Source
r/fountainpens•
Ruby_Ruth

What do I do - my son completely disassembled my Lamy 2000

So... my 15 year old son apparently found my Lamy 2000 (which I had taken out of my pen case because we were flying on a plane) and completely disassembled it - he screwed off the top part of the pen (which I didn't even know was an option), removed the nib unit, and then apparently immersed it all all in water to "clean" it for me. I found it a couple of weeks later when I went to put all of my pens back in their case and realized the part of the pen containing the nib was missing, and then found it sitting a few feet away.

I've tried to put it back together, and it's not the same - the cap doesn't seem to fit properly anymore and the top part doesn't seem to screw in correctly. The nib looks fine and not bent or damaged, but I've not tried to put ink back in it (honestly, I've pretty much just cried and yelled at him at this point).

This is my favorite pen and I've totally babied it - it's only ever had one ink in it, and I've never tried to take it apart or do anything other than fill it up when it's empty. It's also the only piston-filler I own, so I'm sort of at a loss for what to do. Can I fix this situation?

Posted Jul 1, 2022, 2:06 PM UTC

1038
sportsmand•

He sounds like an upcoming engineer, not that it is a valid excuse though. I get the hard feelings, but it sounds like he has had a hard time too. Well-knowing that he did it to help you out, you now have the chance to turn it into a learning opportunity for you both - then he might just want to help you out another time and hopefully with more success as he gets older and more knowledgeable. Thank him for his good intentions, and get together about righting his mistake. Watch the YouTube-video together, disassemble it together, locate and fix the issue together. You learn about your pen, and he gets a chance to be included in your process, and to turn a good intention into a good outcome

Edited spelling

36
eggbunni:Sailor:•

Love this answer. ♥️

8
Cixin•

Ok I know you’re mad right now but buy your son a pen, he’s clearly interested in them.

27
Ruby_RuthOP•

Oh, he's got lots - he has a TWSBI, a vintage dip pen, a Noodlers Ahab, and a couple of other pens. Why he chose to try to clean my pens instead of his is beyond me. :(

5
Chess-lover•

He probably wanted to clean "all the pens in the house".

Would it not be possible to assemble again? I truly hope you still have all the pieces and hope you can get it Ok with the above youtube reference.

3
Ruby_RuthOP•

I know... I think he was trying to be helpful. And he feels bad about it. I'm just so sad because it was my favorite.

And yep - I can get it back together, but something is off about it - enough that I'm concerned to put ink in it. I will watch the video and see if I can figure it out.

6
linh_nguyen•

In case you missed it since it wasn't a direct reply, if you are missing the clutch ring, you can buy it! https://vanness1938.com/products/lamy-2000-clutch-ring

5
Marbaequina:Gold_Nib:•

I wonder if a repair person would take on the re-assembly. Someone like Ron Zorn or similar. I know an L2K isn’t the priciest, and a repair might be a good portion of the purchase price, but if it’s your fave and has so much sentimental value it might be worth investigating.

2
i_talk_to_notebooks•

Why are so many people defending this kid? He’s 15, not 5.

-2†
Mirtun•

some people are more capable of extending grace than others. hope this helps!

8
111122323353•

It's not so much defending a kid being a kid as much as it is the father's response not being suitable.

7
[deleted]•

[deleted]

-7
i_talk_to_notebooks•

Reward this punk with a new pen? For disrespecting your property? I don’t think so

-8
Successful_Algae_257•

I’m not a professional, or a parent, but here’s my crazy take on this:

Well, if it’s not with malicious intent, have your son watch the videos together, fix your pen, and then remind him that even though he’s going to be an adult soon and you won’t be treating him as a child anymore, he still needs to keep the same level of respect, as in:

Don’t touch without asking. Don’t touch anything that you’re not willing to pay for if you break it. The way other people feel is important. Don’t just assume you know how someone will feel before preforming certain actions, MAKE SURE you know so there’s no misunderstandings.

At 15, people think they know everything. They’ve gotta be reminded that technically, nobody knows everything.

(Also, poor guy. Was trying to help but messed up his parent’s favorite pen instead. Maybe he’s willing to pitch in and buy a new one if things go south?)

Hope you’re able to fix your pen.

23
PrintRough•

Get rid of the kid.

I have no kids. Is that because they messed with my pens? Maybe...

17
Stumblecat•

OMG me too.

No kids, untouched pens.

7
[deleted]•

[deleted]

14
Oliver_X•

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7DQSJHSaHE&t=182s

12
Niftymitch•

Contact Lamy... if the video does not help.

There are pen companies that sell new Lamy pens but do not have a box of parts.
https://www.lamy.com/en/repairs/

1
Astroix99•

He was trying to do something kind and messed up. That happens in life. He needs to take responsibility and make things right by fixing the pen.

I suggest that you show restraint in any further emotional responses - he should be aware by now that his actions have hurt you.

A 15 yo is fully capable of looking up YouTube tutorials, asking questions on Reddit, and researching replacement parts. There are teenagers on this forum.

Personally, I’d pay for any replacement parts so he doesn’t face a financial barrier to making amends, but you do you.

12
NepGDamn:Lamy:•

does your pen still have the two metal pins near the grip? those two are needed to stop the cap and these pins fall off so easily when you disassemble the pen

11
False-Complaint8569•

https://vanness1938.com/products/lamy-2000-clutch-ring

9
linh_nguyen•

holy... I thought this wasn't purchasable.

3
Morphlux•

I bought it directly from their repair guy in the USA. Luckily I’m in Phoenix and he is in Tucson and it came soon!

1
False-Complaint8569•

I think this sounds like what happened- you may just need a new clutch ring.

5
Ruby_RuthOP•

Thanks! I do not think it does, so I’m going to have to order one of these.

2
Diligent_Marzipan_39•

Maybe you can let him re-assemble the pen again. At age of 15, I am sure he can do it. You might have got a future nib meister ;)

9
sidroqq:Sailor:•

People here have given great advice about treating this like a learning experience with your son. I wanted to add that he might enjoy the Disassembly Line videos on youtube if he'd like to know more about how FPs work and how to safely disassemble/reassemble them. I'm an engineer and love creating Frakenpen monsters and can recognize a kid who might just be following the same path. Inevitably trying to hybrid, modify, etc pens sometimes ends in heartbreak...best we can do is learn from it and stick to messing with our own pens in future, hahaha.

6
Madormo•

Can you post pics?

3
BurhanMiah•

At a minimum, it sounds like you lost your clutch cap ring! This happened to me recently as I was cleaning my 2000. You can order one from Bob Nurin, the official Lamy US repairman, for $15 shipped. Here's his number: 520-395-0183 Hope this helps!

3
beppe1_real•

It should not be too difficult if you still have all the parts. Is the little metal ring still there? Watch a youtube demo like others have mentioned.

2
Kerbart:Pelikan:•

Given that people who watch out for it manage to lose the clutch ring I'm going to say that it's safe to assume that the clutch ring has left the building.

2
CharlesThe1337•

This happened to me. Only difference was instead of a 15 year old child, I was the one who was reckless enough to take it apart (I was new to the hobby and emboldened after watching SBRE Browns video on Lamy 2000 disassembly).

The piston feels like it “slips” now. The nib also moves around on the feed and I haven’t been able to get it to fit snug since I did it about 3 1/2 years ago… I feel your pain, it kills me that I’ve had it out of commission for so long but haven’t known what to do about it.

I remember reading a long time ago on a forum that there was a Lamy repair center in the US that could service and repair it, but wasn’t able to track it down. I think sending it to Germany is also an option I saw people talking about, but never pursued it. You’re making me finally follow up on that!

If someone else on here has some experience or info they can share regarding Lamy repairs and services, I’d very much appreciate it!

2
111122323353•

Mate, calm down. It's a pen, teenagers are curious. He doesn't need a dad crying(!? really) and yelling. Explain it, 15 is old enough.

I know it's funny in this subreddit with people going too far with their hobby, but the joke is about financially hurting themselves. Not their kid!

1†
Ruby_RuthOP•

Well, I’m a mom, not a dad, but thanks. Women like fountain pens too.

8
MajLeague•

This is a bad take. This isn't an inexpensive pen. This is obviously OP's favorite pen. If you break something valuable and sentimental to someone... don't be surprised if they cry and yell. Yelling at a 15 year old for damaging something expensive isn't an issue at all.

2
GrandSignature5785•

Fix the situation? Yeah, a lot of adoption centres will willingly take your boy off your hands. 😆

1
FerrumVeritas•

You’re probably missing the silver clip ring that holds the cap on. Then you also probably need to adjust the piston so that it is aligned properly to fill.

It’s doable.

1
efaceninja•

I think it's normal to disassemble a L2K that way to give it a good clean, right? As long as the piston mechanism is not disseminated, it should be fine. The section is completely designed to be removable/disassemble-able.

In your son's mind he's just trying to help and I think he did it the right way, there's no need to fuss on him.

(which I didn't even know was an option),

This indicates that you may not know the pen as well as your son does. So maybe let your son assemble it back together.

0
MajLeague•

you do not need to completely disassemble a pen to clean it. You should not be doing this because it increases wear and tear on parts that are no meant to be taken apart over and over again.

1