If you've been doodling since before you could form full sentences, chances are yous have a range of markers and felt tips lying around your home. Somehow these drawing companions breed in my studio space, and I seem to have a small army of Copics, Sharpies, and Impact markers constantly inside arm's reach. These markers tend to dry out earlier they fully die out, and information technology can be frustrating and expensive to keep replacing struggling tools.

This tutorial covers two unlike techniques for reviving h2o-based markers too as non-water soluble or paint markers. The first method uses submersion in water to try and invigorate dried out ink that is sitting where the mark felt (or fibre) meets the inner tube ink cartridge. The second method uses vinegar to attempt and dab at the markers' ink to break through built upwards and dried out mark debris inside the top of the tip.

Y'all can usually tell if your mark is water-based by reading the characterization, otherwise oftentimes non-water based markers have an overwhelming precipitous chemical olfactory property that gives them away.

For this tutorial you lot will demand:

  • H2o-based markers that are drying out
  • One pocket-size basin, glass, or cup
  • One small dish or jar lid
  • A canvas of paper
  • White household vinegar
  • Water simply below boiling point

Start by sorting through your markers and checking their status. If whatever markers are conspicuously beyond repair and are totally dried out, chuck them in the bin. When the tip of a marker has totally dried out, or feels like it'southward fossilised when touching newspaper, information technology's probably beyond the point of repair. This do is to salve your markers before they get to that point.

When y'all're done ensure all the caps and lids are fitted snugly back on your markers.

The water submersion method:

  1. Heat water to just beneath boiling and cascade it into a small-scale bowl, glass or loving cup. Leave your hot water for about two minutes to let it cool slightly, to preclude the water being too hot and melting any plastic parts of your markers.
  2. In one case you've got your basin of hot water, submerge the whole tip of your water-based marker for five minutes. Make sure yous have submerged the role of your marking where the felt tip meets the casing of the marking.
  3. Subsequently near a minute you should notice ink from your marker start to bleed into your water. This is a adept sign, and indicates that the warmth of the water has got your mark running freely once more. Yous can run into in my photos below the blackness ink is moving through my glass of h2o, and information technology looks similar to the way a drop of nutrient dye spreads in water.
  4. Shake off any excess water and replace your marking lid. Leave your marker to dry off in a cool dry place for 24 hours earlier testing information technology again.

The vinegar method:

  1. Pour ordinary white household vinegar into a modest dish or jar hat .
  2. Very advisedly, dip the tip lightly and quickly into the vinegar. Yous don't want to submerge the tip as it can be too corrosive for some markers and ruin them.
  3. Dab the marker tip swiftly in and out of the vinegar 5-10 times, in the hopes that the vinegar will penetrate the pen tip and cut through whatsoever granulated chunks of ink. By using this method, yous're essentially lightly cleaning the mark felt.
  4. One time you've dabbed your marker with vinegar, replace the cap and leave it to dry out off in a cool place for 24 hours before testing it once more.

You lot can encounter in the photo beneath how lilliputian of the marking tip needs to be in contact with vinegar to be effective. Work slowly and gently to make sure you don't accidentally drown your marker in vinegar.

Another method I ended up using was flicking some drops of vinegar directly onto a chopping board (or whatever other work surface) and rolling the tips of my light-green marker in the vinegar. This eliminated whatsoever accidental submersion and gave me more control over how much vinegar I let onto my marker.

Lastly, come back the adjacent day and see the results of your work. This is my water-based marker the day after the water submersion method and it's bought it back to life.

Tips for preserving the life of your markers:

  • Ever shop your markers in a absurd, dry identify, similar you would tubes of acrylic pigment.
  • If y'all can, shop your markers upside down with the chapeau downwards, so the ink runs towards the tip.
  • If yous live in an extremely hot climate, consider refrigerating your markers.
  • Ensure yous always replace the chapeau of your markers and double check they are on securely. This is the unmarried nearly important tip for improving the lifespan of markers.

Allow u.s.a. know your own tips and tricks for bringing back markers to life in the comments.