My Lamy Issues...

[LeftyJim]

Hello everyone.

 

I am relatively new to the hobby but have been writing for years. Recently I have purchased a Lamy 2000, Studio and Aion. But some issues have popped up and I am unsure how best to solve them. Any help you can provide will be much appreciated.

 

Firstly: My Lamy 2000. I am a left-hander. Whilst at the shop I stood at the counter and wrote with it, giddy that it wrote for me I snapped it up. But the nib is now giving me trouble. I am wondering if anyone has any experience with custom grinds on a nib like this. I think my best chance to smooth out my problems is to have the nib ground to a more rounded shape (something similar to that seen on lower end Parker nibs). Anyone have any experience with this? Is my solution all in my head? Can the Lamy 2000 nib even be rounded off?

 

Secondly: My Aion, (Stunningly beautiful writer with a broad nib that literally sings across the page: Highly recommended to any and all.) appears to have something of a vacuum issue. Once the convertor is full and I start to scribe and when there is still plenty of ink left over it drys up. Once again this is something of a guess but I think I have identified the problem: The convertor seems to build an air bubble behind the ink and that stops the ink from flowing outward. I can quick fix the problem each time by tipping/shaking the pen but this is less than ideal. Anyone have experience with this issue? I saw a video online about someone suggesting putting BB's into convertors to break the surface tension and I am wondering if this might help.

 

Any and all help welcome.

[Bill P]

On the converter issue, you might also flush the Pen and converter with a combination of water and a drop of dawn liquid dish soap...and then flush it well with water ....

[TheDutchGuy]

LeftyJim, based on your post you seem to be relatively new to fountain pens (no offence meant, sincere aplogies if I'm wrong). Before you alter the nib in any way... be patient, take your time, do not give in to any 'instant gratification impulse'. Your 2000 is a top-notch pen, so my suggestion is to first try an ink that offers very good lubrication. I'd suggest Waterman Mysterious Blue or Sailor Shikiori Yonaga, both are high-quality inks and should serve you well. Stay away from drier inks (such as Pelikan, Lamy) and inks which don't lubricate that well (such as a few J. Herbin inks). You can also consider adding a very small (!) quantity of pure glycerin to your ink of choice; search FPN on this for tips and tricks. A well-lubricating ink might change the way your perceive your 2000 nib.

 

Regarding the Aion, Bill P answered that.

 

Good luck!

Edited December 28, 2018 by TheDutchGuy

[dennis_f]

LeftyJim,

 

There's a relatively recent post on FPN named something like "Lamy 2000 sweet spot issues" or "lamy 2000 ef issues". I believe some left-handers mentioned similar issues with their pen in that thread, and there's been a bit of a discussion between some left-hand users about mitigating those. You might want to take a look at that post?

 

I think "grip" and "rotation" by left-handed users affects the pen more than it might righ-handed users.

Also, on youtube, there's a reviewer named "Scrively" who writes reviews with particular emphasis on left-handed issues. He has done at least one (quite glowing) review of the L2k and in it, I believe he comments on left-handed use of the pen. (btw: he also has a video named something like "best pens for left-handers" that might be worth a look (I think he actually includes the Lamy 2000 in that list)).

 

Because you mentioned "rounding the nib", I'm wondering if your main issue is with the nib catching the paper as you write. This comes to mind because this is the kind of problem that the posters discussed in the FPN post I mentioned above. I think they offer some solutions in that thread.

 

Good luck.

[LeftyJim]

Thank you all for the responses.

 

Dennis F. I think it might have been me who bumped the other thread as I hoped other lefties might have experienced the issue before and thus found the solution. I am also mostly up to date with YouTube videos on the subject. Unfortunatly left handers tend to vary in too many ways to make us all have the same issues/solutions in terms of pen hold and usage. In my time on these forums and YT etc, I have never found a person who writes with fountain pens and holds the pens the way I do. I am yet to search blogs but FP users seems to be something of a select community in the first place. To then segment that slice to the few left handers and then again by left handers like myself: well you can probably guess my chances are slim.

But I will look up Scrively's video just to make sure.

 

Bill P. Can the answer to my convetor issue really be lubrication? It sounds horrendously simple, but rest assured I will try it the next time I switch inks. Any suggestions for what type of washing up liquid to use?

 

TheDutchGuy. I will not rush into altering my Lamy 2000 nib. But by the way it bites the page sometimes I fell I might pull the tines out of alignment if I use it too much before having it altered. So I walk a delicate line.

 

Thanks all for responses!!!

 

I actually thought the Lamy convertor issue might be a little more mainstream. I have come across the issue multiple times now on different pens; all whilst using Lamy convertors. I will trawl the depths of the forums to see if I cant find anything else.

[dennis_f]

If it's actually biting into the paper, there may be a technical problem with the nib, and not just something resulting from grip. It seems strange that a nib would go from wonderful to terrible with normal use.

 

Have you checked it with a loupe?

 

Maybe there's an imperfection in the nib (a bump, or something)? Maybe the tines are (or became) misaligned? Maybe something is caught between them... some bits of paper, or something that was sitting on a sheet that you were writing on (crumbs?!? dust?!?)?

[LeftyJim]

I will have a look but for the moment only have my eyeballs to do so. I have the feeling this might be a left handed issue before anything else. It happens with an awful lot of my pens. (Biting and stuttering towards the outer edges of the page: due I imagine to small changes in how I hold the pen at different angles)

 

Thanks for the noun though. Was only a matter of time before I asked what the technical name was behind the magnifying glasses I have seen people use.

 

I may actually be back in the shop where I brought it before too long so I might ask them to cast an eye over it for me.

 

Thanks again.

[kazoolaw]

Tangential suggestion: ask to have this thread moved to the Lamy dedicated forum.

 

You may get even more assistance.

[LeftyJim]

I thought about it. But if someone/anyone suggests a nib grinder to me I thought it best to keep it local.

Thanks

[CS388]

 

I may actually be back in the shop where I brought it before too long so I might ask them to cast an eye over it for me.

 

 

Yes. Definitely do this. Explain the situation and demonstrate the issue. Probably your best bet for a quick fix.

 

And do get a loupe. They're great fun, not just for pens, but for all manner of tiny things.

 

Good luck.

[Jerome Tarshis]

I thought about it. But if someone/anyone suggests a nib grinder to me I thought it best to keep it local.

Thanks

 

People who read and post to the Lamy forum are everywhere. Including England.