Drawing Up Bubbles In The Converter

[zepp]

Hello there, I was refilling my Lamy Safari today and notice that I'm drawing a lot of mini mini bubbles in my converter, is there something wrong with my pen?

 

I did not observe that behavior in any of my pen (can't observe what's happening in my Pelikan, too dark).

 

The pen is now in a water soaking bath, I am suspecting the last refill of the slimmy J. Herbin Perle Noire did bad thing to it... Although my Pelikan went through the same trouble, I think I've washed it thoroughly enough to get rid of all trace of the slime, but not this Lamy pen.

[The Blue Knight]

It probably means your ink bottle is starting to run low as the bubbles of air are probably coming from through the filler whole due to an incompletely submerged nib.

 

I see you have posted this twice it might be worth reporting the other post to a moderator so they can hide it.

[zepp]

It probably means your ink bottle is starting to run low as the bubbles of air are probably coming from through the filler whole due to an incompletely submerged nib.

 

I see you have posted this twice it might be worth reporting the other post to a moderator so they can hide it.

 

That is impossible, my Diamine Oxblood bottle is completely full! (Ok not completely, I fill my Pelikan 4-5 times, but still quite full)

I am thinking maybe the converter fitting isn't airtight anymore ? :L

 

Yeah, I edited that other post for another question, making good use of scraps!

[USMCMom]

There are many times I get bubbles as well and I have no near empty bottles of ink. I make sure that there are no bubbles on the surface in my ink bottle. This can happen if ink is shaken, which many times I do, then I wait for the bubbles to disappear. After that, I just fill the converter with as much ink as it will draw, empty it back into the jar (without taking the converter out of the ink bottle) and then, very slowly begin to draw ink back into the converter. There have been times when I've had to do this more than once, but it fills without bubbles. There's nothing wrong with your pen. I read a while back, that it has something to do with gasses. I'll see if I can find the information.

 

[zepp]

Ah, might be, as I store my ink in a drawer, when I pull it, the ink has been shaken around. I'll let the ink bottle sit for a while and try it later then, thanks, that was helpful!

[Zenistar]

I generally on see this with ink bottles that are running low or where I've not submerged the nib far enough in the ink. Using the converter / pistol to fill, empty and then fill again (keeping the nib in the ink at all times) normally gets rid of excessive air.

[PAKMAN]

Sometimes we don't put the pen deep enough in the bottle and it draws air with the ink. For a Safari, the nib should be completely in the ink with a tiny bit of the section in too. Then the only way it will draw air is if there is a leak in the section or the converter is not properly seated on the pen.

[tonybelding]

Hello there, I was refilling my Lamy Safari today and notice that I'm drawing a lot of mini mini bubbles in my converter, is there something wrong with my pen?

 

Your converter is leaky. It's time to get a new one. Converters are semi-disposable items.

 

Until you get a replacement, try filling the pen more slowly, turning the converter knob slowly. That usually reduces the problem.

[Runnin_Ute]

The converter in my Al Star will sometimes do this. Mine doesn't leak and is probably 15 years old or more. Do it slower and make sure nib is covered should do it.

 

It was my only pen for awhile and one of two until Dec 2012.

[Runnin_Ute]

Dbl post

Edited June 25, 2014 by Runnin_Ute

[tonybelding]

The converter in my Al Star will sometimes do this. Mine doesn't leak...

 

Air bubbles can't magically teleport into the converter; they have to leak in where the converter connects to the feed, or (more typically) leak past the piston seal. That doesn't mean it leaks all the time. It may only be during filling that there's enough pressure (or vacuum) differential to push air past the weak seal. That's why going slower helps, because it gives ink more time to flow in through the feed, and the vacuum is not as strong.

[newtimer]

 

Air bubbles can't magically teleport into the converter; they have to leak in where the converter connects to the feed, or (more typically) leak past the piston seal. That doesn't mean it leaks all the time. It may only be during filling that there's enough pressure (or vacuum) differential to push air past the weak seal. That's why going slower helps, because it gives ink more time to flow in through the feed, and the vacuum is not as strong.

 

It's possible that rapid filling would break the seal and allow air to be drawn in through the end of the converter. More likely though, there is residual air in the section. Priming the feed by drawing and then expelling ink before doing a complete fill helps, as does slow filling. However, I'm paranoid about contamination, so rarely put ink back into the bottle unless the pen has been flushed prior.

[scratchofapen]

Was your pen dry before? Could be air thar was in the feed / fins infide the section....

[zepp]

Was your pen dry before? Could be air thar was in the feed / fins infide the section....

 

Yes, very.

 

It was very very dry with the Lamy Blue-Black (ew color) cartridges, with a fine nib (by the way, I opened up the tines with a razor blade because they were stuck together, there were no space between them, niet)

 

It was dry with the Oxblood ink, which is a very wet ink in my opinion, although with the 1.5mm stub it was alright.

 

I gave it a full wash and half filled it with Asa Gao and it writes good, I wouldn't say it's too dry, I wouldn't say it's wet either, just in between.

 

I will try to fill it slowly from now on, thanks for the advice guys! Really appreciated!

 

(beside the Z24 converters costs $6, my wallet won't bleed if I really need to replace it! )

[Zenistar]

I think scratchofapen meant, was the pen dry in the sense of empty of ink?

[kanaka]

I've had this problem with my Lamy Vista for the longest time. Aside from the bubbles it seems to do its work, so I won't bother replacing it. I simply hold the nib upright and give it a few taps to consolidate the bubbles, twist the piston to expel the air, and resume filling again. This is assuming that your converter doesn't look like it's filled with some kind of carbonated beverage...

[bogiesan]

While bubbles cannot magically teleport they can magically appear under specific conditions. If you're pulling the piston up faster than the filler hole can pass fluid, you are depressurizing the chamber and bubbles will form in the temporary vacuum. Not likely with a sound convertor and a full bottle of ink but the only likely explanation if you rule out the usual user errors of incomplete submersion and leaks at the seals.

[jrobert6]

There are many times I get bubbles as well and I have no near empty bottles of ink. I make sure that there are no bubbles on the surface in my ink bottle. This can happen if ink is shaken, which many times I do, then I wait for the bubbles to disappear. After that, I just fill the converter with as much ink as it will draw, empty it back into the jar (without taking the converter out of the ink bottle) and then, very slowly begin to draw ink back into the converter. There have been times when I've had to do this more than once, but it fills without bubbles. There's nothing wrong with your pen. I read a while back, that it has something to do with gasses. I'll see if I can find the information.

 

+1. This strategy of emptying the converter back into the bottle without removing the nib, and then refilling *very* slowly has worked terrifically for me.

[wallylynn]

Sometimes we don't put the pen deep enough in the bottle and it draws air with the ink. For a Safari, the nib should be completely in the ink with a tiny bit of the section in too. Then the only way it will draw air is if there is a leak in the section or the converter is not properly seated on the pen.

Yup. If you turn the nib over, you'll see a little square notch. that's where the air/ink goes in. It needs to be submerged when filling.

 

A second, though less important, is the converter. There's two little bumps on the side of a safari converter. They snap in to the pen. Double check that your converter is snapped in properly.