Vintage Montblanc 144 (1950S) Care Instruction

[goldfinger]

Hello everyone,

 

I just purchased a vintage Montblanc 144 from the 1950s (and I feel bad cause I paid far too much for what the pen is going for). While I love the pen, I have been reading online that this is a very "complicated" pen because of a cork screw in its piston.

 

On one of the threads here on FPN, someone said that one should oil the pen with Silicon oil after every clean. I didn't understand at all what that meant. Should I open the pen up and oil it? Or should I extend the piston all the way, and put the oil in the slit, then re-screw the piston?is there a brand of silicon oil I should get?

 

Should I clean it in an ultrasonic cleaner? Or should I stay away from that? And are there any inks I should stay away from.

 

One post on the Internet said that I should fill it with water 48 hour before use. Is that true or is it just a superstition?

 

On another post, I read that the celluloid gets brittle by age. Does this mean I shouldn't take it out at all and just use it by the desk?

 

On another post, it said that I have to be very specific about the amount of pressure I put while rotating the piston. Does that mean I have to be very slow and deliberate?

 

Last question: should I ever need to have the pen repaired, are there any service centers in the US?

 

Thank you for reading . I love the FPN communinity and am grateful to be part of it.

Edited July 26, 2016 by goldfinger

[jar]

The pen has a two stage piston but the corkscrew was an add on option for opening after dinner libations.

 

The post about lubing the pen came from someone selling silicon oil I imagine.

 

I'd keep it away from ultrasonic cleaners and the exhaust of a running Sea-Doo.

 

If it has a cork piston head (they came with both cork and plastic) and it has been sitting unused for decades, filling it with a little water and letting it sit for a day or so will humidify the cork again.

 

Yes, celluloid does get brittle with age but remember that the Montblanc 144 celluloid is still a baby. Many of my Parker and Sheaffer celluloid pens were made decades earlier. Use it in health.

 

Please don't wring the piston knob off. It's normal to feel resistance as the second stage of the piston comes into play but if the knob don't turn, don't use a bigger wrench (or wench should you have one).

 

There are lots of good folk who can repair most problems with a 144.

[kawuska]

Hello Goldfinger,

never put/drop any oil or grease into the slit (of the nib I understand?) If you are lucky and can gently pull out the nib and feed you may take an ear-stick with silicone and rub it inside the ink-window.

[meiers]

How is it performing for you right now?

If it's working, don't fix it. These are user-pens and workhorses. Babying them is unnecessary.

 

Could you post a few pictures and a writing sample?

I love he vintage 144.

Edited July 26, 2016 by meiers

[Opooh]

I agree with Jar, why the hell put modern silicon oil in a sixty year old pen? When the pen writes trouble free, keep it that way. I maintain my resin MB, but when I have a problem with one of my vintage MB, I send them to one of the well known MB restorers.

[eckiethump]

The fashion a few years ago was to put in USA a drop of Dawn (?) washing up liquid in ink to help flow. It's been a while since I have seen anybody mention this ?

 

I have a bath of Cleaning Liquid for fountain pens, an Arthur Twydle concoction, I use on piston fill pens if they are a little stiff, and I do not want to take them apart or the nib out.

 

All that's needed if the pen has been kept clean with regular flushing between various fills.

[goldfinger]

Hello Everyone!

Thank you so much for your help in answering my questions. Since there was so much mystery surrounding this pen, I didn't want to mess around with it without being sure I know what I am doing. I have destroyed way too many vintage pens by working on them without proper knowledge!

Jar: I will definitely not lubricate the pen now! I filled it with water for a day and just filled it with new Ink now. I got Pilot's Tsuki-Yo ink.

Eugene of Savoy: It writes well, and like you said, I won't mess with it anymore.

Meiers: here are a few pictures

Edited July 28, 2016 by goldfinger

[jar]

Nice looking. The xx4 pens from Montblanc in that era are about near perfection in my opinion, the right size, weight, functionality and beautimous.

[sd10521]

That is in great condition.

I have one from this time period too and it's just an amazing pen.

Enjoy it!

[meiers]

Fill it up and go.