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I have a Blackberry Bliss reinker that was fine when I used it last week, but I went to use it tonight and it's pretty much sludge. I thought maybe I just had a clogged tip, so I pulled it off and rinsed it with warm water and it's nice and clean and free of residue. It's hard to tell exactly what's going on inside the bottle because of how dark the ink itself is, but it looks like it's on its way to being gel, rather than liquid. Is there anything I can add to the bottle to shake it up before it solidifies or should I just get a new one? Help!
Sue, since they are water-based inks, I would think a dab of water would be okay. After all, we use them to spritz by putting them in water (or alcohol).
I would call SU! and ask for you but I am not in a spot where I can easily do that right now.
I'm very anxious to hear the answer to this also! I've got a couple Colorbox reinkers for my petalpoint pads that have turned "thick & sludgy". The colors have been discontinued for some time & no one has the reinkers in stock any longer, so I hope I can save these somehow!
I am not saying that is the best price just where I easily found it. TH has his own. I dont know which Petal points you have but I think the pigments are water based also.
I've had a few that way as well - I've just tossed them. I think it's the dreaded curse of the finicky red pigments - mine have all been on red-toned inks.
Yes, the attack of the red-based sludge. I've had 4 Aged Mahogany Distress reinkers turn to sludge. Ranger has made good on all 4, but this last time, I told them I was done with this color, so they're sending another.
Will SU not replace it? Before I tossed it, I would try to fix it. Don't think I would put any on my ink pad until absolutely sure though.
Ravyn, maybe you can try a drop or two of glycerin in your pigment ink refills. Or if you have a Versamark reinker, a couple of drops of that might work.
__________________ Linda E
Caution: You are entering an artistic zone. This is not clutter - this is creating. These are not pajamas - it's my work uniform.
Ravyn, maybe you can try a drop or two of glycerin in your pigment ink refills. Or if you have a Versamark reinker, a couple of drops of that might work.
Thank you! I'll try that! As gloopy as it is, it might take more than a drop or two. If I could simply buy new reinkers to replace these, I would - but that's not possible.
I know, I won't shrivel up & die if 3 or 4 of my colors are "gone" - but I worked so hard to build up a complete full set of all the pigment petalpoint pads & all the colors & then to eventually get all the reinkers.
I very rarely do that with my papercrafting supplies, it's too difficult/expensive most of the time - but the very very few "full complete sets" of something that I do have, I hate for the set to be broken up now! I know it will be, eventually, as I run out of colors that can't be replaced - but hopefully, that's still a long ways off - I'm not ready for that day just yet!
I'm very anxious to hear the answer to this also! I've got a couple Colorbox reinkers for my petalpoint pads that have turned "thick & sludgy". The colors have been discontinued for some time & no one has the reinkers in stock any longer, so I hope I can save these somehow!
I believe that the colorbox reinkers are pigment ink, right? If so, I have discovered that they are thick and sludgy - and that's normal for them. To get them to go into the pad correctly you need to massage the ink into the pad. Hers what I've found works: scribble some ink from the reinker onto the surface of the ink pad. Then with the backside of a plastic spoon, gently massage the the ink into the pad with slow, smooth backwards "s" motions - mich like smoothing icing onto a cake. It is the only way I have found to get pigment ink to soak into the pad effectively. I would not toss the reinker before trying this to see if it works.
Thank you so much, Susy. Yes, I understand that the pigment inks are normally quite thick - but these few are way beyond that - they have 'solid globs of gunk' floating around in the stuff. I mean - not solid as in rock-hard, but - whew, hard to describe - just *globs*. Almost kinda like thinned down cottage cheese - some is still "normal-thick-gooey", maybe a little bit thicker than normal, but still a consistent 'thick oozy frosting' like normal - but then there are little tiny soft globules all chunked up in it... just like cottage cheese LOL, I don't know how else to describe it...
If it were possible to just rebottle it somehow, I could probably dump it out & really mix it up super-well & hard with some glycerin as suggested above, not sure if simply shaking the bottle is going to do the trick, but I want to save these if I can...
ravyn, I know exactly what you're talking about. Some of my pigment reinkers did exactly the same thing. If there's any way to pop the top off, take a toothpick or coffee stirrer (straw) and try to pull out some of the sludge. Then add your drops of glycerin or Versamark reinker. If you have the coffee "straws", you can try to stir a little to start getting everything mixed together. wavejumper's idea of adding a small ball bearing (or a pellet from a bb-gun) will work to help mix everything together.
BTW, I got my replacement from Ranger yesterday for the Aged Mahogany ink: a new pad and refill in Twisted Citron. Exactly the color I was hoping for!
__________________ Linda E
Caution: You are entering an artistic zone. This is not clutter - this is creating. These are not pajamas - it's my work uniform.
Oh my gosh, you're both geniuses!!! Wavejumper, Uncbballfan, THANK YOU BOTH!! The ball bearings are a brilliant idea! I was wondering how on earth I might get them into the bottle -- I had looked & looked & fiddled with the bottles before, and for the life of me, could not see any way that the tops came off. I just now went & took one out again -- and (finally!) found where the separation is & how to remove the top! That will make it a lot easier to deal with the globs!!! I have coffee stirrer/straws, now just to run out & get some bearings & glycerin!
SO SO HAPPY!!! I gather you were able to save your pigment inks that did this? Oh my - this is silly to get so excited over a few ink refills - but I am just *thrilled* if I can save these!!!
I absolutely don't blame you for being so excited, especially since they are discontinued!
I was able to save quite a few of my reinkers this way; I guess I don't use my pigment ink often enough.
I forgot to add something the guy from Ranger told me: he said it may be possible to salvage my Aged Mahogany ink; he recommended pouring it out on my craft mat (he said it was much easier to mix this way), adding a couple of drops of water and stirring. Then adding one drop of water at a time after that, stirring, until you get the consistency like you want it.
__________________ Linda E
Caution: You are entering an artistic zone. This is not clutter - this is creating. These are not pajamas - it's my work uniform.
I absolutely don't blame you for being so excited, especially since they are discontinued!
I was able to save quite a few of my reinkers this way; I guess I don't use my pigment ink often enough.
I forgot to add something the guy from Ranger told me: he said it may be possible to salvage my Aged Mahogany ink; he recommended pouring it out on my craft mat (he said it was much easier to mix this way), adding a couple of drops of water and stirring. Then adding one drop of water at a time after that, stirring, until you get the consistency like you want it.
That is super!! I saw your other post about Ranger - now that's good customer service! Not only sending you the replacement product, but then advising you on how to possibly save at least some of the ink that gave you trouble! I've heard other people speak highly of Ranger also, in terms of how they treat their customers -- guess where I'll be going first, the next time I need some new item that falls within their product lines?? Customer service is HUGE with me...
I hope you can save your Aged Mahogany!!! So - after stirring it up on the mat, just suck it up with the dropper tip or an eyedropper or ?? to get as much as possible back into the bottle? I just might try that with my 'problem reinkers'. (And still put the bb's/bearings in the bottle too!)
Anyway, I hope it works out & you can save it!
I have not done the bearing trick yet on an ink but it just made sense to me-like nail polish. Just be real careful opening the bottle-I would do it in the bathroom b/c I am a big klutz and might spray it all over. Let us know how it goes.
Can my reinker be saved?
