Because you probably have one in your junk drawer right now and because it's fun to see if things like this work. How to fix a dried out Sharpie ...
I shared this tip over a decade ago but have let it languish in obscurity since then. Mainly because my Sharpie was fixed and I didn't need to do it again.
However.
I made a great big batch of applesauce the other day and preserved it in my canner. That is what I did, because I do things like that.
Then, I went to to my newly organized kitchen drawer to grab some labels and a Sharpie for my jars. That's when I saw my Sharpie marker in the drawer sitting quietly beside the Sharpie cap. So I cried. A real gutteral one with feeling. This is what I did, because I do things like that.
I tested the Sharpie, the Sharpie had indeed dried out proving the tears were worth it.
I had an official calamity. Jars that needed labelling and nothing other than countless pencils, pens, and other working Sharpies to label them with.
So I fixed it. Because I do things like that.
Sharpie Saving Supplies
- A dried up Sharpie
- Rubbing alcohol
- paper
- Test the Sharpie again just to make sure. Nope. Doesn't work.
2. Grab a bottle of rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol. 99% is better, but if you only have 70% on hand, use it.
Would you like to save this stuff?
We'll email you this post, so you can refer to it later.
3. Pour some alcohol into the cap of the bottle.
4. Set the Sharpie tip down in the alcohol until you see a bit of ink swirling out from the tip.
5. Put the cap back on and leave the Sharpie to sit for 15 minutes.
6. After 15 minutes, try again. If it's fixable this way, it will be fixed.
That is what I did, because I do things like that. All the time.
This trick will not revive allllll markers. Sometimes, some things are just too far gone to be revived with a little bit of alcohol.
TOP TIP
The same trick will work on regular markers using plain water instead of rubbing alcohol.
MORE ADVANCED METHOD (if the first doesn't work)
If you're really adventurous and quite fond of your Sharpie (or just won't ever give up on anything) you can take the Sharpie apart and drip the rubbing alcohol into the market from the top down. This will saturate everything that might have dried in the marker, not just at the tip.
- To disassemble a Sharpie, grab both ends with vice grips or plyers and pull apart.
- Squeeze about half an eye droppers worth of alcohol into the the top and let it work its way down.
- Keep the marker upright for 10 minutes or so.
- Try the marker.
- If it still isn't working, repeat steps 1-3.
- If it still isn't working buy a new Sharpie.
You might also be interested in my How to Remove Sharpie from Walls post if things get out of control during your fixing a Sharpie routine.
The applesauce is made (I churched it up a bit time with toasted sugar, maple syrup and a bit of caramelizing), labelled and in the cupboard.
My Sharpie is currently resting comfortably in its drawer wearing its protective nightcap.
Theo
will this work with gin?
Karen
Theo - Mmm. I have no idea. I highly doubt it. But pour yourself a tumbler and give it a shot. ~ karen!
Theo
Well I tried gin and it didnt work.. Then I tried another idea that I found on another blog.. I made a short comic about it just now - http://9gag.com/gag/3874697/?add_post=success as you can see that didnt work either :(
GJD
For about 20 years I use a needle and a syringe to sloooowly soak the innards of water-base calligraphic pens. This I did, and I still do several times. Lately, the ink gets lighter, sure... watered, flushed to the utmost.
But it is still good for Christmas cards.
As for the fountain pens with cartridges, I do the same, for about 10 years now. So I buy cheap ink in a bottle (please send me yours, unused...) and write with about 5 pens. Each with different color, naturally. This helps me with differentiation of entries in my business notebook (I use computer Word file as well, sure...). Notebook does not need battery, the only thing is to keep it out of water or fire.
Regarding other markers, I use alcohol as well. While typing this I think about using a special diluter for certain stamp inks, which stick to any surface.
Than I may tinker with more decisive solvents.
Stanford, Markall and other manufacturers should divulge chemicals they use - if clearly asked.
Sara
I'm an elementary art teacher who is constantly spending my own money on about a billion sharpies a year just to watch them dry out after about two class uses. I'm so going to try this right now! Does it work for
colored sharpies too?
Karen
Sara - Yup. As long as they aren't too far gone. ~ karen
dicobalt
I wonder if this works for dry erase markers? You know the kind used on white boards?
Karen
Dicobalt - I'm not sure ... never tried it. Give it a shot! ~ karen
Anonna
Now, can you revive a glue stick? I hate buying a glue stick, opening it up and finding out that it's dried and hard and no longer a glue stick and is --
-- just a stick.
Linda
Put dry glue sticks in a zip lock bag with a wet paper towel and seal the bag.
They will absorb the moisture and be usable again. This is how I now store the glue sticks.
Lilly
Is that a pad of paper you're writing on? If it is, I want one. Where dya get it?
Karen
Lilly - It *is* a pad of paper. It's the "Mighty Morph Pad". A Canadian product. Google it to see if it's available around you. Basically you can twist and move and wiggle it into any shape you want. ~karen!
Katie
GENIUS! I think I just fell in love with you... thank you for solving all the worlds problems. It seems to always be alcohol that does it, lol. :)
Rebecca
Nope, it's dead again! Oh well, worth a shot!
Karen
Rebecca - LOL. You can try it again. Sometimes it takes a couple of shots to work. ~ karen
DLT II
'Sometimes it takes a couple of shots to work" - This is true of many things.
Thanks for the tip - we used to do this with our ginormous chisel tip markers in middle and high school - We didn't have extra fine tip sharpies back then.
Rebecca
Thank you. You just saved my highlighter! I need it for work, and it's the only one I have right now! I can't believe I actually remembered this post!
Stacey
You were just featured on the Sharpie Facebook feed! I love it when my internet worlds collide!
Pam'a
That's very cool, and kind of weird, when I think about it-- Wouldn't the Sharpie people prefer that everyone just keep throwing the dried-out ones across the room so we'll buy more new ones?
Discuss.
Kim Doyle
lolololol Stacey :)
Whitney
Thanks so much for posting this! I just reposted your tips onto the Sharpie blog (http://blog.sharpie.com) - giving you 100% of the credit of course :)
Great work. Love your blog!
-Whitney
Chris Graham
Can I use tequila to bring back my sharpie's mojo?
Karen
Chris - Duh. ~ karen
Sandra
Love your stuff! Thanks for the great ideas & giggles along the way.
On a Sharpie related point ~ do you know that hand sanitizer will take Sharpie off hard surfaces?(except purple - that one's alittle tougher to get off) One of the coolest things I have learned as a preschool teacher! Laminate counter tops & desktops are sharpie-free in my classroom!
Karen
Sandra - Thanks so much! I had heard that tip but I've never tried it! Maybe I'll do a little comparison with my usual remedy. I did a post several months ago on how to remove Sharpie from a pure white wall. Great results! https://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/karen-answers-how-to-remove-sharpie-from-white-walls ~ karen!
Alissa
Also, hair spray will remove Sharpie! I had a teacher who was always accidentally writing on the overhead projector with Sharpies, and it was the 80s so everyone carried hairspray. I guess in the 2000s everyone carries Purell now, though. :)
Karen
Alissa - Actually, hairspray doesn't work! Sorry, I had to say that. I experimented with a few things on my wall, and hair spray definitely did NOT work. It might work for removing Sharpie from a slippery surface, but not on anything else. EEP. Just warning people before they make a mess of their walls, LOL. ~ karen
Nicole
Karen, I'm amazed. Not because you've done something very clever but oh so simple yet AGAIN, but 1) because you only have one sharpie in your house, and 2) because you've had it long enough for it to dry out!
Clearly you and I have different lives but I like the peek into yours.
Karen
Nicole - One "fine tip" Sharpie. ;) ~ karen
Melissa
I realise you, and most (all !?) of your readers are far too sophisticated and modern to still use gel pens... but let's just say someone wasn't... and still had some... and they kept dying when there WAS STILL INK IN THE PEN!!!!!!! what would one do about that(hypothetically, of course)?
Karen
Melissa - Hah! I have no idea how to fix one of these "gel pens" you speak of. However, I looked it up and apparently there's not a whole lot you can do. The ink dries up quickly in those suckers. The only advice I found was to roll the ball over and over and over again until it starts to roll and pick up ink again. ?? Worth a shot I suppose! ~ karen
Pam'a
Come sit by me, gel pen sistah. I hate that too. I have had *some* success with tap-tapping the point on a hard surface a bit until the ink is forced down. If that doesn't work, I try holding the tip near (not IN) a flame for just long enough to heat it a bit, then tapping it.
Swearing doesn't seem to work, but does make me feel better.
Karen
Melissa/Pam'a - Be careful with the tapping. The reason I didn't mention tapping is because gel pens apparently have a "delicate" mechanism. People are advised against tapping them. I'd try the flame first (good idea to melt the gel ink and get it going) and resort to tapping the ball last just so you don't completely ruin the pen. Although I guess that doesn't really matter since it's broken anyway ... Uch. Do whatever you want. :) ~ karen
Pam'a
I haven't had a gel pen turn on me yet, but like you said, at that point it's kind of moot. No matter what happens, it can't hold a candle to my fifth grade mortification when, after idly sucking on the end of my Bic pen, it decided to fwoosh out the end and into my mouth, and on my face...and onto the dress I had on for picture day. :(
randisready@yahoo.con
OMG, that made me LOL. I am usually so senditive to others. So tell me, did that experience kill you or make you stronger?
Pam'a
It was one of those things that seemed like the end of the world at the time, but blessedly faded away eventually. My teacher was a champ and totally downplayed it, which helped.
Suelyn Vincent
With gel pens I have laid many to rest, but a few we have been able to revive by pulling out the point with its attached ink and rolling it in your hands to kind of warm it up, then to get the ball rolling either try writing on the cardboard back of a notepad- or on the flat rubber part of an old tennis shoe, (I don't know why that works- other than the rubber wants to "grip" the pens roller but my mom taught me that trick and it works on any ballpoint).
Ana
When I was little, we would open dried up markers and put a few drops of vinegar in the felty part. They smelled like vinegar but they worked!
Stephanie
Karen,
Have you ever bought the 12 lb box of sharpies and assorted pens on Woot? I got a bazillion Sharpies for less than $10 and I brag about it every chance I get!
Karen
Stephanie - What is this Woot? ~ karen
Stacey
Woot (http://www.woot.com/) is a site that posts daily deals. A few months ago, I got some BuckyBalls - rare earth magnets - two for the price of one! Some of the stuff is total crap, but sometimes you can find a great deal.
blake
your timing is flippy delicious...working on a floorplan for a client yesterday I was throwing Sharpies across the studio because every one I pulled out of the old soup can I keep them in were dried out...We all must have known, somehow, that someday we would have a tip for fixing dead, dried Sharpies...why else would we keep them close?...hmmmphhf!
I adore you!
Mike
Kinda like cryogenic preservation!!!
Evalyn
Can't help but mention that the white nail polish bears a likeness to White-out. Just sayin', because I'm a fool for office supplies.
You need to start buying your rubbing alcohol at the Dollar Store!
"some things are just too far gone to be revived with a little bit of alcohol." Gospel.
Karen
Evalyn - I know! You should see it now that I've put a coat of Matte finish on it. Total white out! :) ~ karen
Ran
Oh this is just brilliant! It also works very well. I do not know why I have rubbing alcohol at work but I do, and we have a large supply of sharpies that have dried up yet we still keep them at our desks and then become angry when they no longer work.
Unfortunately this trick did not work on our highlighters. I request a highlighter reviver tip next!