 

 

 

The nib:

The nib can be fitted with the feed in the collar in one way.

there is a small form in the feed which fitts into the base of the nib, place the nib in there and hold them tight together.

pic. 1 is the nib not set right.

pic. 2 is the nib set right.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Place the nib and feed into the collar, beware of the two pricks in the collar, they have to be at both sides of the nib and pointe downwards.

Push the nib and feed tightly in the collar but do it carefully.

The tip from the feed has to be in the middle of the tip of the nib, see pic below

 

 

 

screw the nib unit clockwise back into the barrel, DO NOT USE TOO MUCH FORCE!!

 

 

The piston unit:

The piston unit has to be lubricated with 100% silicone grease, grease the piston cup, the rod at the outside and the inside. also put some grease on the brass unit where the knob runs.

put all the pieces back together carefully.

 

Put a little loctite on the threads where the piston unit goes into the barrel, place the goldplated ring back on the threaded piston unit and push the into the barrel. use the piston removal tool to tighten the piston unit back into the barrel. DO NOT USE TOO MUCH FORCE!!

Be sure that the piston unit is all the way into the barrel an that the goldplated ring is not loose.

 

Disassembly of the cap:

 

It is only possible to disassemble the cap in 4 parts:

-Body

-Snowcap

-Screw

-Clip

 

The 3 rings cannot be disassembled.

 

-Use a flat screwdriver to unscrew the screw inside the cap.

-Turn the screw anti clockwise.

 

in the body of the cap is a little hole, be sure this hole is open.

the clip has to be over this hole in the cap when assembling the cap.

 

 

DO NOT USE TOO MUCH FORCE on the screw!!, this can damage the snowcap.

 

Next step:

 

Ink it up !

 

 

 

Good luck

 

Lennard

 

Edited September 17, 2010 by lennardvanzwam

[CS388]

Sweet! Thanks for that.

 

Got a bit lost with the nib base and feed explanation - and couldn't quite make out what the two small photographs of this step were?

 

But a great post. Well done!

[Dutchpen]

Sweet! Thanks for that.

 

Got a bit lost with the nib base and feed explanation - and couldn't quite make out what the two small photographs of this step were?

 

But a great post. Well done!

 

hi,

 

sorry, it's a little hard to explain but i made some changes in pic. order, maybe it is more clear now.

 

 

Lennard

[adyf]

Where would you obtain a nib and piston removal tool?

[Dutchpen]

Where would you obtain a nib and piston removal tool?

 

Hi,

 

i have older tools to do the job.

I know that the member Fountainbel sold these tools some time ago, i don't know if he still has them for sale.

 

Montblanc does not sell these tools unfortunately.

 

 

Lennard

[CS388]

Sweet! Thanks for that.

 

Got a bit lost with the nib base and feed explanation - and couldn't quite make out what the two small photographs of this step were?

 

But a great post. Well done!

 

hi,

 

sorry, it's a little hard to explain but i made some changes in pic. order, maybe it is more clear now.

 

 

Lennard

 

Got it. Thanks.

[Iskender]

For tools look at penboard.de (no affiliation, etc.).

[Toolan]

Very nice indeed.

 

Just to satisfy my curiosity, what is the mark on the underside of the clip - about a-third of the way up ?

 

Toolan

[Dutchpen]

Very nice indeed.

 

Just to satisfy my curiosity, what is the mark on the underside of the clip - about a-third of the way up ?

 

Toolan

 

 

 

 

The mark under the clip says PIX, this is also a trade mark from Montblanc. it is also a point to check if a Montblanc pen is not a counterfeit.

Newer models have this PIX also on the thick cap ring.

 

Lennard

[Toolan]

Very nice indeed.

 

Just to satisfy my curiosity, what is the mark on the underside of the clip - about a-third of the way up ?

 

Toolan

 

 

 

 

The mark under the clip says PIX, this is also a trade mark from Montblanc. it is also a point to check if a Montblanc pen is not a counterfeit.

Newer models have this PIX also on the thick cap ring.

 

Lennard

 

Ah, a very valuable piece of information, thanks.

 

Not wishing to hi-jack this thread, I shall search elsewhere for the answer to the next question: When did MB begin to mark their pens thus ?

 

Thanks again,

 

Toolan

[tanalasta]

Beautiful photos and thank you for taking the time and effort to document this all of the way.

 

I'm not sure I'd use locktite (essentially superglue but with controlled strength) on a MontBlanc in case I need to take it apart or the service centre does. Would it cause any problems in this regard?

 

Lastly, I also didn't notice any of the bubblegum sealant seen in other disassembly posts.

 

A source for the tools you mentioned would be great too to help us DIY.

[Dutchpen]

hi,

 

 

i never had any problems with loctite on a mb.

i had a 146 silver solitaire fp with a pistonunit that came out every time and i secured it with a very little drop of loctite, this mb went off to mb because the barrel started to leak near the section. they just replaced the barrel and serviced the entire pen.

 

when using loctite you have to use a very small amount of it, just to secure the pistonunit from getting loose after a while.

 

 

 

Lennard

[jigesh]

Thank you Lennard for the DIY tips; nice pictures!

[hari317]

Great post and pictures, thanks Lennard! I have a couple of queries:

 

• 
   
  
• I see that the feeder case is of the latest type in your 149, On the 149s with modern two piece barrels, the feeder case will have the section "flare" attached to it. I see that the section flare is still attached to the pen with the feeder case removed from the pen. Can you pls elaborate the method of attachement of this flare on the newer 149s.
  
• MB uses "Bubble gum sealant" (no one seems to know what it is) for securing the feeder case, what is your recommendation?
  

 

Thanks!

Hari

[Peter of Poland]

Hi,

 

Thank you for this excellent guide. I think it is time to lubricate my MB 146. I wanted to have it done by myself so have read several posts on servicing MB fountain pens here and there. I am not afraid of using tools, however I have got some doubts about suggested MB substitutes.

 

Loctite 243 is mentioned here but in its technical date sheet (at the top of page 3) one can find information that this product is not recommended for use on plastics (particularly on thermoplastic materials). One can download the TDS from this site (look at the bottom of the page).

 

In another thread, Dow Corning High-Vacuum Grease (a silicone grease) was recommended for the piston lubrication. Again, in its technical date sheet (middle column on page 2) one can read that this product is not recommended for use with silicone elastomers. One can download the TDS from this site (look for DC-976) .

 

If I recall correctly, in at least one thread another poster has warned against using petroleum jelly. At penboard.de (at the description of a MB piston removal tool in the middle of the page) and here at FPN, Vaseline was recommended (BTW it is advised there not to use silicone grease for the lubrication of the MB barrels). However, Vaseline is simply a brand name for petroleum jelly (look at Wikipedia).

 

So I am really confused and it seems to me that the only save approach for my beloved pen in a long term is starting to use a lubricating ink (e.g. one from the Noodler’s American Eel series) or send it to the MB service department :-( .

 

EDIT: added info on Dow Corning High-Vacuum Grease

Edited September 19, 2010 by Peter of Poland

[niksch]

I'm not sure why you would want to use Loctite. The seal that draws ink is formed by the elastomer seal not the threads of the piston/barrel. If the piston mechanism is installed correctly, it will not "back off" or unthread. There does not need to be any sealant applied to the piston threads.

[hari317]

 

In another thread, Dow Corning High-Vacuum Grease was recommended for the piston lubrication. Again, in its technical date sheet (middle column on page 2) one can read that this product is not recommended for use with silicone elastomers. One can download the TDS from this site (look for DC-976) .

 

 

Is there any component in the 149 made of silicone based elastomer?

[Peter of Poland]

 

In another thread, Dow Corning High-Vacuum Grease was recommended for the piston lubrication. Again, in its technical date sheet (middle column on page 2) one can read that this product is not recommended for use with silicone elastomers. One can download the TDS from this site (look for DC-976) .

 

 

Is there any component in the 149 made of silicone based elastomer?

 

I thought that the MB 146 piston is made of it. I may be wrong, though :embarrassed_smile: .

[Dutchpen]

if i'm right, the 149 piston cup from the modern series are made of silicone based material.

 

 

Lennard

[hari317]

if i'm right, the 149 piston cup from the modern series are made of silicone based material.

 

Hi Lennard, Silicone grease is usually not a recommended lubricant for Silicone based elastomers, so I hope the piston seal on the 149 is not made of silicone. I have no way to determine what material that is. It does feel a lot more resilent than the typical silicone elastomer that I have seen.

 

http://www.dowcorning.com/content/publishedlit/Chapter18.pdf

 

Regards,

Hari