Lamy Pens – Drying Out Problem

[FlorianNeumann]

Hi everyone. This is my first post, as I have only recently become addicted to fountain pens!

 

I’ve always had a few of the lower-range Parkers at home (Jotter, Vector, Frontier), and have never had any problems with them. I also recently acquired a Parker Sonnet with a fine steel nib, which I absolutely love, and it was this pen that really triggered my recent enthusiasm for fountain pens – it writes perfectly, first time every time, very smooth and no skipping.

 

After discovering this forum I thought I should branch out and dry a different brand. Lamy pens always seem to be popular, and are quite easy to find in shops here in the UK, so I treated myself to a Safari (charcoal EF nib) and a Studio (steel EF nib).

 

I really like both of these pens, but both of them have the same problem which I fear will mean that I am not going to use them very much. The problem is that if I put the pen down for more than a few minutes I find the nib has dried out completely and the pens won’t write. The Safari is slightly better than the Studio in this respect, in that it starts up again fairly quickly after a few scribbles. But the Studio is a real problem to get going again.

 

Have I just been unlucky or do all Lamy pens have this problem? Can anything be done to prevent this happening? Or can anyone give me some tips on how to get the Studio writing again after it dries out like this?

 

At the moment I’m thinking I’m just going to stick with my Parkers….

 

Thanks everyone!

 

Florian

[kareth]

what inks are you using? try wet inks (if you are already using dry inks)

[USMCMom]

It might be the ink that you're using. I'm not as knowledgeable as the majority of our members and I'm sure someone with more knowledge than I, will join in shortly. I have had 2 Lamy Safari in rotation and due to moving (which took forever!), my Safari pens were inked, but not written with for 2 weeks. Both started right up last night. One is inked with Private Reserve and the other with a Noodler's ink.

Edited April 21, 2011 by USMCMom

[blemt]

The Safari tends to be a dry writer, particularly as you get to the finer nibs. A different ink will probably solve the problem.

[FlorianNeumann]

Many thanks for your replies. I'm going to experiment with a few different inks and see how it goes!

[LimLingYang]

I have the same problem but only if I leave if uncapped for 5minutes +. Which is very long.

[mstone]

I really like both of these pens, but both of them have the same problem which I fear will mean that I am not going to use them very much. The problem is that if I put the pen down for more than a few minutes I find the nib has dried out completely and the pens won't write. The Safari is slightly better than the Studio in this respect, in that it starts up again fairly quickly after a few scribbles. But the Studio is a real problem to get going again.

 

do you mean put down for more than a few minutes uncapped?

[FlorianNeumann]

Yes, I mean when left uncapped. I realise that all fountain pens will dry out if left uncapped, but it just seems to happen extremely quickly, especially with the Studio. It seems that if I just pause to think for a minute or two the pen has dried out and it takes a lot of effort to get it going again.

[ThirdeYe]

Yes, I mean when left uncapped. I realise that all fountain pens will dry out if left uncapped, but it just seems to happen extremely quickly, especially with the Studio. It seems that if I just pause to think for a minute or two the pen has dried out and it takes a lot of effort to get it going again.

 

I have certain pens that will dry out quickly when left uncapped, and others that will start going after a while. I'm not sure how much difference the ink will make, but it could influence it somewhat. For instance, my Pilot 78G when left uncapped for a couple of minutes will dry out until I scribble with it to get it going. What might help is to just rest the pen in the cap without fully clicking it shut until you decide to write again...

 

In regard to the other poster saying the Safari writes dry, I've had the opposite experience. My Safari EF writes pretty wet with the provided blue cartridge... must be a variance or perhaps due to the ink?

[rollerboy]

I don't think you've been unlucky with your Lamy's, you've been lucky with your previous pens. In my experience most pens don't take kindly to a pause of a "few minutes".

[FlorianNeumann]

I am now using Parker Quink (which I think is generally considered a "wet" ink) and I think it has improved the performance of both Lamys.

 

I'm quite happy with the Safari now - even if it does dry out it's easy to get the flow going again. The Studio, on the other hand, is very difficult to get going again.

 

I am really enjoying both pens, so I think I'm just going to get into the habit of capping them whenever I pause.

 

I guess it's part of the fun of using fountain pens - each one is different, and you have to get to know each pen individually to get the most out of it!

[FlorianNeumann]

I should have said that I had been using the Lamy cartridges the pens came with. Is that a "dry" ink? Is quick drying out more likely to happen with cartridges?

[alvinlum]

lamy ink is slightly on the dry side. Try waterman florida blue or noodler eel blue for a wetter ink. Diamine ink is quite good too and can be easily obtained from UK's store.

[AlanE]

Lamy ink is OK in Lamys'

 

As someone previously said, unless your talking Parker 51, a few minutes is a long time to keep a pen uncapped. Theres also the worry that the uncapped pen will roll of a desk and usualy land nib first !

 

Welcome to the addiction

 

Alan

[FlorianNeumann]

Many thanks for the ink suggestions and other advice. I guess I was just surprised how quickly the Lamys seemed to dry out compared to the Parkers.

 

Lovely pens, though, and I especially like the way nibs can be changed so quickly and cheaply. I've already got quite a few spares (M, F, EF) in both the steel and the black finishes, so I'll have fun experimenting with those.

[DonLeone]

Lamy pens are tested in the factory to see if they work. Yours probably weren't flushed and the ink already in the pen and on the nib has dried out. If it had been laying in the store for very long then it will probably be very dried out. If the EF nibs were on there already (the person at the store or wherever you got them didn't put them on themselves before selling them to you), then that may be the cause.

 

I'd suggest flushing them out and trying again.

 

Every single one of my 7 lamys had a brownish, reddish, black test ink on the nib or in the feed. To me it is a sign that the pen works because it has been tested in the factory, otherwise there wouldn't be ink in it.

 

[welch]

My Studio dries out faster than average. My Lamy 2000, however, is always ready. For the ink, consider a mix: I use 1/3 Private Reserve Tanzanite, 1/3 PR American Blue, and 1/3 another PR blue...either American blue or whatever is low in the bottle. Uncut Tanzanite is too wet, but the other inks make it dry reasonably and less purple.

 

and...consider using your Sonnet most of the time. In the Olden Days people bought one pen and used it until it broke or they lost it or whatever. A fountain pen before about 1960 was your word processor: like a typewriter, which people dropped as they bought PCs.

[inersphobia]

I realize this conversation is very old now, but as someone who caps the pen quickly for fear of it drying out, I have been looking into pens with hooded nibs (Lamy 2000, Parker 51, Aurora Archivi Storici 022. Another option is going with the VP and just clicking it shut.

What was your solution, Florian?

[Icywolfe]

As a test I left my most expensive pen uncapped while I emptied my bowels. About 10 to 15 mins later there was a tiny tiny tiny hard start but it was fine.

 

My al star has this problem too but as its a snap cap. I just cap it and if it fails to start I just pull the nib and wipe it.

[Bo Bo Olson]

many pens do that dry out trick. In often I have 17 pens hanging out in the corner inked....some dry out even or especially with the nib up.

In the US no longer has lick and stick stamps....it may be harder for you to get hands on an old rubber postal sponge cup.

Living in Germany where we are still old fashioned on stamps, I bought one at the German post office, and dip a dry pen in with out much thought. One dip in a damp sponge does it. You could make your own.

A quarter a shot glass full of water will work work too.

 

Once the pen is started you need to put the cap on when you lay it down for more than a minute....if a screw in pen, you don't have to screw it closed, just put the cap on to the threads.

It's part of the price for pretty lines of fancy ink.