Precious Resin

[Brilliant Bill]

I don't really know anything about MB (except that it seems to be a polarizing brand), but I do know the guy who wrote that needs an editor. I stopped reading him a while back for that reason. He doesn't seem to have much to say that matters, and he wastes many hours of human productivity proving it.

[RocketRyan]

Very true, but due to the volume of them China churns out thearly odd gem must slip through.

[Wile E Coyote]

Lol I find Chinese pens a lot of fun. But you are right most are junk.
On a plus though I have a jinhao x450 that's wonderful, luck of the draw I suppose.

Even a blind pig finds a truffle once in a while.

Since pigs locate truffles by scent, I'd say more often than that.

ok, blind squirrel finds an acorn, million monkeys...etc, you get the point.

Now I suppose Waski will chime in.

[TSherbs]

I don't really know anything about MB (except that it seems to be a polarizing brand), but I do know the guy who wrote that needs an editor. I stopped reading him a while back for that reason. He doesn't seem to have much to say that matters, and he wastes many hours of human productivity proving it.

I could not finish any of his "essays." And I am paid to read essays.

[Pendel]

I wonder if someone here possesses the information on how the plastics that MB uses for its 149s have changed over the decades.

For example, we have all heard that there has been a brittle period (is it over???), and I have found over the years that the modern 2-piece barrel design, with its bayonet clips holding the section within the barrel, seems to be prone to micro-cracks that one can observe through the barrel window with a magnifier and strong light.

The one piece design seems to suffer from this deficiency less, at least in my experience, so it may be that the plastic used before the mid-80's was less brittle and more flexible, which often means more prone to become dull with use.

I would be very interested to hear if any of you have reliable information on the evolution of the plastics used for MB149.

:-)

[pajaro]

Since my Montblancs are among the best pens I have used, I think they are worth the price.

[dadbar]

The Montblanc resin feels identical to the resin on my UK made Parker 45. If you were blindfolded and felt the barrel of both pens, you would not be able to tell the difference.

I thought that article was pretty funny. Having worked in the injection molding area, I very much doubt that Montblanc uses enough plastic worldwide to get anybody's attention to make a "custom formulation." It is more likely that the resin in the pens has changed because plastics companies keep discontinuing products due to buyouts and consolidations. The high price of fuel a few years back "fueled" a lot of these industry changes. Unless you are a huge plastics consumer like an auto manufacturer, you have no clout in getting anything done especially for you.

[stub]

The Montblanc resin feels identical to the resin on my UK made Parker 45. If you were blindfolded and felt the barrel of both pens, you would not be able to tell the difference.

I own a dozen or so U.K. 45s. Big fan. I love the 45. I also own a MB 146. No way in hell are they the same material.

You see the way the clutch ring on the cap cause indentations on the P45 section? Run your fingernail on the material section and barrel and do the same on the MB resin. No way these are the same plastics. The MB is harder and the Parker deforms more easily Right?

I mean I could tested but then I'd probably have to damage my pen to confirm it.

[dadbar]

The Montblanc resin feels identical to the resin on my UK made Parker 45. If you were blindfolded and felt the barrel of both pens, you would not be able to tell the difference.

I own a dozen or so U.K. 45s. Big fan. I love the 45. I also own a MB 146. No way in hell are they the same material.

You see the way the clutch ring on the cap cause indentations on the P45 section? Run your fingernail on the material section and barrel and do the same on the MB resin. No way these are the same plastics. The MB is harder and the Parker deforms more easily Right?

I mean I could tested but then I'd probably have to damage my pen to confirm it.

You've piqued my interest. After the holidays, I will scan my Montblanc 147 and Parker 45 with a lab spectrometer (mine does UV to NIR) to look at the surface reflectance spectrum of both pens. It's a pretty good indicator of the plastic being used.

[stub]

I was going to do that but my neighbor borrowed my spectrometer and never brought it back. THAT GUY!


OK joking aside I seriously do want to know if they have the same or not.

Can a spectrometer also be used to tell the composition of metal? I have some nibs and I'm very curious to know if they are unhallmarked palladium silver or just steel.

[Wile E Coyote]

The Montblanc resin feels identical to the resin on my UK made Parker 45. If you were blindfolded and felt the barrel of both pens, you would not be able to tell the difference.

I own a dozen or so U.K. 45s. Big fan. I love the 45. I also own a MB 146. No way in hell are they the same material.

You see the way the clutch ring on the cap cause indentations on the P45 section? Run your fingernail on the material section and barrel and do the same on the MB resin. No way these are the same plastics. The MB is harder and the Parker deforms more easily Right?

I mean I could tested but then I'd probably have to damage my pen to confirm it.

You've piqued my interest. After the holidays, I will scan my Montblanc 147 and Parker 45 with a lab spectrometer (mine does UV to NIR) to look at the surface reflectance spectrum of both pens. It's a pretty good indicator of the plastic being used.

If you want to experiment with toys. Look at both in the IR spectrum. The MB will be transparent, not so with the Parker. Not the same plastic.

[fountainpenkid]

The blog post repeatedly claims Montblanc has used the term for over a century. Has anyone found any evidence of this? As Montblanc wasn't producing pens in any sort of 'resin'-like material back then, it seems highly suspect to me.

[FredRydr]

The blog post repeatedly claims Montblanc has used the term for over a century. Has anyone found any evidence of this? As Montblanc wasn't producing pens in any sort of 'resin'-like material back then, it seems highly suspect to me.

Hey...if it's on the internet, it must be true.

Fred

[dadbar]

The Montblanc resin feels identical to the resin on my UK made Parker 45. If you were blindfolded and felt the barrel of both pens, you would not be able to tell the difference.

I own a dozen or so U.K. 45s. Big fan. I love the 45. I also own a MB 146. No way in hell are they the same material.

You see the way the clutch ring on the cap cause indentations on the P45 section? Run your fingernail on the material section and barrel and do the same on the MB resin. No way these are the same plastics. The MB is harder and the Parker deforms more easily Right?

I mean I could tested but then I'd probably have to damage my pen to confirm it.

You've piqued my interest. After the holidays, I will scan my Montblanc 147 and Parker 45 with a lab spectrometer (mine does UV to NIR) to look at the surface reflectance spectrum of both pens. It's a pretty good indicator of the plastic being used.

If you want to experiment with toys. Look at both in the IR spectrum. The MB will be transparent, not so with the Parker. Not the same plastic.

I was planning to scan 350-2500nm covering UV through NIR....after Christmas when I have the time.

[dadbar]

I was going to do that but my neighbor borrowed my spectrometer and never brought it back. THAT GUY!


OK joking aside I seriously do want to know if they have the same or not.

Can a spectrometer also be used to tell the composition of metal? I have some nibs and I'm very curious to know if they are unhallmarked palladium silver or just steel.

Ideally you need an XRF (Xray fluorescence) spectrometer for that. It would give elemental analysis.

[amk]

'Plastic' is a pretty useless word actually. There are so many different kinds. It's like saying 'metal' - are we talking gold, silver, stainless, or a chunk of rusty old iron? HDPE is completely different from PVC... and it's funny how 'plastic' has a negative connotation but 'polycarbonate' a positive one.

I do like the Edelschwein. I'm now singing: Edelschwein, Edelschwein, every morning you greet me...

[stub]

Ideally you need an XRF (Xray fluorescence) spectrometer for that. It would give elemental analysis.

Dear Santa,

I have been a really good boy ...

[dadbar]

MB 147 EZID - 1 scan.jpg

I had a chance today to scan my Montblanc 147 pen for surface reflectance. The scan is a dead ringer for plain old acrylic. Nothing particularly fancy...and no sign of glass or quartz in the scan either....just fancy smooth plexiglass- even more reflective than the acrylic mirror in my library sample. I stand corrected regarding the Parker 45- that scan looks nothing like the MB...there were no particular absorption features to match to- it absorbed light across the entire spectrum from 350-2500nm (UV thru near IR).

Note that the black color of the pen absorbs light at 350-700nm, whereas the acrylic mirror is clear, hence the mismatch in the visible range. It's in the infrared where the story is "clear."

[FredRydr]

Geeks CSI?

My Meisterstucks are rather old and not so shiny; their resin may be a little less precious.

Fred

[mhosea]

I've long subscribed to the "dodgy translation" hypothesis. They would have been better off with "noble resin", I think, as in "noble steel" (which everybody just happens to know how to translate idiomatically to "stainless steel") or "noble gas".