Water Trapped In 146?

[chunya]

Most probably the Le Petit Prince, LeGrand.

 

Aha .... I was trying to work out what the design on the nib was. I hadn't realised that this was a new pen you'd bought. In that case if I was at all worried about the pen I'd take it back to the boutique.

Edited May 20, 2018 by chunya

[sanfong]

Hi sanfong, are you able to clarify the burning questions please?

 

Did you buy the pen new or used?

 

Are these droplets between the piston head and feed, or are they behind the piston head when it is fully down (knob withdrawn)?

 

Also, have you tried the "stand nib on dry towel or kitchen paper" method of removing excessive moisture? I do that overnight, after cleaning a pen to put away. It works well.

 

edit:unbalanced parentheses

Hi. I bought the pen new.

 

The droplets are not on the piston nor behind the pistion head. They were located in between the piston and the internal wall of ink window.

 

I tried the standing nib method but no success.

 

I tried to flick or shake the pen the water droplets did not moved at all. Moving the piston up and down did not wiped the droplets.

[sanfong]

Most probably the Le Petit Prince, LeGrand.

Yes that is correct.

[chunya]

Yes that is correct.

Then definitely take it to a Boutique/Approved Dealer and share your concerns with them. They may just put your mind at ease..... or identify that there is a problem.

Edited May 20, 2018 by chunya

[Erik Dalton]

Then definitely take it to a Boutique/Approved Dealer and share your concerns with them. They may just put your mind at ease..... or identify that there is a problem.

+1....it’s a brand new pen. Water drops would bother the heck out of me. If you can, take it back.

[meiers]

+1....it’s a brand new pen. Water drops would bother the heck out of me. If you can, take it back.

 

Absolutely!!! You are covered under warranty.

Edited May 21, 2018 by meiers

[niksch]

After working on a new 146 tonight, I discovered this...

 

If this pen has the newer style of piston seal, then the actual lip of the piston seal will not travel past and "wipe" the ink windows clean as many of us are used to seeing. The lip of the new seal travels down the barrel as far as the ink window, then stops.

 

So you are probably just fine. Although that is aggravating.

[meiers]

Does this design change represent any sort of improvement? Or, in other words, WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?

Edited May 21, 2018 by meiers

[niksch]

Does this design change represent any sort of improvement? Or, in other words, WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?

 

As far as I can tell, no. No improvement. But then I'm a luddite.

[Erik Dalton]

After working on a new 146 tonight, I discovered this...

 

If this pen has the newer style of piston seal, then the actual lip of the piston seal will not travel past and "wipe" the ink windows clean as many of us are used to seeing. The lip of the new seal travels down the barrel as far as the ink window, then stops.

 

So you are probably just fine. Although that is aggravating.

Yes. I’ve seen these type piston heads as well. I have one in my spare parts drawer but wasn’t aware that they were being used in new SE pens.

Maybe it’s just me, but, I would still not be happy after spending all that money with the water droplets. Montblanc can do better than this. Why make a change when they had a system that worked so well for so many years?

[VRI39C]

Wait a minute.

 

The way I am reading this is that the OP has a new MB, he's flushed the pen, and there is water inside the barrel, visible at the ink window. Why is this a problem??? Let's not scare the guy into thinking that he has a defective pen. He doesn't. We're not talking about ink getting behind the piston into the back end of the barrel, we're talking about what is left in the barrel itself after flushing. That's normal, the pen is fine.

 

You will not remove all of ink or water from a pen when you flush it and turn the piston down. A piston will not, can not, push everything out even when you cycle the piston several times. You will always have residual liquid in the barrel, and some in the feed that gets drawn back up into the pen when you retract the piston. This is true even in a new pen, or a properly restored pen. The design of the MB seal has an open ring around the bottom that also tends to retain water or ink,

 

You can remove the excess water by shaking it down, with a firm grip on the pen and a snap of the wrist, like you were shaking down a fever thermometer... or you can use a centrifuge. You can also stand the pen nib down on a folded up tissue or paper towel, which will wick the remaining water out of the feed.

 

But it really isn't necessary. The water will eventually evaporate away.

 

So glad you stepped in. I could not help but cringe at some well meaning folks suggesting that this fountain pen tyro disassemble his new Montblanc like it was a TWSBI and wipe the barrel dry.

[Ron Z]

Why make a change when they had a system that worked so well for so many years?

 

Who knows? Maybe their molds were worn and needed to be replaced, maybe changing the design reduced friction so the mechanism works smoother, maybe changing the design improved function of the seal or reduced wear, maybe changing the design reduced the amount of plastic needed or they changed suppliers to lower cost... and maybe MB doesn't think that a little water on the side of the seal in front of where the seal presses against the barrel wall doesn't really matter since you're likely going to have the pen full most of the time.

 

Put the pen in a salad spinner centrifuge to pull the water out if it really bothers you. (yes, a MB will fit) My opinion only, but I really can't understand what all the fuss is about.

[Erik Dalton]

No more fuss from me.🙂