I thought that I would relay a repair story that took place a couple weeks ago here in Hannover.

I bought one of the spiffing new Lami Safari Limes for my wife for Easter at one of the local pen retailers. It came with a medium nib, but I was hoping for a bold. So upon asking, I was informed that they had spare nibs there and they could just pop a bold on for me. Super.

So the clerk begins, as we all know you should, with her fingers. Apparently her grip was not strong enough, and the nib did not move.

Then she did something that I never, ever, ever though I would see a pen seller do...she pulled some pliers out of a drawer (full on metal with the zig-zag bit) and clamped down right on the tines and pulled . I am not sure what happened to the nib (I was a bit in shock), but I think it went back into the spare nib box. I did, however, proof the new nib quite carefully before taking it home.

On the bright side, the pen was a success and is getting regular use.

Kevin

eep.

I could have done it that way, too. Geez!

I had to use needlenose pliers recently... to yank the nib feed section of my Sheaffer Crest out of my Visconti Travelling Ink Pot. I guess I don't have to jam the nib all the way down in there, ha ha ha!

Had a bit of a yikes moment, but all ended well... and you know what they say about those endings.


"They" being Shakespeare.




Yeah.

all ended well... and you know what they say about those endings.
"They" being Shakespeare.

All's well that can still be filled from the inkwell and write well!

Something similar happened to me here. A salesperson at a pen store in S'pore used pliers to pull the nib off a Safari, then put a new nib on.

My jaw nearly dropped. Thought my money'd been wasted.

He seems to have known what he was doing though. No problems with the nib, and I can't tell if the pliers left marks on it.

Tryphon sells pliers that don't have grooves on the claw portion....think maybe they were using a set of those?

John

Oh, yes. I have often changed a nib on a Safari with pliers. Just be very careful to not grab too far up on the tines, don't flex the pliers from side to side, and use a pair of pliers with smooth surfaces and broken edges. (Honest-to-God jewelers pliers work well.) Actually, I'm amazed at how much abuse a Safari nib can take and still write beautifully. I am particularly enamored of the Italic 1.1mm nib. It writes smoothly, beautifully and with excellent results right out of the package, usually. (Don't forget to remove the packing grease/oil before putting onto the feed unit.) Break in by writing a full cartridge of Lamy ink before going to whatever else is your desire.

Lamy pens are getting quite a bit of my pen-buying attention these days. I love the Italic series of nibs, fill the pens with ink colors to match the case color, and buy inks and converters to increase the versatility of my pens. So far I have been sticking to Safaris but one of these days will move up to a Studio. Love the look of the Studio. So far I have two Safaris and a Vista -- love the clear case. Well, going to stop now -- need to go to the pen store and see about a red Safari with Italic nib and converter ...

Yours,
Randal

Based upon some instructions I saw somewhere (I believe it was an FPN post), I don't use pliers to remove a Lamy nib. Instead, I lay a piece of scotch tape (approx. 4 inches) across the nib perpendicularly. I then grab the ends of the tape and pull with steady pressure, somewhat downward and outward. The nib slides off gradually (at first you may think it's not moving at all). The first couple of times you try this, the tape might pop off before the nib slides off, but you'll get the knack of it. Any way, no pliers.

I am trying to picture this and if you need more than two hands. I have a 1.5 italic nib in a Safari at present and I really want to put a fine nib that I have on hand in instead.

If you lay the tape across the nib (side-to-side), how are you grasping both ends of the tape and also grasping the pen?

::confused::

Oh yes, and how do I put the new nib in without puncturing myself?

Thanks!

Mousie

you bring the two ends of the tape together so its like a sling...
ive found even laying a piece of tape length wise along the nib can work.
make sure you pull the nib straight off, and not on an angle or the like.
however i believe there is very little damage you could do to a safari... theyre practically bulletproof.

with the new nib, it should slide on with minimal force so no chance of puncturing fingers/hands/anything

I make sure that the nib is inked or I rinse it in water before exchanging nibs. I'm thinking that the ink (or water) acts as a lubricant. Anyway, so far so good and I've never been tempted to use pliers.

Doug

Yep, that's basically what I do.

The nibs slide on much easier than they come off, probably because you don't need to overcome the initial friction fit of the fully seated nib.

After sliding a nib on, I always double check to make sure the nib is fully seated all the way down.

In my first effort to remove an Esterbrook section, I used pliers. I padded the jaws to prevent scratching the section, but this didn't prevent me from cracking the section. I then learned that I could remove the section with my bare hands.

I'm sure there are others who can safely use pliers on a pen, but I'm not one of them.

Scotch tape works like a charm. Yeah, I impressed the guys at work with it. Now they think I'm a real pen expert... ha... ha....

I always use water pump pliers to remove the nib and feed from a Waterman Kultur. But don't try it at home!

Regards
Hans-Peter

Well, THAT worked like a charm! Sorta like pulling a loose tooth--out before you know it!

ETA: Before I changed the nibs, I flushed the pen out with plain cool water. The new/old Fine nib was dry when I installed it. The feed maybe wasn't. But someone said that might be a GOOD thing? Anyway.

Okay I now have a Fine nib installed (and it seems to be seated properly) and I put in a Lamy Turquoise cartridge. I thought it might be better to give it Lamy ink. Is the colour supposed to be THAT PALE?? Maybe I should squeeze the cartridge a bit? It's not skipping or anything...it's just PALE. Usually the Fine nibs act like Medium nibs. But this one is acting like an eXtra-Fine.

Did I do anything wrong? When I had the 1.5 italic nib in, it was a very wet writer! Maybe it was the ink, too, though: I had Diamine Amaranth in it. It's not exactly dry now...it's just...so PALE.

I am again confused. I've never changed a nib before, so I don't know if I screwed anything up. Oh wait, yes, I changed an entire Pelikan nib thingumee a couple times. And I seem to remember, vaguely, changing at least one Esterbrook nib. But those are entire nibs and feeds, aren't they? I forget.

Any thoughts about the paleness of the ink? It's sorta like a PR Daphne Blue.

Thanks!

Mousie

Second edit: Afterthought: maybe I should put a converter full of Waterman South Seas Blue in it...*that* might help!

Maybe there's still water in the feed? That dilutes the ink.

Regards
Hans-Peter

The nib and feed will retain a certain amount of water after you flush it. In my experience, the ink has always appeared pale if I try to use the pen shortly after flushing it. I let my pens air dry for 24 hours after flushing, before trying to refill and use it.

I'm usually reluctant to squeeze a cartridge, out of fear that it might crack. If dilution is causing the ink to look pale, it should darken as you use it. But I must say that I've never used Lamy Turquoise, so I don't know how pale or dark it should be.

Oooooh. Duh! Why didn't I think of that?! That there was probably still water in the feed? Thank you both for reminding me of that simple fact! LOL! I'll just write and eventually I will see a darkening of the ink!

Thank you!

Mousie

You could also hold the nib against a paper towel which will then suck out the water, so the ink will darken faster.

Regards
Hans-Peter

Okay, thanks! :-)

Mousie

Addendum:

I still was not happy with the colour of the ink (looking like Private Reserve Daphne Blue, which I like but not what I want now) coming from the fine nib, so this morning I swapped back to the 1.5 italic nib (with the Lamy cartridge still in!), and now I'm getting a full-blooded turquoise! I guess I'll stay with this nib in this pen. I plan to use it for pale inks.

Thanks, everyone, for helping me learn how to change Lamy nibs!

Mousie

When I asked for a fine nib on a lamy at harad's, they laid the nib-end of the pen flat on a table edge, took a cap, pressed the edge of the cap down between the feed and the tip, and pulled the pen out. The new nib they just slid on with their hands.