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Sunday, September 25, 2011

Tragedy strikes my Lamy

Just a quick post to lament the loss of my Lamy's EF nib. Today, tragedy struck as I was cleaning my Lamy AL-Star. As I held the pen over the sink, I stupidly pulled the nib, dropped it into the drain and lost it forever.

I did try to fish it out of the drain with a powerful magnet tied to a string but good luck with that. These nibs seem to have pitifully little magnetic material in their composition. Short of dismantling the drain (which I'm not prepared to do), there's nothing else I could think of. So RIP dear EF nib.

It's been a short (but good) run for this nib, despite the problems I initially had with it. I ended up liking the EF nib very much but now it's gone and I won't see it again *sob*.

I can still use my Lamy fountain pen though: I've got my italic nibs which I also like a lot. So... life goes on!

Update: thanks to Tom Lynch's comment I thought I'd have another look at the pipes under my sink. Sure enough, I discovered something I missed the first time: there's a U-pipe there (the trap) which is held by 2 nuts. So I unscrewed those and out came the nib! Tragedy reversed! Thanks Tom!
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16 comments:

  1. Tom LynchSeptember 25, 2011 at 12:07 PM

    Don't write off you nib just yet! (no pun intended) There is a chance that it is still at the bottom of your trap, it might be heavy enough to still be lying in there. It's really quite easy to remove the small nut at the bottom of the trap with a wrench. Many an engagement ring has been retrieved this way without getting into a big plumbing fiasco.

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  2. PeninkcillinSeptember 25, 2011 at 2:18 PM

    Hah, guess what? I recovered the nib. After reading your reply I decided to take a look at those pipes again. Thanks for the pep talk!

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  3. Tom LynchSeptember 25, 2011 at 2:45 PM

    AWESOME!!!!!! 
    What great news! That does my heart good to hear, I'm glad I was able to help.
    Happy writing, my friend!

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  4. PeninkcillinSeptember 25, 2011 at 4:15 PM

    Thanks again :) That would have been about $10 down the drain.

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  5. 777 Pen RepairSeptember 26, 2011 at 9:19 AM

    Ha! The trap of the sink - I was about to suggest the exact same thing!

    I lost a piece down my sink once, and found it in the trap. Big sigh of relief...

    I always have a net in my sink now, to catch falling parts. :)

    So glad you found it though!

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  6. 777 Pen RepairSeptember 26, 2011 at 9:23 AM

    For me, a pen part is not only worth the money, but several other factors. Like how well that specific nib/part writes/functions, and what sentimental value it has, plus the time it takes to order another one.

    $10.00 face value, but it might be worth a lot more to you. :)

    I know some of my nibs are!

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  7. Tom LynchSeptember 26, 2011 at 10:02 AM

    My sentiments exactly. 
    There's a big difference between the COST of something and the VALUE of something.

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  8. SharonSeptember 26, 2011 at 5:20 PM

    Congratulations!!! and way to go Tom!!!

    Sharon

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  9. PeninkcillinSeptember 26, 2011 at 7:41 PM

    Well, it was quite a smooth writer.

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  10. PeninkcillinSeptember 26, 2011 at 7:41 PM

    Hey guys I didn't find any diamond rings unfortunately :(

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  11. ALI IKIZKAYASeptember 27, 2011 at 4:11 PM

    Hi Peninkcillin !
    It takes so long time that I am not commenting. This is a very good news.
    In Turkish we have an expression for your situation as follows;
    If God needs to make happy a poor guy, he hidden the donkey of the poor guy and than makes to find it.
    Warm Hugs.

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  12. PeninkcillinSeptember 27, 2011 at 5:38 PM

    Well Ali, I'd rather he didn't hide the donkey in the first place :) But thanks for visiting again. I've been away on vacation, that's why I stopped posting.

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  13. Edward DotsonOctober 11, 2011 at 6:20 AM

    it would take about 2 minutes to remove the trap on your drain to retrieve your nib. don't just give up!

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  14. PeninkcillinOctober 11, 2011 at 7:53 PM

    I did! Please read above. It took more than 2 minutes because I also had to clean up the goop that was in there but I recovered the nib!

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  15. Tom LynchNovember 21, 2011 at 6:18 PM

    Hey Pen!

    I just wanted to touch base with you and fire off a link to my blog:

    www.wentsketching.blogspot.com

    I've got a lot of pen and art supply info. My reviews don't even come close to the quality of yours, but I show how I use my stuff in my work. It was yours and Leigh's blog that started my Jet Pens addiction so I thought I needed an outlet too.

    I hope you have a chance to check it out.

    Thanks a lot!

    Tom, NYC

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  16. PeninkcillinNovember 21, 2011 at 7:07 PM

    Hi Tom! You are too kind! I'm just a reviewer of fountain pens and inks but from what I can see on your blog, you are a true artist. I have added you to my blogroll. Thanks for visiting!

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