How to Restore a Dry Marker?

Restore a Dry Marker

The marker is a quite affordable writing stationery accessory, which is not lacking on store shelves. Look how many of them, choose for any composition, color and wallet. However, there are times when, completely unexpectedly and, naturally, at the most inopportune moment, instead of a bright line, the marker leaves a barely noticeable mark on the surface, and the work needs to be completed urgently.

Dried Permanent Marker

We will show you how to quickly restore a permanent marker.

Then the advice of those who have already had experience with similar experiments on resuscitation of an untimely deceased office tool comes to the rescue and knows perfectly well how to restore any marker.

The main rule is to refuel markers with the same composition that is stated on its packaging.

How to repair a water-based marker

The easiest way to breathe life into a dried water marker is to soak it briefly in a bowl of water. The hotter the water is, the sooner the revitalization process will go.

A dry marker does not write as it should
The dried marker leaves a dry transparent mark instead of a bright and expressive line

Remove the cap and immerse the marker in water for five minutes.
Remove the marker and lay it to dry on a folded paper towel to prevent any pigment stains from leaking onto the table.
After a couple of hours, check the writing ability of the marker – if the quality of the line suits you, continue working, and do not forget to put on the protective cap in time.

An alternative to a bowl is to slowly inject water directly into the tip using a syringe. At the same time, observe the measure, do not enter too much, because at the output you will get a constantly current marker and instead of clear lines – blurred spots with uneven edges.

Another quick and effective method to restore a marker is to put a few drops of white vinegar on top of the marker. For these purposes, it is best to take a pipette or any other dispenser that will not allow you to overdo it with an aggressive substance.

How to repair a dry alcohol-based marker

The alcohol marker recovery method is similar to the water-based marker recovery method. The only difference is that alcohol should be taken instead of water. Of course, we will not pour it into a bowl – just drop a few milliliters into the bottle cap and dip the tip of the permanent marker there.

If there are several dry markers, put only the same color in the lid to prevent mixing.

After five minutes, remove the markers and cap them, place them in the pencil holder with the shaft pointing up and leave in this position for 24 hours.

Reconstitution of a marker with alcohol

Before refilling the marker, measure out the required number of milliliters with a syringe

You can also use a syringe to inject alcohol or acetone directly into the “body” of the marker through the tip. The alcohol will flow inside and dissolve any remaining paint that has dried there. It takes about one milliliter of solvent for about a day for the marker to fully restore its functions.

Do not forget to wear an apron and gloves before handling, so as not to accidentally get dirty.

How to Restore a whiteboard Erasable Marker

If you stop writing with a whiteboard erasable marker, try gently removing the nib with pliers or tweezers. Flip it over and re-insert it with the opposite side facing in: if the ink is not completely dry on the marker, the rehabilitation method will work. Otherwise, you will either have to throw it away or consider refueling yourself.

How to fill the marker

In search of an answer to the question of how to refill a marker at home, most people will prefer a bottle of ink specially designed for this purpose, stored in advance. Since the container is equipped with a convenient dispenser, the procedure does not take much time and does not require any specific skills and the presence of special devices – except perhaps an apron and gloves, which we have already mentioned earlier.

Marker refill ink

A spare ink bottle is a better remedy for headaches in search of than refilling a permanent marker

But there are a small fraction (or considerable) of people who do not want simple solutions and will go the other way. For example, they will mix gouache, powder, PVA glue and a spoonful of sugar with water, and whisk the suspension until finely dispersed. Or they will take the contents of a gel pen, a stationery touch-up corrector, hairspray and brilliant green, mix, dry, pound into powder, and then dilute with a nail polish remover. Or they will soak old ink from an inkjet printer with distilled water or alcohol.

Which path to choose is up to you. It is possible that during the experiments you will be able to invent your own, completely new and effective way of refueling a permanent marker .

How to extend the life of a marker

If you have to google too often how to recover a marker, this may mean the following:

a) you make desperate attempts to save money and buy low-quality products, as a result of which you have to spend twice as much money;

b) you store them incorrectly.

High quality markers don’t need refueling longer
A quality marker will last longer without refueling

And if everything is clear on the first point, then on the second we propose to follow the manufacturers’ recommendations:

Keep marker tightly closed at all times.
A cheap Chinese marker stored horizontally will last longer than standing upright. This rule can not be applied to high-quality branded markers, they do not care how they are stored.

Protect the marker from regular sun exposure and keep it away from heating appliances, ideally in your desk drawer.