Take apart a Lamy Safari/Vista/etc

April 14, 2007

I've got a bad habit of using my favourite technical pen inks in my Safaris and I just know that one day, probably sooner than later, I'm going to get a clog that I can't simply flush away.

So, my question is, does anyone know how to pull the feeder on a Safari? Is it a relatively easy thing? Are we talking self-administered brain surgery? (IOW, bad idea)

FWIW, I know how to pop the nibs, have done it many times. Just wondering about getting the feeder out of the body, for cleaning purposes and such-like.

April 15, 2007

Hi,

It is a tight fit, but it pulls straight out.

Dillon

April 15, 2007

Although Dillo is the repairperson here, I would not recommend pulling the feeds of Lamys.

I have a cp1 (same nib, most likely similar feed) where I once wanted to make a nib-only exchange. While I tried to pull the nib with a sticky tape off the feed, the feed itself came accidentaly halfway out. And since then the plastic feed is stuck halfway in the section and I havent't managed to move the feed in or out even with tools. It remains stuck and the pen is useless. Beware!

Edited April 16, 2007 by saintsimon

April 16, 2007

Hmmm, the large print giveth and the small print taketh away.

Thanks guys. At least if I find myself without much choice I'll know what I'm against.

April 16, 2007

Although Dillo is the repairperson here, I would not recommend pulling the feeds of Lamys.

I have a cp1 (same nib, most likely similar feed) where I once wanted to make a nib-only exchange. While I tried to pull the nib with a sticky tape off the feed, the feed itself came accidentaly halfway out. And since then the plastic feed is stuck halfway in the section and I havent't managed to move the feed in or out even with tools. It remains stuck and the pen is useless. Beware!

I had exactly the same problem with a Lamy Accent (same nib and feed system). I was unable to push back or pull out the feed and in the end out of frustration used excessive force and ended up breaking the rather brittle plastic of the Lamy Accent section.

Some years back I have had two other Accent sections give trouble - a hairline crack resulting in a leak and about two years later a spontaneous shattering while screwing the section back on to the barrel after filling the pen - no excessive force was used (replaced by Lamy on both occasions).

I now use a thumb on the feed to make sure it does not move when I change Lamy nibs (using a rubber gripper to slide off just the nib). This is despite the fact that the feed seems to be very tightly held in the section and the nib usually slides off easily.

John

April 17, 2007

Hi,

Yes, it is not the best idea to pull the feeds although you could pull them. There is of course, always a risk of feed breakage too.

Dillon

April 17, 2007

Hi Inky,

What brand and color of ink are you using? Maybe it's just more simple to quit india ink... If you like dark black, maybe Aurora black or Noodlers black might be good for you.

Samovar

April 17, 2007

Good point. I've actually got my first Noodler's coming to me now so ... we'll see what we see.

The inks I'm currently using are all Kohinoor technical drawing inks: Universal (a shellac based India Ink), TransMix (an acrylic ink) and Ultradraw (another acrylic?). I know that these spell trouble for a regular FP but they are really great drawing inks (the TransMix comes in about 20 awesome colours!) and I'm pretty much addicted to them at this point. I've yet to see anything that comes close in terms of intensity, waterproofness, etc.

Because of the things I've read here and elsewhere on FPN I've stopped using the Kohinoor inks in my Safaris and will wait on the Noodler's to see it that's going to be a solution. Fingers crossed.

Oh, and I'll have to check out the Aurora ink too. Hadn't heard that one recommended before. Thanks.

Edited April 17, 2007 by inkysmudges

October 1, 2009

Managed to unearth this thread while seeking for an answer. I just adopted an 80s Safari and cleaned the pen nicely. While removing the nib (without tape), the feed came out as well but it now refuses to go back in. I've tried heating the section briefly with a hairdryer. Is that anything else I can do?

October 1, 2009

Managed to unearth this thread while seeking for an answer. I just adopted an 80s Safari and cleaned the pen nicely. While removing the nib (without tape), the feed came out as well but it now refuses to go back in. I've tried heating the section briefly with a hairdryer. Is that anything else I can do?

Have you made sure the slot in the underside of the feed lines up with the channel inside the section?

Martin

October 1, 2009

Have you made sure the slot in the underside of the feed lines up with the channel inside the section?
Martin

Hi Martin,

I'm not entirely sure, but about 0.8cm of the feed is sticking out, compared to a feed that's properly seated.

Edited October 1, 2009 by holgalee

October 2, 2009

I wonder if soaking will help, or more heating of the section with hairdryer?

November 15, 2009

Still drying to remove the feed. It's neither in nor out now. Grr...

January 7, 2010

Still drying to remove the feed. It's neither in nor out now. Grr...

I just did this to my Lamy Vista which I have taken apart multiple times. I have found that if you try to put the feed back in when it is completely dry, it gets stuck. For everyone else, make sure the feed is a little wet before you try to put it back in, and make sure the notch and the lines line up properly.

Also, Lamy USA sells replacement parts here:

http://www.lamyusa.com/repairs.html

so for me it is only $15 for a new "nib unit" (feed, nib, and the plastic around the feed.) this is quite ironic since I have been paying $15 for replacement nibs from other websites.

UPDATE: I was just able to pull the feed the rest of the way out by soaking the feed and front plastic in hot (not boiling- I just put a bowl of water in the microwave for 1:30, it was about the temperature of tea water or hot tap water). then I soaked the pieces in the water for about 5 minutes, twisted and pulled and it came right out (I wouldn't suggest the twisting because it could break the feed). I tried this after the hair dryer (hair dryer didn't work).

Edited January 7, 2010 by aliencam

June 26, 2011

I took the feed out of my Safari using *pliers*. Not elegant but it worked. It slightly deformed the feed, which is soft, but not in anyplace crucial, and the pen works fine; I recommend using heated water, I was just being impatient.

The reason I took it apart was to change the angle of the nib with respect to the molded grip. Because of something about my body mechanics, I like the nib rotated just slightly.

However, the pen barrel is slotted internally, as mentioned above, so the feed goes back only in one orientation (if at all — it's very stubborn). The solution is to use a very, very sharp knife, a fresh blade in a mat cutter, or a fresh Xacto, and gingerly pare off the boss (the raised spine) that fits into the slot. Work slowly and deliberately. Take off a little, try, take off more, try again...

If you pare off the right amount, the feed will slip back in nicely, and it allows just little rotation, if you need it. To get the most rotation, you may need to pare far enough into the feed that you actually start to nick away a small amount of the fin section. Be careful to leave the forward part of the feed, where it seals to the barrel, untouched.

June 27, 2011

I've got a bad habit of using my favourite technical pen inks in my Safaris and I just know that one day, probably sooner than later, I'm going to get a clog that I can't simply flush away.

With a Vista you can see when it clogs. The section is clear so the feed is visible. An ear squeegee bulb fits nicely into the section and makes it easy to flush. You should never need to remove the feed to clean it in a Safari / Vista. But shellac-based art inks will clog any pen in short order.

Ashby

June 27, 2011

The section is clear so the feed is visible

I have had my vista for 14 months

for the first 12 I used nothing but Lamy Blue Black ink

I haven't seen my feed for a very long time

it's in there, but one cannot make out the individual fins

Edited June 27, 2011 by spiv

September 26, 2015

I took the feed out of my Safari using *pliers*. Not elegant but it worked. It slightly deformed the feed, which is soft, but not in anyplace crucial, and the pen works fine; I recommend using heated water, I was just being impatient.

The reason I took it apart was to change the angle of the nib with respect to the molded grip. Because of something about my body mechanics, I like the nib rotated just slightly.

However, the pen barrel is slotted internally, as mentioned above, so the feed goes back only in one orientation (if at all — it's very stubborn). The solution is to use a very, very sharp knife, a fresh blade in a mat cutter, or a fresh Xacto, and gingerly pare off the boss (the raised spine) that fits into the slot. Work slowly and deliberately. Take off a little, try, take off more, try again...

If you pare off the right amount, the feed will slip back in nicely, and it allows just little rotation, if you need it. To get the most rotation, you may need to pare far enough into the feed that you actually start to nick away a small amount of the fin section. Be careful to leave the forward part of the feed, where it seals to the barrel, untouched.

I pulled the nib out with a rag after immersing the bottom of the pen in 165F water.

I saw two bosses, like parallel rails. The hole diameter is 7mm. So I put a 7mm drill in a hand-held chuck and drilled the bosses away in seconds. Then I rotated the nib 20 degrees CCW of it's design angle and pushed it back in.

It writes much better for my hand.

Alan

January 9, 2016

The feed on my Neon coral Safari got stuck halfway back in - I thought the slots were lined up, but it seems I was a wee bit off. I thought it was toast, since I had already used pliers and a rubber cushion to attempt to get it free. Happily, I came here to see if anyone had some advice...and the hot water trick worked perfectly! I tried water hot from the tap, but that wasn't enough, so I ended up microwaving it for 30 seconds, letting it sit for another 30 seconds, and then pulling it out with pliers. And it seems like no harm done, because it fit back in pretty perfectly.

Man, I LOVE this site.