How To Revive A Dried Out Ballpoint Pen (Popular Tips Tested)

Is your pen dried out? I tested the most popular tips for how to fix a dried out ballpoint to see which actually worked. I focused this testing on ballpoint pens, which are the pens that are most likely to stop working but still have a ton of life left in them. And yes, some methods work better than others!

It's a long video so please feel free to jump around!

0:01 Intro
2:00 Alcohol Wipes
6:52 Hot Water Bath
10:25 Stir The Ink (Jetstream Refills Come Apart?!)
13:40 Rubbing Alcohol Soak
16:18 Heating Refill With Flame
17:50 It Works!
19:15 Fix An Air Bubble In The Ink
21:45 Is More Flame Better?
25:21 Can Flame Extend The Life Of A Gel Pen?

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[andrewn]

As someone who takes satisfaction in using up refills completely, I really appreciate the research!

[pfarnsworth]

As you realized later in the video, use the blue part of the flame; do not put it in the yellow part. The carbon charring will contaminate the tip and can clog it up even worse.

Techniques (and success) may vary based on ink type. Ballpoint uses oil-based ink, gel is water-based. Jetstream (and other hybrids) use an oil with some viscosity modifier to thin the oil.

My theory is that the ink near the tip ends up thickening due to evaporation of whatever solvent/base is used. The heat will lower the viscosity of the ink so that it now flows better, but if you dont get that ink out, it will thicken up again as it cools. That's why it's a temporary fix.

Something to try would be using a well-fitting syringe (or maybe a fountain converter cartridge) to gently apply pressure at the rear while writing (either after heating, or without heat), to help get fresher, lower viscosity ink to the tip, since gravity is no longer sufficient.

Or you could try putting it in centrifuge, should you have one of those. Actually, come to think of it, just swinging it around might be enough. A narrow tube closed on one end to hold the refill, and a cord fixed to the open end to swing around, could serve as a low-tech, ersatz centrifuge.

It's not going to help while writing, but it could help with bubbles at least.

[louman]

I’ve had similar results with my 1.0 Jetstreams with black ink. Tried all these methods except taking end apart. Flame helps for a little, but then same issues come back.

[yukidaruma]

I have had this trouble for years and actually have tried most of those techniques and especially using the lighter one I always somehow put it in the lighter for too long and it ended up melting the plastic, well for the next time maybe I'd use the blue flame for a couple of seconds at top. Thanks for the Great Video

[TONY]

Most of the time, I've found that a ballpoint does not write because the ballpoint itself has become damaged. In which case no amount of alcohol or hot-water treatment will restore it. You could try 91% Isopropyl Alcohol. But it seems that for these refills, being of the double-ball design, that there is mot likely thickening or dry-out issue between the two balls. Thank you for another very informative video. Cheers..

[mariojr]

I store my pens point down (A few leak). I try to blow strong the top of the cartridge and sometimes works. I did this yesturday with a Fine Blue point Pilot G2. Best regards from Brazil from Brazil, Mário.

[harshxa]

considering Ive bought a dozen refills for the jetstream 101 0.7mm, I ran into this problem, heating it kinda solved but the ink is still lighter though

[astaschak]

My preferred method is when i have a refil that writes pretty well and i use it up, ill save it. When i get one that doesnt write good ill just swap the nibs out. Ive found when they stop writing its something wrong with the tip mechanically. And if its been sitting too long and has dried up this method doesnt always work either cause the old ink doesnt flow that well anymore. With jetstreams, in my use, i can get 2 to 3 full uses out of a single ballpoint nib before its worn out and they start leaking or the flow becomes too great and blobs everywhere.

[bbrachman]

I have found that putting the refill in the jaws of a regular drill and spinning the refill on fast speed will make the ink move down the tube to the blockage.

[swfl]

Best take away for me would be the periodic use of alcohol wipes as a maintenence step for all BP's. Cheap, easy, and may prevent future issues. But, sometimes you get bad apples, nothing works..so be it! The ball itself might be the culprit.
"...the fire destroyed the kitchen area, owner said to have been trying to reactivate ballpoint pen with blowtorch. Alcohol was a factor.
In other news...."

[DianaDee]

One way that I have found workd to get a bubble out or simply to restart the capillary action process is to take the bare ink refill/tube and rapidly roll it between your hands for 1 to a few minutes depending on severity. The motion accomplishes two things. 1. It creates a centrifugal motion which helps bring the stuck ink down to the tip, and as said before, restart the capillary motion and 2. The friction of rolling between your hands creates a surprising amount of heat which warms up the ink and lowers the viscosity to help bring that ink down to the tip. Try it and ket me know how it goes!

[pkla]

Tried some of these tricks on a dead Pilot G2 0.7

First tried the water trick and it has same results as you, works for a half a second. Then tried the flame trick, did nothing and I tried it too many times in a row and ruined the pen. No biggy for me as I already bought a replacement.

[ronciego]

All my jetstreams have suffered the same fate. Thats why I don’t buy them anymore

[sambhavkapoor]

usually when i take apart that top part of the ink and blow in the tube such that the ink flows a little forward and then putting it back makes it work again for other inks just blowing helps

[yoshiking]

I rarely have any non starting ball type pens. Just my fountainpens sometimes (the cheaper ones or due to ink type). If I have the issue my ball in the refill is damaged causing to stop inkflow. The thing I occasionally had using Quinkflow Medium refills over 15 years is when refill is at 10% the ball stops emitting ink from time to time. How I get it starting again? I give the refill a little heat per handrubbing and blowing warm breath on it. Works most of the time with these.

[kimberlyglover]

Thank you for this video. Can you please help us with roller balls. I have my first retro 51. I only used it barely twice. I don't like that ink.

[misfit_mandi]

I just used a paper clip to clear each end after seeing i could take it apart. Then i tapped te tip gently to knock out air bubbles and it work.

[giacomo]

Try to blow hard in the hole of the refill, this will slightly push the ink forward.

[tbayless]

I have 2 packages of Rt's that I have had for awhile like 4-5 yrs. I have 4 pens sitting in a bin I have not touched in awhile, and was just curious and opened another package of them and immediately all 7 of them they wrote. But those are not RT's are they that you are testing? And they are newer, and I wonder if the balls are messed up.

[JakeMelller]

Ive been tapping the tip of my pen in school on a wooden table sometimes i bite it and when i get mad i throw it at a wall
I think this is a message for me