Help, my daughter tried to sharpen her crayon in the electric pencil sharpener! I have tried using the end of a knife to remove the crayon that is wedged in there....no luck.

All help is appreciated!

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I guess I'm a weird mom, cuz this is the kinda thing I don't sweat....I'd probably toss the pencil sharpener if I couldn't get the crayon out easily and either replace it or use a hand sharpener. Praise her for good clever thinking, but then explain what the tool is really used for. Similar to when my son pried open an "Eight Ball" to see how many sides/answer the "dice" on the inside had....

Maybe use heat or cold to get the crayon out though....

cj/

how about using a shishkabob skewer? With the power off if it's an electric sharpener?

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Sheesh!! Sounds like something my kids would/will probably eventually do. Good luck.

well, I'm weird then too--cause I wouldn't sweat it either.

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I sympathize with you. I'm not of the mind frame to just toss something because it presents a challenge. The suggestion of cold sounds good. At this point the sharpener is useless so why not give it a try? Put it in the freezer until the crayon is frozen. I would hope the crayon would then pull out easily and you could clean out the rest.

Good luck!!

The issue I would have with putting in the freezer is the moisture on any electrical contacts could create a fire hazard when/if you attempt to use it again.

While I don't throw things out "because it presenst a challenge" (if that was the case DH would have been out on his butt a long time ago! ), you have to know your limitations. Will the fix cose more than a new one? Will how you fix something affect how it operates? will your fix create a potentially hazardous situation? In this case, do you really want to be applying either extreme heat or cold to an electrical appliance not specifically designed for it?
In all likelyhood you could get a replacement electrical/battery operated sharpner for less than $10, and a good old fashioned manual sharpener for less than a $1!

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Mental that one, I'm telling you. ---Ron Weasley, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

bet your DH appreciates that!


OP.. I do agree with Marilyn on the price range of a new one being 10.00 bucks so if you attempt any of the fix its mentioned in this thread, be prepared to lose 10 dollars. (remember the other poster who had a sippy cup to the TV screen)- OUCH!!!!

ok...I'm going the opposite direction on this one, rather than cold.. why not heat.. doesn't leaving crayons out in the car when it gets hot make them melt or loosen? - Why not set the unit outside in direct sunlight for an hour and then plug it in outside and test a few "old" pencils through it?.... any further "wax" would be softened and rub off as the pencil was being shaved.

I would try that before I chucked it in the yard sale bin.
Good Luck,
X

Why not just shove a pencil in there and push in as if you were sharpening the pencil? Should that not cause the crayon piece to be pushed through the blades and be shredded up?

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I took the original post to mean the whole crayon was stuck, not just the shavings.
Even I wouldn't be silly enough to plug in an electrical appliance without it drying out first. As with any appliance, there's the less expensive $10 item and then there's the more expensive $40 item.

Is there any way to take it apart? I know ours has a screw in the bottom. Can you try that?

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I would think that if you turned it so that the hole was down and used a hair dryer, it would loosen up the crayon. Then the skewer may work it out.