A Tragedy Has Befallen All Mankind...

[SharkOnWheels456]

... or, at the very least, myself. Here's how my week has been going so far.

 

 

This is what a Parker Vacumatic nib looks like when (unknowingly) placed through a cycle in a washer/dryer. The carnage speaks for itself...

 

 

This is what a Lamy 2000 nib looks like when it un-clips itself from your pocket (to be fair, I fell) and smashes into the ground. The nib is cruelly sprung just outside of any form of usable limit, causing immense hard starting issues and a flow like an open fire hydrant.

 

--------------

 

My first reaction to these events...

 

WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!

 

To be perfectly honest, I'm still in this stage.

HOWEVER, seeing as life must go on, and I have to do something with these pens, I have a few questions...

 

--------------
Regarding the Vacumatic:

> How much would a repair on this nib cost, and where can I go? (I know of Greg Minuskin, Mike Masuyama, Pentiques, and a few others, but any suggestions would help... I'm also guesstimating at least $50, but I don't know if that figure is accurate or not)

 

> Is it even worth keeping if the repair costs that much, and I could sell it?

I'm wary about selling since the nib is busted, but the vaccum filler and body are still in incredible condition, and I'm not so attached to the pen that I would have to repair it at all costs. I can sort of go either way here.

 

Regarding the Lamy 2000:

 

> WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!

> Would Lamy give me a replacement nib if I paid for it?

Much like the Vacumatic, everything except the nib is still in wonderful working order, and I would much prefer to keep this pen rather than have to sell it for a really low price.

 

 

Any advice?

[ThreadorYarn]

ouch. I'm sorry

 

I think one of these Lamy nibs would fit the 2000. No idea about the Parker though.

[akustyk]

ouch. I'm sorry

 

I think one of these Lamy nibs would fit the 2000. No idea about the Parker though.

Are you sure?

 

That is a tragedy! The only thing remotely as disastrous for me was when I had to declare my favourite Lamy Safari pen lost. I did find it a few months later.

 

I think you should be able to find a replacement for the Vacumatic pretty easily. You might email one of the reputable dealers of vintage pens, they'll hook you up. For Lamy, I'd contact Lamy in your country, they will fix the pen, just a matter of whether the cost will be acceptable to you.

[Randal6393]

Both pens are easily repaired with a pair of rubber-coated needle-nose pliers. The Vacumatic, right in the pen. The Lamy 200, disassemble and redo the nib. Then reassemble after greasing the piston.

 

Check out YouTube for videos on the disassembly of the Lamy 2000. You certainly aren't going to make the pens any less useable than they are now.

 

Best of luck,

[PAKMAN]

Yikes, these pictures set my teeth on edge! Talking about a bad day! Best of luck getting them back in working order!

[BMG]

Sweet barking cheese , that's horrible!

 

(Mental note to self: do not loan pen to OP... )

 

As others have pointed out, they can be repaired. If you're handy or feeling lucky you can try to do so yourself, or of course you can send them off to a repairman. FWIW, in your place I might give it a try myself, and if it seemed more than I could do would send them out.

 

Good luck, whatever you choose!

[pepsiplease69]

ouch. I'm sorry

 

I think one of these Lamy nibs would fit the 2000. No idea about the Parker though.

The Lamy 2000 takes a nib that is not the same as the type used by safari/vista which you have linked to here.

 

The nib on the 2000 is much smaller than these.

 

Just thought I clarify that before the original poster goes out and buys these to later find that they don't fit and are too big.

[SharkOnWheels456]

Sweet barking cheese , that's horrible!

 

(Mental note to self: do not loan pen to OP... )

 

As others have pointed out, they can be repaired. If you're handy or feeling lucky you can try to do so yourself, or of course you can send them off to a repairman. FWIW, in your place I might give it a try myself, and if it seemed more than I could do would send them out.

 

Good luck, whatever you choose!

 

Don't fret; I'm worried enough about using my own pens to borrow other peoples' ;___;

 

Can the Lamy be bent back in to place? I didn't think you could repair a sprung nib... As for the Vacumatic, I think that's worth a shot, considering it's already in pretty bad shape. What's the worst that could happen? (He says, hesitantly)

 

The Lamy 2000 takes a nib that is not the same as the type used by safari/vista which you have linked to here.

 

The nib on the 2000 is much smaller than these.

 

Just thought I clarify that before the original poster goes out and buys these to later find that they don't fit and are too big.

 

Don't worry, I know that's not a possibility. It does make me wonder why they don't make replacement 2000 nibs, though. Perhaps it isn't as cost effective to make extra 14k nibs? (I know they make the gold Safari/Vista/CP1/etc nibs, but that seems like it would sell better)

[jmccarty3]

Send the Vacumatic to a good nibmeister. It will come back better than it was.

 

I have done this more than once. You will feel much better when your pens are repaired.

[dcwaites]

The Lamy is a gold nib, and should be repairable by anybody familiar with them. Also contact Lamy to determine their prices for a replacement nib or section.

[welch]

Repeating, pretty much:

 

- unless you've repaired nibs before, don't learn on a Vacumatic.

 

- send the Vacumatic to a good nib specialist. Greg Minuskin repaired one of my P-51 nibs on a pen that did a somersault over my shoulder and landed nib down, of course. Probably more than $50, but ask the specialist the price...just so you know. Vacumatic nibs are not widely available, and, of course, nobody makes them.

 

- Check LamyUSA for the price of a Lamy 2000 nib. It might be sold as a unit with the grip/section. Get Lamy to fix it or replace it. They will have spares.

[Frank C]

 

 

 

This is what a Parker Vacumatic nib looks like when (unknowingly) placed through a cycle in a washer/dryer. The carnage speaks for itself...

 

 

Any advice?

 

There are many ways to clean a fountain pen. I would try flushing with water or pen flush, first.

 

I usually just let my pens air dry. I put them in a glass with a paper towel in the bottom to absorb any excess moisture. I live in the desert, though, Brooklyn has more humidity.

 

The nib just pops out of the 2000. Lamy could easily fix it. They are well-known for their good service. I agree with the recommendation to send out the vacumatic to an expert.

[DrDebG]

So sorry to hear this! The world seems to come to a standstill when favorite pens are damaged!

 

Being of a conservative nature, I would recommend having a good, reliable nibmeister fix both nibs. He (or she?) has probably seen much worse and would know exactly what to do and probably far less expensive that if you tried it yourself using the "trial and error" methodology.

 

Good luck!

 

P.S. I just checked Goulet Pens website - Brian has a video on how to remove the Lamy 2000 nib. ( - Hope that helps!

Edited June 21, 2015 by Penfection

[Larry Barrieau]

I'm just trying to picture the type of impact that would cause that symetrical bend in the vacumatic.

[FarmBoy]

On the Vac, unless it is an unusual size nib or exceptionally flexible it will be lower in cost to replace the nib than to have it repaired.

 

The Lamy nib doesn't look that bad.

 

Neither nib is difficult to find.

[dneal]

The Lamy is an easy fix. The Parker runs a risk of a tine breaking off.

[Frank C]

On the Vac, unless it is an unusual size nib or exceptionally flexible it will be lower in cost to replace the nib than to have it repaired.

 

The Lamy nib doesn't look that bad.

 

Neither nib is difficult to find.

 

FYI, FarmBoy is what we call an "expert". You should follow his advice.

[pajaro]

If you decide to replace the Lamy nib, you will find them expensive. Last pricing I saw was about a hundred dollars. A nibmeister's services would be cheaper.

 

As far as do it yourself on the job training is concerned, the usual advice from experts is to learn on cheap nibs. You would not know how you might kink a gold nib trying to repair it. It will then look second class. Better to have an experienced hand work on a pen in these grades.

Edited June 21, 2015 by pajaro

[Christopher Godfrey]

Regardless of cost, in addition to what others have said about Lamy availability, I can tell you that their service department is exceptionally good. I have had cap internal clips (plastic "thing-amee" inside the cP1 cap) replaced two or three times and never been charged for the service. They are <good>!

 

Take courage...(and stop sniveling, now -- at once!) ;^)

[bsenn]

I am in awe of the Vac nib. Sorry about your misfortune, but thanks for sharing the photo. Easy enough to find another nib for it.

 

I know nothing of Lamys, but doesn't look too bad.

 

I bet someone like Danny Fudge could take care of both toot sweet.

 

Brian