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Lamy Converter Surface Tension Issue

Elmar96

By Elmar96
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Elmar96 New

Elmar96

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Hi everyone

 

I'm having some trouble with the converter in my Lamy Studio.

The ink's surface tension won't break which means that the ink is 'stuck' to the back of the converter.

 

The ink isn't moving freely around the converter. So I have to continuously screw the converter down as I write to force ink into the feed.

 

I'm currently using Lamy Bronze ink, but I had the same issue with Parker Quink so I'm not sure if its an ink problem.

 

Has anyone else experienced this problem?

 

Thanks in advance for the help!

 

Regards

Elmar

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Elmar96 New

Elmar96

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No I have not, I have only ever used tap water to clean my pens.

 

Will dish detergent help with this issue or is dish detergent often the cause of these problems?

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praxim Donor Pen

praxim

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Detergent reduces surface tension. So does (a very tiny amount of) Kodak Photoflo in the ink, not that I have used that technique myself. I use small gold springs in my standard converters.

X

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ljz Mint

ljz

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I’ve used a lot of Lamy’s converters. A few of them have a very stiff turning knob, meaning that the piston experiences a considerable amount of resistance when moving up and down inside the converter. Consequently, strong atmospheric pressure is exerted on the outlet of the converter after the ink is sucked into the converter. The ink can’t flow freely in the converter anymore, causing ink shortage during writing.

 

Just buy a new one from the stationer and try to see if it works out by using tap water.

 

Or try to follow the filling instructions of a piston filler fountain pen. Release few drops of ink after the converter is fully filled. Then suck air back in. This may help maintain the air pressure inside and outside of converter.

Edited by ljz
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Inkysloth Vintage

Inkysloth

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<snip>

 

A few of them have a very stiff turning knob, meaning that the piston experiences a considerable amount of resistance when moving up and down inside the converter. Consequently, strong atmospheric pressure is exerted on the outlet of the converter after the ink is sucked into the converter.

 

</snip>

 

 

I dont think this reasoning follows. The atmospheric pressure on the opening of the converter isnt affected by how stiff or loose the piston movement is.

Instagram @inkysloth

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Glenn-SC Donor Pen

Glenn-SC

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I dont think this reasoning follows. The atmospheric pressure on the opening of the converter isnt affected by how stiff or loose the piston movement is.

 

I agree.

Once the piston is moved, using 1-lbf or 1,000-lbf, the same pressure differential exists between the interior and the exterior of the converter.

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sirgilbert357 Antique

sirgilbert357

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I feel like a broken record posting this, but:

 

Dip the tip of a syringe or toothpick in a drop of Dawn dishwashing detergent and then dip that into the converter and swirl it around a bit. Then insert into the pen and just use it. You should experience no more surface tension in the converter, but the side effect will be a wetter flowing ink. You may have to experiment with the right amount to get things to flow like you want.

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sirgilbert357 Antique

sirgilbert357

Posted
Posted (edited)

I’ve used a lot of Lamy’s converters. A few of them have a very stiff turning knob, meaning that the piston experiences a considerable amount of resistance when moving up and down inside the converter. Consequently, strong atmospheric pressure is exerted on the outlet of the converter after the ink is sucked into the converter. The ink can’t flow freely in the converter anymore, causing ink shortage during writing.

 

Just buy a new one from the stationer and try to see if it works out by using tap water.

 

Or try to follow the filling instructions of a piston filler fountain pen. Release few drops of ink after the converter is fully filled. Then suck air back in. This may help maintain the air pressure inside and outside of converter.

 

Lots of flaws in this post. Some of it has already been addressed.

 

As for the bold part, this is usually in the instructions of piston fillers for the purpose of de-saturating the feed with ink and preventing messes. It makes no difference to the pen or the "air pressure" if you skip this step. Indeed, for my first few Pelikans, I didn't do this at all. I filled the pen as full as possible, often using a two stroke method to completely eliminate the air bubble and did not drip any ink back into the bottle. I just used it, super saturated feed and all, or I wiped the feed fins lightly. It wastes a lot of ink doing that, but hey, to each their own, eh? Anyway, never had any issues.

 

You seem to think a pen is a sealed environment or something, when nothing could be further from the truth. There is no "air pressure" inside a pen -- and if there is, it will forcefully equalize the instant it is uncapped! You don't create pressure in a pen just by filling it, you must do more than that...

Edited by sirgilbert357
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Elmar96 New

Elmar96

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Hi everyone

Thanks so much for the advice!

 

I'm hesitant to try the detergent approach since my Lamy Studio already writes pretty wet.

 

With some playing around I found the following works for me:

After filling the pen I turn the pen nib up and gently tap the converter until all of the stuck air bubbles move around the converter freely.

Once the initial surface tension is broken and the bubbles/ink move freely then I don't have any further issues until my next inking.

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Pen Engineer Extremely Rare

Pen Engineer

Posted
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PS: The balance of forces which prevents the ink from running out it created between the capillary pull of feed and nib and the (slight) vacuum in the ink reservoir. B)

 

Unclean components prevent ink flow and so does incorrect plastic moulding parameters. :angry:

 

Most fountain pen manufacturers buy their converters from sub-suppliers. A close look will show that. :blush:

with kindness...

 

Amadeus W.
Ingeneer2

visit Fountain Pen Design

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Astronymus Collectors Item

Astronymus

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I use small borosilicate glas balls out of international cartridges to break the tension in my Lamy converters.

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Pen Engineer Extremely Rare

Pen Engineer

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Posted

I use small borosilicate glas balls out of international cartridges to break the tension in my Lamy converters.

the misty mountains of Austria... and a German flag? :rolleyes:

with kindness...

 

Amadeus W.
Ingeneer2

visit Fountain Pen Design

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Inkysloth Vintage

Inkysloth

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I use small borosilicate glas balls out of international cartridges to break the tension in my Lamy converters.

Now I wish I'd saved the little glass balls from all of the cartridges with them over the years!

Instagram @inkysloth

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Mercian Antique

Mercian

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I do wish that LAMY would include one of those glass/plastic balls in their converters. The converters’ surface-tension problem is the only ‘design flaw’ that I have ever found in my LAMY pens (& I have only got Safaris and a Vista).

 

A worse offender in this regard is of course Parker, who do include an ‘agitator ball’ in their cheaper, ‘slide’, converter. Why then am I citing them? Because they do not include one in their ‘deluxe’ twist converter; the one that ships with their most-expensive Sonnets & Duofolds :huh:

I.e. if you give Parker more money you get a product that is less-usable :doh:

Foul in clear conditions, but handsome in the fog.

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Astronymus Collectors Item

Astronymus

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the misty mountains of Austria... and a German flag? :rolleyes:

A German living in Austria. The ground I touch becomes German territory immediatly while I'm present. ;)

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sansenri Donor Pen

sansenri

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yes it's a know annoying issue that has been discussed at length in the thread pointed out by Karmachanic.

 

Not all converters show the same problem. I have some that work perfectly others that seem to hold ink as though they were almost sticky, defying gravity unless you shake them vigorously...

 

Washing them thoroughly usually helps. In the very bad cases I would try one of those household grease cleaners as it may be that soap alone cannot get rid of the residual manufacturing oils (that are used as lubricants in production machinery).

But wash it carefully afterwards.

 

You don't necessarily need to add soap to your ink...

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Glenn-SC Donor Pen

Glenn-SC

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I.e. if you give Parker more money you get a product that is less-usable

 

I've never had ink flow issues with my Duoofold converters.

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