144 Help

[JJR7]

Hi All

Appealing to your collective wisdom. My daily driver is a MB 144. About six weeks ago it started acting like it was "running out" the whole time (I haven't dropped it or exposed it to any significant trauma that I recall). By that I mean there was ink in the piston converter but as I was writing, it wasn't flowing through the pen and on to the paper. The line therefore got lighter and lighter until it started skipping. I am able to fill the pen OK and it will continue to write if I force ink into the nib using the piston converter.

So far I have cleaned out the pen with water and also a dilute solution of ammonia and detergent. I have also manually cleaned off a lot of gunk and had a look at the nib under 20x magnification. From what I can see, the tines on the nib appear to be aligned OK.

Before I send it away to get fixed does anyone have any other suggestions of fixes I can try at home?

James

[CS388]

Odd that it was working well, before.

Did you start using different inks? Or any other behavioural changes?

 

I'd persevere with the cleaning routines a bit longer, before sending it away.

Do you have any cartridges you could try, just to make sure the converter hasn't failed?

Sounds like the classic symptoms of a blockage, or an air lock.

 

Good luck

[JulieParadise]

Did you use an ink that may clog when it comes in contact with water residue in the feed? One of the Montblanc blues (Blue-Black, Midnight Blue, or Permanent Blue? -- I don't use these after having samples that I did not like and just remember discussions around them) is said to behave like that.

[jmccarty3]

You might have a clogged feed. If you have access to an ultrasonic cleaner, try using it on the section and nib.

 

Of course, you could look at this as fortune's way of telling you that you need a 146. 😄

[JJR7]

1 hour ago, jmccarty3 said:

You might have a clogged feed. If you have access to an ultrasonic cleaner, try using it on the section and nib.

 

Of course, you could look at this as fortune's way of telling you that you need a 146. 😄

I like the way you think!

[JJR7]

On 5/24/2023 at 9:35 PM, CS388 said:

Odd that it was working well, before.

Did you start using different inks? Or any other behavioural changes?

 

I'd persevere with the cleaning routines a bit longer, before sending it away.

Do you have any cartridges you could try, just to make sure the converter hasn't failed?

Sounds like the classic symptoms of a blockage, or an air lock.

 

Good luck

 

On 5/25/2023 at 6:41 AM, JulieParadise said:

Did you use an ink that may clog when it comes in contact with water residue in the feed? One of the Montblanc blues (Blue-Black, Midnight Blue, or Permanent Blue? -- I don't use these after having samples that I did not like and just remember discussions around them) is said to behave like that.

 

Thanks both. I've been using the same ink with no major changes.

 

A few further washes seems to have fixed the problem. Thanks for the advice.

 

J

[Toolattack]

I would agree with those who have suggested a clog or block. Not changing ink does not preclude this, but remembering to clean your pen regularly should help. The 144 is a very reliable performer in my experience - I hope you enjoy many problem free years of use.

[Uncial]

A common issue with the 144 is the wear on the clutch ring. Over time the nib will be more exposed, even when all feels fine, and the nib will start to suffer dry out. If the nib was ef or dry to begin with it can simply stop writing due to dry out. In a wider nib it can write for a few lines and slowly dry out. If you look at the nib through a magnifying glass or loupe and see dried ink in the channel or towards the end of the nib then that is the issue. If you can rule this out it might be an easier issue to solve.