Leaking Safari

[southshorecarol]

 

This pen has always leaked. I have had this for about ten years. Is it fixable? Open to suggestions.

[Sailor Kenshin]

That must be really annoying.  

 

I'm going to ask whether it leaks with a converter, or cartridge, or both.  And to check whether the cart or con is seated well.  You are using Lamy cartridges or converters, right?

 

And, how often do you clean it, and how?  Just water?  A bulb for flushing?

 

Can you tell where the leak originates?  Is it possible there is a micro-crack in the section?  

 

We have people here who repair pens for a living, but these are my impressions of where to begin.  Hope it helps.

[OCArt]

Have you checked to see if the cap is clean? Sometimes ink in the cap will get on the outside of the nib section. 

[bogiesan]

Safari is about thirty bucks. Take off the nib, salvage any other useful parts, buy a new one. Life’s just too short. 

[austollie]

2 hours ago, bogiesan said:

Safari is about thirty bucks. Take off the nib, salvage any other useful parts, buy a new one. Life’s just too short. 

 

Mmmm.  I personally get a real kick out of fixing things, rather than putting them in the bin.  If I wanted a throw-away pen, I'd be using a free advertising ballpoint pen and not a fountain pen.

 

I mainly collect 1970s and 1980s cartridge fillers and I've had two mystery leaks.  Both caused by micro-cracks in the ageing plastic.  The biggest challenge is to find the micro crack (one was in the screw-threads- really hard to see).  I felt a sense of accomplishment, when I solved the problem with a couple of drops of MEK.  The pens themselves weren't expensive at all (less than the cost a new Safari).  I still enjoyed the challenge of fault-finding and fixing the problem.

 

I also think that there is a lot to be said by practicing on cheap pens first.

[jchch1950]

You can clean it, change the ink in the converter or the cartridge and  try to see if the ink is coming from the section or from the nib unit. Some times the converter end is broken  then ink will  also  be in the upper part of the section. If it continue to leak from either part you can try to find a replacement section or nib unit. 

[southshorecarol]

I cleaned it. It is a Lamy converter. Waiting to see if the problem is still there.

 

Thank you all for your replies.

 

Yes, It's a cheap pen. I got it when I was just starting to try pens other than my Parker 45 collection. Tried a bunch of different low end pens and bought every ink sample. At least it seemed that way.

What I love about the pen is the wet broad nib and the pretty yellow plastic. I don't think I could toss it after a love/hate relationship that has lasted this long!

Bogie -- I also play Go!

[Sailor Kenshin]

Don't throw it away!  It's that original Pikachu yellow!  With black trim!  Get everything, including the section, really clean.  Examine feed and section for cracks.  Take it slow, step by step.

 

Send it here if all else fails!  

[Black Spot]

yes do not throw it away, that is the best yellow lamy ever made.

[bogiesan]

14 hours ago, austollie said:

 

Mmmm.  I personally get a real kick out of fixing things, rather than putting them in the bin.  If I wanted a throw-away pen, I'd be using a free advertising ballpoint pen and not a fountain pen.

 

I mainly collect 1970s and 1980s cartridge fillers and I've had two mystery leaks.  Both caused by micro-cracks in the ageing plastic.  The biggest challenge is to find the micro crack (one was in the screw-threads- really hard to see).  I felt a sense of accomplishment, when I solved the problem with a couple of drops of MEK.  The pens themselves weren't expensive at all (less than the cost a new Safari).  I still enjoyed the challenge of fault-finding and fixing the problem.

 

I also think that there is a lot to be said by practicing on cheap pens first.

You didn’t mention any of these obsessions in the OP. 

[Black Spot]

On 1/15/2021 at 8:20 PM, southshorecarol said:

 

This pen has always leaked. I have had this for about ten years. Is it fixable? Open to suggestions.

Looking at the pen I think that it is not leaking, it looks like you stabbed some one, could that be the cause of the pen having broken ?

[Sailor Kenshin]

2 hours ago, bogiesan said:

You didn’t mention any of these obsessions in the OP. 

 

Because that is not the OP.

 

The pen also appears to have red or orange ink...frequently the cause of accumulated 'nib crud.'  Nib crud rinses off with water.  I am wondering if the leak appears when using other colors.

[dwattsjr]

I, too, have had this problem with Lamy Safaris over the years. a couple were sent back to Lamy for service only to be told that there was nothing wrong. Acquiring a Lamy Vista (clear bodied Safari) gave me, what may be, some insight. I noticed that the internal collector was flooded with ink after filling. Even after releasing a few drops of ink following filling. Body heat from the pen being in my pocket seemed to cause the leakage. Living in New England, winter coats exacerbated the problem.

 

The solution, for me, has been to wrap the nib in a tissue and give it a couple seconds for the collector to clear. A count to five usually does the trick, although with the Vista, it was simpler as I could see the ink clearing from the collector. I haven’t had the problem with any of my Safaris/Vistas since.

[Astronymus]

Does it happen with several inks? Some inks like to creep. Especialy red ones.

[bassmannate]

On 1/23/2021 at 8:43 AM, dwattsjr said:

I, too, have had this problem with Lamy Safaris over the years. a couple were sent back to Lamy for service only to be told that there was nothing wrong. Acquiring a Lamy Vista (clear bodied Safari) gave me, what may be, some insight. I noticed that the internal collector was flooded with ink after filling. Even after releasing a few drops of ink following filling. Body heat from the pen being in my pocket seemed to cause the leakage. Living in New England, winter coats exacerbated the problem.

 

The solution, for me, has been to wrap the nib in a tissue and give it a couple seconds for the collector to clear. A count to five usually does the trick, although with the Vista, it was simpler as I could see the ink clearing from the collector. I haven’t had the problem with any of my Safaris/Vistas since.

Yup, this is a problem I have with all pens. If I keep them on me, they tend to burp into the cap little by little. Only enough to be annoying and give me inky fingers. Resolved the problem by not keeping pens on me but in a bag or something.