Lamy Safari EF writes faded

[Ruchelle]

Hello. Just bought my first lamy pen, safari charcoal in EF. I really want to love this pen because I like how it look and feels, it’s a beautiful pen. But I am kind of disappointed with the way it writes. As seen in the photo it writes somewhat faded. But I just want to ask if this is as expected of a lamy EF nib? (Shading?) I guess I am just comparing it with my pilot kakuno EF that writes super thin yet very solid dark lines using the same ink. Any thoughts?

 

Btw I’ve tried flushing the pen multiple times, also cleaned it with water that has dish soap on it. I am using a z27 converter.

I also initially used a pilot black ink but it comes out grayish even after writing with it for several days. 

 

I’m thinking of getting either an F or M nib but I’m still undecided. Please help!

 

midori md notebook

diamine tobacco sunburst ink

Edited August 6, 2021 by Ruchelle
Added details

[arcfide]

Can you send a close up picture of the tines of the nib against a backlight to see what the tine spacing is on the nib? 

 

You can probably adjust the nib to be wetter, and sometimes just writing with the nib for a while will help "free things up" a little bit in the nib or the feed, but I also don't see anything immediately out of the ordinary on that writing sample, either. Are you getting skipping or flow issues or is it just writing dryly? 

[Ruchelle]

Thank you for your response. I’m still figuring out how to take a pic of my nib, will send later.

 

it seems to be writing dryly, when I write some parts of the letters are faded (but not really skipping ink, just getting lighter color than usual). It is also not really scratchy. I just dislike how the writing appears lighter than what it should be. I am comparing with my other ef pens. (Mint here is just a no brand pen) They seem to have more solid lines than my lamy.

[A Smug Dill]

  On 8/6/2021 at 5:27 AM, Ruchelle said:

it seems to be writing dryly, when I write some parts of the letters are faded

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You'll see it referred to, time and time again, on hobbyists forums (such as FPN) as shading. Some fountain pen users actively try to achieve that effect in their handwriting. Many ink reviews make explicit mention of whether an ink exhibited shading in testing, or is likely to do so on the page.

 

  On 8/6/2021 at 5:27 AM, Ruchelle said:

I just dislike how the writing appears lighter than what it should be.

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Some inks are more apt to render as a range of different shades when the ink mark is on the ‘drier’ end of the spectrum, in terms of volume of ink deposited per unit area on the page surface. Others are apt to do so on the ‘wetter’ end; and then some inks are apt to only ever render a very narrow range of shades and/or colour intensities. The specific combination of pen, ink and (type of) paper matters.

 

If you don't like the look of how that particular ink presents on the page coming out of your Lamy Safari, then I'd suggest you change the combination in the first instance, i.e. try a different ink in that pen, or write on a different type of paper. There is no standard for how ‘wet’ a fountain pen ought to be, as if it was some sort of industry or technical standard, such that you could expect every new/individual fountain pen you pick up to write at least that ‘wetly’. Nor is ‘wet’ and/or ‘smooth’ universally considered ideal or superior; hence it may not be what the particular manufacturer strives to make all of its pens, with a view to making them more attractive to users and thereby move more product.

 

Edit:

Have a look at @lgsoltek's review of Diamine Tobacco Sunburst ink here on FPN, and Kelli ‘Mountain of Ink’ McCown's review of it on her blog/web site. Irrespective of whether you like the look of it, the shading you see from writing with it using your Lamy Safari pen is not unexpected of that ink.

[arcfide]

  On 8/6/2021 at 6:19 AM, A Smug Dill said:

Nor is ‘wet’ and/or ‘smooth’ universally considered ideal or superior

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Expanding on this, in fact, some makers particularly try to ensure what they usually describe as a "controlled" flow of ink. Some users love a wet line of ink on the page, but that also means that the ink doesn't last as long in the pen before requiring a refill, it will tend to bleed and feather on papers more if you don't have better paper, and it will take longer to dry on the page. Additionally, it will reduce shading of the ink, which is a very popular thing that many hobbyists often chase as desirable in their inks. 

 

For example, Platinum makes pens that have generally quite good flow, but they also in general tend to write more dryly than some other makers. This is intentional according to their materials in order to try to encourage faster dry times, less smudging, and a cleaner line on the page (often quite desirable in Asian writing or very small planners and notebooks). Both Platinum and Sailor have inks that they explicitly tout as shading inks (Platinum's IG inks such as their Blue Black and their entire Classic line, or many of Sailor's inks such as their multichromatic shaders). 

 

As an example of official marketing of "shading" behavior, you can see this page from the US importer for Platinum on the Classic line. You'll see writing samples of each ink that shows off its shading as an intentional element of the ink design:

 

Inks/Accessories — Platinum Pen USA

[senzen]

You mean ink comes out lighter? It's what I would expect from it, it's precisely why I have several Studios with EF nibs, brings out very special tones for Verdigris, Kon Peki, Ama Iro; my one F Studio writes much wetter. Since they are the same nibs as for Safaris, they're cheap nibs to get.

[7is]

Arcfide has already touched upon the controlled ink flow topic. I believe that Lamy Safari has a really well designed feed that keeps the ink flow in a certain range. In most cases it's a blessing. However, if you after dark rich lines this may be a limiting factor. I've never managed to find a black ink for my Safaris to give me a proper black and not somehow grey line. I don't think that adjusting the nib or fitting a bigger size would make much difference. The latter is likely to give even brighter line. It's just my own observation and I may be wrong though.

[arcfide]

  On 8/6/2021 at 9:37 PM, 7is said:

I don't think that adjusting the nib or fitting a bigger size would make much difference.

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I can vouch for adjusting the tines and the like. With my Aion, which had the same feed, I was able to go to a much wetter line and the feed is able to keep up after I made some adjustments to the nib and ensured that the feed was fully cleaned with a few passes of wet inks and Lamy inks. 

 

 

[A Smug Dill]

  On 8/6/2021 at 9:37 PM, 7is said:

I've never managed to find a black ink for my Safaris to give me a proper black and not somehow grey line.

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Which nib(s) are you using on those? Have you tried Hero 234 carbon black, or Pelikan Fount India if Hero ink is nigh impossible to order for delivery to Europe (which I'm not sure is accurate)?

[arcfide]

  On 8/7/2021 at 12:40 AM, A Smug Dill said:

 

Which nib(s) are you using on those? Have you tried Hero 234 carbon black, or Pelikan Fount India if Hero ink is nigh impossible to order for delivery to Europe (which I'm not sure is accurate)?

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Any of the pigmented carbon black inks are likely to deliver a solid black line. Platinum Carbon Black and Montblanc Permanent Black both gave me a solid black line no matter how fine or dry the pen. I suspect the question of a black ink is more about a black dye-based ink versus a pigmented one. 

[Astronymus]

All I see there is ink behavior. Nothing wrong with the pen.

 

Herbin Perle Noir. Basicly no shading black ink. Also an option.

[bayindirh]

  On 8/6/2021 at 9:37 PM, 7is said:

I don't think that adjusting the nib or fitting a bigger size would make much difference.

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Lamy's medium nibs are noticeably wetter than their extra fine counterparts. However, except 2000, Lamy feeds and nibs are tuned to write rather controlled. I find this advantageous since this both prevents frequent fills and improves ink/paper compatibility. A rather nice side effect is improved shading.

 

BTW, Aurora Black is famous for its darkness, maybe give it a try?

 

OTOH, I was writing with a Hong Dian Black Forest yesterday, and it consumed 1/3 filled converter in 8 A5 pages or so. Yes, Serenity Blue looks very impressive with that wetness, but while taking meeting notes, that's a bit scary. Hong Dian may have code named it "V8", I presume.

[1nkulus]

Congrats on your purchase and wish you reams of happiness. 

 

Nothing wrong with the nib, the ink is shading as expected.

 

As you have started down the rabbit hole, get a 'B' nib and you can enjoy both ends of the spectrum with different inks.

If you find the nib scratchy or prefer it 'wet', you can consider tine adjustment.

 

Japanese nibs run a lot 'finer' compared to the European ones.

IMO, a Japanese 'M' is an European 'F/EF' depending on the brand.

 

There are plenty of options for black inks (highlighted earlier), the difference being dye vs pigment.

You can always order samples to try and that is part of the fun.