Scratching The Itch...

[jagwap]

I have a Heritage 1912, which I re-ground to a fine cursive italic. I have really bonded with that pen. The narrow cursive gives a nice line variation on my tiny scrawl without making it illegible, and the nib is the most fun your hands can have in public.

 

However I have an itch for something new. I nearly took a Martele at the airport this week, but time got away from us and we had to dash for the plane without time to really try it and be sure (it would have been mine if it hadn't been for you meddling kids!). It is the only current MB I have held that has the heft I like and have become used to in the 1912. Also I suspect that despite being a 18k nib it does not have that special feel the 1912 has.

 

I rather like the ultra black look, but it is a little on the light weight side, and being discontinued, I should make my mind up on that soon. The only others that draw my eye (haven't tried the hand) that are around here in the boutiques are the Hitchcock, Johnathon Swift, Moon Pearl, and Firenze (brown leather). If I could chose any without going to the skeletons it would be an Einstein. I am not a fan of blue, so I am crossing the JFK, UNICEF and Blue Hour of the list. I will try the meisterstuck 90-years-special-edition-classique if I can find one. The brown and rose gold looks good in the photographs.

 

Can someone clarify: Does the 1906 have a similar feel to the 1912 nib? It is a similar profile as the 1912, but I've seen it said here more than once that it is not quite as springy. Is this true. Perhaps it is the embossing of the snake logo that adds a little rigidity? I'm thinking of an occasional use and just for fun BB nib. I'm not sure I'm in love with the look, but then the 1912 isn't a "pretty" pen, while having a huge amount of character.

 

Suggestions please.

 

[meiers]

Why don't you acquire a second 1912?

I'm thinking of getting one in a B or BB nib.

 

The performance of the 1906 nib is similar.

HOWEVER, the 1906 isn't as much fun because

a) the nib isn't retractable

the snake clip is faux-vintage and doesn't appeal to me.

 

I'd get an Agatha Christie WE even though it too is faux vintage. So there, I'm contradicting myself.

Edited July 5, 2017 by meiers

[zaddick]

I did not find the 1906 nib to be as springy as the 1912 (neither was the 1914). I have only used a few examples of each so this is not an exhaustive survey of possible variations. I find the 1906 too thin to use but lovely to behold, especially in coral.

 

I would get a solitaire 146 if you want the extra weight. They are good long term pens and hd value fairly well. If you get the martele you don't have to worry about dents like some of the older solitaire pens. You can get a nice BB and do some real damage.

[Ghost Plane]

Or OBB and live dangerously.

[jagwap]

Or OBB and live dangerously.

I have tried the obliques a few times in the boutiques and it doesn't seem to suit my writing. Do you adjust to it, or is it generally something that fits like a glove the first time you try it?

[oregano]

I only tried the Heritage 1912 for a bit, but in my opinion the feel of the nib is unique-- and despite the 1906 having some softness/flexibility, especially the EF nib I tried (the F and M feel a bit more rigid by comparison), it doesn't have the same exact feel of the 1912, probably because the nib is slightly smaller than the 1912. In short, my impressions are similar to that of others, I think.

 

Nonetheless, if you catch the right angle on Rhodia paper, the 1906 nib has a nice lightness to it.

[meiers]

Dear Jagwap

 

The first time I tried an oblique nib at a Montblanc Boutique the nib felt very awkward. Marcel at the MB boutique in Cologne very calmly showed me how to position the nib. The lesson took thirty seconds... and I eventually acquired one here in Canada. That pen became one of my favourite writers.

Edited July 6, 2017 by meiers

[Apm1]

Why don't you acquire a second 1912?

I'm thinking of getting one in a B or BB nib.

 

The performance of the 1906 nib is similar.

HOWEVER, the 1906 isn't as much fun because

a) the nib isn't retractable

the snake clip is faux-vintage and doesn't appeal to me.

 

I'd get an Agatha Christie WE even though it too is faux vintage. So there, I'm contradicting myself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, if we say that the snake clip is faux-vintage, in my opinion is the case also for the retractable nib.

 

I love the 1912 but I also love the 1906, especially in tropic brown. The nib is stellar and the weight compensate for its size, which by the way I find very comfortable when I am travelling.

Edited July 6, 2017 by Apm1

[meiers]

 

 

Well, if we say that the snake clip is faux-vintage, in my opinion is the case also for the retractable nib.

Touché

[Apm1]

Touché

 

[Ghost Plane]

I have tried the obliques a few times in the boutiques and it doesn't seem to suit my writing. Do you adjust to it, or is it generally something that fits like a glove the first time you try it?

The secret is to let the pen find its sweet spot on the page, close your fingers around it, and let it write under its own weight. If you get on with stubs and italics, there's a good chance you'll get on with an oblique. Finger writers have the worst time with edged nibs, as they're wobbling the pen all around its axis.

 

The worst thing that ever happened to pendom was a load of "experts" proclaiming that obliques were for people who "roll their pens." I call bovine fecal matter on this myth and use oblique and standard cuts interchangeably according to my mood and the effect I want on the page. I'm only changing the angle of the line variation, after all.

 

See Tom's pictures in the OBB thread for examples and writing samples from assorted users.

[jagwap]

Ok then I will try obliques again in the boutique.

 

I have prefered italics since I was at school, but even then in the '80s very few pens offered a fine italic (mostly Parker on my budget), as medium or broader was a little fat on the down stroke for my small writing. However this will be just for fun so maybe a BB or OBB.

 

Because my handwriting lists to the right so much, the obliques also show the widest line on the character in an unusual place for me. It may just be a case of getting used to it, but it may take a while.

 

A bit of a gamble on a few hundred quid for a nib I may not get on with. But then so was grinding my own cursive on a 1912 at 4am with jetlag.

[jagwap]

I call bovine fecal matter

 

Oh by the way, I have a similar one which may only be understood by another Brit: It went mammory glands vertical. I don't think can type the original here.

Edited July 6, 2017 by jagwap

[thygreyt]

 

The worst thing that ever happened to pendom was a load of "experts" proclaiming that obliques were for people who "roll their pens." I call bovine fecal matter on this myth and use oblique and standard cuts interchangeably according to my mood and the effect I want on the page. I'm only changing the angle of the line variation, after all.

 

See Tom's pictures in the OBB thread for examples and writing samples from assorted users.

 

Oh..! this is why i have never really given obliques a chance... because i do not "roll my pens/ nibs".

[Ghost Plane]

Oh by the way, I have a similar one which may only be understood by another Brit: It went mammory glands vertical. I don't think can type the original here.

The filter will eat it. More elegant than a few others I learned on my travels.

[Ghost Plane]

Ok then I will try obliques again in the boutique.

I have prefered italics since I was at school, but even then in the '80s very few pens offered a fine italic (mostly Parker on my budget), as medium or broader was a little fat on the down stroke for my small writing. However this will be just for fun so maybe a BB or OBB.

Because my handwriting lists to the right so much, the obliques also show the widest line on the character in an unusual place for me. It may just be a case of getting used to it, but it may take a while.

A bit of a gamble on a few hundred quid for a nib I may not get on with. But then so was grinding my own cursive on a 1912 at 4am with jetlag.

You might enjoy an OF or OM or OB depending on how small you prefer. It feels like the size goes down with an oblique. So an OB tends to feel narrower than a B to my hand. But don't be afraid of size. Tom went from XF to O3B.

[jagwap]

There is an OF? Interesting. From what I have seen in the writing samples, the OM does not generally have a lot of line variation. I like a crisp italic, so my plan was to grind a M or B myself like with the 1912: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/318411-heritage-1912-diy-cursive-italic/?p=3781027

 

Also does XF mean the same as EF? A 1906 with a crisp italic EF could be fun. There is an ebonite in my local boutique...

 

An EF and a BB... This is starting to look expensive, especially if one of the grinds goes wrong. I suspect the free nib exchange does not apply if a ham fisted amateur mashes the original.

[Ghost Plane]

There was an OF. I'm not sure if it's still in production, but I've seen it on older pens.

 

You mangle the nib, you buy the next one.

 

Tom Kellie has lovely pics of his EF and also a bespoke nib even narrower.

[Tom Kellie]

There was an OF. I'm not sure if it's still in production, but I've seen it on older pens.

 

Tom Kellie has lovely pics of his EF and also a bespoke nib even narrower.

 

 

~ https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/310331-90th-anniversary-149-bespoke-eef-nib/

A Montblanc EF nib writes very well. The bespoke EEF is remarkably smooth, non-scratchy and accurate.

On the other end of the scale, Montblanc OBBBs are pure writing pleasure, day in and day out.

Read many views, look at images, then step over the precipice and plunge into the unfamiliar.

They're all great fun!

Tom K.

[jagwap]

 

 

~ https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/310331-90th-anniversary-149-bespoke-eef-nib/

A Montblanc EF nib writes very well. The bespoke EEF is remarkably smooth, non-scratchy and accurate.

On the other end of the scale, Montblanc OBBBs are pure writing pleasure, day in and day out.

Read many views, look at images, then step over the precipice and plunge into the unfamiliar.

They're all great fun!

Tom K.

 

 

Cheers for the (expensive) encouragement. Hopefully I will get time to pop down to the flagship boutique and try the sample pens again. Last time I found a B is OK, but BB to far for my regular script. I think I could go broader for a second pen... Bespoke is tempting, but quite an outlay. I asked if it is a one time payment, with future nibs to the same spec at a more conventional price, like custom last for shoes, or is it the same every time. I haven't heard an answer yet. I would consider it is each subsequent nib was "only" a few hundred dollars on future pens.

 

However, this post tells me that whichever direction I go, I may need to customise the nib a little, as I delight in an extreme line variation: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/131613-montblanc-nib-sizes/?p=2959008