Best Way To Clean Lamy 2000?

[hoipolloi]

I'm a semi-noob looking into getting a Lamy 2000 EF. I understand the piston filling mechanism and how to disassemble the pen, but I was wondering what the standard rundown is for cleaning the 2k, especially if one were to refill with a different colored ink.

[BMG]

I just flush mine with water before changing inks. I do so repeatedly, up to 5 times or until the water comes out clear, and usually let it sit, nib down in a coffee cup with a crumpled paper towel in the bottom, for 24 hours before refilling.

[pajhurley]

Hi Hoipolloi,

Here is what I do with my two Lamy 2000 pens.

 

Remove nib unit by unscrewing from the front of the pen. Be careful not to loose the small metal ring that holds the cap in place.

 

Push on the front of the nib using a paper towel or finger to remove the nib from the section. Remove the large O ring from the nib and feed.

Flush the various components with water or use a pen flush solution (500 ml distilled water, 10% ammonia and drop of liquid dish soap) if the pen is really dirty.

If you use a pen flush solution, make sure you do a final rinse with distilled water. Dry with absorbent paper towel (especially if you use tap water. You can air dry if distilled water is used.

 

I flush the pen in this fashion every time I change the ink (and every two or three times if I am filling up the pen with the same ink).

 

SBRE Brown has a very good video that shows you how to disassemble/reassemble the Lamy 2000 -

 

A couple of times a year I will also put a small amount of silicone grease in the ink chamber to keep the piston mechanism running smoothly.

Brian Goulet has a video on the process - http://www.inknouveau.com/2014/02/cool-trick-for-greasing-lamy-2000-piston.html?m=0

 

Hope this is helpful.

Regards,

Paul.

Edited February 28, 2014 by pajhurley

[sirksael]

I just flush mine with water before changing inks. I do so repeatedly, up to 5 times or until the water comes out clear, and usually let it sit, nib down in a coffee cup with a crumpled paper towel in the bottom, for 24 hours before refilling.

Yes, this.

Functionally speaking, as long as the feed and nib are kind of clean, the pen is ready to be filled again. The only time I would do something more elaborate is when I have filled the pen with a troublesome ink, like Lamy black for example.

[yogalarva]

I just bought my 2000, so my cleaning experience is limited, but I figure I will just stick with the "sucking up water and spitting it back out" method unless I really can't get it clean otherwise. I'm kind of a spazz, and taking the pen apart every time I clean it sounds like a recipe for disaster. :-P

[Koyote]

I just flush mine with water before changing inks. I do so repeatedly, up to 5 times or until the water comes out clear, and usually let it sit, nib down in a coffee cup with a crumpled paper towel in the bottom, for 24 hours before refilling.

 

Just do this. There is no need to disassemble the pen -- no need at all. And taking it all apart just raises the odds of losing or breaking some part of the pen.

[amk]

Just flush. It's actually quite fun as the Lamy 2000 has a pretty good piston mechanism which means it can double as a dainty water pistol should any unsuspecting family member be around at the time.

[hoipolloi]

Thank you all!

[soapytwist]

 

Just do this. There is no need to disassemble the pen -- no need at all. And taking it all apart just raises the odds of losing or breaking some part of the pen.

 

Not only that, but the 2000 is one of those pens that nevers feels quite the same after you've disassembled it once!

[kokopelli_TR]

I've heard adding some glycerine to the water you pull in may clean and lubricate better the innards of your piston pens.

 

Maybe a different method I found myself, a water mixable oil Ballistol may work as well if not better in cleaning and lubricating for my very old and dried out pens. A few squirts on a small cup of water and I fill my pistons to solve stone hard ink remains. It even makes your dry writing inks wetter. No long time information on material safety, though. It is a cleaning/preserving oil for metal, plastics and leather, works as a wound oil so it is safe for humans, but not for anodizations and bare aluminum as it is slightly alkaline.

[tomgartin]

I've disassembled a 2000 a few times, and never felt like it was different afterward. If anything, seeing the insides helped me to better appreciate the genius of its design. I don't like flushing with the piston, so I give all my pens a full disassembly with a syringe wash in difficult places. However, I don't change colors often. I'm pretty boring when it comes to ink variety.

[Lunaray]

I usually flush out the ink using the piston a few times, open the mid section and then rinse the feed opening and the ink storage. I have never felt the need to disassemble the nib and feed from the section.

[Charles999]

Dosnt cleaning the ink chamber with silacone grease "mess up" the ink chamber? Thank you in advance. Charles.

[WaskiSquirrel]

I don't clean it very often. When I do, it's usually just by filling it with water a few times.

 

My broad Lamy does occasionally change colors. The pen can be taken apart. The grip can unscrew and the nib and feed pull out. However, you have some really tiny parts there that can easily be lost. So, even there, I usually prefer filling it with water a few times.

[Calabria]

 

Not only that, but the 2000 is one of those pens that nevers feels quite the same after you've disassembled it once!

The brushed surfaces don't match up after disassembly. I just flush it with water and then poke the nib in a paper towel and let it rest to draw out all the rest of the ink. That's a nice way to get a view of the color spectrums in your ink, too!

[Snoutmol]

Is it safe to put water into the cap? I think there's ink in mine (apparently after a fresh fill ink can get sucked into the cap?), but I'm worried about rust.

[ac12]

I clean my caps with a rolled up dry tissue. I might slightly dampen a tissue if the ink is dry, or use a wet Q-tip, then follow up with a rolled up dry tissue. Any ink that gets between the inner cap and the outer cap, I don't bother trying to get out, as you will only drive water between the caps, and not be able to get either ink nor water out.

[Snoutmol]

I clean my caps with a rolled up dry tissue. I might slightly dampen a tissue if the ink is dry, or use a wet Q-tip, then follow up with a rolled up dry tissue. Any ink that gets between the inner cap and the outer cap, I don't bother trying to get out, as you will only drive water between the caps, and not be able to get either ink nor water out.

Thanks, I'm glad I didn't use water. The ink dried, so for now it won't be a problem. I'll use a rolled up tissue if I need to clean it. What is an inner cap and outer cap? Is there a separate cap inside the 2000s main cap. Is that metallic/springy looking thing inside an "inner cap"?

[Snoutmol]

Just flush. It's actually quite fun as the Lamy 2000 has a pretty good piston mechanism which means it can double as a dainty water pistol should any unsuspecting family member be around at the time.

You might get ink on their clothes though

[RMN]

You might get ink on their clothes though

 

Oooh, so sorry, it NEVER does that......

 

 

 

 

D.ick