How to Make Gel Pens Work Again
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How to Make Gel Pens Work Again?

How to Make Gel Pens Work Again

Gel pens are fantastic writing and drawing tools. But in some instances, gel pens stop working or, as some people experience, never work at all. This is frustrating especially if you are in a situation when you need to finish your writing task.

No matter what pens you use, certainly, you might have come across some technical problems with them. In fact, you cannot guarantee that your newly bought pen will work. No one knows unless you tested it before you buy it.

Since elementary school, we have tested and used so many brands of pens including the cheapest and the expensive ones. But one thing is certain, no matter what brand you’re using, not all of them work well.

So how to make gel pens work again?

Related article: How To Fix A Clogged Gel Pen?

Sometimes, frugality leads us to find ways to salvage our previous writing tool, especially in times when don’t have spare ones. But not all of the techniques that you’ve tried worked, right?

Due to frustrations, some people tend to try many things just to bring back their gel pens alive. Some ingenious techniques include the following:

Replace the new nib by the old one from an empty refill

In most cases, the problems of most gel pens are found in the tip area. Usually on the nib. The problem is usually caused by the dried ink that blocks the ink passage down to the tip. If the nib is causing the problem, then replacing it can be the best strategy.

However, this only works if you have an empty refill and functional nib. Just make sure that the nib will fit in the new one. Be careful when replacing because the ink may flow away.

Use alcohol to dislodge the dried ink

This technique needs a liquid dropper to put a couple of drops of alcohol on the tip of the pen where you think the dried ink stays. After this simple procedure, if the dried ink is really the problem, your gel pen should be working immediately.

But what if the pen still does not work after having this technique done? Fortunately, there is something you can do to make your pen works again.

This article is all about helping you solve your problems with your writing tools specifically your gel pens. Take a look at the different techniques below on how to make gel pens work again.

Step 1

The first thing you can do is to vigorously scribble your pen on paper. Preferably the rough one. This will help the blocking dried ink to be removed from the tip of the pen. If the problem is the dried ink on the tip, your pen should work well immediately.

Step 2

If step one did not work, proceed with the second step. Pull out the nib from the cartridge and apply air pressure through the ink tube by blowing it from the other end. This will push the ink and remove any bubble inside the ink tube or the cartridge of the pen. In this way, the ink will freely flow to the tip of the pen.

Step 3

Now, try your pen. Scribble on a scratch paper to see if it is working already. The ink may not immediately settle at the nib so you may need to do this for a couple of minutes until you see some writing. Remember not to lose your patience.

Step 4

While doing step 3, occasionally shake the pen like you’re shaking a thermometer. This will help the remaining bubbles inside the ink tube to dissolve. Again, this may take a couple of minutes to take effect. Be determined enough.

The better and quicker way to do this is when you take the cartridge or the ink tube out of the casing. You can lightly tap the ink cartridge on the edge of the table to push the ink toward the tip.

But do not overdo it. The nib may fall off the end of the ink tube resulting in an ink explosion. In this case, you totally lose your gel pen. So control your emotions and your tempo. Just be gentle. Your main goal is to make your pen work again not to ruin it.

Step 5

If all of the previous steps did not work, your ultimate solution will be to replace the old cartridge with the new one. Some pens come with a spare or additional cartridge and refill. That will be good on your part. If there’s none, it means you have to buy either a new cartridge or the whole gel pen.

Related article: How to Fix A Ballpoint Pen That Skips?

Pens are wonderful tools that we use every day. All kinds of pens have their own strengths and best features. However, these tools are far from being perfect. You may encounter problems along the way.

Fortunately, pens are easier to fix than other human tools. You just need to know how pens work and their basic mechanisms. You don’t have to take a crash course to learn how to make gel pens work again.

What you need instead is patience. A lot of it. If not, it is more likely that you ruin your pen than make it work.

Once you’ve figured out the basic principles of your writing tools, it will be easier for you to fix the possible problems.

It is our hope that, after reading this article, you somehow learned how to revive your pen. Here at The Ballpoint Pens, our mission is to give the best information that we could to help pen users like you to preserve your writing tool.

Before we end this post, we would like to invite you to read our additional article on how to fix a pen. The article addresses other similar pen problems that may also aid you to fix your pen other than gel pens.

With that, we would like to congratulate you. You’ve completed the tips. We hope that we indeed help you address your problem.

For more information about pens, feel free to navigate the website. Good luck!

Only registered users can comment.

  1. Try removing the pen nib and soaking it in warm water for a few minutes. The most common cause of your gel pen not producing ink is that it is clogged. Inside the nib, a minute amount of ink has solidified. Soaking the nib in water, on the other hand, will assist the stuck ink to liquefy anew. Put it back into the ink cartridge after soaking it and try scribbling it on the paper.

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