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I got a Pilot Elite that I believe to be from the 1970's/early 80's. This pen appears to be from the Korean Manufacturer with the hooded gold plated steel nib. It is EF but I have a few questions about the pen if anyone knows anything... 1. Japanese Pilots could be dated by the nib - is there a way to date this Korean Version? 2. The Converter inside does NOT want to come out and I do not want to force it if it is not supposed to come out - Is there a trick here? Is this pen a single piece? What am I looking at here? 3. Are there certain inks that I would not want to put into a pen like this - considering that it uses an aeromatic style converter - I believe this is the Con-20 but I'm not sure and am curious about a more current and diff style of converter.

Montblanc Meisterstück Le Petit Prince Special Edition 146 Petit Prince and Planet EF “Je suis un jardinier” ~ For several months Fountain Pen Network has been unavailable in the area where I work and live. In order to post this thread with images, it has been necessary to send them to a trusted friend in Africa, who has logged into FPN as me. After he uploads this post, I'm uncertain if I'll be able to see it or see any comments posted because FPN remains inaccessible here. On an overcast afternoon of intense rain, which was the Qingming (Tomb Sweeping) National Holiday, I visited the Montblanc boutique in downtown Shenzhen’s MixC. My purpose was to inquire about the two recently released Special Edition inks which I’d noticed on the Montblanc China Web site. While in the boutique I was told that both inks had arrived two days ago, selling out that very day. The sales staff graciously sold me their last remaining bottle of one ink, assuring me that the other ink would be restocked next month. Immediately upon walking in the entrance I saw in front of me the newly released Montblanc Meisterstück Le Petit Prince Special Edition 146 Petit Prince and Planet. I’d been interested in that particular model after spotting it on the Montblanc China Web site. The prominent ink windows were a feature of high interest. I asked to see and hold the pen. The pen’s solid mass appealed to me, because heft in a smaller fountain pen adds momentum to my cursive handwriting. When looking at the pen’s photos on the Internet, I’d wondered if the golden piston knob might be off-putting. Handling the pen in the boutique, I found that the golden piston knob adds balance. Marketing materials have described this model as being burgundy red resin with champagne gold fittings. That seems to be fairly accurate to my old eyes. As it happens, I’m a lifelong gardener, since my earliest school days. The nib engraving on this model powerfully attracted me due to its connection with gardening. It depicts Le Petit Prince weeding the baobab seedlings sprouting on his planet, which is designated in the book Le Petit Prince as Asteroid B-612. Having seen baobab seedlings in East Africa, I appreciate the diligent husbandry of Le Petit Prince as depicted on the nib. The bright golden nib sets off the subdued deep burgundy red of the pen itself. The color combination has the sort of understated elegance which I enjoy. While I was admiring the M nib display model, they offered to sell me their remaining bottle of Montblanc Homage to Moctezuma I Pierced Sky ink. I thanked them and agreed to buy it. Supposing that was the extent of my boutique business for the afternoon, but hesitant to step back out into the downpour, I light-heartedly asked if they had other nib sizes in stock for the pen model I’d been admiring. Looking in the stock drawer, every box was marked with M. They said that an F could be ordered as a nib exchange. Ridiculously I asked them if there might be an EF in the drawer. They looked and told me that there was indeed a single EF. As soon as I held it, I knew that it was destined for my writing desk. It was my first Montblanc fountain pen purchase since 2018. When I was leaving they kindly offered me a Montblanc umbrella, which I declined with thanks as I already have two Montblanc umbrellas. The Meisterstück Special Edition 146 Prince and Planet is a deep red resin the color of certain cherry varietals whose color explores the darkest tones of red. The champagne gold fittings are plain and understated. Around the upper cap band a quote is engraved: “On ne voit bien qu’avec le coeur.” On the nib Le Petit Prince is shown with his hoe, as well as two stars in the sky and four baobab seedlings. The yellow star on the clip is distinctive, as is the ink window. The pen feels solid in the hand…sturdy. The piston knob turns with ease. The EF sticker on the piston knob is a nice touch. In recent months my work has increasingly required detailed notes in small spaces. I’ve also been writing several hours of French every day, which necessitates appropriate diacritical marks. From the outset of my experience with Montblanc writing tools, I’ve written with EF nibs, which were consistently stellar. Far too many of my EF nibs were gradually repurposed into much broader nibs, leaving my writing desk with few Montblanc EF nibs. Adding the Meisterstück Special Edition 146 Prince and Planet to my writing desk opens 2020 with an especially pleasing daily writer for work purposes. The EF nib is smooth, precise with steady ink flow. It’s ideal for my needs. This rainy afternoon was especially fortunate, providing me with a “rainy day pen”. Following is an image series showing the pen and ink, for anyone who might be interested. Tom K. Bag From the Shenzhen MixC Montblanc Boutique Two Acquisitions Montblanc Homage to Moctezuma I Pierced Sky Ink Le Petit Prince Special Edition Made in Germany Within the Presentation Box First Look Meisterstück Special Edition 146 Petit Prince and Planet EF EF Sticker Meisterstück Cap Band Engraved Le Petit Prince Quote and Montblanc Snow Star 146 Ink Window and EF Nib Le Petit Prince Weeding His Planet, Asteroid B-612 Black Feed

I recently exhanged the nib in my Kaigelu 316 pen with a Titanium Bock nib from Beaufort Ink (UK). http://i1376.photobucket.com/albums/ah12/phzervas/93F82412-A163-48E1-88BB-E5B4EE7B8D44_zpsbuvqysnl.jpg http://i1376.photobucket.com/albums/ah12/phzervas/2B0A8CA6-CA0B-47DF-93CF-76770C392C45_zpsslyblstm.jpg http://i1376.photobucket.com/albums/ah12/phzervas/3AB1E03C-FFDA-4592-9E5D-D967C4E528BD_zpsrgsjhhi3.jpg http://i1376.photobucket.com/albums/ah12/phzervas/D0D6918C-DC5F-4D6B-9047-85330A442456_zpsp0hhmnri.jpg http://i1376.photobucket.com/albums/ah12/phzervas/0DFF4BB4-911C-481C-BAA2-AF4206DD2EC7_zpscrmjmtol.jpg The new nib is quite wet, feels very bouncy on the paper, is somewhat feebbacky but pleasantly so, and can write semi-flexy when little pressure is applied. For regular writing, it feels like driving a car with super soft suspension (shock-absorbers). Makes going back to nail stiff steel nibs very difficult indeed. Positives: - line variation, - cushioning effect the springy nib gives. Negatives - ''gas guzzler'' meaning it uses a lot of ink, compared to a regular EF nib. I wanted to try it for a long time, I do not regret buying it! There are a lot of nibs that can be tried on the Kaigelu 316. It is a beautiful pen! Ink is Waterman Harmonious Green.

Hello. I recently acquired a twsbi eco in ef, and so I was doing a little after-research about the pen and I found some sites or reviews saying that the nib could offer some line variation ( sbrebrown's serious nibbage episode on the eco), while others (like the eco's review on scribblejot by thomas xavier) saying that it was a "steel nail". I don't want to spring the tines on my eco by overpressing the nib to try and achieve a little line variation, so could someone please tell me whether the nib will offer line variation at a decent pressure? Thanks!

~ Over 25 years ago a friend in Central California presented a 149 Meisterstück 14K M nib fountain pen to me. Not realizing the magnitude of the gift, it was put away, unused during the following decades. I've lived and worked in Beijing for nearly fifteen years, with the pen stored away in a packing box. Just over one year ago an article referring to the high quality standards of Montblanc pens sparked my low-wattage memory. After finding the faded white presentation box, the forgotten 149 was cleaned, filled with dark blue Montblanc ink and used to write steady, clear lines. Happiness! Last Autumn Ms. Meng and the friendly staff at the Montblanc Boutique in Beijing's Malls at Oriental Plaza, by Wangfujing Street, arranged for the purchase of an EF nib 149 which was so satisfying that two months later an additional EF was bought. As much as I'd enjoyed using four Lamy Safari pens for taking notes and correcting student research papers, the Montblanc 149 EF nibs were ideal for my needs. After finding The Fountain Pen Network I read many helpful articles covering a wide range of topics, finding it to be an effective means of educating myself on the care and feeding of quality writing instruments. When a recent thread discussed the pending release of the 90th Anniversary Meisterstück commemorative pens, I met with Ms. Meng at the Beijing Montblanc Boutique to see if a special order of an EF nib might be feasible. In China several nib sizes aren't customarily stocked, including the EF nib. This afternoon a text message announced the arrival of the 90th Anniversary Meisterstück EF Nib pen at the Boutique, far more rapidly than expected. As a small means of expressing my appreciation to those FPN Montblanc Forum members whose comments I've read, here are several small images of the pen purchase, the pen itself, and comparison shots with the other three 149 pens. Full-sized versions may be viewed in my Zenfolio Gallery, http://tomkellie.zenfolio.com/p834972162. The new 90th anniversary nib is exceptional, with steady flow, superb feedback, and a pleasing thin line. The pen's red gold-plating is more subdued than in photos I've seen. The slightly reddish color cast of the metal is apparent, but not especially pronounced. The single metal nib appears more brilliantly golden than I'd expected, which probably reflects my lack of experience. All in all a highly satisfactory purchase.

~ On 20 February, 2014 a pair of fully restored Aerometric Parker 51 fountain pens with gold-filled caps were ordered from Mike McConnell of Mostly Parker 51. As I live and work in Beijing, China, I expected that there might be a considerable delay until they arrived. This evening I finally received the box which Mike had shipped. Both Parker 51s were in superb condition, having been carefully wrapped and packed so as to afford maximum protection during international shipping. The burgundy Parker 51 has the original medium/broad nib, while Mike fitted the forest green pen with an extra fine nib, at my request. Both pens were exactly as advertised, with exemplary craftsmanship restoring them to a very fine condition. With the attached photos, I'll attach a writing sample. The burgundy medium/broad pen wrote smoothly immediately after inking. As the forest green extra fine pen had a slightly irregular ink flow, I followed Mike's advice which resulted in a smooth ink flow for that pen, as well. I'm a university instructor who uses pens to correct student research papers and to write notes about the life sciences. My other fountain pens are four Lamy Safari pens – 1 M, 2 F and 1 EF nib – and four Montblanc 149 Meisterstück fountain pens – 1 M and 3 EF nibs. The Meisterstück 149s have been satisfactory in all respects, setting a high standard. In another post, I've described my pleasure in using a Montblanc 90th anniversary Meisterstück 149 EF fountain pen. https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/264092-montblanc-90th-anniversary-meisterstuck-ef-nib-in-beijing/ Having typed that, it's apparent late this evening that these professionally restored Parker 51s both are the sort of smooth writers which I especially cherish in my work. It will be great fun to use them as ‘workhorse pens’ both in and out of the classroom, as the Montblanc and Lamy pens are used. With gratitude, I'm delighted to heartily recommend Mostly Parker 51 as a trustworthy business of the highest standards, as Mike McConnell deeply appreciates the elegant design of Parker 51 fountain pens. I'll attach several images, the originals of which may be viewed at full size in my Zenfolio Gallery. http://tomkellie.zenfolio.com/p778180542