How is it a ballpoint pen which did not work previously, miraculously starts working again when you make a few scratches with it on paper? What’s the mechanism behind it?
In: Engineering
If you look at a magnified image of the pen’s tip, it shows a rolling ball, hence the name ballpoint pen. If it gets unused after a short while, the ink will most likely dry up and will temporarily make the ball “stuck”, making it unable to transfer on paper.
Scratching the pen on paper will roll the ball in the tip of the pen and apply force, which will make the ball unstuck and get it rolling again, in which allows the ink to flow again.
Latest Answers