Brand New Lamy Al-Star Keeps Skipping

[Abdulr204]

I recently purchased a Lamy Al-Star with a fine nib which I filled with Noodler's Liberty's Elysium. The new Al-star keeps skipping and writes very inconstantly. At one point it writes great but mostly stops in the middle of a sentence. I am writing on a Rhodia dot pad and find my preppy writes smoother than my Al-star. I have cleaned it, flushed it, checked the nib alignment and the tines. At this point I'm pretty I have a defective pen. Is there something I missed or didn't try?

[zepp]

I had that issue when I bought mine, I found the fine nibs a bit scratch and very dry, it should be the nib's problem, if you just bought it, I would recommend taking it back to the store and ask to exchange the nib for a better flow one

[lahlahlaw]

When it stops writing, flip it over and see whether it will write with top side of the nib. If it does, you may have a baby bottom issue.

[Beechwood]

Put some sticky tape on the nib and slide it off, wash the feed, slide the nib back on.

 

If that doesnt work take the pen back and ask for another nib, they are cheap

[Abdulr204]

1) When it does write there is good ink flow, not too scratchy. The issue is that it stops writing mid sentence

 

2) It does not write upside down

 

3) I can't justify spending $15 on nib for a $27 dollar pen

[sgage]

I have an Al-Star with a fine nib. I have used it exclusively with Herbin's Eclat de Saphir ink, and have had no problems of skipping or stopping. Flow is great. I suspect you simply got a bum nib, and the vendor ought to replace it (or the pen).

 

[ac12]

It could be the ink, but I do not know the flow characteristics of Noodler's Liberty's Elysium.

Do you have Waterman ink?

This is my standard test ink.

If Waterman ink does not flow, then there is a problem with the pen/nib.

 

From using several Lamys, my guess is a misadjusted nib.

Nibs can be adjusted for more flow.

But before you do that, you need to consider a return, because once you dinker with the nib, it is no longer under manufacturers warranty, and the seller and manufacturer could deny warranty repair.

 

My guess is in 2 places.

#1 - The slit in the nib is too close together. This is somewhat difficult to fix on the Lamy pens due to the construction of the nib. IMHO, this is a return issue.

#2 - The gap between the feed and the nib. If too close it could restrict ink flow. If too far, you loose surface tension that holds the ink to the nib and feed. This is a trial and error adjustment. But if you are not careful, you could bend and damage the nib as you adjust the spacing.

[senzen]

I had exactly this problem, after much cleaning, swapping inks and fiddling with the nib (benting it in the process) it turned out to be some gunk in the feed, which is made of two parts. Take out the nib, take out the feed by pulling from its wider sides, take away the upper part of the feed and clean both parts; be careful as they're small and could go down the sink.

 

This is my original post with pictures: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/268415-lamy-vista-safari-mystery-solved/

Edited August 10, 2014 by pseudo88

[_Stormin_]

It sounds like the feed is not keeping up with your writing (starts fine but then runs out of steam). This makes me wonder if somehow the issue is feed related and not nib related.

 

Out of curiosity, if this pen was bought new, have you contacted the retailer. I've got five of them that have all been great right out of the box, but I know that if I had an issue, my retailer would take care of it in a heartbeat.

[Moose22]

Thanks for the post, Pseudo. This and your other post are really helpful.

 

I had two out of three bad starters with my Lamys. I bought them last spring because people told me they were a great starter pen. I won't buy that brand anymore, in fact, and get annoyed when people say they're a great beginner pen as they were frustrating enough they would have turned me completely off of fountain pens had I not had a different brand show me the truth.

 

Anyway, if you get a Lamy you'd better be ready to clean it. And make sure you buy it from a reputable dealer so you can trade it if you can't get it running right.

 

One of mine eventually worked with a bunch of cleaning (10% ammonia, I let it soak for two nights) though the nib was never smooth until I got a new one when iSellpens blew out their stock. Now it is a good writer so I gave it to someone who might appreciate it. The other I actually JUST got working right by pulling the nib and running it in an ultrasonic cleaner for a couple of 3 minute cycles. Before the ultrasonic no amount of soaking made it flow well. I wouldn't be surprised if it had a blockage in the feed not unlike yours, though I didn't pull the feed like you did and look. I just tossed the whole section in the cleaner with the nib removed. After that cleaning and a clean-water flush it is a decent pen.

[Moose22]

duplicate post. Please ignore.

Edited August 10, 2014 by Moose22

[sgage]

I'm beginning to think it could be the feed rather than the nib. Is the ink you are using susceptible to SITB?

 

I have never had any problem with Lamy pens whatsoever, and will continue to recommend them to people. In fact, I'm going to get another Al-Star soon.

[doggonecarl]

1) When it does write there is good ink flow, not too scratchy. The issue is that it stops writing mid sentence

 

What have you been doing to get the flow started?

 

Did your pen come with a Lamy cartridge? Try that. I've had issues with ink clinging to the walls of the converter and the feed drying out. If the cartridge works, you've narrowed down the problem.