Category: Art Supplies

I bought Jack a Lamy Safari extra-fine fountain pen. He likes it (though he bought a bunch of refills rather than deal with loading it from a bottle. The ink’s not waterproof but it’s a lot simpler to deal with if you’re not used to ink bottles) but prefers my new super thick and chunky nibbed Safari. I discovered that you can replace the nib on a Safari to a different style. You can buy the whole front end of the pen on the Lamy website for virtually what I paid for the complete pen but on ebay I found a guy selling just the nibs for a lot less. Hopefully,  we’ll get it next week and can make the swap.

After my bizarre pen experience yesterday, I hastily ordered a replacement. In fact, I got so carried away and was so vigorously cursing my old Safari that I ordered several replacements (“muttering “I wont be fooled again”). Another Lamy Safari extra fine, a second Lamy Safari pen with a broad nib (and a refill converter), and finally something pink called a “Noodler’s Ink Flex Nib Piston Fill Pink Panther Fountain Pen.” It was a mad burst of self-indulgence brought on by grief, I’ll admit.

Then, this evening, reading the comments on my last post, I came upon a link recommended by Lisa Ridolfi which led me to a video explaining how to swap out nibs on Lamy pens.

As I watched the video, I thought, “Huh, so Lamy pens don’t usually have black plastic points, they have metal nibs. The black plastic bit is just the thing that the actual nib slides on to. Which could only mean that ….”And sure enough, after scrabbling around on my desk, I found the metal nib that I had accidentally yanked off as I tried to vigorously wipe down my newly filled pen. I slid it back into place, gave it another more delicate wipe down and the Safari is back on course. Huzzah!

Any day now, I shall have an embarrassment of new pens arriving in the mailbox which will fortunately will force me to draw all the more. I hope you will absorb you this pathetic anecdote as a cautionary tale, and that you will forgive any aspersions I have cast at the Lamy company and their fine products.

How weird!  This morning I posted about my pen and the ink I use in it. A pen I have used without incident, around the world, in book after book. A Lamy Safari Charcoal Extra Fine Point Fountain Pen – L17EF

There was nothing I could do but order a new Safari, a bright blue one this time.

That’s what I get for raving about a trusty old pal and for answering too many questions about it in one day. Rest in peace, Old Safari.

A number of people have asked me what ink I put in the Lamy Safari fountain pen I use in the Spring video. It’s a lovely substance called “Noodler’s Black Waterproof Fountain Pen Ink” which is incidentally classified as “Bulletproof” because, once dry, it “resists all the known tools of a forger, UV light, UV light wands, bleaches, alcohols, solvents, petrochemicals, oven cleaners, carpet cleaners, carpet stain lifters …” In short, don’t spill it on your nice new shirt.

I bought my initial bottle on Amazon for about $12 but I see it’s now up to $16.18. As that first bottle has lasted me for nearly two years and is still going strong, I consider it a bulletproof investment.