New Lamy Lx Feels So Dry

November 12, 2016

Hi all. First-time poster here from London, UK.

On a recent trip to Germany I bought one of the new Lamy Lx pens (the "Ruthenium" version) and I am disappointed with how dry it feels when I write with it. It is a medium nib (the only option at the store where I bought it) and I am using a black Lamy cartridge on Clairefontaine paper. It feels like quite an effort to write with it, and as if the ink flow could stop at any moment (although it never does!). I have flushed the pen several times, but that doesn't seem to make any difference. I have compared it to a black Al-Star which is also new (also using a Lamy black cartridge) and it is a completely different experience - smooth, free-flowing ink and a joy to write with. (I tried putting that nib on to the Lx, but it still felt the same, so I don't think it has anything to do with the nib.)

At the moment I regret the purchase, as I realise that the Ruthenium Lx is almost identical to the Graphite Al-Star, and the latter is half the price!

I remember when I first became interested in fountain pens I acquired quite a few Safaris, and with these I also noticed that some were much "drier" writers than others. Does anyone know what could cause this, and is there anything I can do about it?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

November 12, 2016

Brandnew Lamys out of the box are usually quite variable when you get them.

I like mine to all behave the same (nib size excepted) whichever one I pickup on whim, so as a minimum I'd scrub them clean before inking first time. Check alignment between nib & feed.

Some nibs (6-7/10) get a quick floss & hone; I find Lamy nibs have an oval footprint - some ovals are taller than they're wide etc etc or viceversa... I'd choose desired shape at the store than reshaping after purchase. Check alignment especially how they're clipping onto the feed, if airgap underneath is too big they can run dry.

Feeds general work fine but occasionally (1/10) they run dryer than usual. Whip them out, pop open the channel grate, floss the ink path to remove any manufacturing debris etc. Degrease & reassemble.

There's usually a few Lamy inked up on my bench most times with familiar performance. Whenever a new arrival appears it's handy to have the others around, if new writes dry swapover new nib onto established feed & ink supply see if that improves. Helps isolate issue to whether it's feed or nib.

Or ink.

November 13, 2016

If you have flushed pen with plain water only then try flushing with dishwasher liquid mixed water. One of my safari had the same issue which was fixed this way. Soak in dishwasher liquid mixed water overnight.

November 13, 2016

Dishdrops might be harder to completely flush out afterwards.

I degrease new arrivals with warm water + a touch of Windex (ammonia glass cleaner).

November 13, 2016

Hi, Can only agree with the replies above, especially if you have switched nibs with a known good performer, it's most likely down to the feed channels.

I have removed the feed from several Safaris, can be easy or can be very difficult, I have ended up with a dent in my finger from trying. If pen is under warranty, probably best not to remove the feed.

But short of doing that, if you have a LAMY cartridge converter, put in a very dilute mixture of water + washing up liquid, and flow it up and down the feed with the converter, it just might be enough to flush out whatever is there (if anything), and no harm done.

If no LAMY converter, try a plastic bottle where the nozzle of it fits the LAMY section, roughly, and force water down the feed.

If no change then it may have to be returned for another pen.

My experience of five Safaris, is very good, a high quality, mass produced pen, and use mine daily, esp. Safari Vista.

November 13, 2016

Water on it's own won't do much for a pen. You need to also use dish soap because that's the 'active ingredient' which gets rid of the oils that cause the problems. Let the nib unit and converter(fill it with dish soap and water) soap overnight, or even for about 3 or 4 hours.

Just remember to thoroughly flush with clean water afterwards to remove the dish soap.

Edited November 13, 2016 by Bluey

November 13, 2016

Thank you so much for all these helpful suggestions.

The section is now having a good long soak in water mixed with a few drops of washing-up liquid. I will then give it a good flush - and also probably another long soak - using clean water. Hopefully that will solve the problem. I'm a bit nervous about trying to remove the feed, as I've never had to do that before.

Thanks again everyone - I'll let you know how it goes!

November 13, 2016

The ruthenium version also has a pvd coated nib and that coating can get onto the tipping creating a slightly dry writer to begin with. I'm told this wears off after a non-specified amount of use and the writing experience improves.

November 13, 2016

Thank you so much for all these helpful suggestions.
The section is now having a good long soak in water mixed with a few drops of washing-up liquid. I will then give it a good flush - and also probably another long soak - using clean water. Hopefully that will solve the problem. I'm a bit nervous about trying to remove the feed, as I've never had to do that before.
Thanks again everyone - I'll let you know how it goes!

No need to remove the feed. Just plop the entire nib section in the washing-up liquid and water.

Good luck.

November 14, 2016

Also it's worth trying a few different papers, as many of them are coated and do make fountain pens write much narrower lines than you might expect.

If you have a nearby Tesco, ( or similar) they sell the Pukka Pad Jotta, with 200 pages of 80g/m², for about £1.50.

The paper is matte finish and works well with the pens I've tried.

November 16, 2016

In the end, you might, of course, need to do something mechanical. I.e., as a first step, spread the tines.

This is very tricky with the L2K's teeny-weeny nib. I thought I'd wrecked mine when I tried to prise it apart, and the point orientation was all over the place. I got it back, by luck rather than judgement, in a cold sweat, but the flow was much, much better.

If you don't fancy trying this yourself, Oxonian will do it for £25 (last time I asked him). He's in Oxford.

November 16, 2016

I agree with the above and would like to add that the LAMY inks are rather dry. You could try with another ink e.g. Waterman - you'll need a converter for that though or refill a LAMY cartridge with a syringe.

November 23, 2016

Just a quick update:

I soaked the whole nib section in water with a few drops of washing-up liquid for about 24 hours (I used warm water and changed the water a couple of times during that time) and then soaked again using clean water for another 24 hours (again changing the water a few times) and then let it dry thoroughly.

Great result! Much smoother and wetter (but not too wet) than before, so I'm really pleased. It now feels more or less the same as the Al-Star I was comparing it with, and writes exactly as I would want it to.

The medium nib on the Lx writes a finer line than my other Lamy medium steel nibs.

Thank you all for your helpful replies.

November 24, 2016

I feel the same way! The LX is my second lamy (medium nib as well), the first being a deep lilac safari so it's got the black nib as well. It's a EF. I started a new post a few days ago and questioned if maybe the black nibs just tended to be a bit drier but others had good experiences with them. I've used some micromesh on both nibs so far, the EF still isn't super smooth but it's alright. As for the LX I spread the tines a bit and that helped a bunch. I'm currently using a coral pink ink cartridge, so maybe my ink choice has something to do with it. Since I don't like to waste things I'm going to wait until that's empty and then try a little bit of noodler's black - I was experimenting with a jinhao and had a fairly dry experience with starting issues but then put noodler's black in it and it writes flawlessly now!

November 24, 2016

Just a quick update:

I soaked the whole nib section in water with a few drops of washing-up liquid for about 24 hours (I used warm water and changed the water a couple of times during that time) and then soaked again using clean water for another 24 hours (again changing the water a few times) and then let it dry thoroughly.

Great result! Much smoother and wetter (but not too wet) than before, so I'm really pleased. It now feels more or less the same as the Al-Star I was comparing it with, and writes exactly as I would want it to.

The medium nib on the Lx writes a finer line than my other Lamy medium steel nibs.

Thank you all for your helpful replies.

Good to hear that problem is solved and you are pleased with the pen.