Wobbling Cap

[meng]

I've been a fountain user since I was in elementry school. I just love the feeling when the nib moves across the paper. When I was in middle school, my grandpa gave me a pen he used to use, and it's a Montblanc 146 (produced in the 60's, the nib says 18C 750 rather than the commonly seen 585). Although I had no idea what a Monblanc was, I loved the pen because it's from my grandpa. But I didn't bother to use it, for a girthy pen like this was kinda awkward when my classmates saw it, though it fit my hand perfectly. Then my father gave me another Montblanc 146 produced in the 70's, when I was in college. Again it's a perfect writer, and I loved it dearly. I guess they are "vintage", if you will, and I've never experienced any issues from thses two pens. Not at all.

So a few months ago I got a brand new Montblanc 149 from ebay. To my surprise, I noticed the "negative" difference immediately. The tines were misaligned, and the cap, when screwd, wobbled. The nibs wrote smoother on my 146's, maybe because my grandpa and my dad used them before. But the cap, this cap on my 149 wobbles, not much maybe 1 or 2 mm, no matter how tight I screwed it. This really bothered me especially me having OCD :-) And the caps of my two 146's sit on the pen sound an well, of course not wobbling at all. I took my 149 to an MB service center, and they showed me other 149's with wobbling caps, claiming it's NORMAL and giving the attitude "what's the fuss." Sipping my latte and looking at my thousand dollar MB 149 at a Starbucks now, maybe I'm supposed to learn to appreciate this normal wobbling cap.

 

[meiers]

Which MB Service centre did you visit?

 

"The tines were misaligned, and the cap, when screwd, wobbled"

 

This wobble you describe doesn't sound normal. Misaligned tunes are unacceptable in a thousand dollar 149.

 

I'd return this item to the eBay vendor and purchase a 149 in perfect condition from an authorized dealer...

 

Example:http://www.fountainpenhospital.com.

 

Visit the classifieds here on this site.

Edited July 13, 2017 by meiers

[meiers]

Posting a few photos of your pen will invite meaningful feedback from other forum members. Let's see a writing sample and a few close-ups of the nib as well.

Edited July 13, 2017 by meiers

[Chrissy]

Some Montblanc caps may move very slightly when screwed on. It's within normal tolerance levels. I wouldn't call it as much as a wobble, but maybe not solidly in place all around the screw threads.

 

The nib tines should not be misaligned though.

[Dorf]

I have a 144 and a 149 Fountain pen. Both bought brand new. Both has wobbling caps. In the start, it almost drived me crazy! I visited several Montblanc retailers, I called/sendt emails to their custumer service etc, and I always got the same answer: This is normal with Montblanc pens. After reading several threads here on the forum, I can see I'm not alone with this problem. Nowdays, I've just settle down with it, cause there is nothing I can do about it..

[meng]

They fixed the misalignment at no cost, which I was grateful, but insisted on claiming the wobbling cap NORMAL, even when I showed them my two perfectly "abnormal" fitting caps produced in the 60's and 70's.

Edited July 13, 2017 by meng

[EclecticCollector]

I have several 146 pens, all from the last 10 years. All of their caps have the wobble that you describe. It's annoying, but doesn't seem to affect the functionality.

[TheRealMikeDr]

I purchased two new 146's from Montblanc stores and both caps have a slight wobble unless I really tighten the caps (which I don't) - it bothered me at first but I no longer worry about it.

[888007888]

The Ultra Black purchased from my local boutique has a little wobble. Doesn't bother me. I think it's kind of normal. But can't truly be certain.

[dubhe]

Both my modern 149s wobble a bit

[FredRydr]

Montblanc altered their thread design: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/307539-149-cap-threads-change-when/

 

Fred

[RayCornett]

My 149 has a wobbly cap. Appreciate it rather than worry about it. This can be thought of as a feature. If the threads are perfectly tight on a resin cap this leaves no room for expansion which can lead to cracked caps. Especially if over tightened.