Montblanc 252 - Skipping Ink While Writing

[Intensity]

I have a mint condition Montblanc 252 with no obvious signs of anything wrong with it, but it keeps skipping ink while writing. I have to go back and write over the blank skipped parts regularly. This happens on both very smooth Clairefontaine paper and on toothier Fabriano paper. Using Montblanc Midnight Blue ink. You might not be able to tell well from that photograph, but some parts of letters are completely missing, and some others I compulsively covered up by going over them again before reminding myself that I shouldn't be (doing this writing for demonstration specifically):

 

http://i.imgur.com/ELbD4OY.jpg

 

I don't know if it's a feed issue or what sorts of things I can look into first.

Edited August 18, 2017 by Intensity

[Bluey]

If you haven't done so, flush out the nib section and the piston unit with water and a dash of dish soap, let it soak for a few hours, then rinse with clean water. Should be good to go.

 

then try with a different ink.

 

If it's still doing so then it could be a case of babys bottom.

Edited August 18, 2017 by Bluey

[Intensity]

If you haven't done so, flush out the nib section and the piston unit with water and a dash of dish soap, let it soak for a few hours, then rinse with clean water. Should be good to go.

 

then try with a different ink.

 

If it's still doing so then it could be a case of babys bottom.

Thanks a lot, trying that right now.

[ac12]

After the cleaning, try Waterman ink.

Waterman ink is my standard ink for dry pens.

If the pen won't write with Waterman ink, the pen needs to be looked at by a pen tech.

[CS388]

Yup, I go with Bluey.

 

If it's in mint condition, it probably hasn't had much use in its life. This is the perfect scenario for dried ink residue in the feed channels, which will cause your symptoms.

 

So flush and flush and flush and soak - it takes an extremely long time. You could also try pen-flush, for a quicker result.

But, keep at it. It's worth it. Montblanc 25x series wing-nibs of this period are amongst the best writers you will ever get.

 

Good luck.

[Intensity]

After the cleaning, try Waterman ink.

Waterman ink is my standard ink for dry pens.

If the pen won't write with Waterman ink, the pen needs to be looked at by a pen tech.

Thanks! I do have brown Waterman ink that I like a lot and will try with this pen.

 

Yup, I go with Bluey.

 

If it's in mint condition, it probably hasn't had much use in its life. This is the perfect scenario for dried ink residue in the feed channels, which will cause your symptoms.

 

So flush and flush and flush and soak - it takes an extremely long time. You could also try pen-flush, for a quicker result.

But, keep at it. It's worth it. Montblanc 25x series wing-nibs of this period are amongst the best writers you will ever get.

 

Good luck.

I've tried soaking but only for about 3 hours, looks like I need to try for longer.

 

You can see here (ignore the condensation, as the pen had just been rinsed after soaking) that there are actually traces/lines of old dried ink visible inside the ink reservoir:

http://i.imgur.com/pGyJHxT.jpg

 

I do wonder if there's some ink dried in the feed somewhere. Soaking for 3 hours with periodic agitation and flushing didn't really help, the ink is still skipping. I will try an overnight soak.

[Bluey]

Have you got an ultrasonic cleaner? Great for getting into nooks an crannies.

 

it's not unlikely with MB that it's an overpolished nib causing the skipping.

[ac12]

Suck ink into the pen, then put it nib down into a glass of water, and leave it overnight (8+ hours).

In the morning, if you see ink in the glass, clean the water in the pen and glass, and repeat the soaking.

[Intensity]

Suck ink into the pen, then put it nib down into a glass of water, and leave it overnight (8+ hours).

In the morning, if you see ink in the glass, clean the water in the pen and glass, and repeat the soaking.

What is the reason for having ink in the pen and not more water/soap?

[CS388]

Keep going. We are talking DAYS of soaking.

 

I can't see which feed you have, ski-slope or finned? Either way, the ink channels are very fine. It only takes a few small pieces of 'crud' to interrupt flow - and they are incredibly hard to shift.

 

If you're adept at taking pens apart, you could clean the feed in a few minutes. But, in all honesty, if it's all set up nicely (it probably still has the factory set-up) I'd leave it as it is and continue with the long soaks.

 

Pen flush formulas will speed things up a bit, but patience is still the key.

 

Interested to hear ac12's method. Not sure what the ink in the pen does?

 

Good luck

[Intensity]

Keep going. We are talking DAYS of soaking.

 

I can't see which feed you have, ski-slope or finned? Either way, the ink channels are very fine. It only takes a few small pieces of 'crud' to interrupt flow - and they are incredibly hard to shift.

 

If you're adept at taking pens apart, you could clean the feed in a few minutes. But, in all honesty, if it's all set up nicely (it probably still has the factory set-up) I'd leave it as it is and continue with the long soaks.

 

Pen flush formulas will speed things up a bit, but patience is still the key.

 

Interested to hear ac12's method. Not sure what the ink in the pen does?

 

Good luck

I think it has what's referred to as "ski slope" feed (horizontal channels parallel to the length of the pen).

 

I have been soaking the pen in water and a little bit of "free and clear" biodegradable detergent, flushing it periodically, since last night, and I can see this morning the dried in ink in the reservoir is already more faint.

. . .

I did see some inks referred to for their stain-fighting properties, such as the Noodler's Eel line, but I'm not sure that is what ac12 was talking about.

Edited August 19, 2017 by Intensity

[cattar]

ac 12 meant

suck ink water into the pen, then put it nib down into a glass of water, and leave it overnight (8+ hours).

In the morning, if you see ink in the glass then there's still old ink in the feed,

so clean the water in the pen and glass, and repeat the soaking.

 

This can take a week or two.

[Intensity]

ac 12 meant

suck ink water into the pen, then put it nib down into a glass of water, and leave it overnight (8+ hours).

In the morning, if you see ink in the glass then there's still old ink in the feed,

so clean the water in the pen and glass, and repeat the soaking.

 

This can take a week or two.

 

Thank you, I will continue soaking and flushing. Is it safe to continue adding a very small amount of biodegradable detergent to the water?

Edited August 19, 2017 by Intensity

[CS388]

 

Thank you, I will continue soaking and flushing. Is it safe to continue adding a very small amount of biodegradable detergent to the water?

 

 

Sure. But time is the vital ingredient.

 

The ski-slope feeds are my personal favourites. There's no evidence that they're better or worse than any other of the feed designs, but I admire their elegant sweep.

 

Wetter inks (eg, as suggested, Waterman's) may help - but you've got to get the feed running clean to reap the full benefits of these excellent pens.

 

Good luck.

[siamackz]

I have the exact same problem with my 252. I managed to open up the nib section and clean the feed etc. I soaked it in rapido eze, brushed it, etc. But still skipping. I haven't inked it for a while but I will tonight just to see if it is skipping again. If it is, I will closely examine for baby's bottom. I'll give it a little grinding and let you know if it helped.

[Intensity]

Update:

 

http://i.imgur.com/hDW0SCW.jpg

 

I don't know if it's because the Waterman ink is just nicer with this pen. I prefer the look of the Montblanc Midnight Blue ink with this nib but worry that the Montblanc ink was responsible for some of that clogging. There's still some skipping, but it's quite rare now.

Edited August 22, 2017 by Intensity

[cattar]

Sometimes skipping is hand/pen position.

Even experienced fountain pen people sometimes roll the wrist or roll the pen in the fingers while writing. This causes the nib to lift a tine so there isn't a pool of ink on the page.

 

When you're writing, focus on keeping both tines on the page so they ride on the pool of ink.

 

 

Also, some pen/ink/paper combos don't work.

Clairfontaine seems to be a coated paper. Inks take longer to dry and sometimes don't write well on it. I don't like to use it.

Fabriano seems to have inconsistent quality so I tend not to buy it. But I haven't had ink trouble with it.

 

I've found Waterman inks very reliable. They also mix reliably with each other to expand the color range. I use them in vintage pens.

Haven't used Montblanc inks, but that color is pretty and it could be the ink doesn't like the paper.

Edited August 22, 2017 by cattar

[Intensity]

Sometimes skipping is hand/pen position.

Even experienced fountain pen people sometimes roll the wrist or roll the pen in the fingers while writing. This causes the nib to lift a tine so there isn't a pool of ink on the page.

 

When you're writing, focus on keeping both tines on the page so they ride on the pool of ink.

 

 

Also, some pen/ink/paper combos don't work.

Clairfontaine seems to be a coated paper. Inks take longer to dry and sometimes don't write well on it. I don't like to use it.

Fabriano seems to have inconsistent quality so I tend not to buy it. But I haven't had ink trouble with it.

 

I've found Waterman inks very reliable. They also mix reliably with each other to expand the color range. I use them in vintage pens.

Haven't used Montblanc inks, but that color is pretty and it could be the ink doesn't like the paper.

 

I don't think in this case it's the fault of the paper, as I had trouble on different types of paper I had tested the pen with initially. Also not the angle, as it writes better now, and I'm not doing anything different with the angle nor have any issues with other fountain pens, including another gold cursive italic nib. Really seems like it was the feed issue, since soaking helped, perhaps partially ink as well, if the Waterman flows easier than Montblanc's Midnight Blue, which has some iron gall content.

[CS388]

Update:

 

http://i.imgur.com/hDW0SCW.jpg

 

I don't know if it's because the Waterman ink is just nicer with this pen. I prefer the look of the Montblanc Midnight Blue ink with this nib but worry that the Montblanc ink was responsible for some of that clogging. There's still some skipping, but it's quite rare now.

 

Excellent! Nice work.

 

I usually find they improve with use. Fingers crossed.

Once it's clean and running free, you should be able to use any old ink in it.

Keep up the good hygene, but you don't have to be so vigorous anymore.

 

Enjoy

[siamackz]

Update on my 252 with the same problem - the repeated soaks in Rapirdo-eze and then water seemed to get rid of almost all the skipping. However, on examining the tip there was an apparent baby's bottom and so I had to polish it out. Now it writes with zero skipping even with fast writing and drawing. Great ink flow and comfortable softness characteristic of the nib!