Lumos FAQs
Watch me demonstrating some FAQs on my Instagram stories here.
What are the differences between the Duo and the Single Lumos?
The Duo Lumos allows you to have two different pens in one body, allowing you to easily change between nibs and ink colours on either side.
The Single Lumos has one tip and one ink reservoir which is double the Duo's reservoir size.
What's the difference between the Lumos and other refillable technical pens? (E.g. Rotring Isograph and Copic Multiliner).
I designed the Lumos due to a few things I found frustrating about other refillable fineliners. Firstly, there was still quite a lot of unnecessary waste; to refill the Copic requires you to buy a plastic disposable refill and a replacement nib for the Rotring costs £20+. You're also limited by the type of ink you can use in each pen and tied into their format (much like printer cartridges). I wanted to make an extremely high quality and versatile version of a refillable fineliner, and thus the Lumos was born.
What ink can I use?
- All nibs will work with all but the most experimental fountain pen inks (think shimmer + iridescent). I've tried a LOT and I'm yet to find one that doesn't work well. I'd encourage you to experiment and find the inks that work best for you!
- I recommend Sailor Kiwa-guro ink if you would like to use a waterproof archival pigment ink. 50ml will last you for years!
- Avoid using fountain pen pigment ink in the brush, chisel and felt tip as it will clog.
- If in doubt, use ink designed for fountain pens or make sure that it's dye-based. Indian, acrylic and gouache-based inks will clog the pen. At least the tips and resevoirs are easily replaceable if this does happen!
Do the tips dull over time?
The tips are made by the best Japanese technical pen manufacturers, so they will outlive many of their peers. Dulling/flattening of the tip depends on a few factors:
- Smooth paper will decrease friction and in turn wear on the tips
- Point size of the nib, the smaller the tip, the more pressure is going through a smaller area, which can shorten the tip's life.
- A technique using excess pressure, or a style like a pointillism can shorten the lifetime of the tips.
- Ink used, some inks flow more freely, which decreases the friction.
The beauty is that you can replace these tips at a fraction of the cost and waste of other technical pens.
Can I buy a selection of tips?
Yes you can find the full tip collection here
and multipacks of your favourite sizes and styles here
Will my Lumos stain or scratch?
No, the Lumos is made from anodised aluminium and PVD-coated stainless steel, both of which will not stain. It is also extremely hard wearing for everyday use.
Care instructions?
I recommend regularly cleaning your pen in a bowl of warm soapy water to remove any residual ink. Make sure you thoroughly dry any components before reinserting them into the pen. Making sure there isn't any ink in the threaded parts of the pen. To lubricate your pen please use silicone grease, which creates a good seal between the components and will maintain the ink flow nicely.
How quickly does the pen dry out between uses?
Again, this all depends on Ink choice and where you store the pen. The beauty is that it's super easy to refresh the pen by recharging the reservoir with the original ink. If your pen is running a wee bit dry you can also dip the tip in water to get it going again.
How do I change between inks?
There are two ways:
How do your nib sizes compare to other fineliners/technical pens?
- Nib sizes are different depending on the manufacturer (Eg Sakura, Staedler). If anything, ours are on the smaller side so it might be worth getting the size down from your preferred choice or buying the full tip collection to find the ones that work best for you here.
How do you keep the Lumos tips wobble-free?
As a product designer, it's important to me to use components that last. One solution for eliminating any movement in the Lumos would be to use o-rings but these wear over time and would be annoying for customers to replace. Instead, I've designed the pen to use high shear grease which lubricates the pen whilst eliminating any wobble. This can be easily be topped up as and when by applying it to the threaded parts of the pen. Small sachets will be available on my site soon.