Hello all

I have a Lamy 2000 with an EF nib. It's my first fountain pen, and I've been using Lamy Blue-Black ink in it.

I've been using the pen every day since I received it (about one and a half weeks ago) to take notes at work - mostly in a Moleskin notebook.

Yesterday I noticed that the flow seemed to be less consistent - when writing, the ink would start out lighter, and get darker by the time I got to the end of a word. I figured that perhaps this was just the ink

This morning when I tried writing with it, the ink was super light - much like when a ball point is running out of ink. I whetted the nib, and that didn't seem to help. I emptied the pen to see if perhaps it was low on ink, and it was not. I am wondering if anyone else has had this issue.

I am going to try to pick up another ink to see if it makes a difference...but does anyone else have any thoughts? Could it be that the ink had just dried up on the nib? Seems odd that would have occurred in less than 24 hours....

thanks
~m

Ouch

You are using Lamy Blue/Black ink which is an Iron Gall ink. This means that it is not like an ordinary ink and one of the things you need to be careful about it NOT letting it dry in the pen. Cap the pen whenever you are not writing and also rinse the pen well between fills. Also, the ink is supposed to change colours as it dries and reacts to the page.

If this seems like too much, you can use another type of ink which is less demanding. If permanence is important (Iron Gall inks resist water and sunlight well) you can also try some of noodler's "bulletproof" inks.


For now rinse your pen very very well. I don't just mean the tiop i mean flush it out completely with water and maybe let it soak overnight as well. My Lamy 2000 is not here but I understand that you can remove the nib like you do on a Pelikan. It will help you clean it better.


If it's still giving you problems post back here and we can see how we can help.


Do a search on the boards for "Iron gall" and you will find more info on what these inks are all about.



Mame

Mame

Thanks for the reply...I've done a lot of research on the iron gall blue-black (of course, after I ordered it) - the pen worked flawlessly for a week or so, using it about the same amount every day - I also keep it capped when not using it - I just found it strange that it happened all of a sudden yesterday. I know the color of the ink changes as it dries, but I think that the issue I was having with the inconsistency was due to the fact the pen was getting clogged

I've rinsed the heck out of it, and am going to pick up some other ink today to see if it works better - will let you know

~m

In my experience Lamy blue-black can be a little temperamental and prone to clogging. And it doesn't really provide lubrication, making a fine nib more likely to pick up stray paper fibres. But when it does flow, it is a really, really nice ink. Waterproof, very expressive and with a nice vintage feel to it. One of my favourites.

Thanks guys

I picked up a bottle of Mont Blanc Black yesterday...it hasn't clogged up as of yet - the only thing that gets me is that sometimes the flow is inconsistent - that is, sometimes in the middle of the character it will be darker than the beginning (need to make a scan) - I am not sure if it is the pen, or the ink - this occurs mostly on Moleskine pages, which I know aren't the best

~m