Lamy pen refill and maintenance questions

[DagoRed]

Hello everybody, I had a couple of questions real quick. Last night my pen wrote beautifully in my new journal. however tonight it doesn't really want to start, and is having trouble writing. I wrote 6 pages last night, not sure how far the ink goes. but I think I might need to refill it. so I have a few questions.

 

1. the converter, in use do you need to periodically turn it back out to create pressure or push the ink down?

2. do I need to rinse it all out/wash it with water before refilling?

3. do I have to let it totally dry before refilling it?

 

I know these probably seem obvious to all of you, but I'd rather ask than make a mistake or start a habit that gives me less than optimal results. Thanks very much.

 

Red

[Rabidferret]

It sounds like you're running out of ink. Have you tried opening up your pen and looking at the cartridge or converter? They should be clear plastic and if held up to the light you should be able to see the ink level.

 

To refill, simply swap in a new cartridge, or use the screw mechanism on the converter if you're using it instead of the cartridges. No need to rinse before filling, but I like to rinse out my pens when I switch colors. I try to avoid letting the nib dry out too much - over time the solids in the ink can accumulate in the feed and clog it. Periodic flushing with warm water usually takes care of this.

 

Without knowing more about your situation that's all I can really say. What type of pen are you using (Lamy makes several different models)? Are you using a cartridge or converter?

 

As far as not "starting a habit that gives [you] less than optimal results" - your pen experience will be vastly more rewarding if you learn and practice good maintenance (no offense intended - we all learned this ourselves!). Fountain pens have a different set of benefits and disadvantages compared to other writing systems - for instance, you don't have to worry about the tip of a ballpoint drying if left uncapped. All of us on this board probably consider the drawbacks massively outweighed by the advantages. With a bit of patience and practice, those drawbacks can be alleviated to a great extent as well.

 

I hope you're able to figure out the problem and enjoy a long fountain pen career!

--Jon

[ZeissIkon]

1. the converter, in use do you need to periodically turn it back out to create pressure or push the ink down?

 

This shouldn't be necessary, but some converters have a problem with ink "sticking" to the walls (due to surface tension). If that occurs, you may find the pen seeming to run out of ink while you can see what looks like a full or nearly full converter, because the air that comes back in through the feed is caught in a bubble over the fang instead of rising to the back end of the converter. If you're seeing this, the first thing to try is flushing the converter (and the pen, won't hurt it) with body temperature water containing a few drops of liquid dish soap (for hand washing, not for a mechanical dishwasher) per cup. Fill and empty with this solution several times, then repeat with plain water, also several times -- then dry the feed, either by letting it stand nib down in a nest of paper towels for twenty-four hours, or with a salad spinner or other centrifuge, or by applying a "thermometer shake" with the nib nested in paper toweling (careful, don't let the nib -- or your hand! -- contact anything while shaking this way), before refilling.

 

Unfortunately, some converters will still give trouble with "sticking" ink even after this treatment -- in my experience, that'll be smaller diameter converters with polyethylene bodies. Even if they have a ball inside (intended to break the ink surface and initiate flow when the pen is inverted), it doesn't always work. The only solution at that point is to spend $3.50 to $15 and get a better (larger diameter) converter, if there's room in the pen. Even pens that accept only a single, short international cartridge can take a converter, BTW; Tryphon and a few other sources sell squeeze converters just a couple mm longer than a short cartridge and the same or smaller diameter outside, but because they have a sac instead of a polyethylene tube as the reservoir, they don't seem to have the problems with ink flow that some of the other compact (or cheap) converters have.

[DagoRed]

thanks guys, it seemed to work great the other night it just didn't last night. it is a Lamy Al-Star in graphite with the converter. Noodler EL Lawrence Ink, which is just so frickin' awesome I don't know if I need to ever try another ink. If I could just afford a nice rollerball that took a converter I'd be set for using it at work all day too.

 

I'll refill it tonight so I can make my journal entries. my daughter said the most beautiful thing to me last night, I have to make sure and write it down. she's three, I was walking her to bed and she said,"Daddy, you make my heart happy." doesn't that just melt ya?

 

 

Red