The new silver Sharpies

[dirty rotten guy]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 6:03pm

I am always trying to get autographs at my favorite shows and alot of time I will use a silver Sharpie. Lately I have noticed that the new silver ones die out alot or wont work all together. Has anyone else been having this problem? Also, do you guys know of any other silver markers that may work better?

[Lamc16]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 6:07pm

I don't know the brand, but they make one that comes in silver and gold and they sell them at Staples. It makes a noise when you shake it. That was really vague. Sorry

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 6:14pm

Yes, they do run out, and a warning: don't use on a rainy, snowy, or cold playbill, the ink refuses to come out, but I use mine at every stage door, it just shows up better.

[craig238]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 6:24pm

Keep them pointed down (so the ink is always flowing toward the tip) and try to 'start' it (a quick mark on a piece of scrap paper) right before you are going to use it.

[mominator]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 6:31pm

Gee, I thought only mine was doing that.

[Blue J]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 6:33pm

I wish they made silver mini-sharpies. Mini-sharpies are my favorite, but come in the randomest colors.

[FeelingElectric]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 6:37pm

I have used the silver Sharpies twice, with mixed results. The first time I used one was at the Sweeney Todd stage door in February for a Playbill and the CD cover. WickedGeek is right, they do not work well in the cold and the signatures barely came out. The second time I used one was last week at The Threepenny Opera stage door on a windowcard and playbill.It worked perfectly in that instance.

[BwayBaby18]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 6:37pm

If you have to shake it you probably bought a silver paint pen. I had one for the longest time and never understood why it didn't work.

[dirty rotten guy]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 6:38pm

mominator, that is what I though at first. However, I have gone through about 3 packs of these new silver Sharpies and they keep doing the same thing. I am very, VERY frustrated and considering writing to the Sharpie people.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 6:45pm

They HAVE to be kept upside-down. The most successful method is getting another cap and putting it on the other side and attaching it to yourself.

[NJgirl]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 6:50pm

the ones i just bought are fine....the ones I bought back in the fall and summer...i swear I got part of a bad batch bc they lasted for about one or two siggies and then died promptly. Im glad Im not the only one who has been frustrated with them. Using them in the winter is a no no though as they do not work when its cold. Definitely store them and carry them tip down to keep them from getting dried out.

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 6:52pm

I realized that about the cold, too! When I saw Wicked in Feb., it was FREEZING. I noticed that my silver marker seemed to be running out of ink, which was weird because it was fairly new. Eden came with her own silver sharpie which she had just brought from inside,a nd it worked just fine.

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 7:11pm

as long as they're kept upside down they work fine, except on my lsoh poster when one sig. cam,e out rediculously faint, the benefit though is when the light hits it it reflects enough to be visible.

on the subject of the silver and gold leaf pens (the shakey ones) i highly highly DO NOT recommend using them for signing, they have to be "primed" every often or they puddle out , and they take time to dry aka by the time you're done it'll be a big silver smear

[Becoz_i_knew_you21]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 7:36pm

I used a sliver sharpie to write something in big letters on a poster board and now the sharpie dosn't work anymore
Updated On: 5/3/06 at 07:36 PM

[Marlene]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 7:46pm

Keep them upside down...that's what the instructions on the package actually tell you to do, I think that's the purpose as to why the silver sharpies don't have the pocket holder thingys on the cap.

Errrm, I don't remember the name of the other permanent metallic pens I use to have. I think I got them at Office Max or Staples, they have a metal shaft. Those are really inky when you first get them, but they run out quickly from disuse...

[mrslovett7]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 8:27pm

omg yes! I bought a brand new silver sharpie for $5 (i mean come on!) before Sweeney and after, Michael is signing it and it just runs out. he started laughing and scribbling on the back. I was so embarrased and he said, "hold on". he went inside and came out a minute later and used someone elses to sign it! I was like, "thank you so much!!" and he said, "Oh no poblem that happens to me all the time, i hate those things" hahaha it was so sweet of him!

[JustChillin8908]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 9:25pm

"I think that's the purpose as to why the silver sharpies don't have the pocket holder thingys on the cap."

Mine must be older since they have pocket holder things on them. It's good to know about them not working in the cold since I live in Michigan...

[All_For_Laura]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 9:29pm

Sharpies die really quickly, but I've noticed the ones that have the clicker at the top have a longer life than the typical ones.

[JustChillin8908]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 9:33pm

I'd assume they are also easier to store upside down which might contribute to why they last longer.

Do they have Silver clicker sharpies? Updated On: 5/3/06 at 09:33 PM

[xM3L24x]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 9:34pm

Why not use colored sharpies?

[JustChillin8908]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 9:38pm

because they don't show up on dark backgrounds

[Parks]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 9:39pm

For the black and white playbills, silver shows up very nicely (when it works) on the black part. Looks good.

I was wondering about this just today too! lol, I got one in NYC and used it to get signatures at Hairspray and Mary Faber at Avenue Q, and that was it. I finally tried using it during school today, and it barely worked!

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 9:39pm

well some posters are either too dark (3penny, half of wicked, beauty and the beast) or too busy (lsoh) for another color to show up

[sondheimboy2]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 10:11pm

When I saw Chita in "Kiss of the Spider Woman," I brought one of those silver pens that you have to shake up like a can of spray paint for her to sign the two souvenir program I had.

Well, Chita, apparently, holds pens with a "death grip" (not unlike myself). She was signing the first one and had written her first name when the pen splatts out a big blob of silver ink. She had to sign the second one with a regular pen and write over her picture, which was the only not black place on the logo.

I gave my friend the one with the writing on her face and kept the one that read "Chita BLOB". It just seemed more personal...

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 5/4/06 at 2:03am

Wow, weird. I bought a silver sharpie...maybe 9 months ago, keep it in my purse, take it everywhere, and it still works perfectly/beautifully.