How Valve Markers Work
This post is dedicated to how valve markers work, mainly the small plastic valve that, had this piece of plastic not existed, your ink and paint would leak all over your clothes, shoes and backpacks.
This tiny cone-shaped piece of plastic, known as the valve, or spring valve, is the reason behind the name “valve marker”. This valve controls the flow of ink from the reservoir, or marker body, to the nib of the marker that lays the ink/paint down on whichever surface you happen to be vandalizing.
These valves are in all of these types of markers. Some colors and sizes vary, but they are all pretty much exactly the same in all valve (or paint pump) markers.
How The Valve Works
The way the valve works is quite simple: after removing the cap you shake the marker to stir the ink/paint thoroughly then push the nib down on a hard, flat surface until the ink/paint saturates the nib so you can write. While the nib is pushed downward the stem inside the valve pushes down and that opens the valve so ink/paint can flow to the nib. When the nib is not being pushed down the valve stays closed thanks to a tiny spring on the inside that keeps the stem in place, making the gasket seal off the opening to the ink reservoir (or marker body).
Other markers use a “capillary” system which has the nib on the inside of the marker extending into a “filler” of felt or cotton that is saturated with ink. While those types of markers do work well, they often dry up alot faster because there is nothing protecting the ink from the air that dries out the filler.
The diagram below shows all the pieces of a Molotow One-4-All.
You can see the valve sticking out of the top of the marker body right before the head, or top of the marker where the nib sits.
Plastic spring valves are used in mops as well, only they are made a little differently. Hopefully this post clears things up for anyone who didn’t know how important these little pieces of plastic are.
