Mb Warranty

July 24, 2015

Hi all,

I hope you could help me on this one.

Do you happen to know what is the general procedure on new pens under warranty that just keep on skipping?

One of my pens has been scratchy from day one. I've only filled it once. Long story short, it has been going back and forth from the boutique to the service center for additional nib tweaking. It's worth mentioning that after the last try, it does write better. Yet still, it won't stop skipping on simple upstrokes.

Instead of the usual nib tweaking, could they just change the nib?

July 24, 2015

Montblanc offers a free nib-exchange within 6 weeks of purchase.

Edited July 24, 2015 by meiers

July 24, 2015

Thank you meiers for suggesting that. Unfortunately, by the time I've finally inked the pen, the 6-weeks period had already passed.

July 24, 2015

You might consider waiting for a couple of weeks and using the pen on a daily basis. It depends on how serious the problem is. I would agree with others that there is no "breaking in" period but a new pen or even an old one that has not been filled with ink for awhile can be a bit cranky. The scratchiness may be due to the lack of ink between the paper and the nib from poor flow. Check under high magnification to see if the tines are aligned. There is no mention of the nib size. Broad nibs and larger may have a baby bottom due to polishing at the factory. There are several good Youtube videos showing how to increase the distance between the nib and the feed to improve ink flow and to align the tines. A baby's bottom can be cured using the finest micro mesh and drawing eight 8s on it. Go slow. If it is a new pen there may be some manufacturing lubricants, releasing agents, or otherwise hydrophobic agents in the feed/nib mechanism. Inks contain a small amount of detergent so performance may be improved with time. I recently put a 147 back in rotation and it was very difficult for about a week. It had been thoroughly cleaned before being put away and I cleaned it again and again in an attempt to resolve the skipping, scratchiness, and poor flow. I left it for a day or two filled with ink, picked it up, and it worked perfectly. I have been using it for several weeks without any incidents. Perhaps micro bubbles in the feed causing an air lock?

July 24, 2015

Hi all,

I hope you could help me on this one.

Do you happen to know what is the general procedure on new pens under warranty that just keep on skipping?

One of my pens has been scratchy from day one. I've only filled it once. Long story short, it has been going back and forth from the boutique to the service center for additional nib tweaking. It's worth mentioning that after the last try, it does write better. Yet still, it won't stop skipping on simple upstrokes.

Instead of the usual nib tweaking, could they just change the nib?

If you bought it through an authorized MB dealer there is a warranty and they will replace the pen or nib if that's necessary.

To be honest, though, I'm not sure saying a fountain pen is "scratchy" is the kind of thing that makes them immediately think "new nib needed." It may sound like user inexperience or error to them. And it doesn't give them many clues. You probably would do better to describe the problem very specifically. When I was in that situation, I brought my faulty pen, inked, to the boutique where I had purchased it. I showed them the issue and let them write with it, too. They could see the problem and clearly describe it to the service center.

If they are telling you it's fixed, and you still find it scratchy, though, maybe you just need to smooth it more for your tastes. In that case, any nibmeister would help. Montblanc nibs aren't as smooth, as, say, Pelikan, in my experience.

July 24, 2015

I would continue working with the dealer and MB service.... under warranty. They will make it right.

Explain the problem orally and in writing. Explain that you want your nib smooth and wet.

Maybe your pen needs an ink-flow adjustment.

Edited July 24, 2015 by meiers

July 24, 2015

You might consider waiting for a couple of weeks and using the pen on a daily basis. It depends on how serious the problem is. I would agree with others that there is no "breaking in" period but a new pen or even an old one that has not been filled with ink for awhile can be a bit cranky. The scratchiness may be due to the lack of ink between the paper and the nib from poor flow. Check under high magnification to see if the tines are aligned. There is no mention of the nib size. Broad nibs and larger may have a baby bottom due to polishing at the factory. There are several good Youtube videos showing how to increase the distance between the nib and the feed to improve ink flow and to align the tines. A baby's bottom can be cured using the finest micro mesh and drawing eight 8s on it. Go slow. If it is a new pen there may be some manufacturing lubricants, releasing agents, or otherwise hydrophobic agents in the feed/nib mechanism. Inks contain a small amount of detergent so performance may be improved with time. I recently put a 147 back in rotation and it was very difficult for about a week. It had been thoroughly cleaned before being put away and I cleaned it again and again in an attempt to resolve the skipping, scratchiness, and poor flow. I left it for a day or two filled with ink, picked it up, and it worked perfectly. I have been using it for several weeks without any incidents. Perhaps micro bubbles in the feed causing an air lock?

Thank you for this outstanding explanation and advice. Edited July 24, 2015 by meiers

July 24, 2015

Thank you all for your assistance, you're so helpful!

The pen was bought directly from a MB dealer. There was a nice discount on all items, since the dealer was clearing up his pens inventory. You know how it goes. I was walking home smiling with two new pens.

This pen was problematic from the get go since the tines were crooked. It was impossible to write a single line with it. Scratchy just wouldn't describe it. Here's were the MB service wizardry comes in. It took a few trips to the service center, but they've straightened the tines quite nicely. As long as I won't do upstrokes, the flow is consistent and it writes a wet. Though, if I do happen to write like that, it will scratch the paper and skip.

But that's the thing. I figured that with time, the repair person would be able to do his magic and just make it write like the rest of my MB pens. I've sent out the writing samples that were done in the boutique, specifying what the problem was. I've also explained it to the nice boutique ladies. I even talked with the repair person, who is doing is very best. The service is top notch.

But it's been going for some time now. I'm starting to believe that it would be best to change the nib to a new one. It seems like we've tried it all. I would like to finally take it home and start writing with it.

What do you suggest that I'll do next?

You might consider waiting for a couple of weeks and using the pen on a daily basis. It depends on how serious the problem is. I would agree with others that there is no "breaking in" period but a new pen or even an old one that has not been filled with ink for awhile can be a bit cranky. The scratchiness may be due to the lack of ink between the paper and the nib from poor flow. Check under high magnification to see if the tines are aligned. There is no mention of the nib size. Broad nibs and larger may have a baby bottom due to polishing at the factory. There are several good Youtube videos showing how to increase the distance between the nib and the feed to improve ink flow and to align the tines. A baby's bottom can be cured using the finest micro mesh and drawing eight 8s on it. Go slow. If it is a new pen there may be some manufacturing lubricants, releasing agents, or otherwise hydrophobic agents in the feed/nib mechanism. Inks contain a small amount of detergent so performance may be improved with time. I recently put a 147 back in rotation and it was very difficult for about a week. It had been thoroughly cleaned before being put away and I cleaned it again and again in an attempt to resolve the skipping, scratchiness, and poor flow. I left it for a day or two filled with ink, picked it up, and it worked perfectly. I have been using it for several weeks without any incidents. Perhaps micro bubbles in the feed causing an air lock?

macball, that's a wonderful advise. Thank you very much. I'll save it for future reference.