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Lamy Safari Nib Size Issue

NewPenMan

By NewPenMan
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NewPenMan Vintage

NewPenMan

Posted
Posted (edited)

years back, I bought a Safari, fine nib option. Actual nib has, "EF" stamped on it.

 

Anyhoo, the pen makes a line like a felt tip pen regardless of what it says..no matter the paper.

 

Anyone else familiar with safari nib variations and/or suggestions as to what I can do about it?

 

I've made sure no paper fibers caught in the nib so that's not the issue at work here.

 

 

Thank you for any ideas. .

Edited by NewPenMan

Franklin-Christoph Stabilis 66 and Pocket 40: both with Matsuyama CI | Karas Kustoms Aluminum, Daniel Smith CI | Italix Parson's Essential and Freshman's Notator | Pilot Prera | Pilot Metropolitan | Lamy Safari, 1.1mm italic | Muji "Round Aluminum Pen" | Waterman Phileas | Noodler's Konrad | Nemosine Singularity 0.6mm stub | ASA Nauka, acrylic and ebonite | Gama Hawk | Wality Airmail | Noodlers Ahab | TWSBI GO | Noodlers Charlie | Pilot Plumix |

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doggonecarl Vintage

doggonecarl

Posted
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Lamy nibs run wide. What ink are you using? Some inks spread more than others. Are you bearing down on the nib?

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knarflj Extremely Rare

knarflj

Posted
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I have owned five EF Lamy Safari/Al-Star nibs; four of them were more or less the same width, a true Western EF. The fifth wrote a much wider line. The second photo in this post demonstrates:

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/264001-how-to-buy-a-true-ef-nib-for-an-al-star/?p=2964300

Same ink, same pen, four different EF nibs.

 

That thread, btw, is one I started asking more or less the same question you're asking now - what to do about that wide Al-Star nib. I ended up buying three more nibs (I was lucky, and happened to catch a great sale) in the hope that one of them would be as fine as I like; turned out all of them were.

 

Jenny

"To read without also writing is to sleep." - St. Jerome

 

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mike.jane Rare

mike.jane

Posted
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I have an EF nib that's really more an F also. I remember hearing about this before, as also stated again in one post above.

 

I think they might be doing this kinda thing on purpose, because the Safari is, above everything else, a school pen in Europe and thus a) needs to be able to take a bit of abuse and B) is marketed to users who really aren't that knowledgeable about FPs.

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cskroeze NOS (New Old Stock)

cskroeze

Posted
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This could be a counterfeit Safari. The fakes are super common with the EF nib option too. The write terribly and the line is very thick.

 

If you post some close up pictures of the nib and the top of the cap (the cross imprint) we can probably identity it as a fake or not.

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Uncial Antique

Uncial

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I find this to be true of Lamy's generally to be honest. I couldn't tell the difference between any of the nibs on the Lamy 2000, but they were all beautifully smooth. Likewise, there is only a small difference between Lamy Safari and Al Star nibs - at least to my eyes.

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NewPenMan Vintage

NewPenMan

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Lamy nibs run wide. What ink are you using? Some inks spread more than others. Are you bearing down on the nib?

Not at all..Now, I do find the Safari to be very smooth, but even under lightest pressure, the think writes like a magic marker. I'm tempted/likely to put this pen on my "to be modified" list..I basically have no use for a FP that writes like a q-tip! Had I known that Lamys were intended for the school kid market, I'd have passed them by and bought another Ahab or two..

 

Oh well...perhaps I can turn it into something more useable..

 

Thanks for the thoughts and info.

Franklin-Christoph Stabilis 66 and Pocket 40: both with Matsuyama CI | Karas Kustoms Aluminum, Daniel Smith CI | Italix Parson's Essential and Freshman's Notator | Pilot Prera | Pilot Metropolitan | Lamy Safari, 1.1mm italic | Muji "Round Aluminum Pen" | Waterman Phileas | Noodler's Konrad | Nemosine Singularity 0.6mm stub | ASA Nauka, acrylic and ebonite | Gama Hawk | Wality Airmail | Noodlers Ahab | TWSBI GO | Noodlers Charlie | Pilot Plumix |

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Mattacular Dipped Only

Mattacular

Posted
Posted

Well, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one with this experience. Just about every review of the safari that I have read indicates they're super dry and produce a really thin line. That's not been my experience. In fact, I routinely use it flipped over, which does produce a line I'm happy with. And I will say that while I'm not a huge fan of it, the pen works every time, with no problems.

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rwilsonedn Antique

rwilsonedn

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A couple of points. First, if the OP bought his pen some years ago, it is very unlikely to be a counterfeit. Second, the accepted view of Lamy nibs is that they make little attempt at quality control, so you just keep buying a pen and sending it back until you get one that writes as marked. That's just the way Lamy chooses to do business. Third, Safari nibs aren't intended to be used under pressure. It's not a flexible nib, so you want to just rest the nib on the paper, not press down.

ron

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NewPenMan Vintage

NewPenMan

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I bought this pen from isellpens.com.

 

For grins, I compared my safari to the video clip; if that clip's 100% accurate, then I have a 100% real, gen-yoo-ine safari.

 

I'm doing reverse writing with this pen myself...I may just go that route, smoothing the back side of the nib some, and count the "front" as a broad nib, which I find very useful..two line weights in one pen.

 

And yes, this pen always writes, if there's ink in there..I think I'm going to embrace Safari's quirks and just go with it..

Edited by NewPenMan

Franklin-Christoph Stabilis 66 and Pocket 40: both with Matsuyama CI | Karas Kustoms Aluminum, Daniel Smith CI | Italix Parson's Essential and Freshman's Notator | Pilot Prera | Pilot Metropolitan | Lamy Safari, 1.1mm italic | Muji "Round Aluminum Pen" | Waterman Phileas | Noodler's Konrad | Nemosine Singularity 0.6mm stub | ASA Nauka, acrylic and ebonite | Gama Hawk | Wality Airmail | Noodlers Ahab | TWSBI GO | Noodlers Charlie | Pilot Plumix |

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