How to Clean Rapidograph Koh-I-Noor Technical & Tech pens HACK and Refilling fast and easy 

Thank you so much for watching my video. I’m glad my instruction was of help and that you can make your pens work again! That’s good news! If you like these types of videos and want to see more, please subscribe to my channel, if you haven't done so already. More tutorials soon. Thank you!

Hi Chillin’ Tees. Thank you for watching my video. And I’m glad it was of help. When cleaning those pens out, just make sure your very careful with the interior needle points. The rest, I would just shake it all up in e jar and noting has ever broke on be before. If you enjoy this video and like to see more tutorials, please subscribe to my channel if you haven’t already. I’ll have more videos soon! Thanks again!

Hi About Average. Yes, if you open those pens up like how I demonstrated in the video, it's very easy to clean. no need to buy any cleaning solutions. Doesn't matter how old they are, they clean very easily like that. Thank you for watching and subscribing!

Hi Noe. Thank you for watching my video. Yes, that fine wire is very delicate and can break easily when taking apart as well as separating. Also me mindful of where you place it after taking it apart. I’ve had incidences where it rolled off a table and it bent the tip and that was the end of it. The cleaning bulb absolutely helps clean the pen quicker and comes in very handy. Thank again for watching my video. If you like these types of videos and want to see more, please subscribe to my channel; if you haven't done so already. More tutorials soon. Thanks again!

Hi Tricia! I’m glad this video can be of help. And hopefully it made cleaning easy for you! Thank you for watching and subscribing to my channel!

Hi Madison. I'm glad to hear that this video can be of help. Yes, those Rapidographs and last forever! Easy to clean when you know how. Thank you for watching and subscribing!

Me too! My set goes for about $100 now!

@@lucillekenney8311 Yes. They work for a long time and it's valuable pen! Thank you for watching and subscribing!

Thank you so much for watching my video. If you like these types of videos and want to see more, please subscribe to my channel, if you haven't done so already. More tutorials soon. Thank you!

Hi Teresa Luna! Thank you so much for watching and subscribing! More videos coming soon!

Thank you so much for watching my video. I did not know that the newer koh-I-noir needle tips are not color coded. If not, I would get some acrylic paint and mark them with the colors that you can remember. The colors does make a difference. The pens i have also have a small number on that that helps differentiate the size. Having the colors helps seperate much quicker. If you like these types of videos and want to see more, please subscribe to my channel, if you haven't done so already. More tutorials soon. Thank you

@@WaldenWongArt I think they have been colorless for many years now here in the U.S. I did enjoy your video. Thanks.

@@jennifertate4397thank you again for watching and for leaving a comment!

Hi Sahra Brady. I’m glad my video was of help! If you enjoy these videos and like to see more, please subscribe to my channel. More tutorials coming soon!

Hi B Starr. I’m glad my video was of help. If you know the trick to clean this like how I demonstrated on the video, it’s super easy. So now, anytime those pens clog on me, I repeat the cleaning steps and it’s easy to do. Thank you so much for watching my video. If you like these types of videos and want to see more, please subscribe to my channel, if you haven't done so already. More tutorials soon. Thanks again!

Perfect! I’m glad my video can be of help. Please subscribe to my channel for more tutorials! Thank you again!

Rick Rudge thank you for the kind worlds. I appreciate that very much! I’ve never tried the RapidoSketch pens myself as I didn’t know they exist. But now, I have the urge to buy one and dissect it to see how it works. I googled an image up online and I like how the front of the pen is clear. So when the ink runs out, I’ll know that it’s out of ink, as supposed to it being clogged. Often when I’m using the Rapidograph pens and the ink doesn’t flow, I then to think it’s slightly clogged and I’m shaking it to make it work again. Only to find out the reason it wasn’t working was because it’s out of it when I open it up. Haha. Thank you for watching and subscribing!

@@WaldenWongArt I just used the .50 mm RapidoSketch and it worked great, even at a slight angle. Although it is a very similar design, it doesn’t come with the plastic point key to unscrew the pen’s feed cover part. That can easily be done by hand. The RapidoSketch only comes in three sizes and I’m not sure how easy the .35 and .25 mm can be cleaned.

Rick Rudge thank you for letting me know. Being able to unscrew it without a key is nice. Won’t have to worry about loosing that key. I’m going to get a set and try it. When I work on comic books, I do have a set of rapidographs with seven different tip sizes and I use only five of them. Would be interesting to see and feel how the RapidoSketch work. Thank you again!

Thank you so much for watching my video. If you like these types of videos and want to see more, please subscribe to my channel, if you haven't done so already. More tutorials soon. Thank you

Hi Jacon Slater. Thank you for watching my video. I’m glad it was of help and that you were able to revive the pen. If it ever clogs again, clean them out the same way I’ve done in the video. Just make sure your very careful with inserting the pen needle tip back into the chamber so you don’t bend or damage that part. If you enjoy these types of video and like to see more, please subscribe to my channel if you haven’t already. I’ll have more art tutorials and demonstrations coming soon. Thank you again!

Jim Cunningham thank you for watching and please subscribe to my channel!

Thank you for watching! If you enjoy these videos and like to see more of them, please subscribe to my channel! Thanks again!

Thanks Rometiklan! A lot of comic book artist and inkers would have a set of these Koh-I-Noor Rapidographs tech pens. Some get frustrated with cleaning them. But as you can see, it's really not that much work. I don't even use any towels to dry them off. After cleaning, I just air shake dry them and out them back together. If there's some little bit of ink in there, I just leave it in and fill it with it and go. Been using these pens for a very long time and I've never had to use any kind of cleaning solution, towels, or Q-tips. When you shake the bottle, shake it in a circular motion around the bottle. You'll start to feel and understand where the pens are inside the bottle and eventually clean it quick. Thanks for watching and subscribing!

Sarah Loffler thank you for watching and please subscribe for more good videos!

Hi Lead-Rest. Thank you for watching my video and good to see you again! Hope all is well!

S To , haha. A set of these Radiograph pens cost between $100-150. A quick cleaning will make them fresh again. If you don’t use them for a while, the ink inside do dry up and clog. I used them almost everyday, so I don’t need to clean them often. Maybe once every 2-3 years. Thank you for watching and subscribing!

LOL wish I had a BMW

Lucille Kenney haha! Your comment made me laugh out loud! Thank you for watching and subscribing! Haha!

Thank you for watching and subscribing! More videos soon!

Hi Laundry Perrin. Yes, having that pump makes cleaning to much faster and easier. Thank you for watching and if you enjoy these videos and like to see more, please subscribe to my channel for more tutorials. Thanks again!

@@WaldenWongArt sub and like👍

@@yungdro1972 thank you again!

Hi Panthermom. You should be able to pull out those old rapidograoh and clean them just as easily following my video. Recently, I found an older set that I used to have when I was in middle school. Did all the same things to clean and it it works like brand now now! Thank you for watching and please subscribe to my channel if you haven’t done so already. More tutorials coming soon! Thanks again!

@@WaldenWongArt Thank you. I’m in the process of tearing my house apart looking for them. I know I must have them somewhere.

@@panthermom I know how that can be a long task. Sometimes I’m looking for something I know I have, but forgot where I placed it. And takes forever to find it. haha. Best of luck.

Found them! They were in the bottom of a box I had in the garage. I thought they were Rapidograph but they are actually Faber-Castell TG1. Very similar though. I am following your instructions and soaking the first pen. Crossing fingers I can get them in working order.

You’re welcome! Thank you for watching and please subscribe to my channel if you haven’t done so already! Stay Safe!

Thank you so much for watching my video. If you like these types of videos and want to see more, please subscribe to my channel, if you haven't done so already. More tutorials soon. Thanks again!

Wilhelm, I appreciate that. Thanks for watching and subscribing!

Thank you for watching my video and I’m glad it was of help. If you enjoy these type of tutorials and like to see me, please subscribe to my channel. Thanks again!

Hi Kimbaxley. Thank you for watchingy video on how to clean Rapidograph pens. Yes, if you don’t plan on using these pens, it’s better to clean them out. Because if you let ink sit there and not use it for months, they will clog and it takes a bit longer to clean them out. It’s not hard to clean if you clean it like how I demonstrated in my video. But just a bit longer because there’s more dried ink crust everywhere. Thank you for the great comment and I hope there’s can learn from you comment as well. Thanks again!

Hey Kim girl. I just recently cleaned about 25 KIN Rapids and soaked them in the KIN cleaning solution/water for one to three+ days, in a small plastic container that had about 18 little sections so I could soak several at a time. They were sitting around for maybe a year. And some had blue ink in them which made it harder to unclog than black or white. I did have to throw away one pen. You might want to try this if you need too.

Yes. Be careful with those pin tips. Especially the finer tips. I also have a couple that’s slightly bent, but still able to fit it back into the chamber tip and it works fine.

Hi Tracylynnw! That's probably the best deal ever! I've heard stories about great garage sales like that especially on art supplies that you will use. I've never been as lucky, bit it's great to hear others have been. So awesome! Thanks for watching and subscribing!

Walden Wong Art I wasn't really sure of what they were when I found them, I never heard of them before I purchased them. I do a lot of dip pen drawings and saw all the ink, and was excited about that, and the rest was a bonus for me. Heh heh, I did end up buying the cleaning bulb btw. They are my favorite pens to draw with now. :)

tracylynnw the cleaning bulb is great. That helps speed up the process of cleaning. Also, you can use it to suck out the ink once everything is loaded. So you don’t have to shake continually to get the ink started to flow. Thanks again for watching and subscribing!

Walden Wong Art awesome tip, thanks!

tracylynnw you’re very welcome!!

Yes, windex is good for dissolving in as well. To it dilute the ink thinner for inking artwork. Thank you so much for watching my video. If you like these types of videos and want to see more, please subscribe to my channel, if you haven't done so already. More tutorials soon. Thank you

Hi Late Motha! Thank you for watching!

Ryan Howell thank you!

@@WaldenWongArt I can buy Mechanical Pencils and copic pens but not the copic color markers

Ryan Howell you can order almost anything online now especial over Amazon. I have an Amazon affiliate where if you order anything using my links, I get a little bit of kick back. Goto my website... www.WaldenWongArt.com and look for the button “Walden on Amazon” and click that. Once there, you’ll see all the links to books I’ve worked on and art supplies that I recommended. Hope that helps!

Hi raihan hannu. That pen set is available on Amazon. Here's the link. www.amazon.com/dp/B000WRZC5O/?ref=exp_waldenwongart_dp_vv_d They may cost a pretty penny, but they'll last you forever! I had my set for decades and it still works!

Hi Shojolove F, I know exactly what you are talking about. Just a month ago, I was cleaning one of these pens and the pen nib went down the drain. I couldn't believe it! I just looked at the drain and my eyes almost popped out! Was going to dismantle the drain to get the nib back, but figure that would take more time and resources to do, then to just buy a new one to replace. Thank you for watching and subscribing!

Thank you for watching my video. Unless it’s a new model that I’ve never seen before, yes, they all have that plastic part. Some are translucent plastics where you can see through. And others are just a black color plastic that you can’t see through. Hope that helps. If you enjoy this video and like to see more, please subscribe to my channel. I’ll have more tutorials coming soon! Thank you again for watching!!

Thanks Tony! Once you get used to cleaning it, it's not that bad. I don't even use any cleaning solution, towels or Q-tips. And with everything submerged into water right away, all the leftover ink gets diluted. So when it comes to cleaning, there's really no mess. No concentrated ink on your hands, just diluted watered done ink. So washing your hands is also easy and quick.

Walden Wong Art I did move away from these because they were expensive and went to multi liners.Now I know how to clean them easier I might pick one up .

Tony. These tech pens are work horses. They last for a very time.

Amber DuCharme , great! Thank you for watching and subscribing!

Thank you so much for watching my video. Yes, you can clear them out the same way you see me clean them in my video. Just be careful with the pen tips and it bend then and you should be fine. If you like these types of videos and want to see more, please subscribe to my channel, if you haven't done so already. More tutorials soon. Thank you

Hi Nate Garcia! Yes, that's true. I used these pens almost everyday. And I have had them consistently flowing for years without them getting clogged. However, once in a while when I go on vacation for a few weeks and not used them, they do dry up and clog. But if you used them consistently, they stay fluid for a very long time. You don't need to clean these everyday. If you used them a couple of times a week, no need o clean as well. I store them drawing tips up when not in use, so the ink doesn't dry up in the tip. Thank you for watching and please subscribe for more good videos!

Hi Michelle. Thank you for watching my video. Be careful with that needle point. That’s very fragile. Usually when I clean these pens, I’ll just remove that needle point and give it a rinse. I won’t touch the needle part as it as a good rinse will take care of it. After that, I’ll slowly place it back into the tips by gently slightly lifting until the needle point finds its way into the pen tip. Don’t force it in. Just let it find its way in by trial and error. You can use the koh-I-boot solution and bulb syringe kit to clean and that will also work. Hope that helps. Thank you again for watching and if you enjoy these types of tutorials and like to see moreX please subscribe to my channel if you haven’t already. I’ll have more videos coming soon! Thanks again!

@@WaldenWongArt thanks for advice I use these pens alot but I just use the bulb syringe and soak all the parts but never going to take that needle out I wasn't even aware that had damage it because I put it back in but the pen never worked again so thinking after looking at your video that I must have damage it.

@@michellegilmore9438 yes, you have to be careful with the needle of the pen tip. I know the smaller sized as so small that it’s very fragile. So being a bit more careful will still work. Thank you again for watching my video and the comment!

Lucille Kenney oh no! I don’t think they sell individual parts. I usually keep broken pens for spare parts. One time, I also lost the needle tip down the drain and I just stood there looking at the drain. I was going to take apart the drain pipe to retrieve it, but that would create more work and who knows if it’s even still there. So I just bought a new pen and kept the old one for spare parts. Then I went to Home Depot and bought a strainer to place inside the drain so noting like that will happen again. Thanks again for watching and don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t done so already.

hi @junktube4000. I know exactly what you're talking about. When the tip starts to come out further than it should and it becomes scratchy. I've never tried sanding them down. When I get one like that, I just use another one. It's not a bad idea to sand it down or cut it off. You'll need to be precise. Thank you for watching and sibscribing!

@@WaldenWongArt I ended up putting an old cleansing wire in my new pen that was slightly shorter. But the pen is still scratchy. For others reading this, Rotring Rapidographs tend to be a bit smoother in the finer points. But me and Walden both love Koh-I-Noors, their ink flow is juicier in sizes 0.30-0.35, and Koh-I-Noor line widths are more intelligently spaced apart. Their pen tips are also more sturdy and feel more accurate/precise.

​@@junktube4000, I absolutely agree. Also, after using the Rapidograph pens, they do become scratchy. When that happens, I'll go over twice and make the lines cleaner. Scratchy lines isn't always a bad thing. Sometimes I'll used that scratching effect on inking speedlines. I'll angle it and ink that line fast towards the end and it'll give me broken lines. I do have a few sets of these pen and when I use a newer pen, it gives me a clean non scratchy line. So from my experience, the tip may get scratchy over a long period of time.

@@WaldenWongArt Good idea on the speedlines! Did you manage to get your hands on an ultrasonic cleaner?

@@junktube4000 I did get to use an ultrasonic cleaner. That thing is magic! Thank you again for referring me to it. Love it!

Thanks, Mr Ragnar. I know the exact cleaning solution you're talking about. In fact, it came with that red Pressure Pump kit. The thing with using the cleaning solution is that it takes time. Every now and then when I'm using the pens, they get clogged. When I want to continue working, go through the process of cleaning it with a bottle and that process takes me just under 3 minutes. That including refilling it back up with ink and I can get back to work straight away. I can understand the fear of bending the tips, but it hasn't broke on me yet. I think it's the way I'm shaking the bottle where everything is just rolling around the sides of the bottle keeping the tips safe in the water. More like rotating the bottle quickly in the circular motion around the sides of the bottle. But when I need to shake the bottle left and right base of the bottle, I do that more slowly as you can see in the video. Thanks for watching and subscribing!

Hi J. Lietka. Thank you for watching my video. If you clean the pens like how you see me clean it in the video, there’s really no need for distilled water, soap or vinegar. I just use water directly out of the tap, and noting else. Water once to rinse out the ink, water again to wash it clean. Whatever you do, just make sure you separate those needle nib tips and handle with care. Those are very delicate. Other than that, I hope this video was of help. Please subscribe to my channel if you like these kinds of video. I’ll have more tutorials and art demonstrations coming soon! Thanks again for watching!

@@WaldenWongArt thanks for the reply!

@@j.lietka9406 you’re welsome!

Thank you so much for watching my video. Yes, regardless of what inks you use, including waterproof ink, my method will clean the pens. Just be careful of the tips when you pull them out and not accidentally drop or bend them. They are delicate. If you like these types of videos and want to see more, please subscribe to my channel, if you haven't done so already. More tutorials soon. Thank you!

Hi ThailandMikeWorld! They are not destroyed! You can still use them! Just gently take them apart like how I did it in the video. clean them out with water and put them back together and it'll work perfect as new. These pens can really last a lifetime. If they're clogged, it's just dried ink that's blocking the passage. Take them apart and clean and you're good to go! Thank you for watching and subscribing!

Thank you thank you 🙏🏽 for quick reply! I’m stoked!

Yes, Very easy to clean. You'll be surprised how well it'll work again after years or decades of it being clogged. They're really well made.Thank you for watching and subscribing!

I now people with these pens let them sit in water the whole night, and then rinse them under a water stream. Rotring has a fluid cleaning product for these types of pens. In the wurst case the use those ultrasonic cleaners.

Thank you so much for watching my video. When I’m not using these repdiograoh pens, I please them in a cup with the drawing tip facing upwards. If you place them pointing downward, inks can leak out. If you like these types of videos and want to see more, please subscribe to my channel, if you haven't done so already. More tutorials soon. Thank you

Seeing all these responses is encouraging. For cleaning I’ve started using an old ultrasound cleaner. Makes a lot of noise but I Just dump the pen parts in after some disassembly and in 20 minutes they’re clean.

@@georgeclausen2408yes, I have one of those cleaners as well. They’re amazing. As a freelance artist that needs to get there artwork done in time, I need to clean it fast to get it done and back to work. that’s why i clean my pens this way in the video.

@@WaldenWongArt I think I'll try your method next time I need to.

@@georgeclausen2408let me know how it goes. Remember, with my method, be careful with pulling out and reinserting the pen tip. Seperate that from the jar washing and just rinse. That inner pen tip is fragile and if not handled well, it may be bent. Hope that helps!

Hi junktube4000. I’ve tried them both and I prefer the Koh-I-Noor rapidograph over the Rotring. Like you mentioned, the do produce a slightly thinner line which is better. Thank you for watching and subscribing!

@@WaldenWongArt Thanks for your reply, I also came to the same conclusion. However, it has been a hard conclusion to come to. The Koh-I-Noors do feel more accurate for inking over pencils. I think I might try getting a Koh-I-Noor 0.13, in an attempt to get an even thinner line then the Rotring Rapidograph 0.13. Since this pen will be so thin, I'll fill it with Rotring Rapidograph cartridge ink, because its less clogging, since it's only around 88% waterproof.

Hi@@junktube4000​, The tip of the pens are nicer to use as well when it comes it using it with templates. I just use the Koh-i-noor universal ink for the rapidographs. That's less clogging and waterproof. I've made a video on how you can easily clean those tech pens if you haven't see it yet. Just takes only a few minutes. Here's the link... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-IY3mwzhg8MU.html

@@WaldenWongArt I used to use that ink but I switched to Rotring Drawing Ink. It comes in a bottle that looks just like Koh-I-Noor Universal ink, but it's ink is darker. This also means it's slight more clogging then the watery Koh-I-Noor ink. I just watched the video. You don't have an Ultrasonic Jewelry Cleaner yet? All you have to do if your pen ink stops flowing is dip the tip of it in the Ultrasonic Cleaner. It makes technical pen maintenance 75% easier.

@@junktube4000 Another thing to consider is how long you've been using the pen. After years of use, the tip of these pens do wear out giving you a slightly thicker line. Usually when I see that happening, I would open up a brand new pen of the same size. But this is years of using the same pen.

add lukewarm water to ink cartridge put in your pocket go for a run or bike ride etc. DO NOT put in boiling water or any chemical solvents like you could do with elite airbrushes.

this is what i recommend for dried up ink that has locked up the ink plunger type thingy and hairthin wire.

Thank you for watching my video. You’re correct, in this video, the pens I’ve used aren’t dried into a cement. But I can honestly tell you, that is they were, and you clean them the same day and be careful with the pen tips, you can absolutely have them work like new again. As I’ve also cleaned old used Rapidograph pens before and it still work. Hope that helps.

That’s also a good idea about going for a run to shake it up. That’s if your don’t want to mess with the pen tips like how o demonstrated in the video. Sometimes, I have a bunch of brand new inks bottles that haven’t been used. What I do it put them in my car trunk and leave them there. So when I’m driving, it’ll shake up the bottles and doesn’t let the pigments settle inside the bottoms of the bottle. Keep it mixed at all times before I used them. Haha

Hi @John Russell ! My favorite sizes are the .5 (brown) and the .3 (yellow). I use every rapidograph I have for different lines, but those two are the most used Rapidograph. Taking it further between the two, I use the .3 yellow even more as I've broken quite a few of those along the way. lol.

Hi Zero Kool! The only time I ever clean them is when it clogs and stop working. That's when the ink inside the tip nib are dried out and cleaning them will make it work like new again. So if you don't use these pens often and it dries out, then it's time for a cleaning. Now... if you use it almost every day like myself, I can go months, even a year without ever cleaning them at all. Hope that answers your question. Thank you for watching and subscribing!

I know, right! If I didn't edit that video, everyone would have watched me shake that jar even longer! lol. Thanks for watching and subscribing!

LOL

Hi Walter. Try slowly putting that needle point piece back into the top. If you pulled it out roughly or try to force it in, it will bend and make it useless. With anything that’s thin and delicate, it’s always good to be careful and not force anything if it doesn’t work.

@@WaldenWongArt Thanks for the advice, I tried being careful and it didnt seem to do the trick :( I just got a replacement tip and its been working great so far, will be more careful next time!

@@waltermcdonough yes, the thinner, or smaller, the tip, the more careful you need to be. But once you know how to clean them, it should be okay. Thank you again for watching my tutorial.

Hi onxiaftw. That’s interesting as it should be when you remove that pin from the top. That usually clears it out right away. Try removing it and let it sit in water for a bit. You must have not used that pen in quite some time for the tip to build up that must. Let me know how it goes. Thank you for watching and please subscribe to my channel for more videos!

Hi PureHeart, you’re absolutely right! This video was done early in my RU-vid filming and uploading. Honestly speaking, I didn’t know what I was doing. Haha. But I’m a little better at filming and editing now. So some of my more recent videos and tutorials are better. Thank you for watching and if you enjoy these types of video and like to see more, please subscribe to my channel!

Hi Tombeza. Thank you for watching my video! In the video, I do have a tray of water on the table with about ONE bottle of water tall. That was because I was filming on a table with a camera set up. As supposed to filming at a bathroom sink and nowhere to place the camera in behind the sink. For everyone else and how I will clean my pens, it’s really the ONE bottle of water where I’ll rinse and reuse the water to pump clean the pens over a sink. That’s it! The point is to clear out the clog and make the ink flow. You don’t need to clean it sparkly clean. Doesn’t matter if there’s still a bit of grey, as long as it’s flowing, that’s what you want. It’s black ink anyways. I’m glad you enjoyed the video and thank you for the comment! If others think I use a lot of water, your comment will help set things straight. Thanks again!