reviving fine tip sharpie - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2025, 10:41:06 pm
content: I have a dual sharpie that has the fat and thin part on it. The thin part is like dry but the fat part is OK.Is there some way to get ink to go in there? I thought maybe letting it soak in alcohol or something to the ink gets pulled through.I hate how its half functional.

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2025, 10:48:42 pm
content: QuoteBit of ipa in the cap often gets em going again,first use afterwards is a bit splotchy but it soon clears up

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2025, 10:59:05 pm
content: Here are the solvents in black Sharpie (source = SDS):You are probably familiar with most of them. Diacetone alcohol is a common solvent and has unusual solvent characteristics. Despite its name, it is not like acetone, has virtually no odor, and is non-toxic. It is also used in so-called white board or dry-erase markers. It has a higher boiling point than the rest of those solvents and may keep it working longer. You probably are familiar with butanol. I don't like its smell while pure at all.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2025, 11:05:25 pm
content: lol butanol. That is the one that makes you stink like poo if you drink it IIRC. Or cadavers.IPA is metabolized into acetone, Butanol into something really smelly. They all get you drunk with massive side effects compared to ethanol at much lower quantities (hang over from hell and stomach ache), but AFAIK methanol is the one that is very toxic.I let it sit in a eraser cap of a nice pencil filled with a ml of alcohol for 5 min. I tried it again and it wrote a tiny faint amount. When I poured out the alcohol it looked clean. So I put more alcohol and let it soak.I might have a little bit of moon shine but I don't have the other alcohols on handBut I thought of maybe a different method. What if you attached it to a drill or angle grinder and spun it? (other then a potential injury). Lol china made pen fixer angle grinder attachment takes youtube by storm

author: aeg
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 25, 2025, 02:03:03 am
content: Throw it in the trash, get a Sakura Identi-Pen or a Shachihata Artline Twin or a pair of Staedtler Lumocolors.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 25, 2025, 02:04:39 am
content: I was thinking about doing that but I have two leftIt appears to work after I used it a little and put a light vacuum on the tip with a bulb thing

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 25, 2025, 02:06:29 am
content: is there something like a fine tip sharpie with inserts or refillable? Like a high quality one. Made of aluminum or something.grrr the prices are a little steephttps://www.yookers-shop.com/product/metis/maybe 29.99$60 for something without a motor is much. It must be for a lawyer. A amazingly great mechanical pencil is only $11-15I know you might need some kind of fluid seal but 400% increase in price ismuchI wonder how hard it would be to put fill ports on a sharpie. Just need the right glue. Throw it in a bottle of ink, apply vacuum to one port until it sucks it up through the tip and seal the hole. Comparability with pace solder sucker.you know I wonder with these dual end markers. If I put a vacuum on one end and then put one end in ink and suck it up will it workit already has a 'port'

author: abeyer
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 25, 2025, 06:19:30 pm
content: I suspect that even if you find a pen, the harder part will be finding the solvent based permanent ink in cartridge or bottle packaging.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 25, 2025, 06:56:21 pm
content: gotta figure out how to put that expensive japanese ink into it (the ones that are made with blocks that are kneaded with peoples feet)