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Help To Lubricate Vintage Mont Blanc 149


jskywalker

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Hi,

 

I just acquired this 1970s vintage 149.

 

The piston seems a bit stiff.

 

How do I disassemble the piston to lubricate it ?

 

Any video tutorials?

 

Thanks

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No grooves in the back to remove the filler?

 

Then it could be a first generation resin 149 with a friction-fit filler. If that‘s the case it is slightly more difficult to remove for service. There is a thread about that kind of filler somewhere on this forum...

 

However it is worth it! Those early 149 are great pens.

 

Cheers

 

Michael

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You could try getting a little bit of vaseline on the inner walls of the barrel from the front after unscrewing the nib unit. But this could get a little bit messy as access is not perfect from the front.

Otherwise heat, a special tool and some luck is highly recommended to remove the filler.

 

Does your pen have a 14C or 18C (and not 14K or 18K) nib? I can imagine it is a great writer!

 

Cheers

 

Michael

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The nib is a 18C. I just got it yesterday.

 

I unscrewed the nib and applied silicon. Now it is smooth. :D

Excellent. Pleased to hear it worked.

 

Fricton fit piston mechanisms are best left in place, unless it's vital to remove them.

I have one and I lubricated mine from the nib end, too.

 

Great pen. Hope you enjoy it in good health.

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  • 5 months later...

Excellent. Pleased to hear it worked.

 

Fricton fit piston mechanisms are best left in place, unless it's vital to remove them.

I have one and I lubricated mine from the nib end, too.

 

Great pen. Hope you enjoy it in good health.

 

How do lubricate through the nib end? Do you just apply a little using a thin rod/needle or something on the insides of the barrel? Thanks..

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If you don't want to disturb the pen at all, you could try using Noodlers Eel inks in it?

 

https://www.jetpens.com/blog/noodlers-fountain-pen-inks-a-comprehensive-guide/pt/902#American%20Eel%20Lubricated%20Inks

"Truth can never be told, so as to be understood, and not be believ'd." (Wiiliam Blake)

 

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If you don't want to disturb the pen at all, you could try using Noodlers Eel inks in it?

 

https://www.jetpens.com/blog/noodlers-fountain-pen-inks-a-comprehensive-guide/pt/902#American%20Eel%20Lubricated%20Inks

You and your Eelers! You haven't changed in years, my friend!

 

Could be worth a try though.

Hard times don't last, but hard people do.

 

Thank a Veteran.

 

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In my opinion, the only proper way to conduct the service your pen requires is to remove the piston and lubricate of the seal from that aspect. Repeated removal of the nib section to perform only a subset of this task, can lead to section leaks and unwanted ink flow issues.

Hard times don't last, but hard people do.

 

Thank a Veteran.

 

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  • 1 month later...

You could try getting a little bit of vaseline on the inner walls of the barrel from the front after unscrewing the nib unit. But this could get a little bit messy as access is not perfect from the front.

 

Otherwise heat, a special tool and some luck is highly recommended to remove the filler.

 

Does your pen have a 14C or 18C (and not 14K or 18K) nib? I can imagine it is a great writer!

 

Cheers

 

Michael

 

I don't think Vaseline, a petroleum product is a good choice. I would choose one of the silicone base greases, or very heavy viscosity oils, just a little bit.

Regards

 

Jeff

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This already has caused lots of discussion and I‘m even getting hostile comments for this ...

 

I know yours isn‘t :-)

 

Maybe that‘s like asking which motor oil to use in a car forum ;-)

 

I‘ve been advised against silicone by one of the leading top restorers and former Montblanc employees and rather use vaseline instead. Later I came into possession of an original Montblanc service document advising vaseline as well.

 

But I also hear many comments from expert restorers who use silicone based products with no ill effect since many yesrs.

 

Cheers

 

Michael

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I've searched and found some interesting threads from the past about using Vaseline instead of Silicone on Montblanc pens. Here is one informative thread from 2011:

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/191287-silicone-grease-and-stress-cracking/

 

Most interesting to me was the note someone had made about the resin barrel of their Montblanc pen coming in contact with cotton swabs soaked in 70% alcohol and discoloring, and then cracking. I had no idea alcohol can have such a strong adverse effect on a Montblanc resin barrel. Since I have 2 Montblanc resin pens, this is useful to keep in mind for future reference on what to avoid around those pens.

“I admit it, I'm surprised that fountain pens are a hobby. ... it's a bit like stumbling into a fork convention - when you've used a fork all your life.” 

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Hm, I thought the poster was talking about 70% isopropyl alcohol, which is not the same thing as ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Ethyl alcohol is generally the one in alcoholic beverages, whereas isopropyl is the common sanitizer and cleaning agent.

“I admit it, I'm surprised that fountain pens are a hobby. ... it's a bit like stumbling into a fork convention - when you've used a fork all your life.” 

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The question of using silicone grease has popped up quite frequently. Discussions with folks who know more than I about German pens, have said to use silicone grease to lubricate Montblanc pens. I also asked the question of a friend who is head of the chemistry department at a local college. My question, and his answer follow.

 

A quick question for the chemistry professor - According to the MSDS for Molykote 111 silicone grease contains Octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane. I suspect that it is used as a thinner, though the MSDS doesn't say. The application data sheet says that the grease is "compatible with many plastics and elastomers," but that ingredient makes me wonder how broad "many' is.

The resin used in Montblanc pens is resistant to most every solvent I've tried, with the exception of cyclohexane causes almost instantaneous breakdown of the plastic. Is the Octamethyl (etc) stuff close enough to cyclohexane that it could be a problem?

For what it's worth, a friend who teaches chemistry at Sanford has given bits of the resin to students in an exercise to figure out the "unknown". Nobody to date has figured out what the resin is.

 

His reply, posted here( and in another thread) with his permission. Note that we have used Molykote 111 with Montblanc pens for over a decade with no negative impact seen or reported.

 

 

Octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (OMCTS) is the precursor used for most silicone oils, waxes, or greases (or plastics). It may be listed on your MSDS because traces remain. Or, it may be there intentionally because it is a silicone liquid itself which would help make the grease thinner, as you suggest.

 

Silicones in general do not interact much with other polymers or rubbers. They are chemically dissimilar and therefore do not (usually) soften or dissolve in them. So, for your Montblanc pen resin, I would not expect that the Molykote 111 would react with it or soften it. However, I would suggest trying a little bit on some inconspicuous area if possible to test it.

 

The word “cyclo” in OMCTS indicates a ring structure, which is also present in cyclohexane. However, the functional groups in the molecule are different, and that is what determines chemical properties.

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Ron Z, have you experimented with Krytox oils and greases in the more recent years? I have pure silicone grease, but I also have a bunch of nicer Krytox greases and oils and love the latter. Have Lubricated a Lamy 2000 piston with Krytox once, which worked very well (GPL206, probably grade 0, iirc). They are meant to be highly non-reactive and able to withstand a high range of temperatures, I'm just curious about longevity on moving parts.

Edited by Intensity

“I admit it, I'm surprised that fountain pens are a hobby. ... it's a bit like stumbling into a fork convention - when you've used a fork all your life.” 

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If you would like to do a more detailed research your key words are „chemical stress crack“ or „environmental stress crack“.

 

Also the 2011 discussion gives some insight and quotes from Montblanc:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/191287-silicone-grease-and-stress-cracking/

 

Cheers

 

Michael

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Yes, isopropyl alcohol will damage Montblanc plastics. Someone some years ago posted about filling their MB 144 or 146 with isopropyl alcohol (I don't know the percentage), and it damaged the inner surface of the barrel, of the ink tank.

-- Joel -- "I collect expensive and time-consuming hobbies."

 

INK (noun): A villainous compound of tannogallate of iron, gum-arabic and water,

chiefly used to facilitate the infection of idiocy and promote intellectual crime.

(from The Devil's Dictionary, by Ambrose Bierce)

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