Lamy 1.1-mm nib sucks for italic handwriting?

[vdauman]

  On 6/21/2009 at 8:13 AM, JonathanAquino said:

I’m trying to like my Lamy Safari with 1.1-mm nib. I really am. German engineering, right? But I’m not getting good performance, as you can see in the photo below.

 

Does your Lamy 1.1 write like this? I wonder if mine is just faulty.

 

At the top is the Lamy with Lamy blue-black ink in a piston converter. At the bottom is a pen from an inexpensive Panache calligraphy set. And the Panache performs so much better:

 

<a href=" title="Lamy Safari 1.1 vs. Speedball Panache Fine by Jon_Aquino, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3309/3645650273_57c00ea655_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="Lamy Safari 1.1 vs. Speedball Panache Fine" /></a>

 

Things to note about the Lamy:

- uneven color

- uneven line width

- thin strokes are not sharp enough—compare the serifs to the razor-sharp ones on the Panache

 

Is my Lamy defective?

 

Honestly I would not say so.

 

I have experienced the same problem with Lamy. I have bought a couple of Lamy joy and was extremely unhappy about the result. I have tried different inks (Caran d'arche, Mont Blanc, Pilot and even Lamy) but nothing solved my problem of uneven strokes and faulty lines.

 

I have given up and got a fantastic kit from Shaeffer (Calligraphy delux) and since then I have never gone back to my Lamy.

 

I hope this have helped.

[JonathanAquino]

Interesting, vdauman!

 

I have had two Lamy Safaris and have been disappointed with both. Not going to buy a third.

[EMM]

I think its the ink that sucks.

[Pippin60]

I have a few Lamy 1.1's, 1.5's and a 1.9mm, your problem is the Lamy BB its the driest ink I have every used. None of my Lamy's and I have quite a few are actually filled with Lamy ink. I don't like it.

[reedbamboodippen]

what does the last poster mean by Lamy BB ? i do not know of any Lamy BB [nib size]: is there any ? &, what was or is the original poster talking about, meaning i do not notice any difference, other than only the ink color. Maybe the original poster wanted to post a photo of his or her nice writing style. &, was the last poster referring to Lamy 1.9 as the BB [nib size] [stub] ? &, why does an average double broad fountain pen cost $100 ?

[reedbamboodippen]

when i say [average] i mean or refer to lowest possible price, else it is @ $200 for a double broad fountain pen: why so much $ [cost] for a BB or 2B fountain pen ?

[FrankB]

I read the poster was commenting on Lamy Blue-Black (BB) ink. Note he says, " ...the Lamy BB its the driest ink I have every used."

[OcalaFlGuy]

The original pics sure don't look like My 1.1. I DO suspect the notepaper was a major part of the issue.

 

He is mine on (IIRC) BnR paper. I have no issue with mine, I think it's an exceptional nib for what it costs though

it is a bit wide for me.

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

 

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_XB-IYvzxVyY/S0ObcgxeLZI/AAAAAAAABFE/3YpD1GAQrfY/s800/Stuff%20037.jpg

[khymeera]

wow! this is really cool! Also, your italic is so much better than mine...

[Thaddeus]

  On 6/23/2009 at 6:49 AM, JonathanAquino said:

Figured out the problem.

 

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3625/3652671029_bdeaeeb6b1_o.jpg

 

The “Notes on Pen Grinding” from the book “The Italic Way to Beautiful Handwriting” were useful in my first pen grind!

 

Thanks to HDoug and superbleu for the suggestions about sharpening the nib.

This is beautiful handwriting, Jonathan.

I was having the same issue with my Lami nib. Then I changed the angle with which I wrote (steeper relative to the paper (more perpendicular) - your nib drawings explains why) and paper. The handwriting is looking much better now. Nice!

Edited December 15, 2015 by Thaddeus

[TimPayne]

  On 6/21/2009 at 10:09 AM, HDoug said:

I have a couple of the smaller Lamy italics (.7 and .9?) and they're not very sharp either. I think that's on purpose, though. Sharper italics are more difficult to use (for most people) and they had to strike some kind of compromise between sharp and easy.

 

With a sharp eye, a steady hand, and a grindstone, one can sharpen the nibs.

 

Good luck on your worthy quest. The form of your italic is quite nice!

 

Doug

I sharpened my 1.1 with a very fine nail file, and then some of the buffing nail pads. It's risky to attempt on your own, but I managed to get a fairly pleasing result. My lines are a lot sharper and crisper.

[Wrecky]

The Lamy 1.1 is more a stub than an italic.

And I'm surprised the op wasn't happy with the results he got. They look fine to me.