Montblanc Inkwell - Questions About Liner/insert, Lid/cap - Help Appreciated

[TxHarleyGuy]

Good afternoon everyone,

 

I wanted to solicit the opinions from those of you out there familiar with the Montblanc Inkwell (or inkwells in general). The pictured Montblanc Inkwell below was delivered to my office earlier in the week. I was able to acquire it for well under the 100.00 mark. To which, given its condition, I thought to be a good price. It does have a few minor scratches about (primarily on the base where no one would ever see). But overall, looks to be in nice shape overall.

 

My questions:

 

It comes with a plastic cup which I presume to be a 'liner'. Obviously for ink. But are these ever used without the liner? Or is the liner intended to be used exclusively?

 

Second, prior to this point, my only experience with bottled inks are simply that - bottles. As such, they tend to have a rather tightly sealed screw on cap. This inkwell, however, simply falls shut; as by its design. There is nothing to indicate a 'tight seal' to that of a screw top bottle. Is this how inkwells work in general terms? Should I have any concerns where stored/inserted inks are concerned?

 

Lastly, I suspect and have every reason to believe that this product is genuine. I have also attached a photograph of the bottom which still shows its original sticker. Perhaps someone could deduce something from that as to whether or not something appeared to be amiss?

 

I appreciate everyone's opinion toward this as I am not familiar with nor have I ever had a true inkwell. Thank you folks.

 

 

 

 

[chunya]

There seems to be nothing wrong with your inkwell. Orignally it would have com with the plastic liner as well as a 'pourer', but these often disappear as frequently they're not used. They say that the liner makes it easier to clean, which it probably does.The lids do just drop under gravity and don't form a real seal.

[Barkingpig]

Thank you for sharing this handsome ink well & congratulations on its purchase.

 

You are correct that the "seal" to protect ink from evaporation is not a feature of most inkwells; I understand they were used when only one ink was in use & merely refilled, as needed. I like them, have several & most do indeed have some form of cup or liner, with glass or crystal ones being the exception.

 

I like to use a variety of inks & therefore don't use mine for their intended purpose; I do keep one glass one filled with distilled water, to use for pens that need an added incentive to start writing (I tend to keep way more pens filled @ a time than is optimum for their all being "ready to write, @ a moment's notice.)

 

If you decide not to fill yours with ink, the water "fill" might be another possibility. I have always seen them on desks of my family & enjoy the association of them with pens, whether used as intended or not.

[fpupulin]

The liner is effectively there to avoid pouring the ink directly in the crystal, which woul made it more difficult to clean.

 

I’m seeing in your pics that your liner is quite opacized and matte. They are crystal-clear when new, a thing that improves the luminosity if the inkwell, would it be filled with ink or not. Not sure if they are still available today, but I bought a couple of original liners from Montblanc a few years ago.

 

And finally, yes, the ink do evaporates from the inkwell, in a quite moticeable way. It become denser and darker at a point that you can not use it anymore to refill your pen. Actually, the original bottles are much better to conserve the properties of the ink than the inkwell can do.

 

I like to see them (I own three, hem) partially filled with ink, and those inks I use just to dip my pens, not to fill them.

[trhoton]

Beautiful inkwell, and congratulations on getting a terrific deal. I've got several inkwells and they all close the same way. If you use one ink and refill frequently, this may be an option, but you simply can't fill it and store it for months in a well and expect it to be fresh like it is in the bottle. These are beautiful desk items, but I suspect that most of us change ink very frequently, so continuous storage of ink in a desk well like this isn't always practical.

 

They are always beautiful, though. Nice conversation items and terrific if you're going through a fair volume of the same ink.

 

Thanks for posting the picture.

[Chrissy]

Inkwells like this one aren't intended as an option of storing ink like you do in bottles with tightly fitting caps. If you leave any ink in there it will very quickly evaporate.

 

The liner is there so that you can pour in a little ink from your bottle, then pour it back into your bottle after use. If you try to do this without using a liner you'll just tip it all over the table, and it might stain the inside of the inkwell. It is meant to be used exclusively with it's liner.

 

I have a boxed liner that came from my local Montblanc boutique. No inkwell for it though.

[chunya]

Inkwells like this one aren't intended as an option of storing ink like you do in bottles with tightly fitting caps. If you leave any ink in there it will very quickly evaporate.

 

The liner is there so that you can pour in a little ink from your bottle, then pour it back into your bottle after use. If you try to do this without using a liner you'll just tip it all over the table, and it might stain the inside of the inkwell. It is meant to be used exclusively with it's liner.

 

I have a boxed liner that came from my local Montblanc boutique. No inkwell for it though.

Hi Chrissy,

So do they sell replacement liners, then? (I won't ask why you've got the liner but no inkwell ). I've never intentionally bought one (MB inkwell), but over the past few years have ended up buying several of them as parts of Lots, and if I remember correctly only two had liners, but they were boxed with everything included and had probably never been used.

Edited May 21, 2018 by chunya

[TxHarleyGuy]

Appreciate the input everyone. I may try and see if I can't hunt down a new liner somewhere.

[niksch]

Appreciate the input everyone. I may try and see if I can't hunt down a new liner somewhere.

 

Like you, I have this inkwell, and also the previous version. They look great as item on display, not so great as usable items.

[Chrissy]

Hi Chrissy,

So do they sell replacement liners, then? (I won't ask why you've got the liner but no inkwell ). I've never intentionally bought one (MB inkwell), but over the past few years have ended up buying several of them as parts of Lots, and if I remember correctly only two had liners, but they were boxed with everything included and had probably never been used.

 

I wish I knew how I ended up with a liner and no inkwell. I'm old and can't remember. I once tried to sell it on ebay and there weren't any takers, so I kept it and thought that it would come in handy one day. It never has. It's in it's box, that I guess would be called "a bit tired."

[Chrissy]

In order to facilitate anyone who wants a BNIB Montblanc liner, I listed my one in the Classified ads.

[TxHarleyGuy]

The nearest Montblanc boutiques to me are in Houston and Dallas. I called the boutique in Dallas and asked if they sold the liners and/or pourers separately? Let me back up. I first called the Montblanc general number. To which, they couldn't help me and suggested I call a boutique. Back to the boutique - the lady sounded a bit ...... well ...... unclear as to exactly what I was asking? She was nice and all. After a bit of back and forth of my trying to explain to her what it was that I was seeking, she said, "Oh, now I know what you're talking about. That plastic thingy that goes inside. I think we may have one at the other boutique." She took my name and number and said she's give me a shout back. No word yet. Not crossing my fingers nor holding my breath.

[chunya]

But you have the liner, don't you? It is only the pourer that you might need, and to be honest when I fill an inkwell I use a small plastic funnel which I think cost me about 39p and it does the job just as well.

[Chrissy]

The nearest Montblanc boutiques to me are in Houston and Dallas. I called the boutique in Dallas and asked if they sold the liners and/or pourers separately? Let me back up. I first called the Montblanc general number. To which, they couldn't help me and suggested I call a boutique. Back to the boutique - the lady sounded a bit ...... well ...... unclear as to exactly what I was asking? She was nice and all. After a bit of back and forth of my trying to explain to her what it was that I was seeking, she said, "Oh, now I know what you're talking about. That plastic thingy that goes inside. I think we may have one at the other boutique." She took my name and number and said she's give me a shout back. No word yet. Not crossing my fingers nor holding my breath.

 

Just in case you want my one, I can't mail it in the US until May 30th.

[niksch]

Someone need a pourer / spout / funnel?

[Chrissy]

Someone need a pourer / spout / funnel?

 

There is currently one for sale on ebay. It fits nicely onto your Montblanc ink bottle. Or at least it did when they were the old round ended type.