hacking a Lamy Safari

[dvorak]

I'm looking for a clipless pen, to carry as an experiment, to see if I would like it. Has anyone hacked a Lamy Safari to remove the clip? If so, I'd love to hear about how you did it.

 

Thoughts?

 

Brent

[DrPJM1]

Try a dremel tool.

[sexauerw]

It's pretty easy, you just take out the screw that's right on the top of the cap. Be very careful, it's a plastic screw and it's quite easy to break, particularly if it's the older style with the crossed slots on top. You'll end up with the screw, a cap top, the clip and the main cap. Just reassemble without the clip.

 

The problem with the screw is that the screw head is thin and the slots are deep and fairly wide. That just doesn't leave very much plastic actually connecting between the head and the threaded shaft. I think that's why the newer pens just have a single slot in the head, so that the screw can be a little stronger.

[Robert Hughes]

This ought to do it ...

[skipwilliams]

Older Lamy Safari's have screw-out cap-screws, so that's easy.

 

Newer (in the past 4-5 years?), use press-fit or glued in cap ends. I haven't tried to get one of those off.

 

Skip

[Titivillus]

just unscrew the top screw and put it back together. Have not come across any glued in ones but I have only done this once.

 

K

[merzig]

Skipwilliams is right – Lamys made within the last 4-5 yrs don't have screws at the X-cap. So if it's newer, you're gonna have to dremel/snip the clip off.

 

I wanted to swap clips between newer Lamys once – I gave up (lazy); didn't want to have to buy a replacement cap if I broke it.

[TLewis]

Yes,

 

In the name of science, and the darn Safari contoured nib section which irks my fingers, I got the clip off the cap easily.

 

The plastic screw at the end of the cap is obviously not a screw, but rather a button. Using the a swiss army knife I gently pried the screw button away from the cap. If you're careful you could probably avoid making any nicks or dents, but I wasn't that careful.

 

Underneath the screw button is a rubber washer. Under the washer sits the bent wire clip. Under the clip is the (don't know the technical term) tube that seals the nib from the air.

 

Pry off the rubber O-ring, and then you can finesse and rock the clip back and forth until it springs out of the cap. The plastic tube that protects the nib maybe should also be removed first, since the metal clip will rub against the top of it while you're pulling it out. This plastic piece is pretty resilient, however, and if you bend the top you could bend it back.

 

Now with the clip off, simply replace the tube, the washer, and the screw button. To get the proper tension, put the pen back into the cap, and then you can snap the screw button back in place. It might sit a little deeper in the cap, since the wire isn't there between the washer and the plastic tube, but it feels secure nonetheless. Proceed at your own risk, of course. I was looking for an excuse to take this pen apart, since I have this love/hate relationship with the Safaris. Love the colors, hate the grip section.

 

 

Thomas

 

[yucki8aby]

but there'll still be that ugly hole where the clip was. imho i'll rather have the clip than an unsightly hole, but your preferences might be different.

 

regards,

shaowei

[Ink Stained Wretch]

I'm looking for a clipless pen, to carry as an experiment, to see if I would like it. Has anyone hacked a Lamy Safari to remove the clip? If so, I'd love to hear about how you did it.

Why not try something like a Kaweco Sport? They come without clips in the first place. A Pelikano Jr. doesn't have a clip either.

 

I prefer clipless pens in many cases too. Unless you actually need to use a clip it detracts for the usefulness of the pen IMO.

[300D]

My first post and I'm reviving an old thread. Hope that's ok, seemed the best match in my search.

 

Anyway, regarding the removal of the clip from a newer Safari with the pressed in button on top. Based on the picture of a disassembled one, it occurred to me that instead of using a pocket-knife to pry it out that perhaps it could more safely be pushed out from inside. You may come up with a better tool, but I used a Craftsman phillips head screwdriver and it popped right out. It did press slightly against the top opening of the inner liner and leave small marks. However, if one were to hold very tightly both the cap and the screwdriver and slooowly apply pressure to the button, it would likely be possible to stop pressing the very moment any give is felt and thus avoid the marks. I don't feel they in any way compromise the integrity of the air seal based on the overall parts fit of the cap. With their longer tips, a hex or star driver is possibly a better choice. You get the idea!

 

After pressing the button out and removing the washer, I pushed down on the top opening of the inner liner with the flat end of a pen that was just slightly smaller in diameter than the rim of the opening. It took almost no pressure to pop it loose. After that the clip is nearly completely loose and can be removed easily, with one caveat. One tine of the clip must be removed at a time due to their curvature, so take care to hold the first one clear of the cap while removing the second one lest it scratch the cap.

 

When it's time to reassemble, the order I used was the exact reverse of disassembly - clip, inner liner, washer, button. I pressed the inner liner back into the cap using the pen body. To maximize sealing, note the facing and orientation of the washer by the indentations left on it from factory assembly. Same with the button itself in relation to the washer. Hold the pen body tightly and press the button in with your thumb as far as you can. Then turn the pen upside down and on a solid table, press down on the button end HARD. The button should only stick out 1mm or less from the cap or the pen won't close securely.

 

Good luck and happy clip swapping!

[professionaldilettante]

Ugh. Plastic snaps. I hate plastic snaps, as because they um, snap off when repairing things. I don't know how well that would hold up in the years to come, especially if someone were to do repairs a few decades from now. However, with so many floating around, I doubt that would be an issue.