Need A Smear-proof Lamy-compatible Ink (cartridge)

[Gengar003]

I have this pen with the pictured nib (Lamy Safari, "M")

http://www.papermarc.com.au/images/safari-fountain-charcoal.jpg

 

that uses this sort of ink cartidge (Lamy T10 black):

http://www.jmpennifeather.co.uk/images/upload/Lamy-T10-Ink-Cartridges-Black.jpg.

 

Even stuff that I have written a year ago can still be badly smudged by lightly running my finger over it - regardless of the media that I write on (printer paper, mailing envelopes, cotton paper, journals...)

 

Is there anything I can do with the pen I have, that will result in my writing drying in fewer than 365 days (different ink / nib / etc)? I cannot pick up, flip through, or handle anything I've written without smudging it. I was disappointed and frustrated to discover this situation.

 

Thanks in advance.

Edited November 1, 2010 by Gengar003

[Randal6393]

You haven't mentioned the third leg of the stool: the paper. What paper are you using? Does it have trouble with other inks? Are you having trouble with several types of paper or only one?

 

If you want an ink that is faster drying, there are several that are offered. Private Reserve inks come in Fast Dry, several of them. Noodler inks often dry fast and well. So do Pelikan, Aurora, etc. My concern is that Lamy is considered to be a decent ink. Seems as if something else may be going on.

 

I will keep an eye on this thread and help whenever I have something to offer.

 

Best of luck to you,

[JMX]

Try diluting it a little(!) with distilled water. Use a syringe to insert a small amount into the cart,

 

You can also refill an emptied cartridge with any ink you like. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Gengar003]

You haven't mentioned the third leg of the stool: the paper.

 

regardless of the media that I write on (printer paper, mailing envelopes, cotton paper, journals...)

 

I also have written on post-it notes.

 

I will try diluting the ink a little.

 

Something else I notice is that if I aggressively smear the ink, a lot of it will smudge and smear, but a faint line "underneath" will remain, no matter how much I smear... as if there is far, far too much ink put down on the paper, and only the 'extra' ink is causing the problem.

 

If I push too hard, or write too slowly, would that account for 'too much ink' being put down?

Edited November 1, 2010 by Gengar003

[wallylynn]

are you sure it's not dry? Does it still smear with the knuckle of the back of your hand, or another piece of paper? It's probably just a sweaty finger. Lamy inks are not known for their water resistance except for their bottled blue-black.

[Randal6393]

Most of the times I have seen that problem, it's because the ink has dehydrated over a period of time. Yeah, first thing to do is to try diluting the ink. Then, if that doesn't help, get a different ink in bottle form, clean the pen and cartridge, and refill with a different ink.

 

Some good inks are, in no particular order, Aurora, J. Herbin, Private Reserve, Noodlers, Waterman, and Lamy. Yes, Lamy is a great everyday ink that works well. It may be that the cartridges are old. So you might try Lamy from a bottle and see if it has the same problems. Most of us get whatever fountain pen ink is most available. Before choosing an ink, I would recommend reading the Ink Reviews to see what -- and where -- you might like to get your ink.

 

Best of luck,

[Gengar003]

are you sure it's not dry? Does it still smear with the knuckle of the back of your hand, or another piece of paper? It's probably just a sweaty finger. Lamy inks are not known for their water resistance except for their bottled blue-black.

 

My fingers do smear more than other parts of my hand, but I can still smear with a knuckle, and closed pages of a journal leave imprints on the adjacent pages, as they're pressed together, even if left for 5-10 minutes.

 

The cartridges are old (around a year), so I will try diluting them. I'm currently using a cartridge that was sealed, but was just opened a few days ago. I don't know how much they dry out whilst sealed.

I'll also make a note to look for inks advertised/known for being more 'waterproof' than average, as the 'sweaty fingers touching what's been written' issue is not something that is going to go away.

 

Thank you to everyone.

Edited November 2, 2010 by Gengar003

[coldman]

Try resting your unused cartridges vertically. If you see an air bubble larger than a centimeter, your carts have probably dried up a bit.

 

Is your pen putting down a very wet line? It's possible that the paper you're using isn't very absorbent, so that not all the ink sinks into it, but just remains sitting on top. Does it still smudge even on newsprint?

[Gengar003]

I do have a half-centimeter of air bubble at the top of an unopened cartridge.

 

I don't have any newsprint to test on at the moment.

[Gengar003]

Success:

 

It would appear that my ink was just old and dried out, and that I was sold old, dried-out ink when I purchased the pen.

 

I flushed the pen clean, and added 2 drops of (reverse-osmosis, not distilled, as that's what I had available) water to the cartridge that was 1/3 full.

 

Now, it's more of a dark gray, than a black ink, but

 

• It will dry out over time, and grow darker,
  
• 2 drops would probably be perfect for opening a new (but dehydrated) cartridge,
  
• The ink stays where I put it on the page. Hallelujah!
  

 

Thanks again to everyone who contributed.

 

Cheers!

[Randal6393]

Congratulations on your success, now on to important stuff -- Noodler's Heart of Darkness or Aurora Black -- which is the better ink?

 

Enjoy,

[Gengar003]

Update (for any with similar concerns).

 

The improvements to the Lamy ink were noticeable, but only temporary, and still far-from-ideal.

 

I ended up ordering a bottle of Noodler's Bulletproof Black Ink, and a cartridge designed to be filled from an ink bottle.

 

The difference between the Noodler's Bulletproof and Lamy inks is astounding. The Noodler's Bulletproof will not smudge, even when I wet my finger and press hard. The Lamy continues to smear when I accidentally bump it.

 

I would enthusiastically recommend Noodler's Bulletproof Ink(s).

[Possum Hill]

Update (for any with similar concerns).

 

The improvements to the Lamy ink were noticeable, but only temporary, and still far-from-ideal.

 

I ended up ordering a bottle of Noodler's Bulletproof Black Ink, and a cartridge designed to be filled from an ink bottle.

 

The difference between the Noodler's Bulletproof and Lamy inks is astounding. The Noodler's Bulletproof will not smudge, even when I wet my finger and press hard. The Lamy continues to smear when I accidentally bump it.

 

I would enthusiastically recommend Noodler's Bulletproof Ink(s).

Noodler's inks vary quite a lot; I like all those I've tried, but there are notable differences. Standard Brown (semi-bulletproof) is quite slow drying in my experience, as one example. So, while I like the color a lot I don't find it as useful for some purposes as Legal Lapis.

[Yoda4561]

Update (for any with similar concerns).

 

The improvements to the Lamy ink were noticeable, but only temporary, and still far-from-ideal.

 

I ended up ordering a bottle of Noodler's Bulletproof Black Ink, and a cartridge designed to be filled from an ink bottle.

 

The difference between the Noodler's Bulletproof and Lamy inks is astounding. The Noodler's Bulletproof will not smudge, even when I wet my finger and press hard. The Lamy continues to smear when I accidentally bump it.

 

I would enthusiastically recommend Noodler's Bulletproof Ink(s).

 

 

Though I'm a big fan of noodler's bulletproof inks, I still think your experience with the lamy carts is quite unusual. Sure it runs at the site of water, but in my experience it's faster drying and less likely to smear than noodler's highly saturated inks in the same pen (lamy safari).

[Goodwhiskers]

The only independent producer of Lamy-compatible cartridges I've heard of is company in Germany or Austria who sell mostly in the EU.

 

Have fun trying different inks in your Safari! The feed comb inside the grip section holds a lot of ink, so when changing ink colors be sure to flush in both directions with water from an earwax-removing squeeze bulb. The air intake hole in the Safari and similar Lamy pens is the rectangular (square?) one at the bottom front of the feed (under the nib), and that's where to stick the squeeze bulb when you flush backwards. After flushing, blow air from the squeeze bulb into the cartridge end and catch the water at the nib end with tissue paper or paper towel material.

 

When you insert the converter, make sure the little round nubs molded onto the outside of the reservoir slide into and get secured in the narrow slots in the receiving collar of the grip section.

 

Bottled Lamy inks shouldn't smear after they dry, especially coming out of a Safari because most Safaris have medium to dry flow.

Other non-smearers should be Pelikan, Sheaffer Skrip, Pilot/Namiki, Sailor, Platinum, Waterman, Aurora, Parker Quink, J Herbin, Diamine, and Rohrer & Klingner.

 

Possible smearers (depending greatly on the paper) are some (not all!) colors from Private Reserve, Levenger and Noodler's.

 

3M Post-It brand note paper is not friendly to water-based inks (which fountain pen inks all are) and can make almost any fountain pen ink take a long time to dry, and smear afterward, if the pen was flowing wet.

 

In my experience, Pilot/Namiki inks (blue, blue-black and black; I haven't used any Iroshizuku colors) dry quickly and don't smear on Post-It paper. In fact, I avoid using Pilot/Namiki Black on most paper except Post-It, correction tape and white-out, and thermal-coated paper. The blue, on the other hand, is great stuff on any paper.

Edited November 25, 2010 by Goodwhiskers

[Safari_Camo]

Is it safe to use Noodler's Bulletproof Black Ink in the Lamy?

[Yoda4561]

Is it safe to use Noodler's Bulletproof Black Ink in the Lamy?

 

 

It's probably one of the safest inks in the world to use in a Lamy or most any other pen.

[Safari_Camo]

I see in your profile that you're in Florida.

Do you know a place to purchase Noodler's stuff in Miami?

 

I would like to try the Bulletproof Black.

 

Regards

[Yoda4561]

I see in your profile that you're in Florida.

Do you know a place to purchase Noodler's stuff in Miami?

 

I would like to try the Bulletproof Black.

 

Regards

 

 

None that I know of, I don't get that far south very often, it's a few hundred miles from where I live.