Gel pen oops

[stampin stacy]

Ya know how we have been told when a gel pen clogs just give it a good tap on a hard surface to get the ink to flow again...

Not always such a good idea after all... atleast not if the pen is an ultra fine tip. I snapped that thing right in two, I hadn't even tapped it that hard.


In the scheme of things it wasn't an expensive art supply to ruin and truth be told I don't even like the ultra fine tip pens but it is/was the only yellow I have/had currently. Thank goodness for masking tape, so I could finish what I was working on before tossing it. Even the few minutes I used it taped together yellow was starting to leaked out so definitely a temporary fix only.


If someone had been there to take a picture of my face when it happened the picture would have been priceless I'm sure, I was SO shocked. I've done it a million times before. They may be "in" again but my relationship with them is still very LOVE/HATE. Wonder if the number of them I've had to toss has reached triple digits yet... wouldn't surprise me if it had.

[Rachelrose]

Gel pens in general are one of those things that I considered necessary but annoyingly problematic. The clogging is inevitable, no matter the brand, unless you use it constantly, which I don't.

I've heard about a lot of clogging fixes but never the tapping one. I'll try it. But I guess I should be prepared for what happened to you. ;)!

[wavejumper]

Gee you dont know your own strength! Seriously though, that must have been a defective one. You said yourself you have done it dozens of times before.

MANY years ago, I was told to use a flame to unclog metal tipped ball point pens. (or run it under very hot water) I havent done it in decades so I have no idea and if the thing is plastic of course forget it.

I have very few gel pens so far-just the white signo, a gold, silver and clear sparkle. They seem to get gloppy points to me.

How often do you use them? Sounds like for years now.

[stampin stacy]

I have never seen any pen with such a fine tip before so I'm pretty sure the tapping was what caused it to break not a defective tip. Now that I'm thinking about it I can see breaking one just by pressing too hard while using it; a hindsight-well duh moment. One of the reasons for sharing with everyone here, well that and I knew it would give them a good laugh.
I fell in love gel pens from the moment they hit the market and started buying, buying, buying. Ended up throwing away most of them while they were still full of ink because they were clogged beyond help. Managed to melt the tips of a few trying the lighter "trick even. I eventually cried uncle and gave up on buying/using them but gave in to temptation recently and bought some. Since my experience was expensive or cheap they all clog I only purchase cheap now and I'm not about to become a "collector" of gel pens. Learned my lesson on that one.


I think the tapping thing was started by Kevin At Stampscapes and does occasionally work if you use the pen often enough. Since this pen was fairly new I thought it would. Like I said never occurred to me it would break.


Too bad I'm not a Youtuber, that single video of the pen breaking and my reaction could have probably made me a fortune.

[wavejumper]

What brand is that pen? I am curious now about this tip!

Is it fair to think tinier tip, faster clogging?

My cousin loves gel pens. She free forms on glossy paper to make cards.

LOL on the vid. Could have sent it to Funniest home videos!

[PMR]

As a lefty I have yet to find a gel pen that I can use

[uncbballfan]

You know the little clear blobs that are on the tip of brand new pens? (At least some of them have blobs...) There's a reason they're on there - to keep the inks from drying up. Save those blobs and pop them back on the tip when you've finished using the pen.

Too late for that? Buy a pack of polymer clay; make your own little blobs. Works on Quickie Glue pens too!

[stampin stacy]

I'm a lefty too!

Using them new hasn't been an issue for me. It's the not being able to use it all before it quits working that bugs me, my depression era grandparents are in my head. ;) As far as brand they are from the dollar store, exact brand I'm not sure about as I've already tossed the packaging.

I have a white gel pen with one of those lil tips, knew I was supposed to keep it on when the pen wasn't being used but it disappeared. They are tiny and round so no telling when, where it rolled to. It is long gone now. The pen is a retractable though so haven't figured out what would be small enough to use instead. Thanks for the polymer clay idea but I'm not interested in messing with it especially for something so tiny.



Gotta get off this computer so I can get stuff done and go look for a yellow gel pen....


note to self yellow only, do not get carried away and buy everything you see...

[stampin stacy]

Here is a picture of one of the other pens from the pack it is the one in the middle. The others are a Papermate Ink Joy and a Gelliroll, as you can see there is quite a difference.