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Just got the Better Homes & Gardens "Scrapbooks etc." magazine (April issue) and found out that I have been storing my gel pens the wrong way!! :(
Page 135 - Quote - ideas to go - how to get the most out of your colors:
-Store pens and markers horizontally so the ink stays evenly distributed and has consistent flow. Gel pens are exceptions and should be stored vertically with tips pointing down. Always store pens and markers with their caps on.
I immediately got up, grabbed my large collection of gel pens - which I thought were properly stored laying down - and stood them up with the tips down!
Thought I would pass this on for other gel pen users! Stand them up with tips down!! :eek:
Well I did a google search and found articles saying to store vertically to keep ink flowing. Then I found articles that said to store horizontally because if stored vertically the gel ink will settle in the nib and clog it.
Oh well. Maybe I'll store some on their sides and some vertically! LOL
__________________ Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.
Thanks for the tip! Is the magazine worth purchasing?
Yes, I am enjoying this issue. I don't buy this, or other scrapbook magazines, on a regular basis, but there were articles on the cover of this one that caught my attention - ie. Heritage photo How-to's for one!
This is what I have found out so far. I sent the following questions to Marvy/Uchida (Gel Excel), Sakura (Gelly Roll), and American Crafts (the Ultimate Gel Pen) -- the makers of the 3 brands of gel pens I use.
"How do you recommend storing them? Should they be stored vertically, tip down so the ink barrel does not developed any "air" spots? Or should they be stored horizontally so the gel ink does not "pool" in the nib and clog it?"
So far only Sakura has responded. Their answer was: Gel pens should be stored horizontally with the correct cap securely fastened when not in use.
If I get more answers I will let you know.
__________________ Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.
I dunno....in my extensive experience gel pens are so unreliable it doesn't matter how you store them, they will crap out on you eventually. I used to use light gel pens to take notes on black paper in my undergrad classes, and went through tonnes of the things. Some brands were super but ran out of ink quickly, and some didn't even work when they were new. One thing I am wondering is if it's so important how we store our pens once we get them, what about how they are displayed in the store or stored in the warehouse before they hit the shelves? All of the gel pen packages I recall seeing keep the pen vertical with the tip down. I don't think there's much we can do to help dem pens.
I dunno....in my extensive experience gel pens are so unreliable it doesn't matter how you store them, they will crap out on you eventually. I used to use light gel pens to take notes on black paper in my undergrad classes, and went through tonnes of the things. Some brands were super but ran out of ink quickly, and some didn't even work when they were new. One thing I am wondering is if it's so important how we store our pens once we get them, what about how they are displayed in the store or stored in the warehouse before they hit the shelves? All of the gel pen packages I recall seeing keep the pen vertical with the tip down. I don't think there's much we can do to help dem pens.
Well said! I have often wondered the same thing about how the pens are stored before we buy them. I also have never found a gel pen that doesn't crap out long before the ink runs out in the barrel.
Thumbs down on gel pens until the manufacturer can prove to me that they work!
I just threw out a bunch of gel pens that I had purchased a while ago at Costco in a pack. I know it seems wasteful but it saved me alot of aggrevation... Everytime I tried to use one it would skip or glob or not write at all!! They were never consistent for me. Mind you I did store them on their sides, wondering if I should have not thrown them out now that I read this. Oh well, what's done is done... If anyone has had good experience with a particular brand, please do share!!! I like the look of them when they actually work!
Roxanne
We recommend storing gel pens horizontally for optimal results. Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Chelsea Miller
Customer Service
American Crafts
American Crafts makes a line of pens called "The Ultimate Gen Pen". I grab these up whenever I see them because they write so well AND these are the only pens, that I've found so far, that fit in the pen holder of my Wishblade.
__________________ Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.
Pen/Marker storage - Gel pens are exceptions
I contacted 3 companies
