by Julie Glandfield

Created on: June 18, 2010

Tipp-Ex has been part of my life since my teens, it has saved my bacon many times and not always for the reason it should, here is my review of why I love it so much ......

Tipp-Ex is the big daddy of correction fluid, there are many varieties available from dabbers, roll on and tapes but my favorite is the original rapid dry fluid.

The packaging - Tipp-Ex comes in a little screw top, white bottle. The label is pretty simple, it is blue with a red banner across the top. Each bottle contains 20ml of correction fluid. The lid has an applicator sponge attached to it, the sponge is the same size as a nail polish brush and is shaped to give a straight edge.

The correction fluid is a white liquid not dissimilar to paint. It is slightly thicker than emulsion paint with a more similar texture to a non drip gloss.

Using the Tipp-Ex -
The most common use for Tipp-Ex is to cover mistakes in written or printed work without the need to re-do the whole page.
It is very easy to use, you simply unscrew the bottle and paint the mistake with the fluid and leave it to dry. It takes about 30 seconds to dry, try to refrain for as long as you can before touching it to see if it is dry or you will end up with sticky white finger tips. Once it has fully dried you can write over it with ease. If you just need a detailed, small error to be covered use the tip of the brush instead of the side.
The foam applicator gives a much better coverage than a brush and provides you with a much neater finish.
There are other uses for Tipp-Ex, although not recommended or advised by Tipp-Ex some have really helped me out.
1) cover chips in woodwork
2) paint the heel of a white, borrowed shoe before returning to an unsuspecting sister
3) paint a small chip on the bottom of a vase that was given to you by your mother in law before she next visits.
4) write all over your school bag and pencil case who you love, who you hate and who your best friends are 4eva (do they still do this ?)
5) paint your finger nails and write over the top in felt pen 'I love U2' (again maybe just when I was at school)

How much is it and where can I get it from ?
Tipp-Ex is widely available from most stationary suppliers, you can also buy it from most supermarkets and independant shops. It costs between $1.00 - $3.00 depending where you buy it from.

I must say that now my bag defacing days are behind me, it is rare that I have the need for Tipp-Ex, with most written work being done on the computer with spell check etc and the ease of 'just printing it out again', mistakes are infrequent. That said I always have a bottle on the desk just in case, as you never know when you might need it.

Summary: Great for all kinds of things, mistakes, mending wood work and declaring love.

Learn more about this author, Julie Glandfield.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.