How to Get a Blade Out of a Pencil Sharpener (Even Without a Screwdriver)

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Plus, when & how to sharpen your blade to reuse it over and over

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: November 18, 2024 Fact Checked

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Removing Blades from Simple Sharpeners

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Removing Blades from Encased Sharpeners

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Sharpening a Pencil Sharpener Blade

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Video

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Q&A

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Tips

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Warnings

Pencil sharpeners are a handy tool to keep your pencils sharp, but the blades on handheld sharpeners can get dull or clogged and have to be replaced or cleaned. Luckily, taking the blades out is very easy. All you need is a screwdriver! Then, you can clean, sharpen, or replace them to keep your sharpener in top shape. In this article, we’ll show you how to remove pencil sharpener blades (with or without a screwdriver) and sharpen them yourself so your pencils are always ready to draw!

This article is intended to help artists remove and replace dull blades from their sharpeners. If you’re contemplating self-harm or suicide, call the S.A.F.E. Alternatives information hotline at 1-800-366-8288 or the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 .

How do you take the blade out of a pencil sharpener?

Turn the pencil sharpener over so the blade is facing upward and unscrew the blade with a Phillips head screwdriver. Flip the sharpener over to pop the blade out. If you don’t have a screwdriver, use a butter knife, scissors, or a metal nail file to turn the screw. To replace the blade, screw a new one into place.

Section 1 of 3:

Removing the Blade from a Simple Pencil Sharpener

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1
Turn the sharpener so the blade is facing up. Put the sharpener down on a flat, solid surface. Then, flip it so the blade part is facing up toward you. ^{[1]
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- Make sure the surface you’re working on is stable ( no wobbly tables!). If you slip, the blade could cut you.
2
Get a Phillips head screwdriver that matches the screw on the blade. Most pencil sharpeners use small Phillips head screws to attach the blades. Get a small Phillips head screwdriver and make sure it fits into the screw holding the blade down. You might have to try a few sizes before you find the right one. ^{[2]
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- Some sharpeners might use a flathead screw instead, so be ready to use one of these if you have to.
- If you have an eyeglass or instrument repair kit, the small screwdriver included in that kit might work.
- No screwdriver? No problem! Try a metal nail file, a butter knife, the hook of a pair of nail clippers, the prong of a watch buckle, the tip of the blade of a small pair of scissors, or maybe even a thin piece of plastic like the edge of a credit card.
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Remove the screw on the blade by turning it counterclockwise. Insert the screwdriver into the screw and turn it to the left (or counterclockwise). Keep turning until the screw comes out. ^{[3]
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- Sharpener blades usually have 1 or 2 screws, so remove all of the ones that you see.
- Keep track of the screws you take off so you can put the sharpener back together.
4
Flip the sharpener upside down to pop the blade out. With the screws gone, the blade should come out easily. Turn the sharpener upside down so the blade falls out. You may have to give it a little shake.
- Hold the sharpener close to the table so the blade doesn’t bounce when it comes out.
- Do not try to dig the blade out with your finger. It’s sharp and you could easily cut yourself. If it’s stubborn, tap the sharpener on the table until it pops out.
Restore the dull sharpener to work like new. "My old sharpener just wasn't cutting it anymore, leaving my pencils blunt. This guide taught me how to easily remove the blade to sharpen it on a stone. A few passes were all it took to get my trusted sharpener working like new again." - Char H.

Retrieve the lodged pencil tip from the sharpener. "I had a pencil tip snap off and get stuck in my sharpener, stopping it up entirely. Thanks to the simple yet effective instructions here on taking the housing apart, I was able to retrieve that tiny tip in no time." - Arda E.

Safely fix the classroom sharpener. "The electric sharpener in my classroom stopped working right before the final projects were due. Rather than try to fix it myself and risk injury, I had my students work in groups to disassemble inexpensive handheld sharpeners using this guide. They sharpened the blades and reassembled them safely. It was a practical life lesson in problem-solving!" - Deion S.

Remove stuck blades safely with common tools. "My daughter's little handheld sharpener just wasn't working properly. The step-by-step instructions here allowed me to remove the stuck blade safely in minutes using just a paperclip and mini screwdriver from an eyeglass repair kit. No special tools are needed!" - Andy G.

We want to hear from you! Advice from our readers makes our articles better. If you have a story you’d like to share, tell us here .
Some sharpeners have multiple blades, so follow the same process for each one. Simply remove the screws and flip the sharpener so they fall out. ^{[4]
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Section 2 of 3:

Taking Apart the Pencil Sharpener Housing

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1
Pull the lid off of the body. Some pencil sharpeners have a canister or cup to catch pencil shavings. The lid, which holds the sharpener, sits on top of that body. It’s usually not attached, so simply lift it off the cup.
- If the cup has pencil shavings in it, be careful not to spill them everywhere. Dump them into a trash can.
2
Remove the screws holding the sharpener to the lid. Flip the lid upside down. There are typically screws underneath the lid holding the sharpener in place. Use a Phillips head screwdriver and remove all those screws. You can then pull the sharpener off of the lid. ^{[5]
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- Keep track of the screws you remove so you can put the sharpener back together.
- Different sharpeners might have a different number of screws. Most have two, but remove any additional screws that you see.
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Slide the sharpener out of its housing. The sharpener might be inside a plastic housing. If so, simply slide it out of the open side to reach the sharpener blades. ^{[6]
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- Not all sharpeners have a plastic housing, so you might not have to slide yours out.
4
Take out the blades by removing the screws. Once you’ve taken apart the sharpener housing, you can reach the blades. Unscrew these if you want to replace or sharpen them. ^{[7]
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- The screwdriver that fits the screws on the lid might not fit the screws on the blade, so you’ll need a different screwdriver.

Section 3 of 3:

How to Sharpen a Pencil Sharpener Blade

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1
Sharpen the blade with a sharpening stone. If the blade is dull, then a quick sharpening should do the trick. Wet a normal sharpening stone with some water, then rub the blade back and forth across the stone at a 20-degree angle. Continue until the blade sharpens, which is usually after a few passes. ^{[8]
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- You’ll know your blade needs sharpening when it stops removing large, even frills of wood from your pencil tips. It may only take off small flakes or nothing at all.
- Sharpening such a small blade can be difficult because it's tough to hold. Try wearing a pair of disposable gloves to get a better grip on the metal. It may be easier to just replace the blade with a fresh one from the manufacturer (or buy a similar size and style online).
- Dirty blade? In some cases, the blade just needs a quick cleaning instead of a sharpening. Try wiping some rubbing alcohol on the blade with a cotton pad to get rid of any gunk that's stopping it from sharpening properly. Work slowly along the edge to avoid cuts.
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Screw the blade back into the sharpener. Whether you're using a fresh blade or you sharpened the old one, putting the blade back on is simple. Place the blade back into the slot you removed it from and line up the blade hole with the hole on the sharpener. Then, put the screw back in and turn it clockwise until it's tight. ^{[9]
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- If the blade has more than one screw hole, make sure you line all of them up.
- How often do you need to sharpen the blade? It depends on how often you use it. The friction from sharpening dulls the blade over time, so the more you sharpen, the faster the blade will get dull. Some feel their blade getting dull after just a couple of uses. ^{[10]
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Why do you have this? People use the blade to harm themselves.

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Some pencil sharpener blades get dull and need to be replaced. If some people use a wikiHow article for alternate purposes, there can be unfortunate results.

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Things You’ll Need

Philips head screwdriver (preferable)
Butter knife, scissors, or nail clippers (if no screwdriver is available)
Replacement blade (optional)
Sharpening stone (optional)

Tips

You can buy replacement blades from the pencil sharpener manufacturer directly or ones of the same size and style online.

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Rotary or electric pencil sharpeners use rotors, not blades, so the process for removing and fixing them is much different.

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Warnings

If you're throwing the blades out, wrap them in a paper towel or newspaper first. This way, no one will get cut if they touch them.

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The blade on a pencil sharpener can be very sharp. Don’t play with it or touch the sharp part with your fingers, or you could get a cut.

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If you’re contemplating hurting yourself with a blade, call the S.A.F.E. Alternatives information hotline at 1-800-366-8288 for referrals and support for self-harm and cutting. ^{[11]
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Go to source} If you’re contemplating suicide or in crisis, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 . ^{[12]
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How to Get a Blade Out of a Pencil Sharpener (Even Without a Screwdriver)

How do you take the blade out of a pencil sharpener?

Steps

Removing the Blade from a Simple Pencil Sharpener

Taking Apart the Pencil Sharpener Housing

How to Sharpen a Pencil Sharpener Blade

Community Q&A

Video

Things You’ll Need

Tips

Warnings

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