19Oct
How to revive a dead alcohol based marker
I’m a huge marker fan; in fact, I have a vast collection of Copic, Ohuhu and ADAXI markers, as you probably already know by now. With so many markers, it’s inevitable that a few of them will run out of ink.
Often when a marker seems to stop working, it’s not the ink inside that has run out, but rather the tip has dried out. Alcohol-based markers tend to dry out more often than their water-based counterparts, since alcohol evaporates faster than water.
How to fix it
- Pour a small amount of rubbing alcohol (the kind you use to disinfect wounds and grazes) into a bowl. If you don’t have rubbing alcohol, you can also use nail polish remover – it’ll work just as well.
- Take the top off the dried-out marker and soak it in the alcohol for 15 minutes. During this time, you may see some ink diffusing into the alcohol – again, this is normal, and just means the ink is flowing.
- Put the top back onto your marker and let it sit – tip up – for about a day or two. After this time, test out the marker on some scrap paper. If it works, it’s just like new!
Besides, try to follow @adaxiarts to draw with simple strokes every day and get connected with people via drawing.
