Mb 149 Filling Problem

[Marcwithac]

Not sure if this post belongs here or in Repair Q&A. I have a 1952 Montblanc 149 that doesn't want to fill. The piston moves up and down fully and there seems to be friction. Yet, the pen does not draw ink from the bottle with the nib fully submerged. The nib and feed seem to be clean. Given the rarity of this model, I am hesitant to start dismantling it. Is there an easy fix to this problem?

[hari317]

Cork might be shot. I suggest sending it off to an MB expert

[Kenlowe]

Have you tried checking for air leaks with the pen under water?

[Wolverine1]

I agree with Hari's diagnosis of your 149's problems. I used to own a 1958 (I think) 149. Was a wonderful pen but, it seemed to baulk at filling ink. Well, soaking the cork seals, seemed to work. I sold the pen to a guy who wanted a 1950's era 149, despite the problem the pen had. He had it repaired, and the person replaced the cork seals, and now he has a perfectly working 149.

[Marcwithac]

The cork was professionally replaced about 18 months ago. Unlike other older MBs I've had where you can tell that there is no friction between the cork and the inner wall of the barrel, I do feel friction. Even if the fit isn't perfect, I would expect it to draw at least some liquid. But nothing is getting in and I don't see air bubbles in the ink.

[Ron Z]

Did the pen drip or flood before it quit filling? If it didn't, and you can't fill it now, and there are no bubbles coming out of the feed....

 

A crack or opening doesn't have to be visible to the naked eye to cause problems. ...and even with the best repair people, sometimes a seal can fail sooner than we expect it to. Sometimes the seal feels fine and looks good, but replacing it fixes the problems.

 

It really comes down to either a seal that needs to be replaced again, or a leak that allows air to get in (or out) somewhere other than through the nib and feed. It's possible to do a couple of tests for that without disassembling the pen. One that you can do is to immerse the entire pen in water and see if bubbles come out somewhere else on the pen. Beyond that, I'd send it to someone to do some other testing. Worst case, the seal gets replaced again.

[Marcwithac]

Thanks Ron.

[Marcwithac]

When I submerged the pen past the threads, I found the problem. There must be a nearly invisible crack near the base of the threads, because that's where I see air bubbles. Thanks to all for responding so quickly. I guess the pen needs to go back to the shop.

[hari317]

Thats really unfortunate. But good you found the problem. The barrel is really thin around the section threads. Achilles heel of these pens.

Edited September 11, 2020 by hari317

[Kenlowe]

Good result, thank you for letting us know

Edited September 11, 2020 by Kenlowe