Pen Not Working

The ink may be stuck further up the cartridge with some air between it and the nib. Try shaking or tapping the pen on a hard surface to loosen it and bring it towards the nib.

The pen may still have ink, but it's dried out and won't flow. The following methods can help you get the ink to flow again.

Friction can help to get dried ink unstuck. Scribbling hard on a piece of paper usually gets the ink flowing again.

If that doesn’t work, try scribbling on a shoe sole or a piece of rubber. The increased grip of rubber makes it more effective than scribbling on paper.

You can use heat to help loosen up dried ink around the pen’s nib. Here are some ways to do this:

• Use a hair dryer to heat the pen
• Put the flame of a lighter at the tip of the pen for a few seconds
• Submerge it in boiling water
  • Soak the pen in the water for a few seconds at a time until the ink is flowing. You can optionally put the pen in a ziplock bag before submerging it if you have a more delicate pen.
• Caution: Be careful when using fire or boiling water to avoid injury.

Putting a solvent on the tip of the pen will help dissolve the ink to allow it to flow freely.

• Put a small amount of acetone (nail polish remover) or alcohol onto a piece of cotton and wrap it around the tip of your pen for a few minutes.
• Alternatively, use a whiteboard marker on the tip of the pen. The ink of a whiteboard marker contains a solvent that can help dissolve the pen’s ink.

Your pen may be out of ink. Depending on the type of pen, you may be able to open the pen and install a replacement ink refill.