How to fix a ballpoint pen that skips? If you are reading this article it means that you are bothered by the same problem – a skipping ballpoint pen.
Although most writing nowadays is done using computers and gadgets, some writing tasks still need the traditional writing tool. You may be writing a list of grocery items, a daily diary entry, signing an important document, signing a credit card, etc.
Anyone can tell that there’s probably nothing more disturbing than having a pen that skips or does not work anymore. In most cases, pens stop working not because they are running out of ink but because something prevents them from doing their job.
In our experience, two things we constantly notice that cause the pens skipping. The first one is the air inside the ink cartridge and the second is the dried ink that blocks the ink passage.
These problems happen mostly when the pens are not used for a considerable period of time. The ink on the tip or on the rollerball may dry that later on may block the ink or the rollerball itself making it unable to move freely.
Unfortunately, either of these two happens to your pen certainly causes you a headache especially if you don’t have a spare one.
So, how can you fix a ballpoint pen that skips?
The purpose of this article is to help you solve your problem. Here we will share with you some tips that will hopefully bring your pen alive once again.
What you need to have are a few things or tools you commonly find in your house. And of course, a little bit of your time. Yes, it will take a couple of minutes to successfully bring back your pen into life.
The first thing you need to do when your ballpoint pen skips are to take notice of any bubble inside the ink cartridge. Bubbles interfere with the ink’s flow down to the tip of the pen. As a result, the ballpoint pen stops working.
In this case, the best thing you can do is to pull off the pinout of the tip of the cartridge. Next, poke or strike the tip of the cartridge on any hard surface to force the ink to move downward.
This procedure, however, requires timing and extra care. The ink may spill out of the cartridge if you strike the cartridge too much. Always pay attention to the movement of the ink. As soon as the bubble disappears, you can then re-join the pen tip into the ink cartridge.
Another reason why most ballpoint pens skip is when the ink dried right on the tip of the pen. It will block the ink from flowing smoothly. In this case, you need some materials. The following items may be required:
- Lighter
- Match
- Rubbing Alcohol
- Cardboard
- Paper
First 1
Dip the tip of the pen in the rubbing alcohol. This process helps the hardened ink to dissolve. If the issue is on the tip of the pen, the pen must be working right after you’ve done this step. If not, then you should probably proceed to the second strategy.
Step 2
Using your match or lighter, slowly heat up the tip of the pen. Enough heat should melt the dried ink. Repeat this process until the ink freely flows. But be careful because too much heat could also melt the whole pen.
When doing this process, constant checking on the temperature may be necessary. Occasionally touch the tip of the pen by your fingers. If it’s hotter than what you expect, temporarily get the tip of the pen out of the flame. Then repeat the process intermittently.
Step 3
After performing the second step, carefully strike the pen on the edge of a table or any hard surface to remove any blockage that stops the roller ball to move freely. Again, do not apply too much force while doing this. This could totally ruin your pen.
Step 4
Now, try to write on rough paper or cardboard. This will help the stuck ink to dislodge from the rollerball. Your pen should be working at this point.
Whatever problems you encountered with your pen, you always need one thing – patience. That is right, patience. Doing any techniques mentioned above will require your peace of mind. If you allow your anger and frustration to set in, you will not be able to fix your pen.
Well, being caught in a situation when your pen stops working in the middle of an emergency writing situation would certainly raise your blood pressure.
In this situation, you need to maintain your emotional composure. Nothing good happens if you violently react to it. Stay focus and conduct a simple inspection of your pen.
Check the ink. If there’s plenty of ink, then the problem is either the air inside the cartridge that prevents the ink from flowing down the tip. Or, the dried ink that blocks the roller ball from moving freely.
Once you figure out the source of the problem, decide which of the strategies discussed above is more appropriate to follow.
However, depending on the damage, the strategies we share with you here may not work in extreme cases. When that happens, your ultimate solution will be to buy another one.
Nonetheless, we hope that this simple article on how to fix a ballpoint pen that skips helps you solve your problem. For more tips and discussion about ballpoint pens, feel free to read more articles here.
Using rubbing alcohol to remove dried ink from the tip of a ballpoint pen or unscrewing the ball that has become stuck can prevent it from skipping. If you want to prevent partial ink strokes when writing, you can also run the pen under warm water to loosen the ink.