Fischer500 Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 I recently acquired a few SNES games from a friend of my grandfather. They're all in great shape, most with manuals and one with the box. The only problem is the Sharpie that the previous owners used to label the games. Sharpie on games really bugs me, and if possible, I'd like to remove it. Is there any sure-fire way to get it off?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Scrape off excess ink with your fingernail, then scrub the rest with rubbing alcohol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck D. Head Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Scrape off excess ink with your fingernail, then scrub the rest with rubbing alcohol. The higher percentage alcohol it is, the better it works and the harder it is on the labels, so be careful. Morgan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagitekAngel Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 One thing I do is repeatedly stick and pull a piece of gaffer's tape on and off the marker. It takes patience, but you can get all of it off this way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fischer500 Posted August 23, 2010 Author Share Posted August 23, 2010 What's gaffer's tape? The fingernail/alcohol works well, but I still see it, faintly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tz101 Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Rubbing alcohol works great on sharpie and permanent marker. Just be careful if its on the label as you may remove some of the original artwork? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
endrien Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 This video explains pretty well how to remove it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagitekAngel Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Gaffers tape is used mostly in theater and film production: it's very strong, but comes off cleanly, so it's good for use on labels. Stuff is expensive though. Unless you know someone in theatre or film, you're probably better off with the rubbing alcohol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fischer500 Posted August 23, 2010 Author Share Posted August 23, 2010 Great, I'll just run out and get me some of that cleaner he had! (Seriously.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+remowilliams Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Goo Gone is your best friend. Won't destroy plastic and can be used directly on many labels. Techspray 1613-6S will also work wonders. You won't find anything better than these two. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
endrien Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Goo Gone is your best friend. Won't destroy plastic and can be used directly on many labels. Techspray 1613-6S will also work wonders. You won't find anything better than these two. Goo gone doesn't do shit to old sharpie, I've tried on multiple nes games, scrubbing and even dousing the cart in it to scrub again. It will not remove old sharpie, maybe new sharpie but definitely did not work for me. Goof off works well though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Psionic Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Goo Gone is your best friend. Won't destroy plastic and can be used directly on many labels. Techspray 1613-6S will also work wonders. You won't find anything better than these two. Goo gone doesn't do shit to old sharpie, I've tried on multiple nes games, scrubbing and even dousing the cart in it to scrub again. It will not remove old sharpie, maybe new sharpie but definitely did not work for me. Goof off works well though. That Goof Off stuff he used in the video does work, but you have to be careful because it can damage plastics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlowCoder Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Never tried it on labels, but I've used dry erase markers to remove permanent marker from plastic. Just write over the permanent with the dry erase then immediately wipe off. Multiple repeats may be required. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Video Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 (edited) Never tried it on labels, but I've used dry erase markers to remove permanent marker from plastic. Just write over the permanent with the dry erase then immediately wipe off. Multiple repeats may be required. Seconded I was just about to say this myself. I don't know what it is, but the chemicals in dry erase markers will dissolve sharpie like magic. Just wipe it off while the dry erase is still wet. Edited August 23, 2010 by Video Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eltigro Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 Never tried it on labels, but I've used dry erase markers to remove permanent marker from plastic. Just write over the permanent with the dry erase then immediately wipe off. Multiple repeats may be required. Seconded I was just about to say this myself. I don't know what it is, but the chemicals in dry erase markers will dissolve sharpie like magic. Just wipe it off while the dry erase is still wet. Sharpie ink is soluble in alcohol. That's why alcohol works so nicely. The dry erase markers have alcohol based inks, I believe, and that's why it works like it does. One fun thing you can do with sharpies and alcohol... put a plastic trash bag inside a white t-shirt, write or draw a design on the t-shirt with various color sharpies, then drip alcohol on the writing and design. Since the sharpie ink is alcohol soluble, the ink will "run" outward from where the drop hit. It makes a neat kind of tie-dye effect. (The trash bag inside the shirt keeps the design and ink from leaking through to the back of the shirt, so the design is only on the front.) Did this in a science class once when we were studying solubility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Video Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 That sounds totally cool, I"m going to have to try that sometime, the shirt thing I mean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck D. Head Posted August 24, 2010 Share Posted August 24, 2010 That Goof Off stuff he used in the video does work, but you have to be careful because it can damage plastics. Be aware, there are two grades of Goof-off. the original Goof-off is very agressive and can be damaging to labels. Goof-off 2 is milder and more like Goo-gone. I also found there is a difference between the aerosol "Electonics Cleaner", and "Contact Cleaner", having tried to clean a potentiometer with contact cleaner and having it eat up a trace on a PCB. Later learned I should use "Tuner Cleaner" for a pot. Live and learn. Morgan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fischer500 Posted August 26, 2010 Author Share Posted August 26, 2010 I got some of that Goof Off, which took the Sharpie right off. Problem NOW is that it left a milky sheen on the cart. Rubbing Alcohol made it look as if it was gone, but it came back. I'll try the cleaner again, but I really don't know what I should do. I doubt there's anything I can do, but suggestions are welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+remowilliams Posted August 26, 2010 Share Posted August 26, 2010 I got some of that Goof Off, which took the Sharpie right off. Problem NOW is that it left a milky sheen on the cart. Rubbing Alcohol made it look as if it was gone, but it came back. I'll try the cleaner again, but I really don't know what I should do. I doubt there's anything I can do, but suggestions are welcome! That's because as was said above - Goof Off eats plastic.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fischer500 Posted August 26, 2010 Author Share Posted August 26, 2010 I got some of that Goof Off, which took the Sharpie right off. Problem NOW is that it left a milky sheen on the cart. Rubbing Alcohol made it look as if it was gone, but it came back. I'll try the cleaner again, but I really don't know what I should do. I doubt there's anything I can do, but suggestions are welcome! That's because as was said above - Goof Off eats plastic.. I thought about that. I figure that if I go over the cart with one wipe, rather than scrubbing, it might come off. I've yet to try, as I have to bathe my cat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlowCoder Posted August 28, 2010 Share Posted August 28, 2010 I've yet to try, as I have to bathe my cat. Need to reconsider your priorities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fischer500 Posted August 28, 2010 Author Share Posted August 28, 2010 I've yet to try, as I have to bathe my cat. Need to reconsider your priorities. That made me laugh. The cats have since been bathed, and the carts cleaned. They look *much* better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eltigro Posted August 28, 2010 Share Posted August 28, 2010 I've yet to try, as I have to bathe my cat. Need to reconsider your priorities. That made me laugh. The cats have since been bathed, and the carts cleaned. They look *much* better. My question is, did the cats have sharpie on them, too? And did you try goof off, goo gone, or alcohol on them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fischer500 Posted August 28, 2010 Author Share Posted August 28, 2010 I've yet to try, as I have to bathe my cat. Need to reconsider your priorities. That made me laugh. The cats have since been bathed, and the carts cleaned. They look *much* better. My question is, did the cats have sharpie on them, too? And did you try goof off, goo gone, or alcohol on them? Nah, my cats hate Sharpies.If they did, Goof Off is bad, as cats absorb toxins through their skin. Goof Off, if ingested, can kill you. According to the tin. Goo Gone would make them smell citrus-y. Cats don't like citrus. Alcohol would probably be bad for kitty as well. If they had Sharpie in their fur, I'd shave'em. I gave this too much thought... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mord Posted August 28, 2010 Share Posted August 28, 2010 My question is, did the cats have sharpie on them, too? And did you try goof off, goo gone, or alcohol on them? Nah, my cats hate Sharpies.If they did, Goof Off is bad, as cats absorb toxins through their skin. Goof Off, if ingested, can kill you. According to the tin. Goo Gone would make them smell citrus-y. Cats don't like citrus. Alcohol would probably be bad for kitty as well. If they had Sharpie in their fur, I'd shave'em. I gave this too much thought... Yes, yes you did. Next time just say you learned from past experiences about using Goo Gone on cats - and that a regular bath for them is cheaper than the reconstructive surgery you have to go through on the other path. Most people won't even need a sarcasm flag! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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