Special ink for piston fillers?

[RevAaron]

I've a new Lamy 2k, and I love the bugger to death- and as such I want to use whatever ink might make it live the longest. I know that the Noodler's American Eel is listed as having special lubricating qualities for piston fillers- how big of a deal is it?

 

Do piston fillers truly need or substantially benefit from such a special ink?

 

 

[Huy]

You can use any ink that is made for fountain pens in your pen. Some inks tend to stain the pen but I dont think that would be a big problem with the 2000.

 

I have heard of people using silicone grease to lubricate their pistons. You should not have a problem with your piston for many years to come though so there's no need to worry about it. Just make sure you keep the pen in good condition by flushing it every so often.

[Juan in Andalucia]

I have 3 Lamy 2000, and they have a stiffer piston than say, Pelikan or Aurora, but it's no big deal. Some people use some silicone grease to lubricate the barrel. I haven't tried that because I think some of that grease may end up in the nib or feed and cause skipping. Anyway, it's just a guess.

 

I use Pelikan 4001 brilliant black, but Waterman Florida or BlueBlack may lubricate the pen. You don't have to use the inks; just fill and empty the pen a few times, clean it and use your ink of choice.

 

Juan

[cmeisenzahl]

I think any reputable brand of ink would be fine. I actually LOVE Lamy blue in mine.

[RevAaron]

Toward the end of using Lamy ink in my new Lamy pen, I'm planning on using... wait for it: Lamy Blue-Black in my 2000. Not sure why, but there's something oh-so-dangerous and exciting about an iron-gall based ink. That, and now that I've started using Noodler's I've a hard time, intellectually, going back to a non-permanentish ink. For a few of the beater pens, I have some real ink experiments brewing- I am try to make a iron tannate ink out of a very tannin-heavy lake water- took the water, which is the color of a diluted tea, but very clear, boiled it down to a tea-brown... and we'll see when I get the iron.

 

I had a cart of the Lamy Blue come free with the EF Al-Star I purchased- and I hated it. Seemed like a superlight watercolor. That said, when I later put it in my Pilot 78g- which writes *way* too dry and scratchy with Pelikan 4001 Black- I found it is a very nice ink. So much darker than it was with the Al-Star.

 

Thanks for the answers!

[JJBlanche]

I've heard nothing but bad concerning the American Eel inks.

 

However, Montblanc inks, which are widely appreciated, have a number of "special" ingredients specifically geared toward piston functioning. Montblanc Racing Green is one of my favorite inks, if not my absolute favorite. They also have Royal Blue, Black, Bordeaux, and some others. Avoid MB blue-black, though, as it is a special document/registrar ink that is a different formula from the rest.

[southpaw]

Aaron, use whatever fountain pen ink in the Lamys you want to use. If you go with the iron gall ink, I'd recommend flushing it every month or so just to be safe.