Do your Lamy Safaris leak a lot?

[HokieGeek]

So my safari doesn't leak anymore. First I thought that I had stopped the leaking when I switched from an F to EF nib. I thought that I might have seated the nib a bit better than how it was. But then when I refilled it with the same ink, it started leaking again. And not just a little bit either. I remembered that I hadn't squeezed off a couple of drops after filling up the converter, which I often do, so I went to the sink and did that, but this time I squeezed off like 4 drops and then I twisted the piston back all the way to the top so that I now had a large empty space where the 4 drops used to be. It hasn't leaked since!

 

I have own a Lamy Logo, Pilot VP, Visconti Van Gogh, Visconti Pelikano Junior and a Cross Radiance, all using converters, and I haven't had to do this with any of them. Weird.

[UsFour]

I’ve been into the fountain pen thing for about a year for now. Very glad I came across this silly web site. Like many of you, I started out with a few Lamy Safaris. I got a medium, fine, and extra fine, each in a different color. I quite like the look and feel of the pen- the shape, the plastic, the bold look, and the snap cap. Not so happy in that the nibs all feel a little scratchy, nonetheless…

 

The big problem is that they leak a lot. All 3 of them. Ink gets in the cap, gets all over the part that you hold when you write, gets on the O-ring, etc. So whenever I write with them, I get ink on my hands. More often than not.

 

The pens never leave my desk so I’m not shaking them around or anything. I’m using the Lamy converters. The converters are seated well in the pen, with that little clicky part. For inks, I’ve tried many. Some of the ones I’ve had problems with include Diamine Violet, Diamine Orange, Herbin Lierre Sauvage, and Private Reserve Copper Burst, among others. So I don’t think it’s ink specific.

 

FWIW, I’ve since got myself a nice collection of other pens- Pelikan M215 (my all-around favorite), an M205 demonstrator, Visconti Van Gogh Midi, a raden Vanishing Point, and some more on the way. I’ve not had a similar problem with any of these others. And I have not seen others complain about a similar problem. The only other pen I have that has been a problem is a Reform 1745 (?) that just drops lots of ink now and then. But I have a second one of those that is no problem at all.

 

With 3 Safari pens, I’ve had leaky ink problems with all of them. So I stopped using them a while ago. A shame because they’ve got some nice aspects to them. Oh well. They’re not too expensive so it’s not a big deal.

 

Just curious if anyone else has had a similar experience. Or if I should give these pens another shot. Thanks.

 

 

If you are using a converter, it could well be the alignment when you attach the converter to the section. If you notice, two arched portions of the section at the converter entry point are wider, and two are narrower. Now look on the convertor, and you'll see two small "bumps" of plastic about 40-50% down the clear plastic barrel from the point where the convertor joins the pen. These should slide into the narrower arched entry points on the pen section. If they don't, sometimes they don't go into any of the arched areas, instead just going under the section plastic itself. When that happens, I have found that the convertor does not seal tightly in the section, and the pen sometimes leaks. Even worse, one time I thought I had put a hairline crack in the section.

 

This link shows the section arches: http://www.jetpens.com/images/lamy_l14ef-2.jpg

 

This link shows the convertor. If you look closely, you'll see the "bumps" about 40-50% down from where the convertor joins the pen, on both right and left:

 

http://paperhaus.com/images/medium/product...in-pen-lz24.jpg

 

 

Those who can pick up immediately on the importance of aligning the "bumps," I celebrate your perceptual powers. :0) For me, learning about this was another one of those "hard way" experiences. Now, though, I align the "bumps" correctly each time, and my Lamy's perform beautifully. So beautifully, in fact, I am thinking about another post on my pen "journey," and how I finally returned to where I started: Lamy Safari/Al-Star. I'm a happy writer these days...

 

 

Anyway: Of course, if you're using a cartridge, then all of the above goes out the window, but thought I'd mention the point, just in case. Perhaps someone else has mentioned this elsewhere in the thread, but I haven't had the time to read all posts thoroughly.

 

Happy Saturday to all!

 

Edited September 6, 2009 by UsFour

[Glenn-SC]

Hmmmm

 

I have probably 10 Safaris (Safarii ?) and have not had this phenomenon with any of them.

[cuza]

-------

 

Have an Al Star and several Safaris and have had not problems with leakage.

 

-- cuza

 

[Whitepen]

I'm bumping an old thread instead of starting a new one. I'm brand new into fountain pens and have had my white Lamy Safari for only a couple of weeks. I started out with the Lamy T10 blue cartridge that comes with a new pen. At first I had no problems. Then I started noticing that I'd suddenly have a big blob of ink on my middle finger, along the nail and spreading out over the side of my fingertip. I have a low grip and thought that perhaps my finger was wicking some ink from where the nib meets the section. I saw a small bit of ink dried on the pen around this area.

 

Now last night the cartridge ran out so I filled my converter with a sample vial of Noodler's Air Corps Blue-Black (love the ink BTW). Wrote fine last night. I opened the cap this morning and wow there's a LOT of ink pooled where the nib meets the section. I've tried to read all the threads about leaky Lamys but am too newbie to know how to "squeeze" ink back out in case there's too much ink accumulated somewhere. I hope there's not a crack. I tried pushing the nib on more firmly but am sort of afraid to push at it too much or pull it off. I will get ink everywhere, right? I have to take out the ink first?

 

 

[Sailor Kenshin]

The way the ink looks in your last picture there MIGHT even be a small vertical crack in the section.

[merlinsfv]

I have several Safaris - all bought new and some say "West Germany," so they've been around for a while. Never had any problems with any of them; they're my choice pen for rugged travel. The only problem was that one cap cracked ( it had help), but that was replaced at nominal cost.

 

One thought though, there are two different Lamy converters. Are you certain that the one you have is for the Safari? You mentioned the " little clicky part." I'm not sure that is the safari converter - most i've seen are just press in like a cartridge.

[Runnin_Ute]

Generally speaking I don't have anything similar with my Al Star (have had it with the same Z24 convertor as you should be using in your Safari.- the red one) Only times I have it leak is if I didn't have the convertor clipped in properly it seems. I do try and clean both cap and barrel when I flush it good. If you don't get it good and dry this or something similar can happen.

I have had it since the late '90's or so. I had issues with Noodler's Walnut, if I recall correctly.

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

I'm curious, but are you letting three drops out of the pen when you fill it? Not doing that can often cause problems like this. Most of the time, in the instructions, they tell you to turn the piston knob just enough to let three drops of ink back into the bottle, then turning the pen so that the nib point up and slowly turning the knob to retract the piston completely.

 

I hope this helps. Good luck!

 

Dillon

Edited July 14, 2013 by Dillo

[vanyieck]

JonW, I understand your pain. I have a Safari and an Al-star. My Al-star has always been great. My Safari always leaks. My Al-star used to be my go-to travel pen until I dinged it up from overuse. I bought an orange Safari and had so much trouble with it I cleaned it and packed it away. I'd be curious to know if you find some sort of pleasant resolution. I may try the same thing with mine.

[soum]

I've never had this with any of my Lamy Safaris. I haven't tried the ink that you mention, though. Perhaps you could use the Lamy T10 cartridges and see if the problem recurs?

 

The way the ink looks in your last picture there MIGHT even be a small vertical crack in the section.

 

I think that's just the ink contrasting against the little seam line. All my Safaris have little seam lines at that place around the lip on the section.

 

Hi,

 

I'm curious, but are you letting three drops out of the pen when you fill it? Not doing that can often cause problems like this. Most of the time, in the instructions, they tell you to turn the piston knob just enough to let three drops of ink back into the bottle, then turning the pen so that the nib point up and slowly turning the knob to retract the piston completely.

 

I hope this helps. Good luck!

 

Dillon

 

This is a good idea to try. It helps gets the excess ink from the feed back into the convertor and could prevent pooling.

[Whitepen]

I'll try letting 3 drops out and retracting the piston. I've been wondering about whether or not I might have cracks, though. At first I thought they were just seams, but now they look kind of bad to me. I don't know. It was leaking a small amount even with the T10 cartridge in there.

 

It's definitely a Lamy converter and I seated it carefully with the little protrusions.

Edited July 14, 2013 by Whitepen

[MCWB]

For what it's worth, I have the same 'ink around the nib end of the section' problem with all of my mine (4 Safaris and 1 Al-Star). All are using correctly seated converters, with a variety of inks over time (Diamine Orange, Iroshizuku Kon-Peki and Fuyu-Gaki, Waterman Florida Blue, Private Reserve SC Supershow Green and Noodlers Nikita). Not sure if it did it with Lamy cartridges, but even if that were the solution it would render them almost useless for my purposes...

[Whitepen]

Well, I dripped 3 drops out and the area is looking a little drier now, though it still did get some ink on my finger. I think I have two little vertical lines, one on each side of the bottom of the section near the nib, and there is another slightly longer vertical line up near the ink window on one side (in the body of the pen).

[Sailor Kenshin]

Since Lamy does guarantee their pens, contact them, explain your problem and see if they,ll fix or replace your problem pen. Seeing this, I may buy a white Safari now.

 

 

BTW----@ merlin....both converters fit, but one has little 'buttons' that need to be aligned with the corresponding section tabs.

[Whitepen]

I think I will contact them. It's still leaking a little and yet when I write for long periods the nib starts drying up and won't write when there's still at least half the converter full of ink inside!

[Sailor Kenshin]

Good luck...hope that fixes your problem.

 

 

My first Safari was a lemon, and I developed a prejudice against it. But after hearing such rave reviews here on FPN and FPG I gave the brand another shot. GLAD i did. All have worked great since then, and I'm losing count of how many I own.

[Dillo]

Well, I dripped 3 drops out and the area is looking a little drier now, though it still did get some ink on my finger. I think I have two little vertical lines, one on each side of the bottom of the section near the nib, and there is another slightly longer vertical line up near the ink window on one side (in the body of the pen).

It sounds like it might be cracks. I hope your pen gets fixed soon!

 

Dillon

[Flounder]

I've had a clear Vista a wee while, and it hasn't had any of these curious problems I'm reading above, either with the free Lamy cartridge, the non-snap-in black top piston converter using diamine royal blue, or even after monkeying the feed around a few degrees.

[wallylynn]

 

It sounds like it might be cracks. I hope your pen gets fixed soon!

 

Dillon

Upon very close inspection, my vista has the same lines. I guess they're seams from the mold.