fountain pen trouble

[globetrotter]

I have a Mont Blanc Meisterstuck - I know it is not a great pen, but it is exactly what I need, and a gift, so that is what I am keeping.

anyway, I let it go dry, and didn't fill it for a year or so. I just cleaned it, by cycling water though it (that may or may not be the right thing to do, but that is what I was told to do) and put in a new ink.

now, it is writing extremly schetchy - it will write a half dozen lines, and then stop until I give it a shake.

any suggestions?

 

[Kai]

Clean it out with water mixed with a small amount of houshold ammonia.

 

[designprofessor]

Are you using Mont Blanc ink? Some inks can get dry and crusty, but I've never had a problem with theirs. Others have suggested Quink brand.

I know at one point my dad had to send his off to Washington D.C. for repair work. Better yet mont blanc may suggest someone to repair it if it comes to that.

Good luck.

 

[globetrotter]

Originally Posted by designprofessor

Are you using Mont Blanc ink? Some inks can get dry and crusty, but I've never had a problem with theirs. Others have suggested Quink brand.

I know at one point my dad had to send his off to Washington D.C. for repair work. Better yet mont blanc may suggest someone to repair it if it comes to that.

Good luck.


thanks Kai, I will try that. thanks DP - I am using a new kind of ink, for me, I couldn't find Pelikan in the store I went to, the clerk actually thought I was suggesting that the ink was made of squashed Pelikans, or something. but the ink I got is designed for fountain pens, and I put it in on Tuesday of this week, so it shouldn't be dry.

 

[briancl]

I have a second hand Meisterstuck that was given to me by someone who hadn't used it in 4 years. There was no ink in it, so I just bought a cartridge to see if it still worked. It didn't work until I let it sit for about 3 days.. then it started working just fine.

 

[Nantucket Red]

The Meisterstuck 144, the smallest size, uses a cartridge/converter. The larger 146 and the largest, the 149, are piston fillers and should be relatively easy to flush out with room-temp water. If you send a pen back to Montblanc for service, they'll charge you $35, or at least they did in the mid-90s.

 

[Dmax]

You may need to clean you pen by cycling it under running water for 10 minutes or so. If you just cycled it once then a lot of the old ink is still there. You may also wish to soak your pen in dish of lukewarm water for an hour or so. Most likely the nib or the feeding mechanism has some of the old ink in it and just needs to be properly washed out.

If the back part of your pen screws off it means it uses a converter which can be removed and cleaned separately.

You did not say which brand of ink you bought. Some brands make thicker ink in general and in combination with a Fine or extra Fine nib and a lower flowing pen present a problem.

You can tell which size nib you have if you look for a tiny letter on the nib itself.

 

[globetrotter]

thank you gentlemen,

I used winsor and newton ink, "for fountain and dip pens". I had used pelikan in the past, but I couldn't find any. the color is very nice, by the way - a very dark redish brown.

I cycled water through the pen for a good 15 minutes, until the water ran clear.

This weekend I will get my hands on some amonia and try to sue that, and maybe soak the whole mechanism for half an hour or so. if that fails, I will send the pen back to montblanc - I sure am not going to buy another one.

 

[designprofessor]

Originally Posted by globetrotter

thank you gentlemen,

I used winsor and newton ink, "for fountain and dip pens". I had used pelikan in the past, but I couldn't find any. the color is very nice, by the way - a very dark redish brown.

I cycled water through the pen for a good 15 minutes, until the water ran clear.

This weekend I will get my hands on some amonia and try to sue that, and maybe soak the whole mechanism for half an hour or so. if that fails, I will send the pen back to montblanc - I sure am not going to buy another one.

Sorry to hear your frustration. The one I'm using is more than 30 years old. keep us posted on how this works out, especially if you have to send it to them.

 

[desertvox]

You undervalue your Montblanc. After having purchased dozens of ft. pens, I place their nibs near the top. Quite likely you employed inferior ink. May I suggest Mont Blanc Blue..the blues are the safest inks in a Mont Blanc, and in most other pens. Try Waterman Florida Blue. If you wish to be more daring, give Private Reserve a try. If the pen still falters, take it to a pro, never mind the ammonia nonsense- it doesn't work in the long run.And, remember do not let ink sit unused in a pen for more than 14 days....

 

[hopkins_student]

Originally Posted by globetrotter

thanks Kai, I will try that. thanks DP - I am using a new kind of ink, for me, I couldn't find Pelikan in the store I went to, the clerk actually thought I was suggesting that the ink was made of squashed Pelikans, or something.

If I could use ink made from squashed pelicans I would actually use a fountain pen.

 

[MrRogers]

Originally Posted by globetrotter

the clerk actually thought I was suggesting that the ink was made of squashed Pelikans, or something.

Thats insane. Maybe i'm an idiot but i'm laughing aloud trying to figure what that conversation sounded like.

I lost my meisterstuck fountain pen 2 weeks ago after using it everyday for the past 6 years. I'm not bummed about the $$ as much as I am about losing the specific pen as it held some sentimental value.

Anyway

MrR

 

[chobochobo]

If the ink flow is scanty then either the feed needs a good rinse/clean or the whole system needs a damn good soak and flushing. Dilute ammonia or soap is fine. If the nib is scratchy then you done something to the nib whilst it was unused, perhaps the tines are misaligned - have a good look with a magnifiying glass.

 

[yarak]

That's a good idea, but I haven't use a pen for a long time.

 

[Nantucket Red]

For the number of pens I own I have extremely little trouble, but what happened to me last week is a real winner.

In the middle of a hellishly busy day, I suddenly noticed a dark blue ink stain spreading across the pocket of my BB custom shirt from the bottom end of my Omas Arco Celluloid. Like it or not, I had to admit that the pen I won't even let anybody else try writing with had malfunctioned disastrously and in a publically visible manner. Apparently, Omas Celluloids have known issues with ill-fitting O-rings. The same thing happened to my Paragon years ago (though no garments were damaged in that incident).

The pen can be repaired, and the lady at the cleaner's says they may be able to get the ink out of the shirt, since it's water-based ink and not ballpoint (ptooie) ink.