Lamy Lz24 Converter

[Pen2009]

I just noticed ink behind the seal in one of my Lamy Al-star's LZ24 converters. I have converters from Sailor, Platinum and Pilot and none of them have exhibited such a seal failure to date. Typically, how many months does a LZ24 last? I think I have used mine more than 2 years.

Edited March 3, 2013 by Pen2009

[mAnuscript69]

This seems to be a common occurence with Lamy converters. It does not hamper the functionality of the converter, just aesthetically unpleasing.

 

You can disassemble the converter to clean it, of if you don't feel like taking it apart you can submerge the converter in water horizontally and operate the piston turning knob that way. This should get rid of ink behind the piston seal. Swing the converter downwards with force to remove excess water droplets and you're good to go.

 

All my Lamy converters are still holding up so far. No issues other than ink behind the piston seal, which I don't really care for. I don't foresee it dying out anytime soon.

[Joker4Eva]

My Z26 sucks up a lot of air while filling. I'm assuming it's seal isn't functioning as well as it should.

[mAnuscript69]

My Z26 sucks up a lot of air while filling. I'm assuming it's seal isn't functioning as well as it should.

Now that you've mentioned it, my Z24 converters do seem to suck up quite a bit of air these days. I just empty and fill it a couple of times to get rid of the air bubbles. I guess with constant removal and reattaching of the converter, the seal does wear out. Still perfectly usable though, just a little more inconvenient (I don't mind it at all).

[Joker4Eva]

Now that you've mentioned it, my Z24 converters do seem to suck up quite a bit of air these days. I just empty and fill it a couple of times to get rid of the air bubbles. I guess with constant removal and reattaching of the converter, the seal does wear out. Still perfectly usable though, just a little more inconvenient (I don't mind it at all).

 

My Lamy Logo has actually leaked a little, but never so much that it leaves ink all over, but just enough to dirty the barrel threads. And that irks me.

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

This sometimes happens with many Schmidt-based converters. Most of the time the piston can be replaced with a piston rod from another Schmidt converter since Schmidt seems to use the same pistons with all of their converters.

 

Dillon

[Renfield]

Probably needs more grease around the piston.

 

I have that for my Lamy safari converters, but as much as a try, I cannot get them apart

[tinta]

Every time I refill my wife's Lamy Safari, I see some ink behind the piston. I've tried flushing it out the best I can, then shaking it like a thermometer to get as much of the liquid in front of the piston. Since she usually prefers the same colour ink over & over again, a bit of ink behind the piston doesn't seem to matter.

 

All if my own pens take a standard Sailor converter.

For the little money they cost, these converters work very well.

I have had to completely take apart & clean, then re-assemble a couple of Sailor converters. Fortunately this is easy to do, even for a mechanically challenged guy like me.

Some saturated inks (Yama-budo comes to mind), like to wander in behind the converter's piston. Also, a few converters in a batch may not have a consistent internal diameter, irregardless of the brand.

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

If you are curious about how to take them apart, look Here

 

Dillon

[ziptrickhead]

The Lamy Z24 converter is really durable in my experience. I've had one for the past 7 years in a Safari that was my daily writer till recently and its held up just fine. The first time you take the piston out of one is a scary experience because it fits so tight that it almost feels as if you can't really pull it apart without breaking it. On occasion I do get ink behind the piston but its not a big deal to clean if you do decide to take it apart.

[wastelanded]

I find ink behind the piston occasionally in most of my converters. To get rid of it, I fill the converter halfway, then draw the piston all the way back so there is space inside. Finger over the opening, shake briskly a few times. If there is ink, it will mix with the water. Then dump it. A couple cycles of this and it's fine.