Tips to Get Ball Point Pen Working Again

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Ballpoint pens accept smooth ink that's resistant to drying and wonderfully responsive to different levels of pressure. Unfortunately, they as well tend to suddenly cease working. If you've tried scribbling in circles on a piece of chip paper with no success, don't give upwardly on your pen but yet. Try a uncomplicated hack like heating upwardly the nib or dipping it in a household solvent to get the ink flowing again. Keep in heed that ballpoint pens can't always be saved, however, then you may need to supplant your pen or cartridge if these tricks don't work.

1. 1

   Put the pen in boiling-hot h2o for 5 minutes to avert using flames. If you're worried most burning yourself or your pen, use hot water to warm up the ink.^[ane] Rut some water to boiling in a kettle or in a pan on the stove, then pour it into a mug. Prepare the pen tip-downwards in the water for almost 5 minutes, and so examination it out on a piece of newspaper.

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

2. 2

   Warm the pen with a accident dryer or arts and crafts estrus gun for gentler heating. If you lot're worried that an open flame or boiling h2o volition exist likewise harsh, warm the nib and cartridge with a hair dryer on a high rut setting. For slightly more than powerful heating, yous can too use a craft estrus gun or embossing gun. Warm the nib of the pen for a few seconds at a time, so try writing with it.^[2]

   • Don't use an industrial heat gun! They get extremely hot and volition probably melt your pen.

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3. three

   Hold the tip of the pen to a flame for a few seconds to unclog the ink. Use a lighter, friction match, 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 cook any gummed-up ink near the tip and get the pen working again.^[3]

   • Exist conscientious not to burn yourself or melt the pen. Hold simply the very tip of the nib in the flame, and don't do it for longer than 2-3 seconds.
   • If you're worried nigh melting the barrel of your pen, remove the cartridge first. That mode, it's easier to but rut the pecker of the pen.
   • Scribble on some paper correct away to become the ink moving and check if your pen works.

   Tip: Wrapping a little aluminum foil around the tip of your pen tin can as well help insulate it from the flame. However, information technology may take longer for the ink to warm up enough to start flowing again.^[4]

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1. 1

   Dab a petty spit on the nib to lubricate the ball. This may sound 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. And so, scribble on a slice of paper to see 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. Whatever mildly toxic components, such as glycols, are nowadays in such small amounts that they won't cause any impairment.^[6]

2. 2

   Dip the bespeak 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 past thinning information technology a little with rubbing alcohol. Pour some alcohol into a cup or bowl and dip the pen into it, then scribble on a piece of paper to see if you tin get it flowing again.^[7]

   • Most ballpoint pens have oil-based ink, which is function of the reason it'southward so hard to get ballpoint stains out of wear. Solvents, such as alcohol, are ameliorate at thinning oil-based ink than plain water.

3. 3

   Try acetone if alcohol doesn't work. Acetone is a more ambitious solvent that might unclog your pen if booze isn't strong plenty. Dip the nib of your pen in a little bit of acetone-based nail polish remover and come across if that does the trick.^[viii]

   • Acetone releases harsh fumes, and then always use it in a well-ventilated area.
   • Endeavour to dip only the very tip of the pen in the acetone, since acetone can damage many types of plastic.^[9]

   Tip: If you don't have alcohol or acetone on manus, kerosene, odorless mineral spirits, or WD-forty might work.

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1. 1

   Scrape the neb on a rubber surface to get the brawl rolling. When scribbling on paper doesn't piece of work, sometimes you can become a stuck ball moving by rubbing the pen on a rubber surface. Scribble on a prophylactic eraser or fifty-fifty the sole of your shoe.^[10]

   • Alternatively, some people notice information technology helpful to scribble on a glass surface (such as a paw mirror) to get a stuck ballpoint pen going once more.^[11]

2. 2

   Shake the pen to movement the ink downwards in the cartridge. Sometimes a ballpoint pen will cease writing because there'south a infinite or chimera betwixt the ink in the cartridge and the neb. Hold the end of your pen opposite the pecker and give the pen several firm shakes, as if you were shaking downwards an erstwhile-fashioned glass thermometer. When you're washed, give it a scribble to run into if it works.^[12]

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

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

3. iii

   Push the ink down in a broad cartridge with a cotton wool swab. If your pen has a wide enough cartridge, you may be able to push the ink down toward the nib. Unscrew the butt of your pen and take out the cartridge, and then pull the cap off the finish of the cartridge. Push button a cotton swab into the cartridge and apply gentle pressure to the fluid inside. Put your pen back together and test it once again.^[xiii]

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

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Add New Question

• Question

  How practice I get a Zebra Orbit pen to work once more?

  

  This answer was written by i of our trained squad of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

  

  wikiHow Staff Editor

  Staff Answer

  First of all, effort checking the cartridge to see if information technology looks similar there'due south still ink inside. If not, your pen might demand a refill. You lot can buy new cartridges online or from an office supply store. Otherwise, try running hot water over the nib to become the ink flowing and deliquesce clogs, or shake your pen to get any bubbles out.

• Question

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

  

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

  

  wikiHow Staff Editor

  Staff Respond

  If the ink is skipping a lot, there could be bubbles or a clog in the ink. Heating the cartridge in warm water might assist loosen things upwards. You tin can also effort dipping the nib in alcohol or some other solvent to dissolve any clogs.

• Question

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

  

  This reply was written by i of our trained squad of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

  

  wikiHow Staff Editor

  Staff Reply

  If you're using the gel pens, dipping the cartridge in warm or hot h2o might work. Most Scribble Stuff pens have marker tips and are not ballpoint pens, so you might accept to apply a different technique for those (such as injecting h2o into the tips or soaking them in vinegar).

• Question

  How practise 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 Airplane pilot BeGreen is a rollerball pen, which is similar to a ballpoint merely with less viscous ink. Cheque the cartridge first to see if it looks empty. If so, you'll need to buy a replacement cartridge. Otherwise, yous tin try dipping the cartridge in hot water for a few minutes or shaking it downwardly to get the ink flowing.

• Question

  Will I get ink all over my oral cavity if I accident on the pen?

  

  No, merely if you're blowing into the cartridge, you may get a spray or spatter from the other end, so watch what you're pointing at. Too, brand sure you don't suck in.

• Question

  Why practise you put it in water?

  

  The pen is placed in water to heat the ink and allow it to be released like normal. When pens don't work very well, the ink has oft dried out a bit, so putting it in h2o allows it to get more fluid and usable.

• Question

  My pen has ink, but stops writing randomly. How can I fix information technology?

  

  I recommend propping the pen up against something that will keep it point 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 big spots. How practise I prevent this?

  

  This can happen when the ball inside the tip has been nudged or scratched. It causes the tip to distribute ink in an odd mode. It might exist time for you to get a new pen. If you can't become a new pen, then consider getting a new point for your pen instead.

• Question

  How practice I restart a Pilot juice pen?

  

  AtlanticEX

  Community Answer

  Take a water sprayer and spray it once. This would get rid of air bubbles and make it run again. Note: This works on a few, and might fail on a few.

• Question

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

  

  First, make sure that the pen isn't simply dry out. Follow the steps in this article to get it working again. If the article does not assistance, go a refill cartilage. Depending on the type of pen you got, your pen might also accept a warranty. Check the packaging and/or label. If the pen is under warranty, y'all might be able to get it 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 can't easily replace the cartridge, it may exist time to get a new pen.

• Some fancier ballpoint pens have cartridges that can exist replaced or refilled. If you're determined to keep your ballpoint pen simply yous just can't get the ink flowing, check online or visit your local office supply store to run across if y'all can purchase a refill. Brand certain to get one that's designed for your blazon of pen.

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

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About This Article

Article Summary X

To restart a dry ballpoint pen, first bring some water to a boil and transfer it to a mug. Then, put your pen tip-side downward in the h2o and let it sit down for 5 minutes. The hot water volition loosen the ink and get it flowing again. You can achieve the aforementioned result past heating the tip of the pen with a blow dryer, or by carefully heating the tip with a lighter for a few seconds. You lot can also restart a ballpoint pen by dipping the tip in rubbing alcohol or acetone. The solvent volition dissolve whatever clogs so the ink is able to catamenia once more. Another pick is to rub the tip on something prophylactic, similar an eraser or the sole of your shoe. Sometimes the friction is enough to get the pen working over again. Or you lot can attempt shaking information technology and borer it on a hard surface to move the ink downward into the cartridge in example there are any gaps or bubbles that are preventing it from flowing. Remember to store your ballpoint pens tip-side down so the ink doesn't flow away from the bill. For more like shooting fish in a barrel tips on manually restarting a dry ball betoken pen, read on!

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