Revisiting the pen that made me fall in love

[bunnspecial]

Sometimes your first really is your best...

 

Although this wasn't really my first MB(the first was a 24, which I still have and like a lot), the pen for a long time I aspired to was a 146. I finally broke down and bought a promising looking M nib one on Ebay. It arrived as something that left me scratching my head a bit by the dating charts-split ebonite feed, W. Germany cap with a serial number, blue non-striped ink window, 14K nib, and some other things I forget that seemed to put it right in a 1989/1990ish overlap. The pen is nearly as old as me.

 

Still, though, for several years that pen was a trusted daily companion. After getting it, I basically didn't touch any of my other pens for several years, or at least only when I needed an alternate ink color or something along those lines. That 146 has been with me through several big life events. It signed more than a couple of job offer letters, checks for many big and significant purchases, and my marriage license. Referencing the title again, this pen wrote a lot of letters to my now-wife when we were dating and even engaged two states apart.

 

The past several months, though, that pen has sat clean and uninked while too may other pens pulled me away. I've been using vintage oblique Montblancs, more than a couple of different 149s, which I stubbornly use through the hand cramps and fatigue, and other pens that caught my attention.

 

The last time I'd handled the subject pen was a few weeks ago when I got in an ink order that I wanted to sample. I've talked about these inks a bit and am hooked on them-they're made by Scribe Technical Consulting, and advertised as "Reminiscent of Parker Penman Inks by the original creator." This 146 got filled with original Penman Mocha, while another 146 that I've never taken to quite as well got the Scribe Jamocha. Other than writing a few lines to compare the two, I put it back away(which I know is a bad idea with Penman inks).

 

I'm teaching remotely, and the last few classes I've transitioned to using a document camera(as opposed to a graphics tablet) in my lectures. There are a couple of reasons for this, but in any case I was teaching today and the 149 I'd picked up ran out mid-lecture. This old favorite 146 was laying there in front of me, so I picked it up and carried on.

 

I had a revelation about just exactly why I loved this pen so much. It's a perfect size and weight. As much as I enjoy big B and BB nibs(especially OBs), I still end up writing a lot more "naturally" with an M or F. This one is smooth, but not TOO smooth with just the right amount of feedback. It has no really noticeable flex, but there's a bit of bounce/softness in the nib that's really pleasant. In short, I guess an hour and 15 minutes of writing with it made me sort of "rediscover" a pen that never went away.

 

I know I'm rambling, but I know I'm someone who can get bored with a pen pretty easily. This is a pen that I've had for several years now that I really should never get bored with....

[maclink]

Nice story.  Thanks for sharing.  My favourite MB is the 146 as well with a F nib.  I keep coming back to that pen after putting it away for long periods.  Each time I come back to it, I wonder why it took so long and I'll write with it for a while before again being distracted by other pens I acquired.

[Hanoi]

I come to MB quite late in my collecting career. The regular lines don´t appeal to me at all as they look very boring.  The limited editions though are totally awesome.