Enjoying Montblanc Pens — Broad, Oblique, Extra Fine, Le & Bespoke

[Tom Kellie]

149 Octet

[Pravda]

 

Black on Black

Certificate

Classique

L’Arc de Triomphe

La Cathédrale Notre Dame

Paris

Classique Nibs

Trois

 

 

 

Congratulations Tom! The pen is fantastic and that nib is gorgeous!

[blottingpaperforlife]

Thank you, Tom! A photo inviting all Montblanc lovers to enjoy and cherish THE PEN. I can imagine BB, OB, and F nibs enclosed in those caps.

[TripleOne]

 

149 Octet

 

 

Very beautiful!

Is this your entire collection? and what are the nib sizes of these lovely 149s?

[meiers]

Tom, your photos made my day. Many thanks.

[Toll]

Tom, the Paris Pen looks stunning. I had no idea there was such a MB out there!

[Tom Kellie]

^Very cool looking pen, thanks for the nice pictures.

 

~ flipper_gv:

 

That's very nice of you to say that.

It's a low-key yet elegant pen.

Thank you!

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

What a wonderful pen. Congratulations!

 

~ TripleOne:

 

Thank you!

It's a pen which meets my needs.

I'll be using it while overseeing a final examination tomorrow.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

Excellent pictures Tom! Thanks so much.

 

p.s. Theo says "best to Yubi"

 

~ BillH:

 

I'm grateful for your kind comment.

It's a quality pen which doesn't attract undue attention.

That appeals to me.

Yubi wags his fluffy tail in return to Theo.

BTW: Yubi had a bath several days ago. When he's sopping wet, his coat colors are surprisingly Yorkie-like.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

Intriguing nib. Yet another reason to sit and contemplate.

 

~ Ghost Plane:

 

Thank you!

It's as low-key of a nib as I use.

What's especially noticeable is the tensile strength of the nib itself.

Nothing flimsy about it. Of course, it's nor designed for use as a jackhammer on paper.

A finer small pen couldn't be found for use in a classroom of inquisitive university students.

It doesn't shout out any message. It simply writes with élan.

I want nothing more.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

The jewels that sparkle the most brilliantly are rarely the largest or most famous. Enjoy your unique treasure.

 

~ zaddick:

 

Understated.

There's much to be said for that quality in an era where the opposite prevails.

Thank you for your kind wishes.

The nib is one of the few recent Montblanc nibs I've seen minus ‘4810’.

Perhaps they ought to have engraved ‘324’, the height of La Tour Eiffel.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

Practicing my handwriting with my very first fountain pen.

The Montblanc 146 UNICEF.

 

 

~ TripleOne:

 

I like the image of the 146 UNICEF nib, cap and handwriting sample.

The wood grain beneath is an attractive contrasting accent.

Unless I'm imagining it, the pen’s ink window shows a glint from the blue ink.

I'm so glad that you've started with such an excellent fountain pen.

May it be a treasured daily writer for you.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

Smart, generous of spirit and good looking. Does Mr. Li perhaps have an older brother or uncle who is single? Ahem! I forget myself in the glories of pens. Yes. Right. Pens.

 

Please thank your research assistant. This actually is turning out to be a surprising element in my hypothesis of writing comfort. Just as people speak of the triad of pen, ink and paper all contributing to the writing experience, I am slowly discovering weight, diameter and length/center of gravity seem to be the three contributing to comfort for extensive use. I have a sub-set of theory regarding ratio of nib size to these factors, which is difficult to test since I am not artistically inclined and do not sketch or use finer-nabbed pens.

 

Are finer nibs more comfortable or responsive for extensive lengths of times in lighter/smaller pens? I'm thinking in terms of an 8 hour workday of extensive, consistent writing as opposed to quick dabs of signatures or the occasional meeting note here and there.

 

For extended use over the course of a day, I find I lean toward the girth of the 149-style bodies, weights above the 32g of the 149. That's about the lightest I find comfortable for lengthy sessions and even then, I tend toward cramp near the end of the day, hence my investment in the Skeletons other than their aesthetics. I have an Ancora Neptune stub that weighs in at a whopping 80g and it's one of the pens that inspired my forays into the Skeletons/metal/overlays.

 

I'm curious if others report similar findings. I know we have a light pen contingent here, but I wonder if the shirt pocket/signature/quick jot contingent perhaps skews the data toward intermittent light usage and not actually filling page after page for hours on end.

 

~ Ghost Plane:

 

Mr. LI was flattered and honored by your kind comment.

He has no brothers.

He's a salt of the earth, diligent, confident yet sensitive individual.

When he completes his graduate education, he'll be a fine research professor or employee in an advanced laboratory.

************************************************************

Were it somehow possible to temporarily set aside aesthetic preferences, it would be nice for you to try a couple of hours with the 2001 PoA Marquise de Pompadour.

For this, that and the other reason it's typically brushed aside, yet the writing experience it offers is exceptional.

The metal and porcelain mass is exquisitely well-balanced. Nothing is in excess resulting in a delightfully propulsive writing experience on high quality paper.

I'm a poor one to comment on suitability of individual nibs in extended writing sessions as I've regularly written with nibs of all widths.

I'm a generalist in writing in the same sense that leopards are generalists in seeking prey. There may be mild preferences, but most anything will do nicely.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

GP - I think you have to add writing mechanics into the mix. A person who is a finger writer will struggle with heavier pens as they do not have the same ability to settle the nib as with arm writiers. I am more of a finger writer in my cramped quarters at work and home so lots of weight will eventually becoem tiresome as I will be wrestling the pen around. some can be mitigated with grip location, but not all.

 

I postulate many of the more intense finger writiers and "death grippers" prefer smaller pens with tiny nib points as it is easier to manage the writing process, especially for printing. I personally prefer broader nibs as the increased ink flow makes for a smoother process in cursive writing.

 

The aspect of flow is also interesting as I find i can live witha relatively wet nib as long as I can write in cursive. If I print i do prefer less flow as I have to write slower and ink can puddle a bit.

 

I think it may be dificult to narrow to just weight, girth and balance although I agreee these are very important.

 

~ zaddick:

 

Thank you for the above analysis.

When Montblanc Nib Specialist Axel Nier evaluated my writing he noted that I wrote in strikingly varied ways, adapting to different pens with comparative ease.

It's as if I were a musician who comfortably switched from chamber music to swing jazz without so much as a shrug of the shoulders.

There's never been any sort of optimal grip or positioning. Whatever writing instrument I use, I adjust accordingly in an automatic process.

My focus is on what appears on paper. What I might do to cause that to happen is something which occurs without my consciously considering it.

I've asked that all nibs be tuned so as not to be wet writers as that seems to suit whatever it is that I do during the writing process.

Axel Nier's Bespoke Nib Team in Hamburg did a splendid job of balancing the steady ink flow in the Bespoke Small Signature while keeping it well below the threshold of a wet writer.

There are so many contingent variables in writing, including one's mood, atmospheric humidity, and paper surface texture.

Your helpful comments above were especially thought-provoking.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

At least I'm narrowing down my parameters when contemplating adding to the family.

 

~ Ghost Plane:

 

Twins or triplets may be higher maintenance but they're also more fun!

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

I do not like to say that, but... They should be taught how to behave to an analytical balance. I had worked in chemical lab more than fourty years and I had not ever seen a balance in such a sloppy condition.... Florenz Sartorius would cry...

 

~ Zdenek:

 

Thank you for your noting the necessity for scrupulous laboratory procedures.

As it happens, nearly every piece of research equipment in typical university laboratories here is Chinese-designed and Chinese-made.

This was a very rare exception. It was selected for the photos by my friend, LI Chuanlei, to show greater respect for the high quality of the five Montblanc pens.

The university is poorly funded, serving a low income student body. Hence there are international programs pairing overseas universities with this one, in which outdated, long used or surplus equipment is donated.

This balance arrived in early June as part of large shipment of surplus equipment generously donated by an Eastern European university to the university where I'm teaching.

Apologies that the condition was unacceptable. Students hadn't yet made time to do the necessary cleaning of the welcome gift, as this is final examination season.

It's very kind of you to underscore the need to uphold the highest standards while using laboratory equipment. Students here generally do so, especially with precious overseas donated equipment.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

I am so glad Mr. Li was so supportive of you in Zuji's last hours, and after. You have a wonderful friend.

 

I love my MBs, but they don't move me like Zuji and Yubi!

 

~ empliau:

 

Thank you!

Mr. LI was instrumental in facilitating the logistics of Zuiji's final visit to the veterinary clinic.

He was compassionate and efficient in equal measure, which is impressive in a 21-year old.

What you've expressed about your Montblanc pens is what I also feel.

The pens are nice, but both Zuji and Yubi represent something far more moving.

Love and mutual respect.

They're companions, not tools.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

Amen!

 

I’m inclined to cut the scales a little slack. Students can be filthy creatures until they learn the cost of equipment. I cleaned many a bench behind the party animals in order to get my own work done.

 

~ Ghost Plane:

 

Thank you for your gracious understanding of the realities of contemporary students.

In this case it's unknown who used the digital balance at the Eastern European university which donated it to the university here in Central China.

Was it undergraduates? Graduate students? Faculty?

Without knowing the particulars it's difficult to fully evaluate the visual evidence.

Respect for equipment and the built environment must be taught through both example and precept.

I'm conscious of that when using Montblanc fountain pens in front of classes of impressionable students.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

Based on how clean the faceplate is, I would say the inside of the analytical balance was exposed to corrosive samples (ie. acidic or caustic) which caused rust spots. It doesn't appear to be a case of sloppy housecleaning. If it was, you would see clutter and sample powder around the analytical balance work area. As long as the chemist verifies every calendar quarter with a set of Type 1 ASTM weights, it shouldn't be a problem. We had an analytical balance that was specifically set up to handle the nasty crappy samples. And it was meticulously cleaned at the end of each shift. Still developed all kinds of rust inside just like the photos.

 

~ JungleJim:

 

Thank you for the helpful explanation.

It's been shared with the students who'll be responsible for cleaning the donation digital balance after the final examination period concludes.

They'll carefully calibrate, clean and find an optimal location within the room where it’ll be housed.

For them it's a rare privilege to use overseas equipment which is seldom seen in these parts.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

Congratulations Tom! The pen is fantastic and that nib is gorgeous!

 

~ Pravda:

 

Thank you very much!

It's a small gem from Montblanc.

The nib's simplicity has a certain elegance befitting the ‘City of Light’.

I'm looking forward to using it tomorrow afternoon during a final examination which concludes this academic year.

Tom K.