Refilling Markers Part 5- Empty Markers and Custom Colors

I hope each of you had a great weekend. Sorry you haven't seen much of me in the last week - I have been out with the flu and am only now touching my computer again. I wanted to bring up something that many people have done, but you might want a bit more info before you try it yourself. Now is a good time to review my posts on refilling markers 1, 2, 3, 4, if you have never refilled before.

Filling Empty Markers
Copic Original, Sketch, and Wide markers all can be purchased empty. You then have the freedom of filling them with whatever THIN ink that you wish. Mix your own custom colors, fill it with invisible ink, or whatever you want, as long as it is a thin liquid that is not opaque (like paint). Thick liquids or paint will clog the felt pores on the tips and won't flow correctly

The same rules apply to filling empty markers as when you are refilling, the only difference is that empty markers will take about 1 cc more of ink for the initial filling.

The best way to mix your own custom Copic ink colors is to use an empty various ink bottle. The dropper tip pops off and you can pour ink in to the desired ratio. I strongly suggest that you test the color as you mix with a cotton swab to make sure it is the color you want. Then mix up a large enough batch that it will last a while. Write on the bottle what your recipe was so you can mix it again if you ever need to.

If you don't have an empty ink bottle you can use a syringe. This is a good, accurate way to refill if you are doing a large batch of all the same color or you want more accuracy when filling dark colors and it's too hard to see the ink level inside the bottle. Just store your remaining ink in an airtight container until you need it again.

Why would you want a custom marker?
Some people just don't understand why you would need to mix custom colors if you have 322 colors to choose from. However, the more you use Copic markers the more you will find gaps in the color range that you NEED a color for and there just isn't the perfect match. This is the case with some of our design team members-

In fact, I had no idea that Debbie Olson just posted this photo yesterday on her blog. It shows exactly how and why she has filled custom markers. Click here to see what she made with these colors. Thank you Debbie for explaining this so clearly.


You'll note that she has one marker she filled empty (pale yellow), the custom blue marker is just a colorless blender that as it started going empty she added her custom blue. I know that Debbie uses these colors all the time in her work. Sharon Harnist is also kind enough to show her custom YR31 that she uses all the time also. I know a lot of other designers use the custom colors, but many of them don't list exactly which Copic Colors they use on each piece (Lori Craig is one of these - I KNOW you use the custom pale markers but you never list marker colors used!)

Filling with things other than Copic Inks
Besides custom colors for pale backgrounds I hear of lots of different uses for empty markers. One company fills them with narcotics and explosive residues to calibrate their Airport x-ray machines. I already mentioned invisible ink. Some people have filled them with food coloring (eat at your own risk, as Copic does not endorse this) or with India ink. Think of any inks you have around your workstation that you wish came in a brush tipped marker and fill your Sketch with those. Water-based inks work great though they won't blend on paper like the alcohol based Copics will. Also, think of what inks you have that you WISH you could airbrush with. By filling an empty Sketch marker with those inks you now have that capability.

Again I must warn you that whatever unusual substance you fill it with is at your own risk. Copic is not responsible if you fill a marker with something other than Copic inks and it ruins your marker permanently. That being said, many inks will work beautifully when put inside an empty Copic marker. Also, Avoid filling a marker that has already been used with Copic inks with something that might not be compatable.

I hope I have given you some ideas today. Here is a handout I made years ago on filling empty markers that you should find useful. Have a great week!

Refilling Markers Part 4- Refilling with the booster

I promise I'll talk about other things tomorrow, but I have one last topic to cover about refilling before I move on. If you still have questions about refilling please e-mail or download our simple refilling guide from the Copic Library. Note: filling an empty marker is slightly different since it takes a little more ink, but I'll talk about that sometime later.

Refilling with the Booster Needle
The most accurate and quick way to refill markers is with the Copic Booster needle. This is a large needle that attaches over the built-in dropper on a bottle of various ink. Then, you insert this into your marker, squeeze gently until you've added the correct amount of ink.

On a Copic original marker, if you look at the chisel end you will see a little gap between the nib and the plastic barrel. The booster needle fits down into that gap and easily fills the marker. As the needle enters the marker you will feel some slight resistance- this is where it is meeting the sponge reservoir inside. You don't need to jam the needle all the way until it stops, just until you feel the slight resistance.

On a Sketch or Ciao marker you will need to remove the chisel nib (NOT the Brush!) to refill with the booster. Again, push it in until you feel some resistance, then look at the ink level so you can tell how much you need to add. gently squeeze until you've added the correct amount for your marker type.

When pulling the needle out of the marker do so at an angle so the ink doesn't dribble down the side of the needle. Be careful not to squeeze while you are removing the needle as well or you'll be spraying ink all over the place.

Replace the caps and nibs on your marker and let it sit for a while to allow the ink to soak out to the edges. Test it after a few minutes to make sure you haven't overfilled.

Pro- Fast and accurate
Con- You're working with a big needle.

Cleaning out the booster needle
You don't need a different needle for each marker color, but you do need to clean out the needle really well between different colors.

If I need to fill a pale blue marker and a dark blue marker, I would do my light color first, then rather than clean out the needle I can get away with using it directly with my darker blue ink. This is not a good idea if you are switching from red to blue- this would contaminate your marker. When switching color families in particular, rinse out your booster well.

An easy way to clean the needle is to put it into a small cup and add a little rubbing alcohol to rinse it in. Another easy way to clean it is to take an empty various ink bottle, fill it with rubbing alcohol, and squirt it through the needle until the juice flows clear. Either way, be sure that the whole needle is clean inside and out, and the base is clean.

Storage
Since this needle is so long and sharp always store it back in the little pastic sleeve it came in. This protects it from getting damaged as well as from damaging other things. Don't store it dirty since it's hard to clean out crusty old ink.

Whenever I have a lot of markers in the same color to fill I use the booster needle. If I am in the middle of a project and just need a quick refill I usually use the drip and dab method. Either way my marker is good as new and I haven't wasted my money. One bottle of ink goes a long way, so you can expect years of coloring out of your investment.

Refilling Part 3- troubleshooting

The more I thought about refilling, the more I knew I had to talk about, so before I get into refilling with the booster needle, here are some more common questions and concerns people have about refilling. This post is the third part of my segment on refilling.

For those of you interested in my certification classes, there's still room in my Kansas City and Charleston classes, and I'm taking a mailing list for the Seattle and Vancouver BC classes in November.

Refilling Q & A

Q. Do I need to fill both sides of the marker?
A. No. There is one sponge inside. Just fill it and let the marker sit either horizontal or vertical. Ink will seep out to the tips within a few moments. If you want to start coloring right away with one of the dry sides, then you can drip a couple drops of ink onto that nib to encourage ink flow.

Q. How can I tell if I have overfilled?
A. It will blob or drip. After you fill your marker let it sit for a few moments to equal out the ink inside. You may even want to take the caps off both sides to help even out the pressure. Then, scribble with your marker onto a scrap of your good paper. If the marker visibly blobs or seems extra juicy (it spreads and feathers on paper that it usually works fine on) then you've overfilled. If it drips, then you've really overfilled it.

Q. What can I do if I have overfilled?
A. Suck out the excess ink and clean up. On colored markers you can use a paper towel and touch it to the tip to suck out extra ink. If your marker dripped when you tested it check inside the cap to make sure it did not drip in the cap. If it did leave a drip in the cap then with a cotton swab and some alcohol, blender solution, or hand-sanitizer clean out the mess before it cakes on your marker barrel.

If I overfill a blender marker I usually touch the tip of the overfilled marker to a used blender and the ink will flow into the drier marker, or I let it drip back into the large bottle of blender solution.


Q. I am having a really hard time refilling my blender marker from the large blender ink bottle. Any suggestions?
A. Use a standard-size refill bottle for filling empty blenders. Then, refill that small bottle from the large bottle, since there's no way you can tell how little ink to use for refilling off a large bottle. A large bottle holds 200 cc's of blender, so if you're adding 2 cc's to fill a dry marker you're getting 100 refills!

Q. Once my ink bottle is empty, can I recycle it?
A. YES! Although the recycle symbol printed on the bottle is in Japanese, this bottle is recyclable with your other plastics. In the U.S. it's equal to a #2. Or, save your empty bottle, thoroughly rinse it out with rubbing alcohol, and use it for mixing custom colors.

Refilling Markers Part 2- Refilling without the booster

There are a couple methods for refilling Copic markers. Each way has it's pros and cons. Please read Part 1 for tips on getting ready to refill, then you can read through these methods and find the technique that works best for you. You can download the refilling guide from the Copic website as well.

Refilling Copic Markers without the Booster Needle
These methods work for Copic, Sketch, or Ciao markers. In each instance you'll be refilling from the chisel nib on the marker. Don't remove the brush or fine nib unless you need to replace them.

Q. How much ink should I add to a dry marker?
A. Ciao- add 1 to 1.5 cc's ink Sketch- 2 cc's Copic 2-3 cc's Wide 3-4 cc's Each little mark on the side of a bottle of ink is 1 cc. These numbers will slightly underfill your marker, but it's better to underfill than overfill.

Drip and dab
This is the most direct method of refilling. Using the dropper built into the various ink bottle simply drip/dab drops of ink onto the chisel nib of your marker. To re-charge a marker it takes about 20-30 drops of ink (your drop size and my drop size are different, so the best judge is still how many cc's you've added). Let each drop get sucked in before you add the next drop.

I usually touch the very tip of the ink bottle to the tip of the marker, though some people hold it just a fraction apart (even closer than the photo). With practice you'll find the way that works best for you.

As you are doing this, try not to squeeze the bottle much, since it's really easy to drip ink. Also, if you have a drop waiting on the tip of the dropper don't tilt your bottle back upright without getting rid of that drop or else it will dribble down the side of the ink bottle (ask me how I know).

Pro- Simple. Just drip ink onto the nib, let it soak in and you're good to go.
Con- Slow. it takes a few minutes to completely refill a marker. Also, if you aren't paying attention this is a quick way to make a mess.

Remove Nib and Fill
This is much faster than drip & dab. With your tweezers pull the chisel tip out from your marker. Carefully set your tip onto something that won't get ruined or soak through while you are refilling. Be sure to check where the ink level is in your bottle before you start filling so you don't overfill.

Take the cap off the other side of the marker (this helps to avoid getting air bubbles and allows the ink to seep in better). Carefully pour in the ink. Don't squeeze too quickly since it's easy to mis-judge how much ink you're adding. When you're done, put the nib back in and put both caps back on. Let your marker sit for a moment so the ink evenly distributes within the marker.

German Refilling Method
We have a new Product Rendering Design DVD that just came in (I'll post a review sometime soon). It's made by our German counterpart and is translated into English, German, and Japanese. They suggest refilling by taking out the nib as I've described, but they take it a step further. With both nibs off and while working over a plate refill until a drop comes out the bottom, then quickly replace the nib and caps and let the marker sit. Be careful! The first time I tried it this way to make sure a black marker was super juicy I splashed a drop of ink on a new pair of light brown pants. What a mess! Those markers were full though.

Pro- Faster than dripping & dabbing
Con- Potentially messy if you aren't careful, especially the German method.

Refilling Wide Markers
I think I've mentioned this before, but Wide markers are super-easy to refill. Touch the dropper to the wide nib by resting it in the groove built into the barrel. Gently squeeze to add ink. If you really want, you could pull out the wide nib and drip ink down into the gaping barrel, but there is no need to do that.

Pro- it's easy
Con- I can't think of any.

In the next post I'll discuss refilling with the booster needle, as well as troubleshooting if you overfill, clean up, and other questions that are associated with refilling markers. If you have any questions about refilling, go ahead and post them here, then I'll address those as well. Have a great weekend!

Refilling Part 1- When should I refill?

I had a question come up about refilling and I figured that now is a good time to start talking about refilling markers. I got to typing this up and I realized that to cover this in depth I needed to break it up over a few posts. Sorry about that, but I figure the more you know the less likely you are to make mistakes.

I suggest you download our refilling guide from the Copic library for the simple directions and diagrams.

Planning ahead for Refilling Markers

How do I know when to refill?
Test both ends of the marker. The biggest hint that it's time to refill is when you use the chisel end you see streaks. On the brush end you'll need to refill when the ink has a harder time reaching the tip of the brush. If one end is dry but the other is juicy you may think your marker is fine, but it's not. It still needs to be refilled.

Sometimes the marker is so dry the tips will look light and blotchy (see photo). This is a REALLY dry marker and needs lots of help (sadly most of my personal collection looks like this and I always forget to get inks until I need that exact color).

Over time, if you find it difficult to evenly soak your paper or blend with some colors then you probably need to refill. You'll have to refill your favorite colors sooner than you think, so if you are like me and use your pale blues or favorite skin colors all the time, then go ahead and get refills now, before those colors run out. There's nothing worse than being in the middle of a large project and having your main color go dry.

Q. Will it hurt my marker if I don't refill it right away?
A. Not really. My biggest concern is that when I teach workshops and the markers start to go dry people tend to push harder on the brush to get the color to come out and they're more likely to break the tip. It is also annoying if you go to use the marker again and it's dry, so I try to frequently test my demo markers and weed out the dry ones.

Q. How many refills can I get from one bottle?
A. It depends on the marker type, but in general and without overfilling you can get about 10-12 refills for Sketch, about 15 for Ciao, about 8 for Copic, and 5-7 for Wide. On the side of the bottle are little measurement marks so you'll know exactly how much ink to use (more about this later).

Q. How should I store the Various inks?
A. You can store them either horizontal or or upright, just make sure the cap is on tight. It may take you a while to use up a bottle of ink (I've had some colors for about 8 years). They have a little rubber seal inside so they won't dry out, even if the bottle sits for a long time. Keep them out of direct sunlight and extreme temperatures and they'll be fine. Copic makes 24 pc. empty storage cases that hold either Various Inks or Wide markers. This photo is actually my personal ink set kept in an old store display.

Some things to consider before you refill:

1. Work over a protected surface. A thick paper plate, pie tin, or a stack of old newspapers make a great barrier for spills. Don't work over your brand new pants, your favorite tablecloth, or the white carpet. (sometime in the next few days I'll mention how to get marker out of fabric, since I have lots of experience with this).

2. Make sure your refill color matches the marker. This is an easy mistake to make.

3. Have everything ready before you start. Everything includes your clean-up supplies. Keep a bottle of rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol) or hand-sanitizer and some paper towels for clean up. If you are using a booster needle I suggest keeping a small disposable cup to rinse it out in. Some people prefer wearing rubber gloves while refilling, so if you think you may spill the first time you try to refill think about wearing a rubber glove.

When you are refilling your markers this is also a good time to replace damaged nibs, so keep a supply of replacement tips and a pair of tweezers. Copic tweezers have little gripping teeth to get hold of those slippery nibs better (these are also important for pulling out broken brush nibs that can get stuck down in the barrel). It helps if you store all your refill supplies in one place close to your inks so that you can quickly fill your markers if you are in the middle of a project and don't want to stop.

4. The Refill cap unscrews. Don't try to pull it straight off like a marker lid, and whatever you do, don't squeeze the bottle while unscrewing it. You're bound to make a mess (I know this the hard way). Unscrew it over your protected surface.

5. Don't overfill. It's better to underfill.

6. Refill from the chisel end of the marker. Whatever you do, DON'T pull out the brush nib. This is made from two specially joined pieces of felt. You can mush and squish these nibs, but don't pull on them unless you need to replace them.

7. Give yourself plenty of time to refill. Accidents happen when you get distracted or in a rush. I can't tell you how many times I've spilled inks or overfilled a marker while refilling in the middle of a demo just because I look away for a moment, I get in a rush, or I'm just not paying attention. Usually if I have ink stains on my fingers it's from getting distracted when refilling.

Refilling is not hard to do, especially if you are prepared and you allow yourself some uninterrupted time to try it the first time. I usually try to get my teenage friends to refill my markers for me. It takes about 5 minutes to show them how to refill (I frequently tell my babysitter that she can refill her markers from my inks any time if she tests and refills my markers as well). Now that you're ready, look for my next posts on how to refill each style of marker.

Frequently asked questions

Before I cover Sketch markers, I want to address a few things that people always ask me, and no matter how many times I answer, someone else will ask me the same thing. Hopefully this will help you with all your questions you've been dying to have answered, or just wondered about.

So here we go:
Q. How do I pronounce Copic? Ciao? Spica?
A. Copic- long o, Coh-pick Ciao - chow, like the Italian greeting Spica- speek-ah is the Japanese pronunciation and how we say it, but it could be called spike-ah, which is the way Americans pronounce the star of the Virgo constellation it's named after.

Q. Which way should I store my Copic markers? Horizontal or Vertical?
A. However they look best on your desk :) Japan sells them stored either way, so it doesn't really matter.

Q. Will the marker dry out if I don't use it after a while?
A. No. We guarantee a 3-year shelf-life. These are very airtight and will last for years, even if you never use them.

Q. Are Copic Markers lightfast?
A. No. They are a dye. they will fade in harsh light unless they are protected from direct light.

Q. What happens if I leave my marker in the hot sun or a freezing car?
A. Nothing. They are air tight, alcohol. It will take a lot for them to freeze or boil due to extreme temps.

Q. I was coloring away and suddenly my marker blobbed. I've had the marker for a while, what happened?
A. The air pressure inside the marker is messed up. Remember, these are very airtight markers. A pressure change from weather, elevation, or my frequent problem is from coloring while flying with the markers. Just pull the cap off both ends and let it sit for a moment. This evens out the air pressure and you should be OK after that.

Q. Are Copic Markers acid-free?
A. Depending on the surface, they dry acid-free. The alcohol carrier solvent is slightly off-neutral pH, but once that evaporates they are neutral. Some papers retain the alcohol more than others though.

Q. One side of my marker seems to be dry. Do I need to refill both sides?
A. No. Both nibs share the same ink reservoir. If one side is dry, chances are the other side is almost dry too. Just refill from the chisel end and you'll be fine.

I hope you find these little tidbits useful. If you have questions, please ask- send me e-mails at office1@copicmarker.com Have a great weekend!

What will ruin a marker tip?

Since I'm out of town I figured we'll cover some basics that I was going to explain later, but now's as good a time as any. Someone recently commented that they want the things that are bad for your marker to be bolder so they are easier to avoid. Here's a list of things I would try to avoid coloring over:

1. White Out- No way should you color over white-out. Besides looking bad on paper it leaves a white spot on the marker tip. the photo shows how coloring over white out shows up worse than ever, and it can leave gunk on your marker tip.

2. Unfired Clay- this will discolor the tip because bits of clay are clogging the fibers. Also avoid plaster. Clay coated papers also should be tested, some will work and some won't.

What is OK: Ceramic paint-it-yourself ornaments are great. Sculpey, after it's baked looks real neat. Glazed Ceramics are Ok too, though those are pretty slick surfaces.

3. Acrylic paints- You can get away with some quick work but if you try to color over most acrylics they will clog your marker tips/discolor your tips.

4. Chalks/Oil Pastels- Nope. Do these after you color with marker, not before.

5. Untested stamping inks- These will stain you tips and it may come back off when you least expect it. See the post on Testing stamping inks for more info on how to throughly test an ink.

6. Solvents or oils: These are just a bad idea to color over. They are fine to use over the top of your marker drawing though, and won't hurt it unless they contain Alcohol, Ethanol, or some other similar chemical.

Rule of thumb- If it is something that when it gets wet it smears and is opaque, STAY AWAY or test it first.

Things that won't hurt your marker, just make the tip look UGLY:

1. Pencil- I once had a colorless blender that I didn't change the tip on for almost 4 years. The tip was grey and people thought I was coloring with a light gray marker. The tip was fine, and the blender ink was clear, but it had become gray from all my years of going over pencil lines. If you go over a thick pencil line quickly scribble onto some scratch paper to get it off your tip. Same with Colored Pencils. They won't hurt your marker, just make the tips ugly (see photo)

2. Watercolors- These are so thin that you usually won't have a problem, but they might discolor the tip. If you want to use watercolors, use them AFTER you use markers.

Rule of thumb: In Japan Copic markers are commonly used with watercolors, pastels, colored pencil, acrylics. However, they use them AFTER the marker work has been done. Also, any other inks that are not allowed to dry enough that usually work with Copics will discolor the tips. Your pale colors will show damage the most.

It's easy to switch out a tip if you have ruined it beyond help. Get a pair of tweezers (Copic tweezers have little gripping teeth that make removal easier) and pull the tip straight out. Then, insert the new tip by pushing it straight in where the old tip was. Let the marker sit for a few minutes so the ink flows evenly.

This is not a complete list, but I am hoping that if any of you have run into other marker no-no's you can share these with us.