Lamy Safari

[Aslan]

Very nice work! Thank you.

 

(4G Charcoal here)

[Bill Smith]

Cool information on the Safari, I have a couple and I am a fan of the pen with a black and chrome, Blue and red and a stock red with black clip.

 

I do have one question for you, how did you dis-asemble the cap to get the clip off. My red Safari has a great nib but the clip on the cap was bent in a bit of stupidity a few years back. I have to bend the clip back but I have to take the cap apart.

[haywoody]

...

I do have one question for you, how did you dis-asemble the cap to get the clip off. My red Safari has a great nib but the clip on the cap was bent in a bit of stupidity a few years back. I have to bend the clip back but I have to take the cap apart.

 

It certainly is not as easy as the older models. If you look inside the cap you can see the end of the top button poking through the inner cap. You need to push the end out of the cap (same direction you go when you insert the pen into the cap). I use a flat-ended rod, standing on a table. Put the cap on top of the rod and pull the cap down making sure to keep your hands away from the top. Try not to shoot the top button into the ceiling or your eye. After you get the button out you can just pull the clip through the holes in the cap.

 

Putting it back in is a bit tougher. You need a tube which has an outer diameter small enough to fit all the way into the inner cap and an inner diameter large enough to clear the snap on the top button. I used a the barrel of a cheap mechanical pencil. Put all the parts back together in the correct order with the button down on the table. Take your tube and push it into the inner cap in the same direction you pushed to pop it out. It doesn't take too much force to snap it back in. Try to cap your pen... if it does not fully seat (the "o-ring" should completely disappear inside the cap) then the button is not snapped in all the way.

 

Keep in mind that these things are not really designed to be disassembled. The top button also seals the inner cap when properly assembled so if you don't get it back in all the way or you tear up the inner cap your pen might dry out when capped.

 

Installment #2 later tonight with a bit of luck.

 

Thanks for all the kind feedback so far.

 

/Woody

[gigipurple]

Thank you for sharing all this information and wonderful pictures with us. I really enjoyed reading through it. Love Safari pens too! Gigi

[Robe]

I have a Green Savannah and now I know that is a first generation, your is a truly amazing work, thanks for sharing.

 

[haywoody]

Nib time. The nib is the heart of any pen and, although it is steel, probably the most expensive component of the Safari. The Safari was launched as a low-cost pen mainly targeted at students. Nevertheless, from the start they offered a wide range of nib choices. Instead of trying to figure out the proper mix to produce and ship most pens where assembled with fine or medium nibs. The nib was designed with a friction-fit to the feed so it could be exchanged without special tools or disassembling the pen. Dealers were supplied with small boxes containing the full range of nibs so the customer could try several and leave with his or her favorite. This system still exists for the current pens and some dealers (especially in Europe) still offer the nib swap on-site.

 

For the first through third generation pens the nibs came in silver chrome-plated or black chrome-plated (possibly black oxide) steel. I think the early pens were shipped with black nibs to match the clips. The silver nibs that turn up on some early pens most likely came from a nib swap at the shop. The full range of sizes was offered in both finishes. Modern pens ship with the nib finished to match the clip.

 

When the fourth generation pens were introduced Lamy started to laser-etch the company name and nib size on the top surface. This is certainly more practical but I miss the clean look of the old nibs.

 

The available sizes are shown below, book-ended by two custom-ground nibs, along with writing samples on Rhodia paper.

 

 

Stroke for each size:

 

XXF (custom) - 0.2 mm

XF - 0.4

F - 0.5

M - 0.6

K (Kugel - rounded fine) - 0.5

L (left-hand fine) - 0.5

OM - 0.6

B - 0.7

OB - 0.7

1.1* - 1.0 / 0.3

1.5* - 1.3 / 0.3

1.9* - 1.5 / 0.3

C.I. (custom Pendimonium cursive italic) - 0.7 / 0.2

 

I think I have an MK (medium Kugel) somewhere but I am not sure because the sizes are not marked. There might be other standard sizes out there. These are mass-produced, low-cost nibs and you can tell. They are generally pretty smooth but the best from this bunch are the two custom-ground nibs. I honestly cannot tell the difference between the F, K and L nibs. You can see the oblique grind on the OM and OB but it is very difficult to distinguish them from the non-oblique sizes on the written samples. My advice, if you want something outside the normal F/M/B is to go for a custom grind. The Pendimonium nib is wonderful!

 

* The 1.1/1.5/1.9 italic nibs are available on the Lamy Joy, a variant of the Safari.

 

I had a few more pictures to upload but I am out of space... more to come after some house cleaning.

 

/Woody

 

 

 

[fmp]

amazing review. Safari was my first fountain pen. From the pics, I guess I have a second generation, came with a white inner cap that disintegrate (literally, into pieces). I have since get a replacement part (black one) and replacement nib (chrome one, wince I think it look better with the white pen.)

 

In first post, "The barrel was changed from one part to two." - do you mean from two to one?

 

I have two questions:

 

1) the new inner cap, do they fit on 2nd gen model? I worry that the black inner cap may get loose again and that I will not be able to save the pen next time when that happen. (will those black inner cap stay fit for years? )

 

2) how did you take the parts out from the barrel (the thing with the imprint) out for 2nd, 3rd generation? this is one of my biggest puzzle for years.

 

Also, my feed from 2nd gen do not have the extension at the end. see pic...

Edited January 12, 2009 by fmp

[haywoody]

amazing review. Safari was my first fountain pen. From the pics, I guess I have a second generation, came with a white inner cap that disintegrate (literally, into pieces). I have since get a replacement part (black one) and replacement nib (chrome one, wince I think it look better with the white pen.)

 

I have two questions:

 

1) the new inner cap, do they fit on 2nd gen model? I worry that the black inner cap may get loose again and that I will not be able to save the pen next time when that happen. (will those black inner cap stay fit for years? )

 

2) how did you take the parts out from the barrel (the thing with the imprint) out for 2nd, 3rd generation? this is one of my biggest puzzle for years.

 

Thanks!

 

1) Good question. You might be able to trim the end off the new inner caps and fit it in an older pen but I have not tried it. I will give it a try within a few days and get back to you. The inner caps were made in translucent (milky white), white and black. I think the translucent material is the oldest and it falls apart easily... I doubt you can find a pen with it still in one piece. I have seen some of the white ones fall apart too but I have several NOS first generation pens with white inner caps that still work great. The black material seems to be softer and much more durable. I have never seen one that wasn't in good shape.

 

2) I didn't know barrel was two parts for a long time but always wondered why the imprint was oriented differently in each pen. I had one pen which rattled when you shook the barrel. I was trying to figure out what made the noise and noticed that the part with the imprint could spin. It is snapped in from the inside of the barrel with a very tight fit so that it should not even spin. It is not meant to take out and if you try you will probably damage the barrel. If you really want it out just put the barrel on the table and push against the insert with a rod the same size as the part (the eraser end of a pencil might work). Mine snapped back in but you can see the plastic is stressed and it rattles a lot more now.

 

/Woody

[haywoody]

Also, my feed from 2nd gen do not have the extension at the end. see pic...

 

I just noticed your update with the picture... my 2nd generation pens definitely all have the feed extension. I just checked and I noticed something new - the feeds between the 2nd and 3rd generation are slightly different, at the extension. Maybe they had some trouble with it breaking (could explain why yours is missing - does it look like it could have broken off?) and changed the design a bit?

 

/Woody

[jbn10161]

Just to echo and affirm what others have said: outstanding piece of work. Thanks for putting in the time and for sharing it with us!

 

What is a "Kugel" nib?

[fmp]

mine came without extension, as a matter of fact, one with extension would not have fit. the callipary action needed to bridge to the converter is built into the section, there is no hole for extension to go in, see pics...

 

man, this whole thing is very interesting indeed... i had so many safari question all these years.

 

Hmm, I do no think i have the guts to push the parts out the barrel (apply force from the "w germany imprint side, right?")

[diplomat]

Just to echo and affirm what others have said: outstanding piece of work. Thanks for putting in the time and for sharing it with us!

 

What is a "Kugel" nib?

 

Hello.

 

A Kuegel nib is a nib with a rounder point. It is designed that way to allow non fountain pens users to feel more comfortable with the instrument.

Being rounder, the nib is able to write at a wider range of angles with the paper.

 

Woody, I definitely have a MK nib in my Safaris. Purchased once out of curiosity and immediately regretted.

Possibly the line is the same width of the normal M, but has a tendency to skip when a non regular angle is used.

 

Cheers,

[haywoody]

mine came without extension, as a matter of fact, one with extension would not have fit. the callipary action needed to bridge to the converter is built into the section, there is no hole for extension to go in, see pics...

 

man, this whole thing is very interesting indeed... i had so many safari question all these years.

 

Hmm, I do no think i have the guts to push the parts out the barrel (apply force from the "w germany imprint side, right?")

 

Well, I knew there would be some things to correct. Actually all the pens I called first generation have the feed/section design like yours. It has been a long time since I took one apart and I didn't remember that detail. I did find one 2nd generation pen with the feed/section like this. So it seems that that change happened sometime during the second generation run or maybe they ran both the old and new design at the same time. No way to tell.

 

I will try to put up some detailed pictures of the feed changes. Too bad I can't edit the first post... that 24-hour limit hurts sometimes.

 

Thanks for pointing this out!

 

/Woody

[LamyFlame]

wow...that's why I'm in love with the Lamy Safaris...Excellent job Woody!

 

Remember to let me know if you find a Blue/Yellow one!

 

Thanks

[musorah]

Thanks for an excellent set of informative and entertaining posts!

 

Rick

[haywoody]

Well this is the Post 1 supplement. Thanks to fmp for pointing out that I had not taken a close enough look at the feed and section. I went back and looked through some pens and found 4 different feed designs, as well as a few other details I missed...

 

Lets call the feeds type A,B,C and D. They don't exactly match up with what I called generation 1-4 for the pens.

 

Type A - These are found in the first generation pens. This one is a single piece design (no feed insert) and has one tiny slit in the top. The diameter at the back end is smaller than on all the other designs. They are keyed into the section by a fat rib on the top side (shown in picture 2).

 

Type B - These are found in second generation pens. Two piece design, with feed insert and two slits along the top. Like rmp pointed out, this butts up against the inside of the section and requires capillary action for the ink to bridge the gap. It looks like they were trying to improve flow with this design.

 

Type C - Found in second and third generation pens. Two piece design but now they have added an extension on the back which protrudes into the cartridge. Looks like another attempt at flow enhancement.

 

Type D - Found in third and fourth generation pens. Minor changes in the shape of the extension on the back end. There are two flats on the back end instead of one now, These areas are where the gates (areas where plastic is injected into the mold) reside.

 

Four different feed types, left to right, A-D

 

Two piece feed/section interface on left, single piece on right

 

I noticed one other thing too - the little o-ring is actually keyed to the section on the first generation pens. After that they removed the extra material so it could be snapped on in any orientation. It seems that the first design was a bit over-engineered and they simplified it.

 

"o-rings," first generation on left, all others on right

 

More to come...

 

/Woody

 

 

[diplomat]

Well,

this topic inspired me to go on down the search of the Safaris I still miss, and today I received a mint-stickered Savanna Green: I am so excited! It is actually the first "first generation" pen after 9 of the fourth.

 

What strike me is the box, a piece of design and engeeniering. It is made from a piece of cardboard that fits in two plastic sides that have the flip mechanism. And the plastic pieces are made of the same Savanna Green colour of the pen. So, woody: will you compare the evolution of the boxes too? I think it's interesting!

 

Cheers and thank you again for your effort.

 

Andrea

[fmp]

wow, cool...

 

my 2nd gen has only the uniform ring, but section is shaped such that the keyed ring should fit, from what I see here.

 

 

[menick]

You are the man!

 

And I thought I had enough of my 39 safaris... now I may need more...

 

nick

 

Edit1: thinking about it, do you have a white textured? As we previously discussed, the only one I found is branded for a company.

Edit2: Thinking again, I have another type of converter, a piston with a different design, but I think with the little snaps to clip on the feed section... will check

Edit3: I have an important meeting today I've been looking forward to, got some excellent news this morning that I though could take years to come (or never), and now I find this thread! Today is a great day!

Edited January 21, 2009 by menick

[haywoody]

Well,

this topic inspired me to go on down the search of the Safaris I still miss, and today I received a mint-stickered Savanna Green: I am so excited! It is actually the first "first generation" pen after 9 of the fourth.

 

What strike me is the box, a piece of design and engeeniering. It is made from a piece of cardboard that fits in two plastic sides that have the flip mechanism. And the plastic pieces are made of the same Savanna Green colour of the pen. So, woody: will you compare the evolution of the boxes too? I think it's interesting!

 

Cheers and thank you again for your effort.

 

Andrea

 

Congratulations on the Savannah find Andrea! Yes, the old packages are very cool... I will post the installment on the packaging types next. I think it should be one of the more interesting parts. Sorry for the delay in getting back to this but things have been busy as usual. I will try to add more during the weekend.

 

/Woody