If you ever have a pen that just won’t write, a bit of heat can get it working good as new again.
Often that “dead” pen isn’t dead at all, just a little clogged up — usually with dry ink. ClueDB user Wordie shares an easy solution: By holding the tip of it to a lighter for just a few seconds, you can melt the ink on the ball and bring the pen back to life. Alternatively, if you don’t have a lighter around, some hot or boiling water should do the trick too. This seems to be a fairly well-documented tip, so it should be good for getting you out of a bind.
Unclog stuck ballpoint pens [ClueDB]
Also quickly rubbing it back and forth between your palms till it heats up will often work if you don’t have access to the above method! #]
I find burying them in the hot sand on an island in the Maldives works well.
just a word of caution, dont heat for too long or the plastic may melt. (happened to me lol)
I just searched my entire desk for a pen that doesn’t work so I could try this, and every single pen worked fine.
No doubt next time I need to actually write something important down, every pen I grab from my desk will not work.
Sorcery!!!
It’s been covered on LH (in fact that’s where I saw it), but the shoe-sole method has worked REALLY well for me.
Basically (best with a black office shoe) scribble on the sole of the side of the sole. The rubber grips the ballpoint and makes it unstick.
I’ve had it work for a whole lot of pens, except one red one that nothing can fix. That little bastard.
*or the side, not of. Apologies.