Mont Blanc Hemingway

[PhilH]

Hi All,

Of those lucky enough to own one, who uses the MB Hemingway as a daily writer and what are your experiences? I’ve had mine for some years and really have never given it the attention it deserves. Now WFH seems like a good time to start...

best,

Phil

[KAC]

I purchased mine when it was first released and not selling well. I paid $400 for it new from a now defunct pen shop in San Francisco. The nib was re-ground by MB per my request in the "nib exchange" immediately after I bought it to a medium oblique. I used it as a daily writer for years. I now mostly use a 149.

 

The pen is durable and it fit my hand best with the cap on. Contrary to many reports, posting the cap didn't crack the thin edge. The nib is a 149 so it's pretty much the same writing experience in that regard. As per your experience, I didn't especially attend to it until the price escalated and then I retired it to a pen case.

 

Anyway, I think (as I thought when I first saw it) that the design is a classic reinterpretation of the 139 and the color scheme is appealing to me, now and then. I'll never have a 139 but I do have the Hemingway, so my karma is satisfied.

[PhilH]

Thanks for the reply. Do you prefer the 149 vs Hemingway?

[yubaprof]

I bought the ballpoint in San Francisco about a year after it came out. The manager of the shop, probably the same one that KAC mentions above, just about begged me to buy it. The price was $150.00. I promised myself that I would buy the fountain pen in a few months. But I couldn't justify the price to myself - the same amount that KAC paid - so I never purchased it. Finally, about fifteen years ago I picked one up for about $1,400, new with box etc. I never filled it, still feeling guilty about spending so much on a pen, so I sold it to a pen shop in Carmel for a handy profit. But I never got over my desire for one and bought another one last February. Of course I paid more for this one - used and sans box - than I paid for the never filled one with box and more than I sold that one for. I use it several times a week, but I am going to have it ground to a medium oblique (KAC and I seem to be on parallel paths, except he played it a lot smarter than I did.) I have owned a 149, but it just seemed too big compared to a 146 and somehow the Hemingway feels better in my hand than the 149. As I only post my smaller pens, I don't post the Hemingway.

I know that there are pens out there that write just as well as a Hemingway and perhaps even better, but for me style and cachet count for something and this pen for me has it all.

[jchch1950]

I bought mine at Joon New York(now closed) and used it very seldom because at that time I thought it was too flashy. Never had a problem and I still have it but I only use it for "special "events.

[zaddick]

I don't use mine as a daily writer because the nib is the same form factor as my 149s, but less interesting. I prefer older 149 nibs with more spring and ebonite feeds.

 

The pen is plenty robust enough to handle daily use. And the colors and shape are quite charming.

[Marcwithac]

I bought the ballpoint new when it was first introduced because that was all I could afford back then. Although I used it when a ballpoint was needed, I eventually sold. Then, around two or three years ago I bought a used fountain pen (complete with box and papers although the box is a bit worn). I had my local nibmeister regrind the nib to a cursive italic and have since included the pen in my regular rotation. Less frequently, I also write with a Montblanc L139 and I prefer the older pen for its springier nib.

[KAC]

Yubaprof: Was Golden Gate Pen Shop in SF where you bought the pen? That's where I purchased mine. At the time $400 seemed like an outrageous price (and, for 99% of the planet, it still is so) but I was instantly taken with the 139 styling and the contrasting but not obtrusive color scheme. I still am. The MB "Nib Exchange" was, at the time, quick, easy and prompt, maybe unlike nowadays.

 

PhilH: I personally prefer the 149 for daily writing because the Hemingway (for me) fits my hand best when the cap is posted. Given the age of the pen and ,though I wasn't attentive to potential cap-lip damage for many years of daily use, now I'm a bit concerned that the materials have aged and it might be more brittle. N.B.: I have no evidence whatsoever to support that intuition. As for the 149, it works for me without the cap being posted and - if I drop it - there are parts galore to fix it, a dubious proposition though for the Hemingway. And, as has been noted, the nib is the same as the 149.

 

Anyway, it's a fine interpretation of a classic design. I liked it enough when I first bought it to decide it was - for me - a "forever pen" so I took the unprecedented step of having MB engrave my name on the cap. That was a free service in those days; I don't know about now.

 

Keith

[yubaprof]

Yubaprof: Was Golden Gate Pen Shop in SF where you bought the pen? That's where I purchased mine. At the time $400 seemed like an outrageous price (and, for 99% of the planet, it still is so) but I was instantly taken with the 139 styling and the contrasting but not obtrusive color scheme. I still am. The MB "Nib Exchange" was, at the time, quick, easy and prompt, maybe unlike nowadays.

Yes, I am fairly certain that was the shop. It was downtown, but I don't recall the exact location. It's no longer in business. I sure wish I had bought mine when you did!

[fpupulin]

My Hemingway is permanently inked and ready for use. For long periods, I have it in a 149 pen stand on my desk, and during its "stand rotation time" I use it daily. Then it is substituted by another 149 or by the Dumas. It goes to the pen box that is on my desk and there it remains inked, but during the "box time" I use it less frequently, not on a daily basis. The Hemingway has faced the "external word" in a few opportunities, but in general I have a dedicated trio of pens for that duty, an EF 149, a BB 149, and a F 146.

 

The nib of my Hemingway is a narrow F or a generous EF. The pen had an EF sticker, but it is on the broad side of an extra-fine. It is a quite stiff nib, with a typical Montblanc "architect" grind, which is not among my best performers. Nothing wrong, I would say, but I have other nibs, both Montblanc and from other brands, which are funnier to write with.

 

I use the Hemingway uncapped, and I also would give a margin to the slightly longer body of the 149, which I feel more proportionate to my hand and that better fits my grip.

[KAC]

Golden Gate Pen Shop was near Union Square in SF per my somewhat hazy recollection. The Hemingway was a poor seller so I was lucky indeed to get it brand new. I still have the box, papers, a letter from MB about the nib change, etc. I'd like to polish it, but I've been told that the "mat finish" will come off if I do so I didn't.

 

It's really too bad that most independent pen shops have shuttered. There was a nice one in Tucson, Arizona called "Bill Ackerman's Pen Shop" that I really liked. Oh, well...

[Dave_g]

I've just picked up a fine Hemingway for under $2K.  I was hesitant to ink it as it was a perfect specimen.  Not a sign of ink anywhere.  I filled it with water and it ran clear except for a faint trace of a very pale blue which I attributed to test ink at the factory.  However the more I thought, the more I wanted to use it.  I never sell any of the pens I have and this one is very nice.  I liken my quest for this pen, this particular pen with a fine nib, to While E. Coyote's chase of The Road Runner.  Now that I have one, now what do I chase?  So many casual searches over the years.  Seriously, I've been hunting for over 10 years at the right price with papers and case box.  Now what?  I caught the bugger.

 

First, I test nibs on my thumbnail.  If the nib picks up nail shavings as I fake write on my nail with s dry nib I know it's going to cause problems.  But this fine was smooth. I filled the pen with water before I dip tested the pen and it wrote very nicely.  I then expelled the water and dip ink to leave the pen and ink window clear.  I still wasn't satisfied.  I dunked the nib in Noodles 41 and took a draw of ink.  It wrote ok but was very dry. I had to push to write with it and as I did, got a lot of line variation.  At first you might think that's perfect but no.  I wanted to write with it not make excuses as to how I should be writing with a pen. No. The pen should write as I do. As I want it to.  Not vice versa.

 

Screw it. I took my nib sanding kit off the shelf, found my 8X and 12X loupes and went to work.

 

1) The nib was too dry.  It's a stiff nib.  Step one is to take a post-it book mark tab, place one on my finger and gently open up the tines by applying pressure from below.  The post-it stops ink from getting on my finger.  Next I look to see which side of the tines is larger, they're never equal.  I have 0.5 micron lapping film on a 0.001 inch substrate that I place in the open slit then take away pressure allowing the tine to squeeze the film.  With extreme care I pull the film back and forth making sure not to bend it so as not to make a wedge shape between e tines . I can feel the resistance get less and less as I work the film.  I don't want to over do it, so I stop when I feel the the nib still hold the film tight but not as tight as before. About 5 to 7 back and forths. Total length ~2 inches forward and back.  Pulling the film down through as the tines grip does most of the work.

 

Testing as I went it still wasn't flowing the way Id like so.. 

 

2) I spread out the wings of the nib ever so slightly.  So slightly that I don't think it did anything but it does. Be very careful here. I lucked out.

  That opened the flow of the nib and now the nib would write a super fine line under it's own weight.  But when I went to write it wouldn't start without using more pressure than I like to write with.  

 

3) I took the Post-it and pushed down on top of the nib as I ran it gently on more of the 0.5 micron lapping film exactly where the nib contacts paper.  I took care to follow the contour of the profile of the nib, it's not a pure radius.  I don't want a flat spot.  I could see two distinct lines on the film. Babysbottom!  I reduced, not erased, the width of the traces on the film just a bit over the writing surface contour.

 

It took a while but now perfection!  The pen writes like a fine without force.  It writes first time to paper and as I apply pressure the line o-pens up to a wide medium.  It writes very well!

 

At the grip section and barrel diameter, it's very close to a 149. Shorter though and less cigar shaped.

 

My very first fountain pen, bought in 1995 was a MB Bach. It has opposite coloring with an orange cap and dark brown body. I like the two together.

 

I'm not sure who will get the pen next after I die but I'm going to enjoy this one for a long while. (I hope!)

 

Cheers,

Dave G

 

[Dave_g]

[kazoolaw]

Fortunate to find a Hemingway w/o box or papers at a good price.  After a couple years, the price looks better and better.

It's always inked on my desk in my home office.  With the quarantine it became a daily user.

The nib is broad, with a bit of stub like character.  It's displaced the 149, which has a medium nib, for daily use.

Don't know that I'd purchase it again at the going rate, but ....

 

[Arcadian]

9 hours ago, Dave_g said:

I've just picked up a fine Hemingway for under $2K.  I was hesitant to ink it as it was a perfect specimen.  Not a sign of ink anywhere.  I filled it with water and it ran clear except for a faint trace of a very pale blue which I attributed to test ink at the factory.  However the more I thought, the more I wanted to use it.  I never sell any of the pens I have and this one is very nice.  I liken my quest for this pen, this particular pen with a fine nib, to While E. Coyote's chase of The Road Runner.  Now that I have one, now what do I chase?  So many casual searches over the years.  Seriously, I've been hunting for over 10 years at the right price with papers and case box.  Now what?  I caught the bugger.

 

First, I test nibs on my thumbnail.  If the nib picks up nail shavings as I fake write on my nail with s dry nib I know it's going to cause problems.  But this fine was smooth. I filled the pen with water before I dip tested the pen and it wrote very nicely.  I then expelled the water and dip ink to leave the pen and ink window clear.  I still wasn't satisfied.  I dunked the nib in Noodles 41 and took a draw of ink.  It wrote ok but was very dry. I had to push to write with it and as I did, got a lot of line variation.  At first you might think that's perfect but no.  I wanted to write with it not make excuses as to how I should be writing with a pen. No. The pen should write as I do. As I want it to.  Not vice versa.

 

Screw it. I took my nib sanding kit off the shelf, found my 8X and 12X loupes and went to work.

 

1) The nib was too dry.  It's a stiff nib.  Step one is to take a post-it book mark tab, place one on my finger and gently open up the tines by applying pressure from below.  The post-it stops ink from getting on my finger.  Next I look to see which side of the tines is larger, they're never equal.  I have 0.5 micron lapping film on a 0.001 inch substrate that I place in the open slit then take away pressure allowing the tine to squeeze the film.  With extreme care I pull the film back and forth making sure not to bend it so as not to make a wedge shape between e tines . I can feel the resistance get less and less as I work the film.  I don't want to over do it, so I stop when I feel the the nib still hold the film tight but not as tight as before. About 5 to 7 back and forths. Total length ~2 inches forward and back.  Pulling the film down through as the tines grip does most of the work.

 

Testing as I went it still wasn't flowing the way Id like so.. 

 

2) I spread out the wings of the nib ever so slightly.  So slightly that I don't think it did anything but it does. Be very careful here. I lucked out.

  That opened the flow of the nib and now the nib would write a super fine line under it's own weight.  But when I went to write it wouldn't start without using more pressure than I like to write with.  

 

3) I took the Post-it and pushed down on top of the nib as I ran it gently on more of the 0.5 micron lapping film exactly where the nib contacts paper.  I took care to follow the contour of the profile of the nib, it's not a pure radius.  I don't want a flat spot.  I could see two distinct lines on the film. Babysbottom!  I reduced, not erased, the width of the traces on the film just a bit over the writing surface contour.

 

It took a while but now perfection!  The pen writes like a fine without force.  It writes first time to paper and as I apply pressure the line o-pens up to a wide medium.  It writes very well!

 

At the grip section and barrel diameter, it's very close to a 149. Shorter though and less cigar shaped.

 

My very first fountain pen, bought in 1995 was a MB Bach. It has opposite coloring with an orange cap and dark brown body. I like the two together.

 

I'm not sure who will get the pen next after I die but I'm going to enjoy this one for a long while. (I hope!)

 

Cheers,

Dave G

 

 

 

 

Well done! I have what seems to be the same problem, but I haven't the guts to try and fix it myself. I tried that a couple of times before, and that's the reason a silver Solitaire, a 1912 and a Montegrappa Extra are lying unused with more or less spoiled nibs in a drawer.... 

 

 - P. 

[Karmachanic]

On 9/14/2020 at 7:56 AM, zaddick said:

I don't use mine as a daily writer because the nib is the same form factor as my 149s, but less interesting. I prefer older 149 nibs with more spring and ebonite feeds.

 

G'bye Ernest. I hear the Siren song of 149 with a 14c nib calling me.

[agentdaffy007]

@Dave_g, congratulations on your find.

 

I took kind of lucked out at finding a Montblanc Hemingway FP in Medium for $1600. It was gently used.

 

So I sent it to Mark Bacas to make sure it would write properly.

 

Upon receiving it, the piston was stiff. Sent it to Montblanc Hamburg to lube that piston.

 

It came back but the pen would write 90% of the time. So instead of sending it back to a nibmeister, I will try to fix it myself.

 

After an hour or two, finally got it writing 100%. Now I am satisfied with my 3 desk pens (MB 149 O3B, MB 149 Calligraphy and MB Hemingway M).

[SpecTP]

that's a great grail to finally possess.

[Dave_g]

On 12/29/2022 at 1:38 AM, agentdaffy007 said:

@Dave_g, congratulations on your find.

 

I took kind of lucked out at finding a Montblanc Hemingway FP in Medium for $1600. It was gently used.

 

So I sent it to Mark Bacas to make sure it would write properly.

 

Upon receiving it, the piston was stiff. Sent it to Montblanc Hamburg to lube that piston.

 

It came back but the pen would write 90% of the time. So instead of sending it back to a nibmeister, I will try to fix it myself.

 

After an hour or two, finally got it writing 100%. Now I am satisfied with my 3 desk pens (MB 149 O3B, MB 149 Calligraphy and MB Hemingway M).

Good job!

[Dave_g]

On 12/29/2022 at 1:38 AM, agentdaffy007 said:

@Dave_g, congratulations on your find.

 

I took kind of lucked out at finding a Montblanc Hemingway FP in Medium for $1600. It was gently used.

 

So I sent it to Mark Bacas to make sure it would write properly.

 

Upon receiving it, the piston was stiff. Sent it to Montblanc Hamburg to lube that piston.

 

It came back but the pen would write 90% of the time. So instead of sending it back to a nibmeister, I will try to fix it myself.

 

After an hour or two, finally got it writing 100%. Now I am satisfied with my 3 desk pens (MB 149 O3B, MB 149 Calligraphy and MB Hemingway M).

Very good!