The PILOT company is strongly committed to preserving the environment. Frixion erasable pens are made with a minimum of 50% recycled plastic (except for consumables), and are refillable for more economical, long-lasting use. So while the ability to erase is nice, it’s not really always a good idea to use the pens, depending on what you intend to do with that piece of paper! If you’re not familiar with Frixion pens, they are a line of pens and highlighters made by Pilot that are heat erasable. Frixion pens make a crisp, clear mark which goes on smoothly and easily with no skipping. After quilting, you simply steam the ink lines away and poof, they are gone! This seems like the Holy Grail of marking methods for us quilters. It is important to note that Pilot did not design the pens for fabric and did not test them on fabric while developing the concept.

How Do Frixion Pens Work? “Pilot Frixion pen” by matsuyuki is licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/ I have since used it successfully to remove ink stains and marks both old & new from many different fabrics. Thank you, all, for your thoughts and sharing your experiences. Many quilts take a significant amount of time, the cost of the materials can also be significant. Each of us must decide whether the risk is worth the use of the Frixion pen or other chemically-based products. They are fantastic for school. Like regular gel pens, the ink easily flows & does not pool or dry in the tip. Unlike regular gel pens, they form a very thin line & can actually be erased. Students who use Frixion pens tend to have neater papers than those using ballpoint pens (which can also sometimes be erased) or other gel pens (which cannot be erased at all) and I’ve yet to see a single instance where a student ended up with ink all over his/her hands from a Frixion pen. I’m 100% in favor of them on paper. I personally don’t allow them anywhere near my sewing studio. So in summary, straight from the manufacturer’s mouth so to speak, a summary of using the Frixion pens on fabric:We have not had decades of time to learn whether the Frixion chemicals, designed for use on paper, will affect the fabric. There may be no change whatsoever or the inks-on-fabric may experience an unexpected change. Nobody knows. Only time will provide the answers. Quilters wrote articles noting that if the marks reappeared in the cold, it was because the quilter did not thoroughly steam the marks. This simply is not the case. The ink combination used in the pens has two parts-one part makes the mark and one part makes the mark disappear. There is still ink left on your quilt after steaming, you just can’t see it. The ink is still there and will reappear in the cold.

So I was off to find it which I did at my local Lowe’s. I raced home to try it on my quilt. I was very wary but was thrilled when the marks were completely removed from my quilt. No ring, no shadow, no damage to the fabric, batting etc. This is my fourth and hopefully my final post on Frixion pens. A recent discussion on FaceBook prompted me to explore this one last time. Some prominent quilters and artists have said things about the Frixion pens that I have not found to be true in my own experience, so I needed to get the facts. I ended up talking directly with a rep at Pilot to get the facts. Frixion pen As the popularity of the Pilot Frixion range continues to grow with each passing month while showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon, we have constantly seen more and more questions being asked. Due to the unique properties of the Frixion range, we have noticed more and more people reaching out just to ask how do Frixion pens work? FriXion Ball offers a sleek design and an innovative ink technology that is class leading. The friction-generated heat caused when rubbing the paper with the eraser tip, turns the ink invisible. These pens are available in a variety of colours and nib sizes to suit your writing style.

If you do need to write on wood with your Frixion pen then the regular pens will almost always be the better option. If you are just using paper then all three variants of the pen should be good enough to use without issue. How Does The Frixion Pen Ink Work?

As to the ghost marks, I did not find a pattern as to which fabrics would show the marks. Some say that if you pre-wash your fabrics you won’t get those marks. That was not the case for me. So I had to test on any fabric I wanted to use them on to make sure I would not be left with ghost marks after steaming the ink marks away. FriXion Ball is a refillable pen and uses PILOT BLS-FR refills which means you can save money by not having to buy a new pen every time it runs out! So, let your imagination soar freely, embracing the endless possibilities that await you with this revolutionary erasable gel pen. Sometimes they left what I call a “ghost” mark after steaming the initial mark away. It was faint, but certainly not something you would want to see on your quilt. Well.. Thanks Tonya’s MOM.. you just saved my 9″ x40″ cotton quilt banner that I made for a little boys quilt.. I embroidered a Barn, Semi. and the John Deere tractor with the hay wagons pulling all the letters of the little boys name. The marks will reappear if the quilt gets cold (anything below freezing I think-I did not confirm the specific temperature) unless the mark is completely removed with an ink remover. Even after a thorough steam of the marks, they will reappear in the cold. This is part of the inherent chemistry of the ink combination.Whether you're sketching, writing heartfelt stories, or creating playful doodles, this pen's remarkable erasability gently guides you to effortlessly refine and modify your creations as you please. The smooth and seamless writing experience it offers turns every stroke into a delightful adventure, fostering joy and creativity. Although the majority of people tend to want to know about the thermo-sensitive ink technology, the actual ink delivery system is also important when it comes to how your pen works. The highlighter and fineliner variants of the pens use the standard felt transfer system where the ink in the pens ink cylinder is drawn to the felt nib and in turn transfered to your paper when pressure is applied. Frixion pens combine gel ink and thermo ink. You are marking your quilt with a gel pen that disappears.