Gift From Father-In-Law - Meisterstuck 146

[ahantel]

Hi everyone. I collect vintage Rolex, Omega, and Heuer watches but know zero about pens. Seems that everything is as nuanced and condition-obsessed over here so I figured I'd just ask the experts. I got this pen from my father-in-law, all I know is that it says it's a Meisterstuck 146 and comes with the leather case but don't know anything else about it. Hasn't been used in many a year and is bone dry. I'm not looking to sell, just wanted to verify authenticity, ask about the condition, and what I should do about making it work again. Appreciate your advice and information in advance.

 

Andrew

[piscov]

I Andrew,

It's a Meistserstuck 146 in silver. I believe the finish is called pinstripe.

Very nice pen! 100% sure it´s authentic and looks to be in grat condition.

 

Just try to fill it and empty a few times with tap water to clean it and you should be ok.

After that ink it and start using it!

 

Best regards,

 

Vasco Pisco

[Chrissy]

What you have there is a Montblanc Meisterstück 146 (aka Le Grand) Silver Solitaire Pinstripe pen with a very nice Florence bordeaux leather pen pouch. We don't know for sure it's a fountain pen as there is no picture of the nib. So we can't comment on the nib at all. I'm assuming it's a fountain pen and not a rollerball, as they look very similar with their caps on.

 

Undoubtedly authentic, and quite an expensive pen. If it's a fountain pen then don't hurry to try to turn the piston cone at the top until you know that it will turn. First I would leave it cap off, nib down in a couple of inches of cold to lukewarm water overnight, then carefully see if the piston cone turns anti-clockwise. If it does you can consider yourself a very lucky recipient of a beautiful gift.

 

If it doesn't then it might need soaking in a little bit of water for longer. Whatever you do, don't force the piston cone if it doesn't want to turn. The idea is to get a little water into the barrel reservoir by capillary action, so that the piston might move.

[ahantel]

Thanks very much to the both of you. Here's a picture of the nib. Sorry it's night here so the pictures aren't the best from my phone. I can easily unscrew the back cone to a point but then it gets stuck. A few questions:

 

Is the back cone supposed to totally detach or only unscrew to a point and remain attached?

 

Any recommendations on ink and how do I fill it?

 

If it's valuable: I have a jewelry clause on my insurance for my watches, what's a fair estimate to have it insured for?

 

Appreciate your help, gentlemen.

 

Andrew

[Chrissy]

Thanks very much to the both of you. Here's a picture of the nib. Sorry it's night here so the pictures aren't the best from my phone. I can easily unscrew the back cone to a point but then it gets stuck. A few questions:

 

Is the back cone supposed to totally detach or only unscrew to a point and remain attached?

 

Any recommendations on ink and how do I fill it?

 

If it's valuable: I have a jewelry clause on my insurance for my watches, what's a fair estimate to have it insured for?

 

Appreciate your help, gentlemen.

 

Andrew

 

The top cone is supposed to stop after 2 or 3 screws and should never totally detach. If it does, it means you have either broken the piston thread or unclipped it from a special split ring inside the end cone.

 

You should fill it only with a fountain pen ink from a bottle, never any other type of ink. Twist the top cone anti-clockwise until it stops, then put the nib underneath the ink surface in the bottle, then twist the top cone clockwise until it is back in it's original position. Then it should be filled with ink, and you should see it in the barrel window.

 

I don't know how much 146 Silver Solitaire Pinstripe pens fetch but you could look on eBay to see how much they have actually sold for. Maybe $600-$800?

 

Your nib looks like it's either F or EF.

 

Oh and I'm no gentleman.

[ahantel]

 

The top cone is supposed to stop after 2 or 3 screws and should never totally detach. If it does, it means you have either broken the piston thread or unclipped it from a special split ring inside the end cone.

 

You should fill it only with a fountain pen ink from a bottle, never any other type of ink. Twist the top cone anti-clockwise until it stops, then put the nib underneath the ink surface in the bottle, then twist the top cone clockwise until it is back in it's original position. Then it should be filled with ink, and you should see it in the barrel window.

 

I don't know how much 146 Silver Solitaire Pinstripe pens fetch but you could look on eBay to see how much they have actually sold for. Maybe $600-$800?

 

Your nib looks like it's either F or EF.

 

Oh and I'm no gentleman.

 

 

Thanks Chrissy, sorry about that! The top cone screws apart 2-3 turns like it should, it seems. I'll check eBay and send some information over to the insurance company. The nib says "4810" has the Montblanc logo and text and 18K on it. Not sure if that helps differentiate. What do F or EF designate? Appreciate your help.

 

Andrew

[meiers]

May we see a writing sample?

[siamackz]

 

 

Thanks Chrissy, sorry about that! The top cone screws apart 2-3 turns like it should, it seems. I'll check eBay and send some information over to the insurance company. The nib says "4810" has the Montblanc logo and text and 18K on it. Not sure if that helps differentiate. What do F or EF designate? Appreciate your help.

 

Andrew

4810 is the height of the MontBlanc mountain peak, and it is stated on Meisterstuck series Pens. 18k tells you what kind of gold the nib is made - some Meisterstuck Pens have 14k nibs depending on when and where they were produced. Its not better or worse.

F and EF designate Fine and Extra Fine in terms of the nib point when it writes.

 

Its really quite an exquisite pen and I agree with Chrissy that it would fetch around $800 or slightly more on eBay.

 

Have you managed to fill and use it? If not then here is a video to help https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-FF0E_QfE3Y

 

Enjoy this lovely gift

[ahantel]

4810 is the height of the MontBlanc mountain peak, and it is stated on Meisterstuck series Pens. 18k tells you what kind of gold the nib is made - some Meisterstuck Pens have 14k nibs depending on when and where they were produced. Its not better or worse.

F and EF designate Fine and Extra Fine in terms of the nib point when it writes.

 

Its really quite an exquisite pen and I agree with Chrissy that it would fetch around $800 or slightly more on eBay.

 

Have you managed to fill and use it? If not then here is a video to help

 

Enjoy this lovely gift

 

 

Thanks very much - it's been given to me very recently so my next order of business is to order ink and fill it. I was actually looking for a good youtube video so thanks for the link!

 

And as such, I can't provide a writing sample without ink, sorry. As a doctor I'll be the first to say that my handwriting isn't the best, sadly.

 

Any suggestions on nice black inks? I'm sure this is a very subjective subject but just curious.

 

Andrew

Edited December 3, 2017 by ahantel

[zaddick]

Fill it with water a few times and empty it. There may be dried ink in there you want to clean out before filling.

 

The case is also worth somewhere in the $100 to $150 range.

[siamackz]

 

Any suggestions on nice black inks? I'm sure this is a very subjective subject but just curious.

 

Andrew

Youre right, its rather subjective. But my favourites are (1) Aurora black, and (2) Take Sumi colour of the Iroshizuku range of pilot inks. Youll find them easily on amazon or other online sources. If you want to stay brand loyal then Montblancs Mystery Black is not bad either.

 

As Zaddick suggested, the first thing you want to do is clean your pen of any old ink. Here is a simple enough video to help https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2lPPy4AeIWs

 

If there is in fact dry ink inside, then you could even test write the pen after filling it with water the first time. I know some members even continue to use the pen like this till the ink/water mix is over. If you like the ink colour and dilution, you could do this till your new ink arrives. If there isnt much dry ink and hence little colour then simply proceed with cleaning the pen out as the video shows and order some ink.

 

Enjoy!

[niksch]

Nice pen. I bought a similar pen from Barry Gabay about 7 years ago, and he put in an early 70s B nib at my request, but no Florence case was offered. I would have normally exchanged the nib on a pen I intended to personally use, but, ever the gentleman, he had a monotone B (B++) nib available, so I accepted. The overall pen is quite a but heavier than a normal 146, but unposted it's an excellent writer.

[Chrissy]

There are many black inks around that you could use in your pen. Montblanc Ultra Black is popular, as is Aurora Black if you have to have a jet-black. J. Herbin Perle Noire is also nice.

 

I rarely use black ink, so if you want a couple of samples the next time I'm in the US please drop me a PM.

 

I forgot to mention that the Florence bordeaux pen case is a very nice pen case, and if it's in perfect condition that should add $100 to the value of your pen. (Just as an aside, in the event that you ever decided to sell them then they would do better if sold separately.)

[niksch]

There are many black inks around that you could use in your pen. Montblanc Ultra Black is popular, as is Aurora Black if you have to have a jet-black. J. Herbin Perle Noire is also nice.

 

I rarely use black ink, so if you want a couple of samples the next time I'm in the US please drop me a PM.

 

I forgot to mention that the Florence bordeaux pen case is a very nice pen case, and if it's in perfect condition that should add $100 to the value of your pen. (Just as an aside, in the event that you ever decided to sell them then they would do better if sold separately.)

 

I suppose Chrissey is very correct about the Florence case. and at least $100. Maybe $150. And yes, sell separately the pen and the case.

 

I too rarely use black ink. Which is odd because I have about 20 bottles of MB Black ink. There are too many good subdued colors too waste time on black.

[Chrissy]

 

I too rarely use black ink. Which is odd because I have about 20 bottles of MB Black ink. There are too many good subdued colors too waste time on black.

 

I don't usually buy black ink, but in the past I've bought a box full of various ink bottles that included some blacks. Omas black was bought for the bottle, but I don't like to tip ink away, so I decanted it and have it in a different bottle. I also have an old bottle of Graf von Faber-Castell black .

[niksch]

Remember my ink drawer? I bought a couple lots of MB ink on eBay...they came with those black ink bottles. I prefer MB Blue-Black, but have been using MB Royal Blue in my MB 204 Desk Pen at work for signatures. BRG is my other "go to" ink, but I use old Bordeaux on document and CAD markups.

Edited December 4, 2017 by niksch