Gliding on the Lamy Safari Fountain Pen - chette.com - Lifehacks, Project Management, Web Development, Technology, Joomla!, Mambo, Productivity, GTD ... by Chette Soriano

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Gliding on the Lamy Safari Fountain Pen

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Written by Chette Soriano

Sunday, 05 November 2006

I lost an insanely expensive fountain pen months ago, & have been heartbroken ever since. My efforts to find a suitable replacement proved futile, as stores over here seem to think that there are no other brands in the world except for Parker & Cross.

As time went by, desperation started to set in, and I decided to try my luck online. My Google searches led me to various sites on pens, crafts, GTDs, & lifehacks, until I finally narrowed down my choice to a Lamy Safari. It wasn't too expensive for me to experience cognitive dissonance, & it wasn't too cheap as to be mistaken for a disposable. Plus, charcoal gray is my favorite color.

I headed on to Pendemonium (I heard Swisher Pens has pretty good deals, too), and placed my order:

1 Lamy Safari Pen, extra fine nib
1 Lamy Safari Pen, fine nib (because I couldn't decide on a nib)
2 bottles of Noodler's Ink (as if I will buy anything else)
2 converters

After a few weeks of waiting for my order (from Pendemonium, to a US delivery address, & finally to the Philippines), I was finally able to hold the glorious pens in my hands. They were perfect.

I was warned the Safaris were too light to hold -- they weren't. The combined weight & diameter of the body was just right. It was very comfortable -- not at all tiring on the wrist.

I'm also glad I got both nibs. The fine nib is great for taking down hurried notes, and extra fine was awesome for numbers & math formulas.

Sample writing using Lamy Safari fine & extra fine nib

The Safari in charcoal has a great finish, but not so much the royal blue -- I could already see tiny little scratches on them.

In the next few months, I'll be adding the Studio & the AL Star to my Lamy collection. There are some brands just worth being loyal to.

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Chris Meisenzahl said:

I've got a Lamy 2000 and Lamy Dialog 2. :grin

November 05, 2006

erik said:

hello chette. thanks for the forwarded notes for Prinmar ha..?

thanks a mil.

November 21, 2006

qube said:

How do I remove the nib of my lamy? I want to replace it but I cannot take it out.

December 24, 2006

chette said:

Hi qube. I was wondering the same thing. Still don't know how to remove my nibs. Or where to get replacement nibs for that matter. Sigh. :sigh

December 27, 2006

Jonathan Aquino said:

Cool stuff. I too have a charcoal Lamy Safari, but with a 1.1mm calligraphy nib.

Where did you learn your handwriting style?

July 17, 2007 | url

Chette Soriano said:

Jonathan: This sounds weird, but my handwriting usually morphs into someone else's, usually one of my friends. If I am exposed to a particular handwriting, I seem to unconsciously acquire the same style.

I guess that makes me Peter Petrelli of handwriting

July 17, 2007 | url

James said:

Replacing a Lamy nib is quite straightforward if you follow this procedure:

1. clean and dry the pen
2. take a piece of Sellotape 50-60mm long and stick it across the nib, ie at right-angles to the axis of the pen, with the middle of the piece of tape on top of the nib. Make sure the tape only sticks to the nib, not any other part of the pen.
3. hold the pen in your left hand with the nib horizontal and facing to the right and the tape hanging down either side.
4. put your right index finger under the nib and grip the tape around that finger by using your thumb and middle finger.
5. pull the tape away from the pen, applying gentle downwards pressure to ensure the tape stays stuck to the nib. The tape will grip the nib and slide it off the feed (black plastic part).
6. slide the replacement nib on by hand, making sure it goes all the way to the end (it will be quite stiff but you shouldn't use any tool).

If you are left-handed, just replace "right" with "left" and vice-versa.

Note: on rare occasions the nib and feed will come out together. Don't worry of this happens, just continue to remove the nib before replacing the feed in the barrel of the pen. When replacing the feed, look inside the barrel and you will see a little channel formed by 2 ribs. The rib on the underside of the feed slides into this channel.

October 13, 2007 | url

moira said:

Hi! Since you're in the Philippines too, I was wondering...I'm looking for ink for my friend's Lamy pen (as he's just too busy to do the work himself, lol). He uses a fountain pen type Lamy (not sure which kind though). Where do I find ink for that particular pen? And would you have to buy ink specific to the pen you use? I mean, do they come in cartridges or something? I am obviously not a fountain pen user so please excuse my ignorance. ;p

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

September 12, 2008