Biro on leather disaster.....

Biro on leather disaster.....

Author
Discussion

Columbo

387 posts

208 months

Friday 2nd November 2007
quotequote all
At Marcos we used to QUICKLEY!!!!!! wipe with acetone!! then wipe with hot water.

Worked everytime!

zagato

1,136 posts

201 months

Monday 5th November 2007
quotequote all
Do let us know what your car smells like once you've tried all these! hehe


Failing that, I once had my Jag's cream leather recolourised locally. The results were stunning, unlike many valeters work I've seen! If your near me (chelmsford) I can give you their number.

shapeshifter

1,181 posts

222 months

Wednesday 14th November 2007
quotequote all
Whatever you do, dont smoke in the car either after all that!

rossc

Original Poster:

683 posts

284 months

Friday 16th November 2007
quotequote all
Well after what seems to be a combination of all of the above in various ways, its seems to be gone, hardly any marking of the leather either, just in the process of giving it a few good feeds to blend it back in.

Wife's under strict instructions not to leave a pen in the centre cubby whole again, daughter has been threatened with a doll's house on bonfire incident if it happens again !!


Dave_ST220

10,294 posts

205 months

Monday 19th November 2007
quotequote all
rossc said:
Well after what seems to be a combination of all of the above in various ways, its seems to be gone, hardly any marking of the leather either, just in the process of giving it a few good feeds to blend it back in.

Wife's under strict instructions not to leave a pen in the centre cubby whole again, daughter has been threatened with a doll's house on bonfire incident if it happens again !!
lol-class!!

Tony@Cherished

34 posts

197 months

Wednesday 21st November 2007
quotequote all
Unfortunatly, if the ink has sunk into the Polyurethene leather coating, it is there forever. As mentioned, re-colouring is the way forward.

petrolhead76

1,597 posts

216 months

Saturday 1st December 2007
quotequote all
No worries - my little boy did the same.

Just use hairspray - spray directly onto the ink, leave for 5 seconds and wipe of with a kitchen towel.

judyb

21 posts

195 months

Saturday 19th January 2008
quotequote all
As the ink is on a pigmented leather then the first thing you should try is an ink stick (find one that is a professional product used in the industry). The fresher the ink the more chance you have of removing it.
If an ink stick doesn't work a solvent based remover will need to be used and it may also remove finish and pigment so is best left to the experts.

Using hairspray/WD40 and all these other solvent cleaners is very risky as it can make the matter far worse as it can spread the ink over a bigger area and can sometimes then be impossible to fix.
Using alcohol can also be a little risky depending on how stable the finish is. If the finish is unstable this would remove pigment form the leather.
Nail varnish remover or any other solvents will also remove the finish and pigment which will need replacing.

DO NOT USE Baby wipes as they are about the worst thing you can use on a leather as they break down the finish and will eventually ruin it.

Magic erasers are abrasive and usually remove finish and pigment along with the ink.

Old ink will be harder to remove than new ink and may mean resorting to solvents which will also remove the finish. This is probably best left to the experts.

Silicones/furniture polish are not good to use on leather as they will form a coating on the surface of the leather which will not allow any moisture to get to the leather and will eventually break all the finish down and make it crack.

Leather does not need conditioning it needs cleaning and protecting on a regular basis with water based products this will keep it rehydrated and supple. Oils will make things much worse.

Leather should be cleaned gently not scrubbed so 'elbow grease' will only do damage to the finish.

Hide food will not remove ink and will leave residues on the leather which will attract dirt and oils.

Using a good quality leather protector (one that works) will help make this problem easier should it happen again, it also does your leather good by protecting it against oils and dirt which ultimately make the pigment crack and the leather deteriorate.


Hope this helps

KingRichard

10,144 posts

232 months

Monday 28th January 2008
quotequote all
I've used the 'freshen up' wipes they give out at your local Unlucky Fried Chimp emporium - They are good for getting biro stains out and they smell like lemons too biggrin