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Anyone have a Mont Blanc Pen?
Topic Started: May 7 2006, 03:24 PM (657 Views)
kenny
HOLY CARP!!!
Are they worth it?

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QuirtEvans
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I Owe It All To John D'Oh
Had. They're nice, but there are better ways to spend your money. Unless you really like the status of the thing.
It would be unwise to underestimate what large groups of ill-informed people acting together can achieve. -- John D'Oh, January 14, 2010.
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Klotz
Middle Aged Carp
kenny
May 8 2006, 02:24 AM
Are they worth it?


Probably yes.

I have a few WATERMAN pens I bought in Paris and I love them.

I learned to write with a simple dip pen which I had to dip in ink every few letters. As time passed a wonder ink bottle was invented that would not spill if tilted. Later I got a special pen which would hold ink for a few words. Only a few years later the fountain pens were brought from China to my East European country and they were awfull. I had to suffer in fifth grade calligraphy lessons with special pens. Horrible !

And I think that BIC ballpens have been brought in my country in 1963.

Now I still use fountain pens and buy ink bottles (black, violet, royal blue).
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kenny
HOLY CARP!!!
Klotz
May 7 2006, 03:40 PM
kenny
May 8 2006, 02:24 AM
Are they worth it?


Probably yes.

I have a few WATERMAN pens I bought in Paris and I love them.

I learned to write with a simple dip pen which I had to dip in ink every few letters. As time passed a wonder ink bottle was invented that would not spill if tilted. Later I got a special pen which would hold ink for a few words. Only a few years later the fountain pens were brought from China to my East European country and they were awfull. I had to suffer in fifth grade calligraphy lessons with special pens. Horrible !

And I think that BIC ballpens have been brought in my country in 1963.

Now I still use fountain pens and buy ink bottles (black, violet, royal blue).

Now we are talking.
Mind if I ask what ink, and where you buy it?

I'm curious about this old fashioned tradition.
So you have a pen you have to dip into the ink every few letters?

Why does that sound somehow appealing to me?
And what country is Your country?
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Lindy
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Middle Aged Carp
kenny
May 7 2006, 07:24 PM
Are they worth it?

From what I've read in various forums, they're trendy and overpriced. You pay a lot for the name. Seems like a lot of people are searching out old Parker 51 fountain pens for the best value in a nice fountain pen. YMMV.

You can always find a ton of them on eBay. Parker 51 Pens
Kubota B-Series Tractors
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Ringo - "I am the best drummer in the world."
Lennon - "He's not even the best drummer in the band."
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Klotz
Middle Aged Carp
Lindy
May 8 2006, 02:49 AM
You can always find a ton of them on eBay. Parker 51 Pens

Of course you'll find a ton of Parkers. Had them, have them, no big deal and certainly not in the same class as the Pelikans, Mont Blancs, WATERMANs. You can't compare them to a European wide pen gliding smoothly on the paper....
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kenny
HOLY CARP!!!
Koltz, tell me more.

Got pics?
Got links?

Make me fall in love.



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kenny
HOLY CARP!!!
Does fountain mean you don't have to dip it every few letters?
Do fountain pens have plastic cartridges of ink? Yuck.

Is there one with a lever you lift to suck up ink?
I like that idea.
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Klotz
Middle Aged Carp
kenny
May 8 2006, 03:33 AM
Does fountain mean you don't have to dip it every few letters?
Do fountain pens have plastic cartridges of ink? Yuck.

Is there one with a lever you lift to suck up ink?
I like that idea.

There were various types of pumps. Now you can use cartridges or buy a pump that will fit instead of the cartridge. I fill the cartridges using a syringe :wacko:

The main disadvantage of fountain pens (in my youth) was that in winter going from outside inside, the air in the pump would expand and the pen would leak and stain your clothes.

I don't have pictures , but I think there are plenty on Google. It is important to try a fountain pen. I personally like the pen to be wide (not fine), the body to be rather thick, heavy and well balanced. And I believe Mont Blanc is such a pen.

And of course, you should keep them out of the reach of aliens. Kids tend to drop them and they always land on the pen - total loss !

Here there are still a few repairmen that know how to handle fountain pens, but they get older... as the repairmen of the coockoo clocks and of the horloges (the big pendulum cloks). But there are many people who collect fountain pens.
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tcmod
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Senior Carp
I have a mont blanc rollerball I got as a gift. very nice, but I worry I will lose it. you can always just buy the cartridge and see if you like the way they write.

Dead girls don't say no, but you still have to buy them flowers
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JBryan
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I am the grey one
My wife bought me a Mont Blanc for my birthday. It is a nice pen but I wouldn't have spent that kind of money on a pen for myself.
"Any man who would make an X rated movie should be forced to take his daughter to see it". - John Wayne


There is a line we cross when we go from "I will believe it when I see it" to "I will see it when I believe it".


Henry II: I marvel at you after all these years. Still like a democratic drawbridge: going down for everybody.

Eleanor: At my age there's not much traffic anymore.

From The Lion in Winter.
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sue
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HOLY CARP!!!
I love the idea of writing with a really good fountain pen, good paper, and having someone to write to that would like a handwritten letter. There's something about holding a really good fountain pen that is almost sexy, and makes you want to write well, and take your time.
I haven't done that in years and years, and have only used the cartridge type.

I remember one school I went to, a place called 'Tuxedo', in Winnipeg, where fountain pens where mandatory. No bics allowed!

Yikes, I'm old. :ph43r:
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kenny
HOLY CARP!!!
Thanks guys and gals.
I'm going to look into this, maybe look up a forum.

There is a real romance to fine writing instuments and cotton paper.
But like Sue said it would be nice if you had a few friends who appreciated it too.
Imagine going through all the time trouble and expense only to get an email back? :blink: :veryangry:
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kluurs
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Fulla-Carp
I got into a pen frenzy about 20 years ago - and have several Mont Blanc pens, ball point, fountain - you name it. I haven't used them in years. Cheaper pens do the job.
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ivorythumper
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I am so adjective that I verb nouns!
I have a Mont Blanc Meisterstück 149 that I got as a gift for my Master's graduation about 16 years ago. I use it ocassionally. The ink is drawn into the cylinder through twisting the piston device (some other types have the little lever). The frustrating part is that the ink chamber is way too small and requires constant refilling.

As a status thing, particularly for architects, its way cool. Mies van der Rohe, Louis Kahn, Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier, Mario Botta, Richard Meier -- they all used them. But for the money? I like drawing and writing with the Uni rollerballs and Sharpies that I get 12 for $10 at Costco.
The dogma lives loudly within me.
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JBryan
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I am the grey one
It doesn't break your heart when you lose one either.
"Any man who would make an X rated movie should be forced to take his daughter to see it". - John Wayne


There is a line we cross when we go from "I will believe it when I see it" to "I will see it when I believe it".


Henry II: I marvel at you after all these years. Still like a democratic drawbridge: going down for everybody.

Eleanor: At my age there's not much traffic anymore.

From The Lion in Winter.
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big al
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Bull-Carp
ivorythumper
May 8 2006, 09:43 AM
...I like drawing and writing with the Uni rollerballs and Sharpies that I get 12 for $10 at Costco.

I pretty much agree. I've used a variety of writing instruments over the years. For a long time, I really liked a Parker Rollerball that I got in Australia. Eventually, the refills became hard to find and expensive. I usually use a Uni-ball now and am generally happy with it.

I'm a little more demanding when it comes to a pencil, because I have a rather heavy hand and tend to break the tips off flimsy mechanical pencils. I've been using a 0.7 mm Koh-i-noor Rapidomatic that's all metal from the grip on down for quite a few years. It's the second one I've used. I repaired the first one a couple of times, but it eventually just wore out. Most often, it's filled with Pentel HB leads.

Big Al
Location: Western PA

"jesu, der simcha fun der man's farlangen."
-bachophile
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Aqua Letifer
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ZOOOOOM!
I cannot possibly see what the point of them is, other than a status thing.

The writing from the pens cannot possibly that groin-grabbingly awesome to justify the price. I had a DARN nice drafting pen once, and yes it got the job done well, but so did the 3 dollar Bic replacement I used after I lost it.

I'm currently using the following:

Posted Image

Has nice, dark lines, not too think, doesn't blotch or smear, and is consistent.
I cite irreconcilable differences.
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LWpianistin
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HOLY CARP!!!
sue
May 7 2006, 06:43 PM
I love the idea of writing with a really good fountain pen, good paper, and having someone to write to that would like a handwritten letter. There's something about holding a really good fountain pen that is almost sexy, and makes you want to write well, and take your time.
I haven't done that in years and years, and have only used the cartridge type.

I remember one school I went to, a place called 'Tuxedo', in Winnipeg, where fountain pens where mandatory. No bics allowed!

Yikes, I'm old. :ph43r:

nope. you're not old. i had to learn with a fountain pen. it was disasterous the first few weeks. my hands were ALWAYS stained blue or black.
And how are you today?
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AlbertaCrude
Bull-Carp
kenny
May 7 2006, 03:24 PM
Are they worth it?

Posted Image

I understand they're real ink guzzlers. The Cadillac SUV of the business suit world.
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Aqua Letifer
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ZOOOOOM!
:lol:

MPG seems pretty impractical for pens. What would the alternative be? Inches per minim? IPM?

EDIT
Because I'm curious, and I'm an uber-nerd, I did the conversion for you:
1 MPG = 1.03125 IPM :biggrin:
I cite irreconcilable differences.
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John D'Oh
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MAMIL
Aqua Letifer
May 8 2006, 03:26 PM
The writing from the pens cannot possibly that groin-grabbingly awesome to justify the price.

I once borrowed one from somebody, and it wrote like a dream. I just jotted down some random thoughts with it at the kitchen table, but when I came down the next morning I realised that I'd written the first page of something that looked a lot like the next 'To Kill A Mockingbird'. Sadly, my son sat on the pen later that day, and I've been unable to afford a new one since I also have to pay his medical bills. Maybe one day.

I'm still waiting for someone to grab my groin, so on reflection you're probably right.
What do you mean "we", have you got a mouse in your pocket?
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sue
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HOLY CARP!!!
Peasants. :P
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Christopher T
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Junior Carp
John D'Oh
May 8 2006, 03:42 PM
I once borrowed one from somebody, and it wrote like a dream. I just jotted down some random thoughts with it at the kitchen table, but when I came down the next morning I realised that I'd written the first page of something that looked a lot like the next 'To Kill A Mockingbird'. Sadly, my son sat on the pen later that day, and I've been unable to afford a new one since I also have to pay his medical bills. Maybe one day.

I'm still waiting for someone to grab my groin, so on reflection you're probably right.

LOL!!!

:D :thumb:
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John D'Oh
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MAMIL
sue
May 8 2006, 03:44 PM
Peasants. :P

That's a great idea, Sue! I can get peasants to write my story for me. I've always suspected that's what Hemingway did, the overly short words were a real giveaway. It also leaves me more time for fishing, drinking and womanising.
What do you mean "we", have you got a mouse in your pocket?
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