I have been really enjoying the Pilot FriXion 4-colour pen to make notes and graphs. The pen not only has a 0.5mm fine tip in 4 colours, but the FriXion also allows “erasing” the text by friction.
This is not happening by abrasion like pencils are erased, but by heating up the ink.
![](https://wouter.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Pilot-Frixion-1-1024x796.jpeg)
![](https://wouter.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Pilot-Frixion-2-1024x646.jpeg)
I read in a review of the pen that someone left the pen in the sun in the car and now the ink was blank as one would expect. But there was a response suggesting leaving the pen in the freezer “to restore the ink” which was surprising.
So I thought about trying it out and put the paper in the freezer and lo and behold it indeed came back:
![](https://wouter.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Pilot-Frixion-3-1024x721.jpeg)
In the Ophan X book “Out of the Dark” (by Gregg Hurwitz) the bad guy makes his notes with a FriXion pen and “destroys” these by using a microwave. As in the story, a part stays legible, just like my attempt:
![](https://wouter.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Pilot-Frixion-2-1-1024x786.jpeg)
However, besides just increasing the contrast like my phone does, all Orphan X had to do was put it in the freezer and…
![](https://wouter.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Pilot-Frixion-2-2-1024x691.jpeg)
More on the background of the chemistry can be found for example here.
Fun stuff.