Removal of ballpoint pen and other pen marks

REMOVAL OF BALLPOINT PEN AND
OTHER PEN MARKS
Before starting to remove pen marks, first identify the type of leather.
Incorrect cleaning methods can increase the damage. We distinguish
between the following types of leather when cleaning stains and marks:
Pigmented leather: Pigmented smooth leather is leather with a protective layer of paint on the surface. A drop of water rubbed
in does not sink into the leather but rolls off. Pigmented leathers generally have a satin finish and a grained surface.
Aniline leather is porous, smooth leather, in which liquids penetrate and darken the area.
Suede is the backside of a smooth leather or both sides of spilt leather.
Nubuck is the sanded grain side of a smooth leather to create a soft, velvety effect.
PU-Leather / Bycast leather / Bicast leather is a split leather (suede) with a grained film of polyurethane applied to the surface.
Such leather is usually shiny and plastic-like.
Pigmented
Porous aniline
smooth leather
leather
Nubuck
Suede
PU leather,
Bycast leather
STROKES FROM BALLPOINT PENS
STROKES FROM BALLPOINT PENS ON PIGMENTED LEATHER
Ballpoint pen lines on furniture and car leather occur quite often. Unfortunately, these are not always easily removable.
Please note the following:
The fresher a ballpoint pen mark is, the easier it is to remove. When the ballpoint pen mark is older than three days, it is rarely
possible to just clean and remove the mark. In most cases, this will have to be coloured.
Whole paintings of children are much more difficult to remove than short lines.
Cleaning trials with false products often increase the damage.
Procedure:
Always test first in a hidden area. Ideally, even generate a line in the hidden area and clean strongly to experience what could
happen in the visible area. If it’s easy to clean, there is no big risk.
Some pens lose a lot of ink. To avoid spreading the ink, glue a masking tape on the top and remove several times to drain any
excess ink.
Next step is the use of the COLOURLOCK Ballpoint Pen Remover . Press and hold the tip until the tip gets wet.
Remove the ink stains with light circular movements in a small radius and little pressure. The liquid so ens the area and
dissolves the ink.
Always remove dissolved ink with a cloth to avoid staining of the rest and to see the achieved progress better. Also clean the tip if
necessary. The tip of the pen is designed to work on both sides so if necessary remove, turn upside down and re-insert.
Repeat the process and slightly increase the pressure if necessary.
Older stains can hardly be removed without damaging the colour layer on the leather. In such cases, the colour damage must be
recoloured. Ink stains that are not fresh have a tendency to penetrate back out even a er the leather is recoloured. It is therefore
essential to clean as thoroughly as possible prior to recolouring.
Fresh ballpoint pen marks are
Trying to remove old stains, the risk
Damaged areas have to be
easier to remove.
of rubbing off the colour is much
recoloured.
higher.
STROKES FROM BALLPOINT PENS ON ANILINE LEATHER
Aniline leathers are very sensitive due to the open pores. Ballpoint pen marks usually cannot be removed without the help of an
expert. The risk of increasing the damage is very high. Always test first in a hidden area and use masking tape to cover una ected
areas. Fine sand the mark if absolutely necessary. Rub gently and work with extreme care and precision. The use of
COLOURLOCK Ball Point Pen Remover would only cause further stains. Leather Fresh can only help on one tone leather. It is very
rare to resolve this with aniline. If in doubt, consult a specialist.
STROKES FROM BALLPOINT PENS ON SUEDE OR NUBUCK
Suede and Nubuck have a velvet surface. Ballpoint pen marks usually cannot be removed without the help of an expert and the
risk of increasing the damage is also very high. Always test first in a hidden area and use masking tape to cover una ected areas.
Sanding with the COLOURLOCK Leather Sanding Pad can be tested too, as the surface is a sanded surface. Rub gently and work
with extreme care and precision. Always work from seam to seam. Stop in time, even if a light shadow remains. The use of
COLOURLOCK Ball Point Pen Remover would only cause further stains. A colour repair is not possible.
STROKES FROM BALLPOINT PENS ON PU LEATHER
Most PU leather (bycast/bicast leather) are dark and strokes from ballpoint pens are not so visible. Cleaning the strokes takes the
risk of damaging the foil on the suede. Always test in a hidden area first and don’t press or rub too hard. Stop in time, even if the
mark is visible. A colour repair is only possible if the leather is monochrome.
STROKES FROM FIBRE PENS OR OTHER PENS AND INK STAINS
STROKES AND SPOTS ON PIGMENTED LEATHER
The procedure is as with ballpoint pen strokes on pigmented leather.
Observe the relevant recommendation. In case of strokes, the
COLOURLOCK Ballpoint Pen Remover is the right recommendation. On
smeared lines of pens, use COLOURLOCK GLD Solvent . Cover
remaining visibility with COLOURLOCK Leather Fresh . Protect the
cleaned area with COLOURLOCK Leather Shield when finished.
STROKES AND SPOTS ON ANILINE LEATHER
Aniline leather is very sensitive due to the open pores. Strokes and spots usually cannot be removed without the help of an
expert. The risk of increasing the damage is very high.
STROKES AND SPOTS ON SUEDE OR NUBUCK
Cleaning does not provide the desired result as the ink of the pens sinks into the fibres. Removal of the discolouration can be
carefully tried with the COLOURLOCK Leather Sanding Pad. Intensive colourations can’t be removed. Ask an expert for advice.
STROKES AND SPOTS ON PU LEATHER
The procedure is as with pigmented leather. Work carefully and test in a hidden area first!
INK STAINS
Lighter ink stains on pigmented leather can be removed like ballpoint pen marks on pigmented leather. COLOURLOCK GLD
Solvent is first choice. Follow the manual for discolouration.
When ink stains sink into the leather, only experts can help on smooth leather. Sometimes the ink can be absorbed as much as
possible and be blocked before a re-colouration.
Most ink stains on suede and nubuck can't be saved even by experts.
COLOURLOCK UK • Westhill Trading Ltd. • 80, Saxon Avenue, Hanworth TW13 5JN
Tel. (+44) 203 793 9125 • Mobile (+44) 7739 579 694
e-mail info@colourlock.com • Web www.colourlock.com
Document version date: 23/10/2016