Mb 221 Details

[kuli1961]

Hello,

This afternoon I received one MB 221 fp. Spent a plenty of time flushing it, luckily it was easy to dismantle it (without doing that at dangerous nib zone).

Before I made a decision to buy it (price was 60 EUR over local sell&buy Internet site), seller swore that fp was in a good working condition. In fact, it is- just filled it with Parker black ink (MB black and toffee brown are in my office) and so far fp works good. OK, there is one "issue"- top of the nib is curved to the left, but it suits me, because I am left handed person. The nib is F, I think.

Prior to purchase, I visited many of the sites and topics here (of course!) related to 221, including that I browsed a plenty of MB 221 pics.

Learned that 221 was produced between 1971-1979 (correct?), piston filler system (2 types-older and newer system, mine is older, I assume). Also I discovered that some sources say- resin, and some-celluloid? whatever.. I do not mind..

Regarding the piston system, my pen belong to category of fp displayed on the following picture (

 

I noticed that my pen is missing one ring (gold plated??), attached to the ink window. Also, there is no star located on top of the piston cap/outer screw. I also saw a few pictures on the Internet where 221 displayed also has not that ring, or star on top of the piston, either.

Can anyone give me more details on history of MB 221, I would like to learn what is the nearest date of production (having regard to description I gave and picture enclosed) and what are the elements/part this pen MUST have?

Any thought is very welcomed!

P.S: I apologize for not giving any authentic picture- my camera isn't good enough to make macro pics. Also, please do not mind bad English, I am not native EN speaker...

THX!

[jar]

It's likely what you have is an oblique nib, one that slants. In your case it sounds like a "left foot" (look at your toes) oblique nib.

[entropydave]

Hello

 

If your pen is like the one in the picture, you have the second generation feed, where the nib attaches to the feed and not to the section. The underside is sloped and there is no breathing hole. This is the one that was retained when this pen was restyled with a non-number as the Montblanc Generation.

 

The ink window ring is not essential. There are two types of ink window "belts." One one the belt flares with a lip where it meets the barrel for a smooth seam. On the other the belt does not flare and the gold ring does the job of smoothing the seam. So if your belt flares with a lip, you are not missing a ring.

 

I have never seen a pen of this kind that does not have the star at the end of the binde cap. However, I have lost a few of them. They can be easily dislodged since they are just press-fit into a hole. Vigorous washing can dislodge them, heat, and fiddling. However, they perform no functional role, so the pen works fine without the star.

 

I am not sure when the 221 was introduced or when the change in feed was made. I have formed the view that it was in 1973, but I do not have any evidence to present. If so, your pen would have been made in 1973 or later.

 

It is definitely made of resin, not celluloid.

 

David.

Edited February 14, 2014 by entropydave

[kuli1961]

Entropydave,

thanks a lot for your very detailed explanation. Yes, ink window flares with a lip, so there is no additional ring, goldplated, cap works fine. Maybe I haven't understood you correctly, but here - nib feeder and section(?) are together-one solid piece, nib is attached to section via 2 slots, one from the each side, and there is a "breathing hole"... if I explained correctly. Pictures, no matter how blur are, explain much better..

 

pics 1 and 2- no gold plated ring

pic 3- nib,section and ink window- from above

pic 4- nib and "breathing hole", from underneath

pic 5- like pic 4, once more

pic 6- top of the pen body, where MB sign should be, instead that, some "sponge" or similar material is visible

 

Pen is working very good, no leaks, and nib obediently follows my "left handed" personality.. I do not mind some micro scratches on the pen body, and that MB sign on the top of the cap is slightly yellowish...it's a matter of usage over the years... in fact, another MB in my humble collection...

 

THX to all who read these posts and who replied, especially!

 

 

[entropydave]

Hi

 

You have the first generation feed, which I prefer, but I have no idea if it is actually better performing. This means your pen was made in the early part of the 1970s. As I said, probably before 1974, though I have no documentary evidence for that. Nice pen.

 

The binde cap is very odd. I've never seen that. It should normally have a lip and a slightly recessed flat surface with a very small hole (the size of a small pinhead). Through the hole you can see part of the filling mechanism. If I had to guess from the blurry picture, someone has put something on the end to cover the hole.

 

If it writes well, enjoy. They're great pens, very light with lovely soft nibs.

 

David.

[konis]

Is this pen is Montblanc 221 ?

Strange for me. I have green MB 221, but it has more differences.

http://images55.fotosik.pl/105/e5835a3069380346.jpg

http://images55.fotosik.pl/105/debc446462e2dbe5.jpg

http://images51.fotosik.pl/104/392bcad354f63bdb.jpg

http://images51.fotosik.pl/104/53d39c2c3e3fcd4e.jpg

http://images53.fotosik.pl/105/db93195afad05a6f.jpg

http://images51.fotosik.pl/104/414dc7c3dc8a1d41.jpg

http://images53.fotosik.pl/256/2396c401b5238a83.jpg

regards

[akmac]

Konis, your 221 looks rather strange; all examples of this model I've seen so far could be described as similar to the 220, but with a glossy instead of brushed finish, i.e. just what kuli1961 presents in his photos and what you have shown on the Polish forums (the burgundy-coloured one). The front part on yours seems to be the same as on a 22 or 24; it appears slightly narrower, at least on the outside, than the ink-view ring. I'm quite curious whether the section from a 22 or 24 could be coupled with the barrel of a 220/221 (I don't currently have the latter with me, so can't check this myself).

[entropydave]

Hello Konis

 

Akmac is right, your 221 is very odd. I've never seen anything like it. I don't think it can be explained by supposing that a 24 or 22 section was put on the front of a 221. First, I've tried and the threading on a 24 is too big. Second, while the 22 might fit, the feeds are not compatible. The feed of a 22 ends in a flush surface that goes into the inner acrylic barrel liner, while the inner liner of a 221 is blocked off with a recessed surface that has a small hole for a feed channel. I tried, just to convince myself, and there was no chance.

 

On the face of it, yours look likes it has a 24 or 22 nib, nib housing/collar, and "banana" feed. However your banana feed is very odd, since instead of ending flush it has a feed channel extending out to make it compatible with the 221 acrylic barrel liner. It would be interesting for you to pull the feed from the collar so that we could see what it looks like.

 

One explanation could be that it is a transitional prototype that was built when they were experimenting with what the 221 would be like. They used a 22 section, let's say, with a custom feed. One very small piece of evidence in this direction is that when I consulted a Montblanc repair manual for the 121 dated March 18, 1969--making it very early--it mentioned many models of pen including the 220 and the 225, but *not* the 221.

 

Anyway, it is very interesting.

 

David.

[konis]

" ......It would be interesting for you to pull the feed from the collar so that we could see what it looks like....."

http://images52.fotosik.pl/257/c7cc3ddf4c5a39f2.jpg

http://images54.fotosik.pl/257/c8b376c4d1d7690f.jpg

http://images53.fotosik.pl/257/b569c399266452bc.jpg

http://images54.fotosik.pl/257/d6c8015bd144b2fe.jpg

http://images52.fotosik.pl/257/e960e40b4a610a31.jpg

http://images51.fotosik.pl/256/1445ee1c9f33fc10.jpg

http://images52.fotosik.pl/257/fc55ce034c0f8427.jpg

So. What do You think about it ?

regards

[entropydave]

Hi

 

Well first, thank you for the detailed photos and for pulling it apart. The nib and collar look to me like completely standard Montblanc 22 elements. The section is also the same as a 22. The feed is very like a 22, but more different than I expected. First, the feed normally terminates flush at the barrel-end of the section and there is a v-shaped groove into which the ink flows. Here, there is the extended ink channel I noted before. Second, the upper half of the feed where it is a cylinder and approaches the "comb" of the feed has some extra notches cut into it and the ink channel is thicker than in the 22, where it is a tapered groove. So it is definitely different and designed to mate with the acrylic barrel liner.

 

Having now seen it I can think of one reason why it might prove to be an inferior solution to the one they eventually adopted. (It could be they adopted a different design for aesthetic reasons.) On the 221 and its siblings (220, 121 et al) there is a silicon or rubber disc with a hole in the middle that is placed on the extended ink channel from the feed. This has the effect of creating a seal between the feed and the acrylic liner that holds the ink when they are combined. The seal surrounds the ink channel that protrudes into the acrylic ink reservoir. This rubber disc is visible in the first picture in this thread on the bottom row of parts, leftmost.

 

My speculation is that the hard plastic (not rubber) feed collar borrowed from the 22 does not mate with the acrylic liner to make as a good a seal. But that is pure speculation.

 

Anyway it makes for a nice mystery. I'm no expert though. It could be there is someone on FPN who has seen thousands of Montblancs and has seen one of these before.

 

cheers

David.