Why do gel pens skip

Or shake the cartridge to push the ink downward. Once the ink reaches the tip, it must write on the paper. It must be able to write without skipping.

Gel pens are known for their smooth writing performance. This characteristic makes people fall in love with gel pens including us here at The Ballpoint Pens.

If you are using one, our helpful tip for you is to store your gel pen downward with the nib down. Secondly, avoid your gel pens from falling on the ground. It can cause an air gap and clogging that could cause skipping.

Lastly, do not tap the tip of your gel pen on the hard surface. It could cause ink clogging in the tip. Following the second step discussed above can be a good choice. There you go. You have our tips on how to fix a gel pen that skips. We hope that these simple tips will help you take care of your gel pens. Just like physical health, prevention is better than cure. Having said that, the precautionary techniques shared in this post could also help to prevent the common problems of gel pens from happening.

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Which pens last the longest? Which refills are compatible with my pen? What are some special pens to consider? How do I take care of them? How does a heat-sensitive ink like FriXion work?

Why should I avoid storing FriXions in hot places? What is a pressurized ink pen? What are its special applications? Gel ink formula.

Gel ink consists of pigment suspended in a water-based gel. Their composition makes gel pens precise, smooth, and vibrant. Though smooth, they do occasionally skip. This is because their tips are not as evenly coated with ink as ballpoint tips.

The air inside the cartridge prevents the ink from continuously flowing, that is why ejecting that unnecessary air is normally an effective way to make the gel pen work again. However, soaking the nib in water will help the clogged ink to liquefy again. After soaking it, put it back into the ink cartridge and try scribbling it onto the paper. To eliminate the solidified ink inside the nib, you can slowly insert a safety pin to grind it inside and unclog it.

That should help the gel pen to work again smoothly. Put a little amount of warm or hot water inside the ink cartridge from its hole: The ink inside the nib is not always the one that dries out and solidifies. In some cases, the whole ink inside the cartridge dries out and solidifies too.

To liquefy it, you can try putting in a little amount of water using a small dropper to improve the ink flow inside the cartridge. Blow the cartridge from its hole until the ink starts to reach the nib. This will push the ink to help it flow properly. Dip the tip of your gel pen in rubbing alcohol: Alcohol is a good solvent. It can help in dissolving the hardened ink inside the nib.

Quickly soak the tip in a little amount of acetone: Acetone is a much more powerful solvent than alcohol. Quickly soaking the metal nib of your pen is enough. This step should work in major ink issues.