Correct Feed On This 144?

[Paul Raposo]

Hey all.

 

Hoping to get some opinions on this 144 feed. I haven't seen one like this before, and I'm wondering if it's correct, or a copy:

 

http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/2956/tn21h.jpg

Edited August 20, 2012 by Paul Raposo

[leod]

I have the same feed on my 144 1990's model.

[Paul Raposo]

I have the same feed on my 144 1990's model.

 

Thank you, leod I've never seen this feed before, so I thought I better double check before driving out to see the pen.

[hari317]

+1. a correct early plastic feed.

[Paul Raposo]

+1. a correct early plastic feed.

 

Thank you, Hari Planning to see the pen tomorrow.

[Dr. Eriko]

Nothing is wrong with your feed. I have the same in my 144 from late 80's.

Regards

[Paul Raposo]

Nothing is wrong with your feed. I have the same in my 144 from late 80's.

Regards

 

Thank you, Dr. Eriko Good to know this feed is correct, and that I have a general idea of the pens age.

[Paul Raposo]

I'm going to be seeing this pen tomorrow. Are there any tips about what to look for when inspecting the pen? It has the original boxes, and converter, but these 144 are copied so often, I want to be sure it's genuine. I've checked over 146's, and 149's, but never a 144, so I'm not sure what to look for to spot a copy.

[CS388]

All the fake 144s I've seen had modern, plastic, finned feeds. I've never seen one with an original early feed, like your picture.

 

I know it's not enough to go on. But it's a promising start.

 

Take your 146 (eg) along with you. You can compare the quality and workmanship, side by side.

 

The fake 144 I had in 2008 was so convincing, that the copied (and much used) serial number was the only way I finally confirmed my suspicions. The nib engraving was accurate (if shallow). The overall quality of the pen was inferior to the real thing. But I could only tell when compared side by side, if observed by itself - very convincing.

 

Fingers crossed. Good luck!

 

 

 

Edited for attempted clarity improvements.

Edited August 22, 2012 by CS388

[Paul Raposo]

All the fake 144s I've seen had modern, plastic, finned feeds. I've never seen one with an original early feed, like your picture.

I know it's not enough to go on. But it's a promising start.

Take your 146 (eg) along with you. You can compare the quality and workmanship, side by side.

The fake 144 I had in 2008 was so convincing, that the copied (and much used) serial number was the only way I finally confirmed my suspicions. The nib engraving was accurate (if shallow). The overall quality of the pen was inferior to the real thing. But I could only tell when compared side by side, if observed by itself - very convincing.

Fingers crossed. Good luck!

Edited for attempted clarity improvements.

 

Thank you, CS388 Excellent point about the older feed; that would have not occurred to me. If they're going to make fakes, it makes sense they'd use new looking materials.

 

I'll post some pics if I do end up buying it.

[Paul Raposo]

Well, met the seller today, who was a really great guy, and a pleasure to deal with. He brought the 144, and a few extras. Of course, I could not refuse to look at them, that would be rude :embarrassed_smile: Needless to say, we hammered out a price, and did the deed.

 

First off, some pics of the extra pens. Later when I've got the 144 cleaned, I'll post some pics.

 

An embarrassment of riches!

 

First off, the Bordeaux classique rollerball, in velvet case. The case is older, but the pen has a serial number, and GERMANY on the clip. I'm feeling like this pen is in the wrong box.

 

http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/9385/montblancstuff002.jpg

 

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/1540/montblancstuff003.jpg

 

Next up, a 164 in black with box. I'm thinking this pen belongs in the velvet box, because it has no serial, and W. GERMANY on the clip. While the rollerball with serial belongs in this box. Any opinions on this would be appreciated.

 

http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/3345/montblancstuff004.jpg

 

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/5829/montblancstuff005.jpg

 

And lastly, a 161, in black and platinum. The only issue with this pen is a company name engraved on the cap. The engraving is small, and not garish, so I don't really mind it. The seller is looking for the box, so hopefully, I will have that as well.

 

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/1193/montblancstuff006.jpg

 

And the exterior of the boxes:

 

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/8215/montblancstuff001.jpg

 

If anyone is interested, I can post individual pics of these pens.

[Paul Raposo]

As promised, here are the 144 pics. The pen came with the velvet box, booklet, two gold, and two clear ink carts, (the clear ink carts were bought by the owner,) and the converter.

 

First off, a couple of box shots. This pen is only marked W.GERMANY and is in this velvet box. This makes me believe the above black 164 should be in the velvet box as well.

 

http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/6241/montblanc144001.jpg

 

http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/6127/montblanc144002.jpg

 

Here are a couple of nib shots. I didn't get the 585 stamped under the name, but it's there. There is also a couple of small spots of corrosion on the gold trim, but not nearly as bad as I've seen on other pens. The second pic shows that I still haven't gotten the feed completely clean. It soaked for 8 hours, with multiple flushes, and water changes. I'm debating whether I should do a diluted ammonia soak. Hopefully this nib checks out:

 

http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/9602/montblanc144003.jpg

 

http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/6348/montblanc144004.jpg

 

And here is the feed that you all helped me with:

 

http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/3653/montblanc144005.jpg

 

A shot of the brass threads:

 

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/2130/montblanc144006.jpg

 

And a pretty poor attempt at capturing the W.Germany stamp:

 

http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/6075/montblanc144007.jpg

 

These last two pics are of the converter. I'm debating whether I should buy a new converter, as this one is a bit rough:

 

http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/5657/montblanc144008.jpg

 

http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/1694/montblanc144009.jpg

[CS388]

Nice!

 

Congratulations, Paul.

Love those monotone nibs!

 

A nice ending to the tale.

 

Enjoy!

[Paul Raposo]

Nice!

Congratulations, Paul.

Love those monotone nibs!

A nice ending to the tale.

Enjoy!

 

Thanks, CS388 I'm debating whether to use ink carts, or fill with the converter; or if to fill it at all. But all in all, a really nice pen.

[CS388]

Nice!

Congratulations, Paul.

Love those monotone nibs!

A nice ending to the tale.

Enjoy!

 

Thanks, CS388 I'm debating whether to use ink carts, or fill with the converter; or if to fill it at all. But all in all, a really nice pen.

 

When I had my 144, I used a convertor, for the most part. But it held surprisingly little ink.

Last converter I bought was around £9 from the MB boutique. So get a new one if you fancy, but if the supplied convertor works, I'd run with it.

 

 

When I used cartridges, I used the international standard carts in it. Obscenely cheap at around £1 for a bag of 50 (Blue or black) from office supply etc etc. One in the pen and a spare upside down in the barrel.

It was a great pen (my only ever MB Boutique pen purchase).

 

But when the 146 arrived, the 144 became redundant and I eventually sold it.

I know that you've already got the big boys, so this could prove an interesting pen for you.

Hope you enjoy it.

Nice thread, too.

Cheers,

Paul

[Paul Raposo]

When I had my 144, I used a convertor, for the most part. But it held surprisingly little ink.

Last converter I bought was around £9 from the MB boutique. So get a new one if you fancy, but if the supplied convertor works, I'd run with it.

When I used cartridges, I used the international standard carts in it. Obscenely cheap at around £1 for a bag of 50 (Blue or black) from office supply etc etc. One in the pen and a spare upside down in the barrel.

It was a great pen (my only ever MB Boutique pen purchase).

But when the 146 arrived, the 144 became redundant and I eventually sold it.

I know that you've already got the big boys, so this could prove an interesting pen for you.

Hope you enjoy it.

Nice thread, too.

Cheers,

Paul

 

Thank you for your thoughts on filling, CS388. Your point about the converter holding less ink, helped me to decide to use it. The amount of writing I do during the day, I don't go through much ink. But I like to use the same ink all the time, so I think filling the converter wouldn't be too wasteful.

 

So, like a kid on Christmas, I inked up the 144 and I must say, then nib is gorgeous. I wish my 146 nib was this nice. The MB Royal Blue looks great with this medium nib. Since I really love small pens, I can see this being a daily writer for me.

 

Here's a sample:

 

http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/2229/montblanc144.jpg

[hari317]

Nice buy. Curious, how much did you pay for it?

 

The rough converter can be rectified with a clean and relube. Just unscrew the metal collar at the base of the knob and it will all come apart.

 

Best

Hari

[Paul Raposo]

Nice buy. Curious, how much did you pay for it?

The rough converter can be rectified with a clean and relube. Just unscrew the metal collar at the base of the knob and it will all come apart.

Best

Hari

 

Hi, Hari.

 

Thank you very much for the info about the converter I thought the metal collar was epoxied on. I never knew it could be unscrewed. When the converter is empty I'll disassemble and give it a good cleaning, and lube.

 

As for price, I'm a bit embarrassed to say, but I paid $270 for all four pens. So $67.50 per pen.

[hari317]

excellent price! congrats!

 

The collar is screwed in but sometimes some glue is used to lock it, it will eventually unscrew.

 

Best

Hari

[Paul Raposo]

excellent price! congrats!

The collar is screwed in but sometimes some glue is used to lock it, it will eventually unscrew.

Best

Hari

 

Thanks for this info, Hari. I'll post some pics when I eventually do it.