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Hello there,
I’m very lucky to own two Montblanc 146s, one from the 1980s with a plastic piston, and one made later with a brass piston. The plastic piston pen is my very favorite pen and is perfectly balanced in my hands. The one with the brass piston feels a little too back-weighted to me, similar to the Pilot Custom 823.
Is it possible to replace the brass piston for a plastic one? If so, does anyone know any repair people in the U.S. who would be able to make that swap?
The more modern pistons are brass and you are unlikely to be able to get someone to remove the brass piston and replace it with a plastic one. The other way around would have been easier.
I think only the threads on the 1970s/1980s 146 piston mechanisms were plastic. They also had a good bit of brass in them, although not as much as the current models.
I believe the barrels have changed slightly so that the older pistons won’t fit in the newer pens. Rather than messing around with the modern 146, i would suggest selling it or trading for a plastic piston version.
Go to FPN and send a PM to niksch. (He is a member here on FPGeeks, but inactive.)Quote:
Originally Posted by Kalyx
Sell it, and buy another with the piston you want with the proceeds.
Go to a pen show and offer someone a swap.
As someone who has seen so many busted plastic fillers in 146s and 149s, I’m gonna go out on a limb here and ask, “why?”
I’m sure there have been failures with the brass fillers, but I’ve never seen one. I own a mix of about 40 146s and 149s... so that’s my sample set.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lsmith42
The OP said he or she thought the plastic thread version gave the pen a better balance that’s why.
Are the newer piston units all brass? I haven’t opened one up on a 146. As far as i know there’s still plastic stuff in there that can break, like the spindle.
Haven’t ever thought any of them (except the metal-bodied LeGrand pens) were off balance... but what do I know... I just write with them
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I don’t think it’s unreasonable. I can see how a someone with a different hand & different grip could prefer a different weight distribution.Quote:
Originally Posted by lsmith42
I haven't removed a piston for many years but I remember the newer piston units have a small brass threaded unit. Not sure if the barrel has a brass threaded collar inside for it to screw into but I'm pretty sure the cone with the plastic rod attached doesn't have brass threads.
The weight difference was probably considered minor compared with the fact that the earlier plastic pistons were more likely to break.
I suppose that if all of your Mb pens have brass pistons then you buy one with a plastic version you might notice the slight difference in weight distribution. I think someone once talked about exactly how much it was over in the other place several years ago.
What have you determined?Quote:
Originally Posted by Kalyx
Thank you all for your input! It sounds like replacing isn’t really possible, and someone in a different thread around here posted a great article on dating Montblancs, noting that the plastic threads that I prefer are from the 1980’s or earlier. So I sold my pen with the brass piston and did a targeted search for a 1980’s pen with plastic piston threads and got it. :)
Best possible result.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kalyx
Congratulations.
Enjoy it in good health.