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Hello, I have a No. 146 from the 1980s in front of me. I knocked out the nib and feed easily enough but getting them back in seems impossible! I have done this before and had no trouble after applying a little silicone grease. This time, nothing works. I am afraid of breaking a fin on the feed. Does anyone know of a good way of getting them back in? Thanks!

I have two 146’s. One pen is older and has the nib holes 180 degrees apart and the other is a more modern Bordeaux 146 with nib holes offset. I have tools for the older 146 but not for the newer nib hole 146’s. I really did not want to pay $40 $50 dollars for another tool. I read that the MAJOHN P136 was the size of a 146 and saw they had a take down tool. Per the instructions it looked like it would work on the nib assembly of a newer 146 Montblanc. So I decided to try an experiment and purchased this tool for $10 and free shipping. I purchased it Jan 30 and it arrived to me in Texas on Saturday Feb 11 Well it worked like a charm on the piston and more importantly on the nib assembly. I hate adding eBay links because in time they are no good for future searches but I thought I had to tell y’all to take advantage of this while you can. Someone else sells the same tools but it’s listed for “Montblanc use” and they want $20 for the tool and $20 for shipping. Hope this helps someone, it did me. Cheers,Ozzy https://www.ebay.com/itm/394315658418?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=OSSpmWOnTcO&sssrc=2047675&ssuid=bZUb89HITrK&var=662832818694&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Hello, I have come across this pen on an internet auction. The price is fairly good, but not too good. It is Montblanc 146 LeGrand Gold. Is it legit? What to look for and what to ask the seller for to be sure?

Greetings! I have recently stumbled upon a montblanc 146 with gold trimming for sale for 150 euros (2nd hand). I am not sure about the date of purchase yet, but if I get that info I'll write it below later. The pen seems to be in good condition despite a small crack on the piston knob. Below are some pictures of this pen. What are your opinions on this pen and is this a good price for one? Thank you very much for your help! Kind regards

I’ve been happily living in 0.45 - 0.65 line width land for some time now, and have been particularly enjoying the shading I get from soft Ti nibs. Of late I have been having a strong urge to purchase an EF. Digging around I’ve noticed Mr Kelly’s fondness for these, and have noted shading in some of his written examples. Something not seen so much, or so distinctly, in other brands. My question is, do contemporary MB EF nibs exhibit this characteristic? I’m particularly thinking of a Platinum 146. My only current MB experience is with a delightful OB 234.5. I had a 149 forty years ago but gave it away. Thank you for your input.

Just got a new 146 AND my first MB in the mail! it is great, got it off classifieds. Just wanted to show it off a bit here. It is a '80-'90 146 with a full ink window (now really visible in pictures because of the ink inside) and a soft monotone fine nib. My apologies for the terrible photography (and sideways picture it seems... how to change that, I'm not sure) The only issues are some skipping problems and hard starting, which is unfortunately quite frequent, but I will try to solve that. If anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear them.

I’ve been reading other posts for quite a while and got a lot of useful information. I am appreciated to all the shared knowledge from Youtube and forum FPN, fpgeeks, and Reddit. As that knowledge helped me to get started, I also want to do some contributions to this community. During the past year, I got really serious and had some nice pens for my personal collection. I would like to share my thoughts about those pens. As I come from Hong Kong, the suitability of the pens in writing Chinese words is reviewed as well. That’s why you will find Chinese writing in the writing sample. The first batches of pens I want to review are one of my favorite pens, Montblanc 146 in green and grey striated patterns. First Impressions: Vintage Montblanc 146 striated pens were produced around the 1950s and were all made of celluloid. Nibs are all bi-color 14C and the filling system is telescopic piston structure. Depending on the color and patterns, those striated pens were divided into three types: 1. striated grey 2. striated green 3. vertical green striped. Three pens I owned and shown here are those three types. Although the vertical green striped one does not come with a pen cap with a straight green pattern, the barrel is in a striped pattern. To my personal taste, they are equally beautiful and much more exciting compared to the regular mono-color version. They really show beautiful colors with different layers under the sunlight. Depending on the condition of reservation, the color of the green/grey pattern may change to brown. The majority of the reason for color degradation may due to the exposure of UV light. Therefore, a perfect green striated/striped 146 is barely found in the market. Also, the material may shrink due to the temperature, hence the size of each 146 striated varies. DSC_5106 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr Left to right: green striped, grey striated, green striated DSC_5133 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr Left to right: green striated, grey striated, green striped DSC_5184 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr Left to right: green striped, grey striated, green striated DSC_5188 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr Left to right: green striated, grey striated, green striped DSC_5137 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr Bi-color 14C nibs Appearance and Design (10): These pens look amazing and classic to me. The color has so many layers and the pattern on each pen is unique. Some details need to point out: 1. the band and the rings are all gold plated. 2. The engraving on the band is “Montblanc Masterpiece”. 3. Depending on the produced date, there are three types of feed, ski slope without a groove (~1949), ski slope with groove (~ the early 1950s), round ebonite (late 1950s). 4. On the piston nobs, there are different engravings, 146, 146 F, 146G and * and M (don’t know the meaning of “*”), which indicate the model number and nib size of the pen. Thanks to others’ work in FPN, the detailed analysis of for the produced date for 146 can be found in the post below: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/337490-dating-montblanc-146-legrand/ Overall, I think that those pens have a great looking and feeling so different from modern 146 models. DSC_5120 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr Piston nobs with 146G for green striped, 146 for grey striated, and 146 for green striated IMG_8997 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr IMG_8998 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr IMG_8999 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr 146G, *, and M write on green striped pen IMG_8976 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr IMG_8977 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr 146 and F write on grey striated pen IMG_8988 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr Only 146 on green striated pen Construction and Quality (9.5): For pens for almost 70 years, they still preserved very well. This can tell us that the pens are well-constructed and very solid. Although there are some concerns regarding the long-time wearing of celluloid material, there are only some color changes and the pens have no crack. However, they are still vintage pens, hence some scratches can be found on the clips and nibs. The Montblanc mark on the cap turned into yellow and ink windows are in a reddish color. You can also find oxidations on the metal part as well. So they still need to be well reserved and not for perfectionism. IMG_8995 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr IMG_8969 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr IMG_8984 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr Pens with writing samples, top to bottom: green striped, grey striated, green striated Weight and Dimensions (9): They are not big pens and smaller compared to model 146. The sizes of the three pens are slightly different. The length is ~13.3-13.5 cm (with cap) and the dimension of the barrel is ~1.2 cm. Weight is 26 g (with cap). The pen is back heavy, but you will not feel so awkward due to the lightweight. I definitely love the barrel to place my fingers, they have a smooth curve and I feel the finger position is just right during writing. Personally, I am a big pen lover and I would prefer to have a 149 green striated. Max Horst also makes some custom 149 pens from 1950 Montblanc green striated stock, but the price is not justifiable to me. For writers with an average size of male hands, I could still say the pen is definitely very comfortable to write and suitable for daily usage if someone is willing to. Nib Performance (10): The nibs on those pens can sing. With those 1950s fine and medium nibs, writing is very smooth with a touch of feedback. They are very wet pens and I love wet pens. The ink flow is always proficient and consistent with the ebonite feed. Of course, the most beautiful part is the flexibility of the nibs on these pens. With the variation of the applied pressure, the width of the line can change from an Asian fine (0.2 mm) to triple broad (1.6 mm). The flexible nib allows me to do some cool English writing and definitely very fun to use. And I never have had any railroad when writing with the pens. Compared to modern flex nibs, such as ASC magic flex nib and Omas nib (in my next review), I would definitely prefer these vintage Montblanc nibs. The bounciness and consistency of ink flow into the nib are definitely better. Regarding Chinese calligraphy, I still always prefer a rigid nib. For example, my daily user pilot 823 (review will come later) can give more control because the change of width in Chinese writing is based on the “travel route” of the pen nib. Overall, vintage Montblanc pens are really great for flex writing and daily writing. It’s very pleasant for me to use. Information for writing sample: 1. Ink: Sailor Jentle ink Rikyu-Cha/Waka-Ugnism. 2. Paper: Rhodia dot pad. 3. Nib size: Fine and medium. I found the medium size is actually finer than “fine” nib. IMG_8996 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr IMG_9044 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr 146 green striped with a medium nib and round ebonite feed IMG_8972 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr IMG_8973 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr 146 grey striated with a fine nib and ski slope feed IMG_8985 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr IMG_8986 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr 146 green striated with a fine nib and ski slope feed IMG_9014 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr IMG_9015 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr IMG_9045 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr Writing samples Filling system and Maintenance (9): These pens use piston filler and specifically telescopic piston system. Instead of screwing the piston to immediately push the piston, the piston has a two-stage release. Firstly, you have to unscrew the turning nob to engage the rod to the piston and then further screw to move the piston. The piston can still function very well and store a rather large amount of ink. The downside of 1950s Montblanc piston is that uses a cord instead of nylon piston cup. The cork will be worn out over time. Thus the regular maintenance of the piston is necessary. Cost and Value (10): Let’s be fair, they are very expansive pens. Depending on the preserved condition of the pen, the price ranges from around 1500 to over 2000 USD. But they are rather rare and gradually increase their value over the past few years. So I think it worth its money if you like it and can find one. To me, it really attracts me and I ended up own three of these with different colors and patterns. Regarding the market value for your reference, the perfect green stripe should be the rarest and the price is the highest. Conclusion and Final Score (57.5/60): There are so many things to like on these pens. The appearance, which mixed so many layers of colors together, is unique and gorgeous. The pen feels classic and comfortable. The piston filler contains a rather large amount of ink. The nib is fantastic to write and very flexible. I just love these pens. DSC_5141 by Jianan Hui, 於 Flickr Pen caps

I just got this Montblanc 146 F nib fountain pen from a ebay bid. It was claimed to be new. It looked new too. But the nib was misaligned. You can see in the picture. I spend about an hour and I was able to realign the tines. I am very new to Montblanc and this is the first ever Montblanc pen of mine. I need some help conforming its authenticity. I got it for $251 plus $15 shipping from Italy to California. There were no one placing bid until the very end of the listing. Some one else placed bid before me. I won in the end. Thank you guys! Note that I did use a strong flashlight to illuminate the cap and saw that the material of the cap did had dark red light emission. The weight of this 146 is very similar to my Pilot custom 823. I would say this 146 is a tiny bit heavier. Lastly, I could NOT find "Pix" ANYWHERE on this pen. I will attach a lot of picture here just to make more opportunities for you too look at the details of my new pen. Pictures:

I am fairly new in the fountain pen collection world but I have been using fountain pen since very young. Im currently a college student and Im looking for suggestions for my next pen. Heres a short list of the pens I uses quite often: 1. Pilot Kaküno M nib 2. Pilot Kaküno F nib 3. LAMY All-Star EF nib 4. Pilot Falcon M nib 5. Pilot Custom 823 M nib Here are some of the pens that I am interested in: 1. Pilot Custom 742 FA nib 2. Pilot Custom 743 FA nib 3. Pilot Justus 95 F nib 4. Sailor 1911 realo F or M nib 5. Sailor Profesional Gear realo F or M nib 6. Montblan 146 F or M nib Which one should I get first?

Some of you may have already seen this over in the Montblanc forum, but I have a 1995 MB 146 that I recently purchased and *was* in pristine condition until the collar became attached. I do NOT want to send it back to Montblanc because I'm paranoid that they will either remove the nib and feed and put it in a brand new pen or god forbid, they send a whole new pen altogether. I love this pen, I love how it writes, I want it repaired and not replaced. Do any of my MB family have recommendations for someone who can repair it? I've seen a couple of names bandied around as I've done some searches, but I'd like to get some consensus on someone who can help me, if possible, in the US. I'm not keen to send it overseas. You can also feel free to message me privately if you prefer. shawnee

Hi! This is my first post here on FPN, i've been reading the forum content for a while but only now came across with the need to post something. I wanted to buy a modern version of the Montblanc 146 with no signs of use, and since i'm a student i have to buy it in second hand. I don't have any questions regarding the pen authethicity, however, i'm very concerned about what can go wrong, like losing all the money, or dont' receiving the pen. There are two pretty good deals on ebay for around 200 euros on pens with ~15 years, never used, with box and papers. The sellers have a rating of 108 with 100% satisfaction, and 3 with 0% satisfaction. So the question is, how important is the seller ratings nowadays? By using PayPal and talking to the seller can i avoid losing money and a bad experience? Regarding the pen, i've met with a seller some weeks ago and bought a platinum 146 with a broad nib. I disassembled, cleaned, realigned the nib and adjusted the ink flow, only to realise that the nib doesn't suit my dayly needs, so i sold it with some profit. I'm confident that i can fix minor problems by myself, but i'm really concerned abou beeing scammed XD Thank you for your attention, Best regards

Bonjour - having experienced some stops / drying out with BayState Blue in a 146 90th anniversary edition Broad nib, I tried some other inks in addition to the bottle of J. Herbin Éclat de Saphir on hand. The Éclat de Saphir looks the most vibrant after BSB, then MB Royal Blue. Thanks for your thoughts.

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Hi everyone, I got an unexpected gift today - a supposedly new MB 146. The person who bought it has no experience with fountain pens (guess she's just fed up of listening me talking about them), and got this MB on ebay without realising the amount of fakes around. I did take a look at the listing: the seller has over 1000 sales, no recent negative feedback, many different pens sold; price was about 30-35% off list price. I started going through the "checklist" of obvious signs to detect a fake, but I'm also no expert in MBs. And there are a few things that got me confused and I hope anyone can shed some light on it. - Came with box an "Service guide" booklet; - The precious resin (marketing is such a great thing, isn't it?) feels warm to the touch and not like cheap plastic. Strong light shows the expected "red transmittance"; - MB star is perfectly centered on the top of the cap; - Was (still is) stickered (M); - Piston filler is very smooth; - 9 digit serial number on the clip band; So far so good, but then things got slightly weird: - Cap ring is engraved with "MONTBLANC-MEISTERSTUCK-Pix®-" (I thought Pix was under the clip); - Under clip is engraved with "Made in Germany" and centered below it "metal" (never heard of the metal part before); - Nib is the dual-toned with 4810, the Montblanc star with M inside it, Au585, StOD, and MONTBLANC right at the bottom - writes wonderfully and under a loupe does not show any imperfection, engraving/pressing is smooth, everything is perfectly centered; - There is a tiny "D" on the tip of the feed; Do any of these things seem a sign of a fake? I know that MB changes engravings once in a while, but I had never seen this variation before. I did not have time to get the macro lens out of the bag for some proper images, and I hope the description is enough. If not, I'll try to get some decent images. Thanks for any help.

Hi all This is a Montblanc 146 with 18c two tone nib. It is from my personal collection but I couldn't find any info about it. I do appreciate if someone could provide some information like years, production background regarding to this pen. Thank for watching.

Hi there everyone: I'm FP4ever from Madrid, Spain. Have allways had a penchant for fp's and even used a couple as a boy, Parker and Sheffear. Cheap ones. My sister had a set of 51's (fp + pencil) and my dad a set of 75's in silver (fp+ballpoint). When I turned 13 we went to Nelspruit in SA (we lived in Mozambique at the time, in 1973) and I saw a set at a local shop which I couldn't let go, the Montblanc Carrera in yellow and black (fp + ballpoint), which I have to this day in pretty good condition, along with those 51's and 75's. I've been writing a diary online for many years and a few months back had this urge to continue writing it on paper with a fp. So I digged the 51, the 75 and the Carrera and started writing with them. the 51 is not very good. The Carrera is too hard. The 75 is lovely and far better than the Montblanc 144 I also have. So time went by and I bought a Montblanc 149. Very nice writer, not too flexible and smotth, but way too thick to use for hours on end. Then I got a Pelikan M1000 and a M805 Demonstrator. The M1000 is way too flexible for my taste, but the M805 wow! I had been using Montblanc inks and with the Pelikans I got 8 Edelstein inkwells! Wow! So much better! Any of the colours flow like melting butter. the ink is thick but dries a lot faster than the MB ink. I added another M805 in black and the yellow highlighter, a M200. Got the 146 filled with Edlestein and wouldn't write well. Re-filled with MB ink and was able to write well with it. However, the writing expereince with the M805 is far better than anything by Montblanc. It seems to me that Montblanc is like a Mercedes - hollow reputation and bad quality. And Pelikan a Lexus - serious content. Montblancs are all design and as writing devices inferior to Pelikan Souveran pens.I for one ain't spending a single euro with them in the future. Anyone agree with me? Best wishes, FP4ever

Hello dear colleagues, It’s been a while since I have started to read this forum and based on the information and advice that I found here I decided to purchase a MontBlanc 146 F nib from a local auction site for 250 dollars. It seems to have all the “security” elements peculiar to this model: the word pen written underneath the clips, the nib identical to that of an authentic MontBlanc 146, the code on the rings of the clips and the shades of red when put in the light. What worries me is that even though the seller has clearly stated that the pen was brand new, the cap rings seem oxidized, there is a small piston gap and when the cap is on, even if well-fitted, it still has a slight play. I have never had expensive pens and I was expecting that all the elements would fit perfectly and since the rings are gold-plated I think shouldn’t look oxidized. On the body of the pen there is no scratch at all. Please, find attached more photos. I would be more than grateful to have you take a look and I would highly appreciate to hear your opinion.

My MB 146:

Just got my hands on a 146 that I think is from the 1970's that needs a new feed. I purchased it used with no box or paperwork. Can anyone suggest where I can get a new feed? Thanks