Lamy 2000 + Lamy Black - Dry out problems

[siddr90]

Hi everyone, 

 

I recently purchased a Lamy 2000 again about 6 years after I first bought one. After a couple weeks of use, I noticed that the pen doesn't write consistently. Been using it with the Lamy Black ink exclusively so far. And nib width is extra fine. 

 

I disassembled the pen to check and found this strange thread like string stuck between nib and feed. I cleaned it out and inked the pen again, and the pen wrote consistently until the same thing happened after a few weeks. (Photo attached) 

 

Any advice on what might be causing this? Please share any suggestions on how to fix this issue. 

 

Cheers

Sidd

[silverlifter]

That looks an awful lot like some sort of mould. If so, you want to dispose of the bottle and thoroughly clean your pen, using an ammonia solution.

[Jamerelbe]

8 hours ago, silverlifter said:

That looks an awful lot like some sort of mould. If so, you want to dispose of the bottle and thoroughly clean your pen, using an ammonia solution.

That would be my suspicion too: either there's some contaminant in your Lamy Black bottle, or in your pen, that's accumulating (or even growing?) in the ink channel of the feed.  I'd be giving the pen a thorough clean, then trying another (safe) ink in the pen, to see if the problem recurs.

[Mr Gutsy]

I've never seen anything like that in a disassembled L2K.

 

Like other's have said that looks like mould of some sort growing in the pen. The culprit is most likely the Lamy black.

How old is the bottle of Lamy black? Does it smell sour or strange when opened or is there any strange growth or white spots floating at the top? If there is, I'd dump the bottle and quarantine the pen and check any other inks/pens you own. Once it's growing it can spread surprisingly fast across your collection.

[siddr90]

oh wow thanks all for the inputs! 

 

I actually bought the Lamy Black bottle only a few months back. I can't tell if there is anything wrong with the ink but I'll get rid of it after your suggestions. 

 

I'll clean the pen using a cleaning solution and maybe keep it soaked with that for a few days. Is there anything else I should do to avoid the mould from growing? (assuming it is mould of some sort) 

[Mr Gutsy]

As long as the Pen's cleaned out thoroughly that should stop the mould coming back. The only danger is if the mould has cross contaminated any other inks/pens you own/use.  

 

Inks have fungicide in them so the risk is low unless you have an ink thats prone to being at risk. I see Monteverde being mentioned now and then for poor QC on their ink batches.

[mizgeorge]

Pen cleaning solution isn't always the right thing to deal with mould, you need to give it a good soak in white vinegar, which will remove any remaining spores without any damage to any part of the pen.

 

Out of interest, was the ink bought from a UK supplier? I only ask because I've had two 'bad' bottles from the same supplier in the last few months and wondered if they might have a problem. Perhaps you'd message me if it was. 

[siddr90]

Thanks for the tip. I'll message you name of the supplier. 

 

Will also soak the pen in vinegar and hope to get rid of any spores remaining. Did a thorough cleanup with washing up liquid as well. 

 

Thanks everyone for the tips! 

[Astronymus]

On 7/12/2021 at 1:05 PM, siddr90 said:

I actually bought the Lamy Black bottle only a few months back. I can't tell if there is anything wrong with the ink but I'll get rid of it after your suggestions.

Could be a bad batch or it could be have been contaminated the moment you opened it. Mold spores are all around us all the time. Sometimes they get lucky.

 

I sometimes wonder why some people complain about molded ink on several occasions. I wonder if this could be an indicator for mold in the house apart from cross contamination.