So what ink do you put in your vintage MBs?

[guyy]

What inks do you use in your older MBs? I just use various royal blues and some Califolio blue black. What is everyone else using?

[silverlifter]

Currently, I have KWZ IG Blue #3 in my 14. It is one of my favourite inks and it pairs wonderfully with the fine 18k nib.

[Pterodactylus]

I use each and every ink in my huge ink collection in my vintage Montblancs (as well as any other of my vintage pens).

I do not see any need to restrict them to specific inks.
I choose the ink based on my mood, switch colors compared to what I used just before, maybe a specific use case I have currently in mind, and also the nib of the pen what might look nice (shading inks for flex nibs, sparkling inks, sheen inks, contrast in relation to nib width, wet or dry inks based on the nib,...)

I just think your question was not about the real actual colors, it was more about that you seem personally concerned using all kind of inks in your pens. Right?

[Pterodactylus]

Currently, I have KWZ IG Blue #3 in my 14. It is one of my favourite inks and it pairs wonderfully with the fine 18k nib.

Yes IG Blue #3 looks nice (unfortunately I donˋt own it), but I have IG Blue #6 which I also like.

Now guyy most likely has to recover first from a near heart stroke as we use evil iron gall ink in our vintage Montblanc pens.
:pound:
:jaw:
:bolt:

[guyy]

I use mostly use IG ink in my vintage pens. They were designed around IG ink and IG ink works well with vintage feeds. My two digit and 1970s MBs get nothing but.

However, there are pens where i’m a little more cautious, MBs with telescopic pistons being one of them. If the ink gets past the piston seal, there’s metal back there. I am also leery of putting alkaline inks in old celluloid. (And truth be told, i’m not that tempted). I’m just looking for some new ideas here

[fountainpenkid]

I've been using Rohrer and Klingner Alt-Goldgrun in my late '50s 144 for a while--it cleans easily, doesn't stain or gunk, and flows and shades nicely. Just recently I switched to GvFC Cobalt Blue, which flows excellently and offers a charming amount of shading. I believe both are pH-neutral. If my 144 were a green striated example, I can't imagine myself using anything other than Pelikan 4001, which is a shame, because those inks are washable and tend to fade.
I have used IG inks in my vintage safeties, but unfoundendly would stay away from putting it in my celluloid piston fillers.

[pengeezer]

Just got my 1961-1965 back lasy week from Brad Torelli....I'm using DeAtrementis Aubergine and it writes like a dream!

John

[pengeezer]

That's an MB 149....

[stub]

define vintage? I have an early/mid 1990s 146 with plastic feed. It is a tiny bit dry so I usually put Visconti Blue in it. I love the color and it is a wet ink. I have had Aurora Black, Diamine Midnight and Pilot Iroshizuku Asa Gao in it as well. All those inks worked well.

[Chrissy]

define vintage? I have an early/mid 1990s 146 with plastic feed. It is a tiny bit dry so I usually put Visconti Blue in it. I love the color and it is a wet ink. I have had Aurora Black, Diamine Midnight and Pilot Iroshizuku Asa Gao in it as well. All those inks worked well.
Someone once wrote that they defined vintage as older than they were - and they were over 60. :)

[stub]

I think that's antique not vintage ;)

[Chrissy]

I think that's antique not vintage ;)
Antique is over 100 years. There aren't that many people around who can say they are antique. :)

I think maybe Jar was the member who said it originally.

[Pterodactylus]

A fuzzy definition, but for me the border is also about 60 years.

A pen from the 60s is still somehow vintage, but pens from the 70s and earlier I personally consider as modern ones.

[guyy]

I had the pens with the telescoping pistons and cork seals in mind

[FredRydr]

It depends on the brand. Montblanc collectors have for years treated 1960 as a line between vintage (machined celluloid) and modern (injected resin), but they're all getting older. I would imagine other brand collectors have similar cut-off dates based on some event or change of design.

The 100 years designation for "antique" derived decades ago from US Customs regulation exempting from duty 100-year-old items, and British and European dealers adopted it as the definition of "antique" in their effort to sell old goods to Americans. It stuck.

I don't give much credence to the use of "vintage" and "antique" for pens, cars and most anything else.

[azkid]

I had the pens with the telescoping pistons and cork seals in mindI've no idea what to say about cork. I'm not really sure what would damage that material. Are these pens easy to disassemble and are cork replacements easy and cheap to buy and easy to replace?

If not, I would stick to "safe" inks that are relatively low saturation, dye based, easy to clean, no shimmer, no iron gall, and from major, long time manufacturers like Montblanc, Waterman, Parker.

But I'm new at all this compared to many.. And my only Montblanc, a 221, is 60s or 70s vintage.

[Pterodactylus]

I had the pens with the telescoping pistons and cork seals in mindI've no idea what to say about cork. I'm not really sure what would damage that material. Are these pens easy to disassemble and are cork replacements easy and cheap to buy and easy to replace?

If not, I would stick to "safe" inks that are relatively low saturation, dye based, easy to clean, no shimmer, no iron gall, and from major, long time manufacturers like Montblanc, Waterman, Parker.

But I'm new at all this compared to many.. And my only Montblanc, a 221, is 60s or 70s vintage.

Imho cork seals are not a problem regarding ink selection.

Montblancs (except the later 2 digit pens) are always a bit tricky to disassemble (you need special tools which you have to buy or build).

Cork seals can’t be bought off the shelf they has to be hand made (can also be a nice project).

With cork imho the greater problem is to keep the pens used regularly as if the pens get no usage the cork will dry and might shrink to a level which can lead to the problem that the pen might not suck ink or could not hold the ink anymore.
In such a case you can try to re-moisture the cork with water a longer period of time, then the cork might expend enough again to make the pen work.

I love the 50s Montblanc with the telescopic piston, an awesome piece of mechanical engineering.

Btw. my 142 and 144 from the 50s (with the telescopic piston) have already a synthetic seal (no cork).