Is the 146 the ugly stepchild of the 149?

[bunnspecial]

The movie clip certainly looks like a 146 to me. The give-away for me is that the 149 star is large enough that it's almost entirely on top of the cap, while on the 146 and smaller pens it "overhangs".

 

I didn't quite get when someone pointed it out to me first, but the difference is definitely there and your eyeballs get "calibrated" to seeing the difference.

 

Also, on ink capacity-even after the telescopic piston, the friction fit piston used in the 60s on into the 70s holds more than the 146(although IIRC that was after the 146 had been discontinued so it's not directly comparable). I've not measured but I'd not be surprised if the one piece barrels hold a bit more.

 

A couple of photos-L to R, two 149s, a 147(same size as 146), 146, vintage 144, vintage 142

 

 

[NoType]

bunnspecial, I am still woefully ignorant about vintage Montblanc as well as construction of Montblanc pens over the years.  Do the one-piece barrels to which you refer belong to the 149?  Are these the current type?

[bunnspecial]

1 minute ago, NoType said:

bunnspecial, I am still woefully ignorant about vintage Montblanc as well as construction of Montblanc pens over the years.  Do the one-piece barrels to which you refer belong to the 149?  Are these the current type?

 

I'll get photos a bit later if you'd like, but basically what we call a "1 piece barrel" was used from the first resin pens up to the mid-80s or so.

 

In a 1 piece barrel, the section is one continuous piece that "flares" out, and the nib collar is recessed into the end of the barrel.

The 2 piece barrel construction is a bit more complicated-in fact I might call it 3 piece. Visually, the nib collar can be seen at the very end of the section extending out flush with the section. If you remove the nib assembly, you find that it screws directly into the bottom of the ink window part, and there's a separate "collar" that covers the space between the bottom of the window and the nib collar. I need to pull apart one of my two-pieces to seal the threads(for a while they were sealed with a proprietary sealant at the factory) and also have a one piece I can easily pull apart, and I'm happy to photograph teh differences.

[gyasko]

I think the two piece barrels came in around the mid-1980s.  Before that they were one piece.  And yes, the one piece version has a higher capacity, about 2.0mL

[meiers]

13 hours ago, gyasko said:

 

That is true now, but it wasn’t always the case.  The capacities of the 1950s telescoping piston versions are different, with the 149 having a somewhat larger capacity.

Thanks for mentioning it. 

[NoType]

14 hours ago, bunnspecial said:

 

I'll get photos a bit later if you'd like, but basically what we call a "1 piece barrel" was used from the first resin pens up to the mid-80s or so.

 

In a 1 piece barrel, the section is one continuous piece that "flares" out, and the nib collar is recessed into the end of the barrel.

The 2 piece barrel construction is a bit more complicated-in fact I might call it 3 piece. Visually, the nib collar can be seen at the very end of the section extending out flush with the section. If you remove the nib assembly, you find that it screws directly into the bottom of the ink window part, and there's a separate "collar" that covers the space between the bottom of the window and the nib collar. I need to pull apart one of my two-pieces to seal the threads(for a while they were sealed with a proprietary sealant at the factory) and also have a one piece I can easily pull apart, and I'm happy to photograph teh differences.

Thank you very much, bunnspecial, for your detailed and clear explanation of the differences between the one- and two- piece barrels, as well as their timelines.  Yes, photographs would be very helpful indeed, and much appreciated, if, as you say, you are intending on resealing a two-piece barrel and also can disassemble a one-piece barrel that you have on hand, both without too much bother.

[NoType]

14 hours ago, gyasko said:

I think the two piece barrels came in around the mid-1980s.  Before that they were one piece.  And yes, the one piece version has a higher capacity, about 2.0mL

Thank you for addressing the ink capacity aspect of the barrel constructions, gyasko.

[NoType]

1 hour ago, meiers said:

Thanks for mentioning it. 

meiers, if you had not brought up ink capacity in the first place, I would not have learned so much from you, gyasko, and bunnspecial about barrel construction, so thank you for this!

[NoType]

14 hours ago, bunnspecial said:

The movie clip certainly looks like a 146 to me. The give-away for me is that the 149 star is large enough that it's almost entirely on top of the cap, while on the 146 and smaller pens it "overhangs".

 

I didn't quite get when someone pointed it out to me first, but the difference is definitely there and your eyeballs get "calibrated" to seeing the difference.

 

Also, on ink capacity-even after the telescopic piston, the friction fit piston used in the 60s on into the 70s holds more than the 146(although IIRC that was after the 146 had been discontinued so it's not directly comparable). I've not measured but I'd not be surprised if the one piece barrels hold a bit more.

 

A couple of photos-L to R, two 149s, a 147(same size as 146), 146, vintage 144, vintage 142

 

 

Having somehow missed your excellent photograph, I want to belatedly thank you for this effective depiction of the “overlap” of the Montblanc “star” on the 146|7, and congratulate you on this handsome capsule collection.  (For noncognoscenti like myself who are still learning, happily sometimes on an hourly basis on this forum, your photo caption identifying the pens proved useful as well!)

[bunnspecial]

I haven't yet disassembled either, but here is a photo of a 1-piece and a 2-piece barrel

 

This particular 1-piece dates to the 1970s, and the 2-piece dates to the late 80s/early 90s(I think the latter as it's not marked W. Germany, but does have an Ebonite feed). The two-tone nib on these I think was used in the 70s and 80s, while older and newer ones typically have a "tri-tone" nib(gold center/rhodium border/gold out to the edges-can photograph if you'd like to see one).

 

 

 

[NoType]

36 minutes ago, bunnspecial said:

I haven't yet disassembled either, but here is a photo of a 1-piece and a 2-piece barrel

 

This particular 1-piece dates to the 1970s, and the 2-piece dates to the late 80s/early 90s(I think the latter as it's not marked W. Germany, but does have an Ebonite feed). The two-tone nib on these I think was used in the 70s and 80s, while older and newer ones typically have a "tri-tone" nib(gold center/rhodium border/gold out to the edges-can photograph if you'd like to see one).

 

 

 

This is very helpful, bunnspecial; thank you. The differences in each pen’s collar next to the nib are apparent. It is interesting that the narrow “collar” between the bottom of the ink window and threads of the two-piece barrel is actually discernible, and the fact that the image picks up this detail, which I presume is visible to the unaided eye only under close observation, is a testament to your excellent photography.  (I possess post-2015 149’s and a casual visual inspection didn’t reveal this narrow “collar.”)

I have seen the comely “tri-tone” vintage nibs as well as the aesthetically similar modern versions, so an additional photograph is not strictly necessary, but thank you for the kind offer.

[Pen Nut]

On 5/29/2021 at 4:13 AM, TgeekB said:

I agree and that’s why I’m asking. It seems the 149 gets the bulk of the, let’s call it, social media. 

 

Anything that gets the 'bulk of social media' concerns me !