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Bogon07
June 27th, 2012, 05:55 PM
I'm developing a distinct dislike of the Lamy blue cartridges that come with their pens.

The three I've used so far with B & 1.5 italic nibs have been less than exquisite writing experiences which I feel doesn't do the brand any favours at all.

All so far have been prone to skipping and seem unable to keep up with writing at a reasonable speed especially on long downstrokes. The ink appears to have a dry sort of flow. Maybe it is better suited to thinner nibs as it feels better using this B upside-down.
It will be interesting to compare the blue to the black Lamy cartridges that came with some pens from Malaysia.


Here is a sample scanned from a Rhodia grid pad, the grid seems to lend a slight purpleness to the ink. You can also see how the ink on some downstrokes separates onto the tines of the B nib. It also writes better on my cheapo OfficeMax notepad paper at work. Could be a bit of a dodgey B nib. My other B writes fine with Noodle's BSiAR.

739

KrazyIvan
June 27th, 2012, 08:11 PM
I used up one cartridge and never again did I touch the other two I have. With that railroading maybe the tines just need opening up a little bit.

Truppi327
June 27th, 2012, 08:33 PM
I used the blue cart that came with my Vista, one of my first pens, I got half way through and tossed it. I've never had an urge to try one again. Dry, skippy, and a very dull blue.

Love the LAMY pens but not so much the ink.

Lt. Tom
June 27th, 2012, 09:25 PM
I've used two of them, so I could refill them with other inks. In a Safari with a medium nib, it performed flawlessly until about 1 sentence before it and the feed ran completely dry. The second one was used in another Safari with a fine nib. It would be a little skippy for about the first two words every morning, and then it would be fine for the rest of the day. For the first week I owned my first one, it was used only on yellow legal pads, and I thought it was a rather uninspired shade of blue. Then one day I took notes all day in a composition book with white paper, and I decided I really like it. (at least on white paper!)

Bogon07
June 27th, 2012, 10:13 PM
I used up one cartridge and never again did I touch the other two I have. With that railroading maybe the tines just need opening up a little bit.
Thanks Ivan, I will definitely investigate that option after testing with other inks. It should improve the flow and skipping too.

Another thing I've noticed with this B nib and ink is that it does seem to write much better with almost no downward pressure applied but I feel less in control.

It is interesting to see that you guys have had similar experiences with these cartridges. I'm so glad that I went straight to a converter and Noodlers with my first few pens.


Lt Tom & Truppi327, this ink's colour is profoundly influenced by the paper being used and also from what I've experienced the lighting conditions too. It often seems to dry as duller colour too.

kenmc
June 28th, 2012, 07:37 AM
This is really a surprise to me! I have been using them for 7 years now and never had a problem. I have a blue AlStar that can stay a month on the rack and always write at the first stroke! Lamy blue or any Waterman ink is always the ink I go to if I am having problems with a pen - for me, if they don't write well with these it needs repair. The carts I have are 7 years old. I have a bottle of it too and use that exclusively in my Lamy 27. I haven't bought Lamy blue carts lately though, so maybe they have changed something?
On the other hand, I buy a pack of Lamy blue/black carts every time I order something. Love to use it in "work" pens since it can be used on any paper without even show/see -through!
Have those of you that have had problems used Noodlers or PR in the pen first? If I want performance problems with a pen, all I have to do is use either one of those!

John the Monkey
June 28th, 2012, 08:16 AM
This is really a surprise to me! I have been using them for 7 years now and never had a problem. I have a blue AlStar that can stay a month on the rack and always write at the first stroke!

That's my experience too - of five Lamy nibs we've had through the house (3 mediums, one EF, one 1.1mm) all have been nice writers too, for what that's worth. I use Lamy blue as my reliable ink - tends not to misbehave on most papers, although I prefer other blues, I find Lamy blue ok.

KrazyIvan
June 28th, 2012, 09:00 AM
There is a thread on FPN I saw a few months ago. The person modified their Vista's feed, widening or adding a channel for more ink flow. That could also be the issue. The wider nibs need good wet flow to keep up. I'll see if I can find it.

tytoalba
June 28th, 2012, 11:55 AM
Awhile back, after a full flush, I tried to use the small international cart on a very wet writing medium "other brand pen" = no ink at all. I forced some ink into the feed. It held the entire contents, and required a second cartridge before the pen rendered its nice wet line.
Safari, I've found, is similar in that its feed holds a great quantity of ink. If it's starved for ink, it's going to run dry. I must admit the largest nib I use regularly is medium. After a full flush, I force ink into the feed. Thereafter, it flows wet, and flawlessly. I've now found that using the converter to help fill that 1st fill, really helps. I would guess that popping in a cartridge on a new Bold or 1.5 would = ink starvation. Personally I'm fairly resistant to carving into the feeds channels, unless full ink saturation does not work, and then I would seek a new feed from Lamy 1st.

On my EF, F, 1.1, popping in a new cartridge is usually successful. Rarely have I needed the extra step to pre-flush.
I did find there were two inks that were far too dry to be effective in Safari, and I simply use those elsewhere. I like Lamy blue, some don't, it's just personal pref.
Have you tried using the convterter to flood the feed, after a flush?
Hope this helps.

melissa59
June 28th, 2012, 02:45 PM
I tried using it with my 1.5 nib and didn't like the way it looked. It seemed sort of, I don't know, faded and blah, getting more faded and blah as I wrote with it. (Is that a sign of a dry ink?)

I put my fine nib back on the pen and it works great. I'm not a blue ink fan and I don't find the Lamy blue to be a particularly pretty ink, but it serves its purpose for writing grocery and to do lists. When I want a pretty color, I use my converter. I just pluck out the cartridge, wrap the end with plastic wrap and a rubber band and stick it in a baggie for later use. (yes, I'm that cheap! LOL)

Bogon07
June 28th, 2012, 05:08 PM
I tried using it with my 1.5 nib and didn't like the way it looked. It seemed sort of, I don't know, faded and blah, getting more faded and blah as I wrote with it. (Is that a sign of a dry ink?)


Exactly how Mrs Bogon and I felt about the blue cartridges in a 1.5 Al-Star we took on holidays.

I really suspect these cartridges are better suited to the narrower nibs.

However I have now noticed that the flow and colour are much more consistant with the B nib if I consciously try not to exert any downward pressure what-so-ever which can be rather tiring.

When this cartridge is empty I'm going to give the pen a good flush out using a converter.

tytoalba
June 28th, 2012, 06:10 PM
Considering the huge range of saturated inks available, I have to agree.
My comparison of Lamy bottled blue is to gel penned reports of co-workers. At the end of the month Lamy from my medium nib always stood out as a bright saturated blue. It also washed out of my clothing with ease.

As I concluded both the job with daily reports and emptied bottle #1, have recently been using Diamine inks with great success. Filled a new 1.1 with Saddle, and Meadow. Both flow very well.
One ink that I heard flowed well, Pilot Horsetail Brown was quite dry - I rinsed and refilled with the Saddle.
Do let us know what inks you find work for you 1.5, or if you find there is an issue with that specific feed.
Wondering.. do you maintain the same writing speed when using a wider italic?
ink is ink Melissa, don't think saving the cart an indicator of living on the cheap : ) some have dropped a bead of low-temp glue to re-seal the cart

Bogon07
June 28th, 2012, 06:43 PM
tytoalba - the 1.5 Al-star is loaded with Noodler's Cayenne. Speed would usually be slower.

melissa59
June 28th, 2012, 07:35 PM
Wondering.. do you maintain the same writing speed when using a wider italic?
I tend to write slower with my 1.5 than I do with my fine nib. I don't think it's a conscious nib-size decision. It's mostly because I use my 1.5 to practice forming italic letters and a bit of doodling. I use my fine nib to just write.



ink is ink Melissa, don't think saving the cart an indicator of living on the cheap : ) some have dropped a bead of low-temp glue to re-seal the cart
Low-temp glue gun ... hadn't thought of this. Glue the tip and stick it in a bag and it's almost portable. I think I'll be saving my cartridge after it is empty. Now I just got to get me one of those thick-needle syringes to clean and fill it. :-)

KrazyIvan
June 29th, 2012, 10:31 AM
If you don't want to mess with an electric glue gun, you could always buy a tube of RTV silicone adhesive. Works about the same.

melissa59
June 29th, 2012, 11:03 AM
After sealing, how do you unseal?
Do you pick off the glue with your fingers? Poke a hole in it with a paper clip?

Lt. Tom
June 29th, 2012, 01:42 PM
..... Now I just got to get me one of those thick-needle syringes to clean and fill it. :-)

I depends on what part of So.California you're in (I grew up there). If you go to the kind tack & feed store where they carry stuff for raising horses, sheep, pigs, etc., you can get 20 gauge needles and syringes pretty cheaply. If you're a really clumsy sort, you can round off the points on them, but I've found the 20 gauge is big enough that I don't accidently stick myself. The closest feed store to me here in Georgia only carried "6 packs", and I paid around $6 for 6 needles and 6 syringes. I'd offer to send you a couple but postage would be more than they're worth!

editted because; I can't spell

KrazyIvan
June 29th, 2012, 01:44 PM
After sealing, how do you unseal?
Do you pick off the glue with your fingers? Poke a hole in it with a paper clip?

If you leave a big enough blob, you can pick it off with your fingers.

Bogon07
July 1st, 2012, 11:41 PM
Here is small scan of the same Safari and B nib and a Lamy cartridge loaded with Noodler's Purple Martin rather than Lamy Blue. As you can see no skipping or rail-roading on the longer pen strokes like before.
748

The work scanner has made the dark bits very slightly darker and light bits slightly lighter.
It had a bit of a fit during the scan which was of a larger A5 piece of Lihit Lab paper as well as the Rhodia#12 page but sections were turned into lineart with no shading at all.
In reality the Rhodia is a much more dramatic example of the ink's shading ability, in my OfficeMax notebook it exhibits no shading at all.

Cleaning out the cartridge was fairly easy but trying to put in the new ink using an eye-dropper was not something you would want to do in a hurry. I think a syringe would be easier with less mess involved.

KrazyIvan
July 2nd, 2012, 11:12 PM
Wow, that just shows the ink from the cartridge is just blech!

Newjelan
July 7th, 2012, 05:14 AM
I've tried the Lamy Blue, Green & Purple ink cartridges. The purple is OK (just so so) but I think the other 2 are very ordinary -flat and boring.

Sailor Kenshin
July 9th, 2012, 02:59 PM
Awwww... I kinda like the color.

kenmc
July 11th, 2012, 02:52 PM
OT but, I have found Lamy blue black cartridge ink to be one of the very few inks that work on Moleskines (no bleed or show-through). I'll admit, it ain't purty, but it does a good job.

KrazyIvan
July 12th, 2012, 06:11 PM
yeah, the bottle ink also works but I just can't seem to like the color.

Rocket
July 29th, 2012, 11:04 AM
I'm not a huge fan of the blue either - when you have been introduced to all the other wonderful blues out there, this one just doesn't seem to compare. My favourite is Herbin Bleu Myosotis.

woosang
March 27th, 2013, 12:53 AM
Don't like it either.. Then again I toss them in a box anyway


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