Service Interval Piston Fillers.

[GriffinGH]

Hi guys, I was wondering what the service interval would be with 146/149 models for "normal" use. Montblanc says every year, which would be a bit too much in my view. What's the average interval for fpn members?

[meiers]

Piston lubrication once every five or ten years in my experience. I do this myself.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/290071-lubricating-the-piston-on-a-meisterstuck-149/?fromsearch=1

 

 

 

And welcome to FPN.

Edited November 7, 2018 by meiers

[penparadise]

It depends on the ink you use. But generally one could say: the less you use a pen the more frequently service the pen needs.

[SpecTP]

I partially take apart my MB pens every 6months and lube the pistons. I have the tools to do so. I also send my pen in every few years if there are leaks or nib issues. This is for my 146s/149s/WE. I service my 344, 221, 34 or bring them to nibmeisters at pen shows.

Edited November 7, 2018 by SpecTP

[thygreyt]

But generally one could say: the less you use a pen the more frequently service the pen needs.

 

I fully agree with the above statement.

 

I tend to water flush my pens once every ~6 months (when in use) just to make sure there is no gunk build up on feed or piston.

 

The ones i am not using regularly (in storage): I just move the piston up and down a few times at least once every 2 months.

 

And before setting a pen for storage: it gets dissasembled (shown below), cleaned with destilled water, then dried. piston gets fully lubricated, then its fully clean and dry.

 

[meiers]

It depends on the ink you use. But generally one could say: the less you use a pen the more frequently service the pen needs.

Thats a very good point. Thanks.

[GriffinGH]

It depends on the ink you use. But generally one could say: the less you use a pen the more frequently service the pen needs.

Montblanc ink. Mainly black.

 

Piston lubrication once every five or ten years in my experience. I do this myself.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/290071-lubricating-the-piston-on-a-meisterstuck-149/?fromsearch=1

 

 

 

And welcome to FPN.

Cheers.

 

I fully agree with the above statement.

 

I tend to water flush my pens once every ~6 months (when in use) just to make sure there is no gunk build up on feed or piston.

 

The ones i am not using regularly (in storage): I just move the piston up and down a few times at least once every 2 months.

 

And before setting a pen for storage: it gets dissasembled (shown below), cleaned with destilled water, then dried. piston gets fully lubricated, then its fully clean and dry.

 

Good point about flushing the pen. I won't be greasing or servicing the pen myself, pretty sure i'll damage it.

[Charles Rice]

I have had my 149 since the 80s. Works great and has never been serviced.

[meiers]

Montblanc ink. Mainly black.

 

 

Cheers.

 

 

Good point about flushing the pen. I won't be greasing or servicing the pen myself, pretty sure i'll damage it.

Are you using mystery black or permanent black?

 

Mystery black is a trouble-free ink. The permanent black could be a different story.

Edited November 8, 2018 by meiers

[GriffinGH]

Are you using mystery black or permanent black?

 

Mystery black is a trouble-free ink. The permanent black could be a different story.

Definitely mystery black. But if I understand the comments in this thread correctly I should flush the pen at least once every 6 months and have it serviced around every 7 years? I intend to use the pen at least once every two weeks if not more.

[meiers]

If you use it regularly and keep it filled, it will not require service for a long time. Sending it to Montblanc Service for preventative maintenance does not make sense because their most economical service (level 1) includes replacement of a defective piston assembly. That is why I lubricate the piston on my pens when necessary. If I dont succeed, Montblanc Service will take over.

Edited November 10, 2018 by meiers

[meiers]

Definitely mystery black. But if I understand the comments in this thread correctly I should flush the pen at least once every 6 months and have it serviced around every 7 years? I intend to use the pen at least once every two weeks if not more.

I agree.

[niksch]

It depends on the ink you use. But generally one could say: the less you use a pen the more frequently service the pen needs.

 

+1

[Kalessin]

I've had my 149 since the end of the 1970s. It hasn't needed any regular maintenance, but has had repairs done by Montblanc when something broke.

 

The 149 design hasn't really changed since 1990, but in many basic ways hasn't changed since they changed from celluloid to plastic in the 1950s.

 

What source said a piston-filler should be sent in every year for service?

[Michael R.]

None of my modern (> 1960s) Montblancs ever went for service other than repair of broken parts.

 

I've only added some vaseline (just as Montblanc does and requires in their internal service SOP) to one filler unit to make it turn more easy.

 

Cheers

 

Michael

[Honeybadgers]

Spend $20 on a piston tool from eBay. I did. The piston assembly is very simple and easy to maintain, you just need the wrench. It's no more complex than a TWSBI.

[zaddick]

I only service as needed when the resistance of the piston head becomes too much for my preference. This is usually years but can be more. Some folks enjoy taking their pens apart fairly often, but I tend to let them be. To me the risk of damage from my disassembly efforts is greater than the marginal improvement in lubrication.

 

One thing no one mentioned explicitly yet is not to let ink sit in a pen until it dries. This will dramatically increase the chances it needs service and sometimes professional level restoration efforts.

[meiers]

I only service as needed when the resistance of the piston head becomes too much for my preference. This is usually years but can be more. Some folks enjoy taking their pens apart fairly often, but I tend to let them be. To me the risk of damage from my disassembly efforts is greater than the marginal improvement in lubrication.

 

One thing no one mentioned explicitly yet is not to let ink sit in a pen until it dries. This will dramatically increase the chances it needs service and sometimes professional level restoration efforts.

I agree wholeheartedly.

 

After the arrival of my piston removal tool I went through a phase of removing and lubricating pistons just for sport. Now I have found other things to do.

Edited November 17, 2018 by meiers

[Honeybadgers]

I concur - only remove it once a year at MOST as long as you didn't do something stupid like leave it inked and cap-off until it dried.