How to Refill Lead for Multi Pens

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How to Refill Lead for Multi Pens

June 20, 2022 - Posted by Ryan to Guides, Multi Pens, Pens, Tutorials, Pen Modifications

Multi pens with mechanical pencil components are amazingly useful, but one question we often get asked is, “How do you refill the lead?” Unlike regular mechanical pencils, you can’t just pull off the eraser and drop more lead into the barrel. Luckily, refilling the lead in a multi pen is almost as easy, and it works the same way for virtually any multi pen you’ll encounter.

Table of Contents

How to Refill Lead in Multi Pens

Unscrew the body of the multi pen.

First, unscrew the body of your multi pen. Most multi pens—like the Pilot Dr. Grip 4+1 pictured—let you unscrew the entire grip section, giving you easy access to the ink and pencil components inside.

Remove the tip of the mechanical pencil component.

The pencil component inside the multi pen will include two parts: the tip section, which includes all of the working parts of the pencil component, and the lead storage tube, which holds the leads that aren’t being used yet. Pull the tip section off of the storage tube. It should come free with a firm tug.

Add 1-2 leads to the storage tube.

Hold the body of the multi pen so that the opening of the lead storage tube is pointing upwards, and add the refill lead to the tube. We recommend having no more than three leads installed at a time to prevent jams.

Put the tip back onto the pencil component.

Reinsert the tip of the mechanical pencil component.

Once you have inserted the refill lead, slide the tip section back onto the lead storage tube. Make sure to slide it down as far as it will go onto the tube.

Screw the pen body back together.

Reassemble the multi pen. For most multi pens, this means screwing the grip section back into the barrel.

Click the pencil component until the new lead emerges from the tip.

Once your multi pen is reassembled, click the pencil component a few times to get the lead flow started. Keep in mind that a lot of multi pens require you to press down the pen clip or tab to expose the pencil first, and then you can continue to click down the clip to expose more lead.

How to Fix Lead Jams in Multi Pens

Clearing a multi pen lead jam using a clean-out rod.

If clicking the pencil component doesn’t work to extend the lead after you’ve refilled the lead, you may have a lead jam on your hands. A lead jam happens when a bit of lead gets stuck in the pencil’s clutch mechanism, clogging it and keeping the lead from advancing correctly. Fortunately, most lead jams can be cleared without too much trouble.

Click here to read our guide to clearing lead jams in multi pens.

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