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Frixion pens


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I remember reading on here the concern for the Frixion pen ink reappearing if it was subjected to real cold temps.  I figured since I never intended to store my quilts in my freezer that it would never present a problem to me.  I'm working on a quilt right now that requires marking and I was using my chalk pencil, but I was noticing it was a pain getting it out.  It came out, but was a little more effort than I wanted to expend considering I would be doing 263 of the little units.  So I decided to use my Frixion pen because I could just press it out.  It's working great by the way.  I ran that pen dry so I purchased some more yesterday.  Don't know why I decided to read the info on the back, but I did.  This is what I found.

 

"If pen is exposed to temperature that reaches 140°F the ink will be colorless when writing.  To restore color, cool to at least 14°F in freezer and the ink will again write in color."

 

Well, I'm not concerned about the upper temp, but that lower one could cause a problem.  Especially with all the cold weather a lot of you have been having.  That quilt could conceivably be in temps that cold and "oops" there will be your marks.  I'm thinking if you happen to mail the quilt somewhere.  Imagine the surprise of the ones receiving it.   

 

This just caught my attention so I thought I would throw it out there.  Maybe I'll mark one of my units, iron it off, put it in the freezer and see what happens.  I really like these pens, but I am concerned about the temp thing.

 

 

 

 

 

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I've heard this too and worried about marks on a quilt that Fed Ex may have flown to a show….I recently did a quilt for a friend in Alaska where I used the frixion pen and asked her if there were marks on it when she opened the box and she said she did not see any and the quilt went on to win a blue ribbon at the local quilt show…so I am still going to use mine…..I love them too!

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I am really wondering if the quilt gets washed after heat removal of the marks.  I know I did a quick test on some fabric here and if my memory is right, the marks did not reappear after washing after a heat and freezer cycle.  If the marks will be gone after washing, then we know that option for marking would still work in most cases.

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I understand once they are washed, the marks are "supposed to be" permanently removed.  I have had a bad experience of them leaving a white line on dark fabric after they are pressed. I used either the pink or purple one.  Not sure is the color of the pen would make a difference or not.   I don't mind using them on my own quilts, but would be hesitant on a customer's quilt.  Just my opinion. 

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I have had a lady bring back 2 different pens that just 'stopped working'…it turns out she was carrying them around in her travel container (she hand pieces) and we did figure out that the pens could not be stored in a hot car, as they are heat sensitive, disappearing ink pens. I have not heard of a problem with the ink reappearing in cold weather, I would cautiously assume that chilling the pen itself would restore the ink reservoir in a situation like mentioned but once the ink is pressed off with an iron I would again, cautiously assume that it has lost it's 'magic'. Has anyone tried marking, erasing and putting a test piece in the freezer? I will try it tonight!

And I have also experienced the white line on darker fabrics and I just use a dab of water to take it off, it is like a chalk texture, I'm guessing it's a bonder in the ink?

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I used one of the frixion pens to mark one of my customer quilts this winter, tons of freehand. I took it to a friends studio to show her my work and despite having ironed them off they had all returned so we pressed it again when I got home they were back. It was more than -30C which was the reason. I pressed the marks off again before my customer picked up her quilt. I told her how I marked it and told her that the marks would return if the quilt is in the cold.

I am not sure that I will use them on a customer quilt again considering our climate.

I would also worry that if a quilt were shipped to a show on a plane that it might be cold enough for the marks to return.

So I am pretty Leary of these pens now.post-413-0-75724200-1394854791_thumb.jpg

post-413-0-06877200-1394854845_thumb.jpg

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I haven't heard of these pens. I did a search for Frixion pens on Amazon and some gel pens came up. Are they the ones you are talking about or is there a specific pen for quilting?

I'm marking a quilt and testing out different pens and pencils and would like to give these a try.

Thanks!post-9483-0-47407100-1394893950_thumb.jpg

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They are a gel pen.  I'm not crazy about how they write, but they do a good job and it comes out easy.  I really liked them for marking embroidery.  I buy mine at Rite-Aid Drug store.  Wal-Mart carries them and so does a lot of other places.  They are in the Pen section.  You can get 2 in a package for about $4.  Or you can buy them at the LQS or quilt shows for $5 a piece.  They come in a lot of colors.  I usually just use the black, blue or red ones.  Easier for me to see.  I think they were first touted as "erasable" because if you used friction (hence the name) the ink disappeared.  You could use an eraser or just rub something over it and it would disappear.  Someone figured out that the iron would create enough heat to make it disappear too.  A concept was born.  It was perfect for marking our fabric because we iron it anyway. 

 

The problem came when someone said the ink reappeared after the fabric got cold.  Really cold.  My quilts haven't been in the really cold temperatures so I don't know if the ink comes back.  I purchased my pens before this topic had come up before and the packaging was long gone.  I bought pens this past week and I noticed the warning.  Interesting. 

 

Definitely give them a try. 

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Some friends and I have done substantial testing of these pens.  The marks will ALWAYS be there.  They do not wash out.  Now, seriously, for most purposes, they should be fine.  You do a quilt as a gift for friends or family, you ship it, it arrives with marks on it.  You simply tell the recipient to toss it in the dryer or hit it with an iron.  Marks gone until they take it out in the frozen winter to wrap up in on the sidelines of a hockey game (you want to thump them up-side the head, right?).  If you're marking a quilt for show, where the quilt is likely to fly in the very cold under-belly of a jet, you may not want to use these pens.  They will end up hanging with marks on them.  You can wash your quilt as many times as you like, but that ink will never be removed.  Tested and true.

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I agree with Linda, we tested these pens and they do leave a faint line even when heat pressed... I found this to be true with light and dark fabrics.

I still use them when constructing a quilt top or for applique when the lines can be covered with the fabric.  However, I won't use them on any customers quilts.

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I use (AND LOVE) these pens for half square triangle marking, 1/4" corner dots, adding 1/4" to applique pieces or under applique pieces.  All of these things still have ironing in the process.  I don't think I would use on a quilt top for quilting . . . just my humble opinion.

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Linda and Laura are right. They say the most problematic colors are reds and pink. Stick with the blue and black. I love these pens and have used the red and pink and they are a little haerder to remove but I was heavily stitching over them. They absolutely will bleach a dark fabric; it is not a white line but dye removal. I love these so much I will continue using the blue and blacks on my own stuff.

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I used one of the frixion pens to mark one of my customer quilts this winter, tons of freehand. I took it to a friends studio to show her my work and despite having ironed them off they had all returned so we pressed it again when I got home they were back. It was more than -30C which was the reason. I pressed the marks off again before my customer picked up her quilt. I told her how I marked it and told her that the marks would return if the quilt is in the cold.

I am not sure that I will use them on a customer quilt again considering our climate.

I would also worry that if a quilt were shipped to a show on a plane that it might be cold enough for the marks to return.

So I am pretty Leary of these pens now.attachicon.gifimage.jpg

 

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Gorgeous quilting!!!

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I own a LQS in cold, cold Minnesota, and spent quite a bit of time sticking fabric that I had marked and pressed in the freezer to determine whether the markings would return, so that we could advise our customers.  Seems to me that the markings are never really totally gone, they will return if the temperature is low enough. I agree with previous comments, there always seems to be a faint line, even after washing.  

 

That said, we usually use them to mark a point here and there, not heavy lines, and our customers seem to be fine with them, tho' they appreciate (and seem to be amused by) our experiments.  

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I had a friend that just used this and yup her marks came back when she put it on her porch.  I would worry about what that ink would do the fabric over time.  If it can reappear that means the chemical is certainly not washing out of the fabric.

 

There is nothing in the ink that will damage the fabric.  I wrote to the company when they first came out and have seen reports from many of the more famous quilters attesting to this fact.  The only issue is the re-appearance of the lines in the cold.

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I won't be using the Frixion pens for marking quilting but it can be helpful for use in areas that will not be seen (i.e. marking a straight outside edge line when attaching binding).  Heard from one famous quilt teacher that the lines disappear permanently with STEAM in the iron rather than a dry iron.  Haven't tested this myself, just passing along her opinion for those of you who want to use this pen.

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