How to Get Ballpoint Pen to Work Again Reddit

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Ballpoint pens have smooth ink that's resistant to drying and wonderfully responsive to different levels of pressure. Unfortunately, they also tend to suddenly stop working. If you've tried scribbling in circles on a piece of bit paper with no success, don't give up on your pen merely yet. Attempt a simple hack like heating up the nib or dipping information technology in a household solvent to get the ink flowing once more. Go on in mind that ballpoint pens tin't always be saved, however, so you may need to replace your pen or cartridge if these tricks don't work.

1. i

   Put the pen in boiling-hot water for v minutes to avoid using flames. If y'all're worried about burning yourself or your pen, use hot h2o to warm upwards the ink.^[one] Heat some h2o to humid in a kettle or in a pan on the stove, then pour it into a mug. Ready the pen tip-downward in the h2o for almost v minutes, and then test it out on a piece of paper.

   • If your pen has any metal components, dry them thoroughly to prevent corrosion. You lot can also take the pen apart and soak just the cartridge if you lot don't want to get the barrel of the pen wet.

2. two

   Warm the pen with a blow dryer or craft heat gun for gentler heating. If you're worried that an open flame or humid water will be too harsh, warm the nib and cartridge with a pilus dryer on a high heat setting. For slightly more powerful heating, y'all tin too utilise a craft heat gun or embossing gun. Warm the nib of the pen for a few seconds at a time, then try writing with it.^[ii]

   • Don't apply an industrial estrus gun! They go extremely hot and will probably melt your pen.

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3. 3

   Agree the tip of the pen to a flame for a few seconds to unclog the ink. Use a lighter, lucifer, or candle to create a flame, then place just the very tip of your pen in the flame for a few seconds. In many cases, the oestrus will melt any gummed-up ink near the tip and get the pen working again.^[3]

   • Be careful not to burn yourself or melt the pen. Concur just the very tip of the nib in the flame, and don't practice it for longer than 2-iii seconds.
   • If you're worried nigh melting the barrel of your pen, remove the cartridge first. That way, information technology's easier to just heat the nib of the pen.
   • Scribble on some paper right abroad to get the ink moving and cheque if your pen works.

   Tip: Wrapping a piddling aluminum foil around the tip of your pen can besides aid insulate it from the flame. However, it may take longer for the ink to warm up enough to showtime flowing again.^[4]

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1. ane

   Dab a little spit on the nib to lubricate the brawl. This may audio gross, but spit can act as a lubricant or gentle solvent to help unclog the tip of your pen. If you're hesitant to actually lick the nib of your pen, put a little spit on your fingertip or a napkin and dip the pen tip in that. Then, scribble on a piece of paper to run into if you can get the ink flowing.^[5]

   • Ballpoint pen ink is generally non considered toxic, so don't worry about getting sick from licking the pen. Any mildly toxic components, such as glycols, are present in such modest amounts that they won't crusade any harm.^[vi]

2. 2

   Dip the point of the pen in rubbing alcohol to dissolve clogs. If some of the ink is dried out in the pen, you might be able to get it going by thinning information technology a little with rubbing alcohol. Pour some alcohol into a cup or bowl and dip the pen into it, and so scribble on a slice of newspaper to see if you tin get it flowing again.^[7]

   • About ballpoint pens have oil-based ink, which is part of the reason it's and then hard to get ballpoint stains out of wearable. Solvents, such as alcohol, are improve at thinning oil-based ink than plainly water.

3. 3

   Try acetone if booze doesn't piece of work. Acetone is a more ambitious solvent that might unclog your pen if alcohol isn't stiff enough. Dip the beak of your pen in a niggling bit of acetone-based nail polish remover and run into if that does the trick.^[8]

   • Acetone releases harsh fumes, so e'er use information technology in a well-ventilated area.
   • Try to dip only the very tip of the pen in the acetone, since acetone tin can impairment many types of plastic.^[9]

   Tip: If you don't accept booze or acetone on hand, kerosene, odorless mineral spirits, or WD-40 might work.

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1. 1

   Scrape the beak on a safe surface to become the ball rolling. When scribbling on newspaper doesn't work, sometimes you can get a stuck ball moving past rubbing the pen on a condom surface. Scribble on a condom eraser or even the sole of your shoe.^[10]

   • Alternatively, some people find it helpful to scribble on a glass surface (such as a paw mirror) to go a stuck ballpoint pen going once more.^[xi]

2. 2

   Milkshake the pen to move the ink downward in the cartridge. Sometimes a ballpoint pen will stop writing because in that location's a space or bubble between the ink in the cartridge and the neb. Concur the end of your pen opposite the pecker and give the pen several firm shakes, as if you lot were shaking downward an quondam-fashioned drinking glass thermometer. When you're done, give it a scribble to see if it works.^[12]

   • You can also endeavor borer the pen firmly on a hard surface, like the edge of a desk or table.

   Tip: To keep the ink from flowing away from the neb, store your ballpoint pens tip-down in a mug or pen holder.

3. three

   Push the ink downwards in a broad cartridge with a cotton swab. If your pen has a wide enough cartridge, y'all may be able to push button the ink downwards toward the nib. Unscrew the barrel of your pen and have out the cartridge, so pull the cap off the end of the cartridge. Push a cotton wool swab into the cartridge and utilise gentle pressure to the fluid within. Put your pen back together and test information technology again.^[thirteen]

   • If the cartridge is too narrow to fit a cotton wool swab in, use a smaller object, like a paperclip.
   • If the cotton swab gets ink on it, toss it in the trash right away so that the ink doesn't spread around and stain anything.

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Add New Question

• Question

  How do I get a Zebra Orbit pen to work again?

  

  This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accurateness and comprehensiveness.

  

  wikiHow Staff Editor

  Staff Answer

  Commencement of all, try checking the cartridge to encounter if it looks similar there's still ink inside. If not, your pen might need a refill. You tin can purchase new cartridges online or from an office supply store. Otherwise, try running hot water over the neb to get the ink flowing and dissolve clogs, or shake your pen to get whatsoever bubbles out.

• Question

  What do I do if my dry out ball point pen is dispensing ink poorly?

  

  This answer was written past 1 of our trained team of researchers who validated information technology for accurateness and comprehensiveness.

  

  wikiHow Staff Editor

  Staff Answer

  If the ink is skipping a lot, at that place could exist bubbles or a clog in the ink. Heating the cartridge in warm water might aid loosen things up. You tin also try dipping the nib in alcohol or some other solvent to deliquesce any clogs.

• Question

  Are the Scribble Stuff pens usable for this type of process?

  

  This answer was written past 1 of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

  

  wikiHow Staff Editor

  Staff Answer

  If you're using the gel pens, dipping the cartridge in warm or hot water might work. Well-nigh Scribble Stuff pens accept marker tips and are not ballpoint pens, so you might have to use a unlike technique for those (such equally injecting water into the tips or soaking them in vinegar).

• Question

  How do I get the ink working on a Pilot BeGreen Precise V5?

  

  This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accurateness and comprehensiveness.

  

  wikiHow Staff Editor

  Staff Answer

  The Pilot BeGreen is a rollerball pen, which is similar to a ballpoint but with less viscid ink. Check the cartridge first to meet if it looks empty. If so, y'all'll demand to purchase a replacement cartridge. Otherwise, you tin try dipping the cartridge in hot water for a few minutes or shaking it down to go the ink flowing.

• Question

  Will I get ink all over my mouth if I blow on the pen?

  

  No, merely if yous're blowing into the cartridge, you may get a spray or spatter from the other cease, so sentry what you're pointing at. Also, make sure you don't suck in.

• Question

  Why practice y'all put it in water?

  

  The pen is placed in water to estrus the ink and allow it to be released like normal. When pens don't work very well, the ink has often dried out a bit, so putting it in water allows it to become more than fluid and usable.

• Question

  My pen has ink, but stops writing randomly. How tin I set it?

  

  I recommend propping the pen upward against something that will keep it betoken downward for a few minutes. I had the same trouble, and when I did it, the ink was flowing pretty well.

• Question

  My ballpoint pens spit out ink in blobs, smudges, blurs, and large spots. How practise I prevent this?

  

  This tin happen when the ball within the tip has been nudged or scratched. Information technology causes the tip to distribute ink in an odd way. It might exist time for you lot to get a new pen. If you tin can't get a new pen, and so consider getting a new point for your pen instead.

• Question

  How practice I restart a Pilot juice pen?

  

  AtlanticEX

  Community Respond

  Accept a water sprayer and spray information technology once. This would become rid of air bubbles and make it run again. Notation: This works on a few, and might neglect on a few.

• Question

  What should I practise if my new, expensive pen runs out of ink?

  

  First, make certain that the pen isn't merely dry out. Follow the steps in this article to get information technology working again. If the commodity does not assist, get a refill cartilage. Depending on the type of pen you got, your pen might besides accept a warranty. Check the packaging and/or characterization. If the pen is under warranty, you might exist able to get information technology replaced.

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VideoRead Video Transcript

• While some of these tricks might help, there'south no totally reliable method for getting a ballpoint pen working again. If your pen is still being stubborn and you tin't hands supervene upon the cartridge, it may be time to get a new pen.

• Some fancier ballpoint pens take cartridges that can be replaced or refilled. If yous're adamant to keep your ballpoint pen merely you lot just can't become the ink flowing, check online or visit your local office supply store to come across if you can purchase a refill. Make certain to get one that'due south designed for your blazon of pen.

• Some new ballpoint pens or cartridges have a tiny plastic cap over the nib to protect it and preclude leaks. Brand sure to remove that so that your pen can write.

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Commodity Summary X

To restart a dry ballpoint pen, first bring some h2o to a boil and transfer it to a mug. And then, put your pen tip-side downward in the water and permit it sit down for 5 minutes. The hot water will loosen the ink and get information technology flowing again. Y'all tin can achieve the same consequence by heating the tip of the pen with a blow dryer, or by carefully heating the tip with a lighter for a few seconds. You can also restart a ballpoint pen by dipping the tip in rubbing booze or acetone. The solvent will dissolve any clogs so the ink is able to flow again. Another pick is to rub the tip on something prophylactic, like an eraser or the sole of your shoe. Sometimes the friction is enough to get the pen working over again. Or you tin try shaking information technology and tapping it on a difficult surface to motility the ink downward into the cartridge in case there are any gaps or bubbles that are preventing it from flowing. Call up to shop your ballpoint pens tip-side downwardly and then the ink doesn't flow away from the nib. For more piece of cake tips on manually restarting a dry ball indicate pen, read on!

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