149 Cleaning - Is It Normal?

[A1979]

Good morning,

 

while cleaning my 149, I noticed that the ink is "leaking" from the back side of the nib (see pic): is it normal?

 

[Pen Nut]

Mine do that. Must be normal. That ink stuff must get everywhere !

[A1979]

Mine do that. Must be normal. That ink stuff must get everywhere !

Mine do that. Must be normal. That ink stuff must get everywhere !

Thank you! Good to know !

[piscov]

Yes it is normal. When you dip the section in the ink bottle to fill with ink, ink gets even behind the section collar, then when you clean the excess ink the paper tissue used is not enough to take the ink remains from everywhere and so they will only come out when you use water like you did.

[A1979]

Yes it is normal. When you dip the section in the ink bottle to fill with ink, ink gets even behind the section collar, then when you clean the excess ink the paper tissue used is not enough to take the ink remains from everywhere and so they will only come out when you use water like you did.

Thank you for the explanation!

[SE1980]

Question - Must it necessarily be warm water in order to clean?

[piscov]

No, IMHO is more important to leave the section/nib soaking more time than to use warm water. Warming liquid will help dissolution but give it a bit more time and you will have good results.

Better results will be achieve by using a Ultrasonic bath (US), but there are people that defend that the rodhium plating can be damaged by the US. I´ve never had problems with it tough.

[SE1980]

No, IMHO is more important to leave the section/nib soaking more time than to use warm water. Warming liquid will help dissolution but give it a bit more time and you will have good results.

Better results will be achieve by using a Ultrasonic bath (US), but there are people that defend that the rodhium plating can be damaged by the US. I´ve never had problems with it tough.

 

I see. But was told by MB boutique that to change ink color, need to use warm water to flush till it's clear, leave it to dry completely then refill the new ink.

[Pen Nut]

I did a small article on flushing my MB's. The link is below.

 

Water temp wise I only go above room temp for stubborn deposits that wont shift with flushing or soaking.

 

I seem to remember reading on here that hot water(dont know the exact definition of hot in this case) can distort the feeds on certain pens.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/214485-flushing-with-attitude/

[jar]

 

I see. But was told by MB boutique that to change ink color, need to use warm water to flush till it's clear, leave it to dry completely then refill the new ink.

 

Don't believe everything you hear or even if it is on the internet.

 

If you changed ink color after emptying a pen without even flushing what you would see is initially a mixture of the old and new color gradually changing to just the new color.

 

The cleaning and flushing folk do today would have had people rolling on the floor laughing not all that long ago.

[SE1980]

 

Don't believe everything you hear or even if it is on the internet.

 

If you changed ink color after emptying a pen without even flushing what you would see is initially a mixture of the old and new color gradually changing to just the new color.

 

The cleaning and flushing folk do today would have had people rolling on the floor laughing not all that long ago.

 

I see. So I really need your expert advise on this....I'll be changing my ink from current winter glow to toffee brown soon, do I really need to do flushing or just fill it up directly with the toffee brown?

 

Sorry if it sounds noob as I'm completely new in this.

[jar]

 

I see. So I really need your expert advise on this....I'll be changing my ink from current winter glow to toffee brown soon, do I really need to do flushing or just fill it up directly with the toffee brown?

 

Sorry if it sounds noob as I'm completely new in this.

 

Try both methods over time and see which YOU like best. You're not going to hurt anything and I always kinda enjoyed watching the colors change.

[hari317]

I see. So I really need your expert advise on this....I'll be changing my ink from current winter glow to toffee brown soon, do I really need to do flushing or just fill it up directly with the toffee brown?

 

Sorry if it sounds noob as I'm completely new in this.

for inks from the same manufacturer, your pen might escape unhurt. However, pls note that a variety of ink chemistries(compositions etc) are available today on the market. Not all of them are compatible with each other. So when changing colors flush the old ink out and fill and expel the pen till the water runs clear. Then wick away the remaining water from the nib by rolling a wad of paper towels around the nib while keeping the pen nib down for a minute, all the water will be wicked away and then you can fill in the fresh ink.

Edited August 30, 2015 by hari317

[Barry Gabay]

Cool or room temperature water only for cleaning fountain pens!!! Warm or hot water, as warned against by above writers, can distort ebonite feeds and can loosen shellac seals or old-style Montblanc "pink bubble gum" sealant. For years, MB literature recommended cool water. I don't own a 149 newer than early 1990s (except for second-hand trades & purchases), so don't know what current literature says. I would certainly listen to the advice of folks here more than to employees in a Montblanc boutique. That is not intended as an arrogant or elitist statement, but merely as a reflection of my experience with both.

[Pen Nut]

I would certainly listen to the advice of folks here more than to employees in a Montblanc boutique. That is not intended as an arrogant or elitist statement, but merely as a reflection of my experience with both.

 

Could not agree more with that statement made by Barry Gabay

[SE1980]

for inks from the same manufacturer, your pen might escape unhurt. However, pls note that a variety of ink chemistries(compositions etc) are available today on the market. Not all of them are compatible with each other. So when changing colors flush the old ink out and fill and expel the pen till the water runs clear. Then wick away the remaining water from the nib by rolling a wad of paper towels around the nib while keeping the pen nib down for a minute, all the water will be wicked away and then you can fill in the fresh ink.

So must still use the flushing with water method. Ok then thanks for the info!

[Zdenek]

Good morning,

 

while cleaning my 149, I noticed that the ink is "leaking" from the back side of the nib (see pic): is it normal?

 

image.jpg

 

Perfectly normal.

[meiers]

Yes

[zaddick]

It's my favorite part of cleaning a 149! I'm a little sad when the ink trails stop falling from the collar.