Does This Happen Also To You With Lamy Safari?

[minifatalpotato]

Hello everyone,

 

I have a weird kind of question. It's not a big deal but I wonder if anyone else experience this too.

 

I'm an unstoppable reverse writer. I often do it without realising. Lately I noticed, whenever I use Lamy Safari, the tips of my thumb and index finger get stained with ink. I realised this happens when I write reverse with this pen, and that I tend to hold the pen closer to nib while writing reverse, probably because of the indentations on the grip section to be used while writing nonreverse.

 

The part I marked with arrow in the picture is wet with ink. I wonder if this is normal or I've broken my pen a bit (sadly I've dropped it on the floor many times).

 

Thanks in advance for any response

[LizEF]

After I fixed my Waterman Laureat and started using it again (just over 2 years ago), I would constantly get ink on my fingers from holding the lip of the section down by the nib so that my fingers "hung over" that lip and touched the nib and/or feed. I had to train myself to hold that pen correctly. It took a while (maybe one or two fills of the converter), but it worked.

 

This is my recommendation to you - diligent practice until it becomes habit to hold the pen in a way that doesn't ink your fingers. That or get an EF nib.

[Olya]

In my experience, that is pretty normal for the Safari model. You'll just have to learn not to grip it so close to the nib.

[minifatalpotato]

After I fixed my Waterman Laureat and started using it again (just over 2 years ago), I would constantly get ink on my fingers from holding the lip of the section down by the nib so that my fingers "hung over" that lip and touched the nib and/or feed. I had to train myself to hold that pen correctly. It took a while (maybe one or two fills of the converter), but it worked.

 

This is my recommendation to you - diligent practice until it becomes habit to hold the pen in a way that doesn't ink your fingers. That or get an EF nib.

 

Haha, I'm sometimes like 'Wait, this is too fine' then I realise I've flipped a Japanese F without knowing

But thank you very much LizEF, it's good to know I'm not alone . I'll try to learn how to hold it properly or refrain from writing reverse with it.

 

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In my experience, that is pretty normal for the Safari model. You'll just have to learn not to grip it so close to the nib.

 

Thanks a lot Olya indeed, I don't have any other Lamy Safaris around to compare. It's good to know my pen is not broken. I'll try to modulate my behaviour

Edited May 29, 2018 by minifatalpotato

[Bo Bo Olson]

It has the three indents, where the fingers should be to have the Classic Tripod grip. Make sure your fingers are in those three indents.

 

Much easier to do so if the fountain pen is held properly; behind the big index knuckle, instead of before it like a ball point.

[Angel91]

It happens to me all the time! Ive had several lamy safaris and will never buy one again. Such a big flaw...

[minifatalpotato]

It has the three indents, where the fingers should be to have the Classic Tripod grip. Make sure your fingers are in those three indents.

 

Much easier to do so if the fountain pen is held properly; behind the big index knuckle, instead of before it like a ball point.

Mine seems to have 2 indents but thanks for the heads up!

 

 

It happens to me all the time! Ive had several lamy safaris and will never buy one again. Such a big flaw...

You're right Angel91, a pen which has been around since the 80s should have solved this by now. I don't think I'll buy more of them either. Thank you

[LizEF]

This isn't a flaw. It's an intentional design element and works as designed. Trying to hold the pen upside down is using it in a way it was explicitly designed to prevent / not support. Holding it below the little flares where your fingers are supposed to stop is using it in a way it was explicitly designed to prevent / not support.

 

If you don't like the design, OK. If you think a different shaped grip is better, OK. But it's not a flaw, just an intentional limitation deliberately designed into the pen for an express purpose - to train into the tripod grip.

 

Note: I'm not madly in love with Lamy - I have one, I like it, but that's as far as it goes. I just know the difference between flawed and works as intended.

[minifatalpotato]

This isn't a flaw. It's an intentional design element and works as designed. Trying to hold the pen upside down is using it in a way it was explicitly designed to prevent / not support. Holding it below the little flares where your fingers are supposed to stop is using it in a way it was explicitly designed to prevent / not support.

 

If you don't like the design, OK. If you think a different shaped grip is better, OK. But it's not a flaw, just an intentional limitation deliberately designed into the pen for an express purpose - to train into the tripod grip.

 

Note: I'm not madly in love with Lamy - I have one, I like it, but that's as far as it goes. I just know the difference between flawed and works as intended.

Thank you for your explanation. It was illuminating

[pen2paper]

Is the nib inserted all the way in?

[alexwi]

I have a few orange and gray Safaris and they all do this, and whenever I clean them, I have to clean the cap too with a rolled-up piece of tissue or toilet paper. I hate it, by the way, as they're awesome pens and, coming from Lamy, they shouldn't.

 

The orange ones look awful after a while due to this "phenomenon." On the gray ones, it's not noticeable unless you look (and of course, having the pen fetish means that I'm ALWAYS looking).

 

alex

[LizEF]

Hmm. So, I guess the question is, which comes first, the ink on that lip, or the fingers touching the nib / feed? If the fingers come first, I would expect that's what's pulling the ink onto that piece. Otherwise, it would seem like something's wrong (or the ink isn't compatible - nib creep, but onto that rim?). All I can say is that I've never noticed ink there or in the cap of my pen, but I also don't hold the pen down there.

 

I'm going to assume the following:

 

1) This area was thoroughly cleaned of ink after inking - it's a pain cleaning that little groove, but if you don't, that's a possibly explanation.

 

2) The pen doesn't get jarred around in a way that would cause ink to leak out and dribble down around this groove.

[Steveg58]

I had a similar problem with my Lamy Studio. Every time I uncap the pen I have to wipe off the nib end of the section otherwise I get ink on my fingers even with a perfectly normal grip. So annoying.

[alexwi]

This isn't a flaw. It's an intentional design element and works as designed. Trying to hold the pen upside down is using it in a way it was explicitly designed to prevent / not support. Holding it below the little flares where your fingers are supposed to stop is using it in a way it was explicitly designed to prevent / not support.

 

I believe that you missed the point. One thing is the design of the section, which helps train individuals who are new to writing properly (and with a fountain pen). We both agree on that.

 

A whole 'nother thing is to have the ink leak at the notch indicated by the arrow. I think that that's a design flaw. And if left unchecked, enough ink leaks into the notch to eventually get transferred to the bottom of the section (where your fingers are supposed to rest), through the inner cap. I hold pens properly and have gotten ink on my fingers when using the Safari.

 

Alex

[bitterwonder]

No.

[pen2paper]

Is the nib inserted all the way in?

Is the nib inserted all the way in?

 

Missing two-ish colors, using since first red released and don't have this issue.

If you're holding your fingers at & on the feed, your fingers will wick ink. That's what a feed does, capillary action.

You're not using a super fluid ink? Lamy ink does this?

If your nib is inserted properly, you're holding at the grip not feed & nib, and it's genuine Lamy, then return for repair under warranty.

[LizEF]

 

I believe that you missed the point. One thing is the design of the section, which helps train individuals who are new to writing properly (and with a fountain pen). We both agree on that.

 

A whole 'nother thing is to have the ink leak at the notch indicated by the arrow. I think that that's a design flaw. And if left unchecked, enough ink leaks into the notch to eventually get transferred to the bottom of the section (where your fingers are supposed to rest), through the inner cap. I hold pens properly and have gotten ink on my fingers when using the Safari.

 

Alex

 

Yes, you're right. With the OP, it looked like the issue was entirely with how he grips the pen. But then additional posters have reported some sort of leaking or creeping despite a normal grip. So my original assumption appears to be incorrect, and there's something else going on here. Since I haven't experienced that problem (mine is a Lamy Al-Star), I'm kinda clueless as to what it might be. If it's a mechanical problem, hairline cracks in the section would be my first suspicion.

[minifatalpotato]

Ive been using Diamine Aqua Blue with this pen lately.

 

I dont think my fingers are touching the nib, that was what I had thought in the first place.

 

Im not 100% sure but I believe the nib is inserted all the way in, as I never deliberately displaced it before. Moreover, in the pictures Ive seen on the internet, that black part right below the metallic part of the nib is visible as well. But I have to ask my SO Fatalpotato if the nib is inserted properly, he would know way better than I would.

 

Nevertheless, if this is something some other people also experience and not something specific to my Safari then Im okay with it. I can accept it as fate now

 

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and opinions

Edited May 30, 2018 by minifatalpotato

[alexwi]

Case in point:

 

 

[AL01]

That's weird.

 

My Safari and my former Al - Star didn't do that.

 

And both were made about 15 years apart from each other.