Lamy 2000: Flow Augmentation

[lurcho]

The tines on my medium L2K are now as wide as can be, but the pen still doesn't write quite as wetly as I'd like,

 

For example, my broad-point Vanishing Point lays down a significantly more-saturated line, though the breadth of line is close between the two pens.

 

It's not the L2K is a bad writer. It's just that I know others have described theirs as gushers, and the small feed on my VP can do more!

 

I would appreciate any tips. This is not a new pen by the way, and as I said the tine-gap really is maxed.

 

Thanks.

[carlos.q]

I would suggest two things (both of which helped my Lamy 2000):

1. Make sure the feed is clean. If at all possible use the ultrasonic.

2. Experiment with different inks. My 2000 just loves Sailor Shigure.

 

If these ideas don't work please consider the possibility that, if the tines are too far apart, capillary action will suffer and the flow will not be the best.

[parnesh]

Are you using the same ink on the two? Also there was some mention of a tab on the feed on the L2K that adjusts flow (it is possible I am getting this mixed up with the vintage Aurora 88).

[lurcho]

Thanks for these two replies.

 

I must admit I've mainly used Florida Blue, but it's the same ink in the Vanishing Point. There again, Waterman Black behaves similarly.

 

I don't have an ultrasonic cleaner, but I do wonder if my wife's snoring is worth a try. Perhaps if I Blu-Tack the pen to her forehead, or something. (After she's dropped off, obviously.)

 

The thing about the moveable feed is interesting. I'm sure Watch_Art (Shawn Newton) mentioned this years ago, but I don't even know if it exists on the L2K. It certainly does on the Safari.

 

PS I'm sure the tine-gap is optimal. Certain.

Edited November 18, 2014 by lurcho

[AndrewC]

As said, check out other inks. You might pull the nib/feed and clean it/check for fibers. As mentioned, spread the tines too far and the thing won't work. I have, on occasion, used a scalpel to widen feed channels on some pens. Easier on ebonite feeds, but i have done it to plastic feeds as well. You just need to be sure to go slowly if you do this.

 

Pulling the L2K nib/feed is not hard, just be sure to do it over a pan or something in case the ring with the "ears" falls out. The nib will come off the feed, just wiggle it carefully.

 

And remember, not everyone has the same idea of a "gusher".

Edited November 18, 2014 by AndrewC

[lurcho]

Thanks, Andrew. As it happens, I've pulled the nib and feed apart about three times, and thought I'd truly buggered the nib on one occasion.

 

I truly think that, in the interests of getting the near-perfect pen that I think the Lamy 2000 can be, I need to risk hacking this particular feed.

 

May I therefore re-ask: Can the feed be split in two by a simple manual sliding, like the Safaris' feeds can?

[ink-syringe]

I have the same problem. I have a Lamy 2k that I really like but boy if i could get it a little wetter I would be so happy. But this is one pen I feel really hesitant to take apart in any way.

 

Works fine. It isn't that dry but it is far from wet.

 

It has been in the ultra whammy thingy.

 

A lot of folks would probably consider it perfect as it. But I like a wet line.

[KBeezie]

If the tines are pretty wide... is it making the appropriate contact with the feed in order for the ink to make it down the tine? Or perhaps the tines are 'too' wide?

 

Also when the last time you flushed the feed real good?

 

My Lamy 2K with the EF was extremely dry, I had to adjust the feed to get it to be decent on the flow, I did open the tines but not by much at all, also gave it a good cleaning, re-seated it etc, also smoothed it a little with some micro-mesh (As it was pretty rough before), and that also helped improve flow.

 

It writes like this now with Apache Sunset (at the bottom in the obvious orange).

 

http://static.karlblessing.com/pens/murex/write2.jpg

 

Though it seems that my Lamy EF is a lot finer a line than most people report their EFs being.

Edited November 18, 2014 by KBeezie

[lurcho]

ink-syringe: You've expressed it exactly, and far better than I did. Thhis is how I feel about the pen.

 

KBeezie: There's no issue at all with the ink reaching the tip, and the pen's recently been cleaned out. Can I ask you how you adjusted the feed?

[KBeezie]

ink-syringe: You've expressed it exactly, and far better than I did. Thhis is how I feel about the pen.

 

KBeezie: There's no issue at all with the ink reaching the tip, and the pen's recently been cleaned out. Can I ask you how you adjusted the feed?

I didn't touch the feed at all, just gave it an ultrasonic bath "just in case", though it seemed to be clean, so was mainly just nib work. Sometimes with the really dry nibs, if the tines are already aligned then a couple (as in less than 3-4) figure-8 strokes in your normal writing angle on micro-mesh seems to help promote the flow. IF that didn't seem to work (which in this case didn't), I would remove the nib/feed from the section, then take some brass sheets and work the tines further apart a little bit at a time and re-test. It's not ideal for something like Noodler's Liberty's Elysium (to be expected, it gives a few of my different pens trouble with drying up), but anything else (apache sunset, iroshizuku inks, etc), works fine now, wet enough for shading, but dry enough for everyday usage and keeping the line width.

 

This may help. (But I recommend playing around with the techniques on say a cheap chinese pen, whatever the driest extra-fine writer you can find... like a Hero 616 or some other similarly hooded chinese pen).

 

Edited November 18, 2014 by KBeezie

[freewheelingvagabond]

As far as inks are concerned, Waterman and Aurora inks have excellent flow.

[scratchofapen]

If it isn't the flow itself, but the ink seems a bit anemic due to the fine line, try something good pigmemted like iroshizuku inks, which, by the way, i found to have good flow

Edited November 19, 2014 by scratchofapen

[KBeezie]

If it isn't the flow itself, but the ink seems a bit anemic due to the fine line, try something good pigmemted like iroshizuku inks, which, by the way, i found to have good flow

Isn't 95% of Iroshizuku inks dye-based and not pigmented ? (Platinum Carbon Black is pigmented, I'm not sure Iroshizuku has any pigmented inks in their line up except maybe black).

Edited November 19, 2014 by KBeezie

[Bo Bo Olson]

Could send it into Lamy...Lamy Germany fixes if for free. Don't know where you are...don't know if Lamy USA does it for free.

Not Fast but done.

[KBeezie]

Could send it into Lamy...Lamy Germany fixes if for free. Don't know where you are...don't know if Lamy USA does it for free.

Not Fast but done.

Lamy USA has a lifetime warranty (if you're the original owner), but still costs shipping + a 9.75 processing fee. But any warranty work would covered.

 

Most of the international locations seem to be a 3 year warranty (including Germany). But not sure about their fees.

[lurcho]

Thank you for all your replies.

 

Think I'll leave it, further-adjustment-wise, and try those darker inks.

 

It really is a great pen. Marvellous, really.

 

And if I really wanted to (must stop using the word really), I'd send it to Lamy in Heidelberg, and they'd take two months, completely fail to answer my email worryings asking what the hell they were up to, and then deliver my pen back in perfectly-repaired or perfectly replaced splendour.

 

End of the day, I and anyone else can always rely on Lamy's CS.

 

But I'm going to persevere with this one for now.

[Mishka5050]

Great topic! I have been thru exactly the same thing with my L2k.

Try Iroshizuku ink or send the pen to nib meister