"Erasing" pen marks on chevre - not for the faint hearted!

all about bags

all about bags

Supreme bag lover!
O.G.
Nov 20, 2006
1,406
35
#1
Ok. I discovered a pen mark on the side of my fuschia chevre birkin more than a week ago. Showed it to my SA who told me that it can be easily refurbished. So, no worries. I figure, I'll wait a year or two (the bag is less than 2 months old) and bring it to Claude in NY for cleaning.

Then, on Friday as I was driving home, I found a long (about 3-4 cms) dark mark on the flap. Whoa! Where did that come from? I rubbed it with my fingers, damp towel but no dice - nothing happened! (Imagine how distracting it was, having just discovered the dark mark and driving with the bag in question on the passenger seat!)

When I got home, I decided to "experiment" and took one of those Mr. Clean Magic Eraser (the white sponge). :idea: Put a teeny bit of water on one corner and started rubbing. I used the damp side and then the dry side to erase and voila - the PEN MARKS were gone!!!

I felt the areas where I "erased" and though it felt a little "matty" I figure with time and use and the natural oils from my hands will make it shiny again.

It was risky and is not meant for the faint hearted. But I clean my own bags often using Meltonian or Saphir creme and when I have accidents - like that one time I inadvertently swabbed navy blue creme on the linen portion of an H bag (OOOPS!) - I just bring them to Claude clean up after my mess! Bag came back like NEW! ;) (Whew!)

Am not sure the magic eraser will work on box but am sure that since it worked on chevre, it will work on togo or clemance. Unfortunately or fortunately, I don't have actual experience to report on these leathers.... (knock on wood...)

P.S. And I didn't remember to take photos of before and after (I should have) to show you the results.
 
#2
Actually my Box Plume has just come back from the spa, and it had a pen mark on the top, near the zipper, and it hasn't come off: my SA told me ink is practically impossible to get rid of....at least on Box....:sad:
 
#3
The craftsman in my local store has Saphir creme on his work bench. When I asked him more about the creme, he said Saphir creme has to be used SPARINGLY. If you use too much, the color on the leather can come off...:Push:
 
#4
duna said:
Actually my Box Plume has just come back from the spa, and it had a pen mark on the top, near the zipper, and it hasn't come off: my SA told me ink is practically impossible to get rid of....at least on Box....:sad:
Click to expand...
I have tried to remove ballpoint ink mark from my Togo Ulysse...without any success.
 
#6
The Magic Eraser sponge works on toile. I would not try it on a colored canvas.
The trick with ballpoint ink marks is to get them fast. That is why I would always try something myself. The ink has penty of time to set if you send it to the spa.
I have a kit I bought just for removing ink from leather. Works pretty well. Have to go look for the name of it.
 
#7
I got a tiny pen mark on my chevre agenda and took it within the hour to the H store nearby. Well, they managed to get it right off but the leather was a tiny bit matte (it's fine now, after going to the spa) on the spot.

The SA said the key was swift removal and small enough surfaces.
 
#8
I used the Magic Eraser on my White Muse bag that was stained and it worked but then again, like what golconda & Perja said.. get to it fast and it is abit matte for a while..
 
#11
You know what does work on ballpoint pen?(but you'd have to be really game to try it) - if it's a relatively new mark - hairspray. The chemical makeup of the hairspray lifts the ink off. For an older ink stain.......you're gonna barf.....milk curds (ie: let some milk stand out in the sun until it goes lumpy and off - ewww) you put the curds on the mark, leave it for a while, and right before your eyes it will lift the stain! The curds will turn blue (or whatever colour the ink was) and you can wipe it off. It doesn't take too long (and thank goodness, otherwise your bag would get a little smelly!). Problem is, it may stain the bag, being a wet substance.

I know these are unconventional, but I promise, if a bag DISASTER ever happens, these will work.

I wanted to buy that awful old Bolide on eBay that was covered in biro marks just to see how well I could remove the marks! If it ever turns up again, I may just do that......LMAO!
 
#13
Grands Fonds said:
For an older ink stain.......you're gonna barf.....milk curds (ie: let some milk stand out in the sun until it goes lumpy and off - ewww) you put the curds on the mark, leave it for a while, and right before your eyes it will lift the stain! The curds will turn blue (or whatever colour the ink was) and you can wipe it off. It doesn't take too long (and thank goodness, otherwise your bag would get a little smelly!). Problem is, it may stain the bag, being a wet substance.
!
Click to expand...

How long do you have to let the milk stand before it goes lumpy?
My kids like to leave their milk cups sitting around in different rooms so maybe I should just let them keep doing it. This way I will always have a magic solution ready at all times for a possible bag disaster.
(I am very bad with pens.)
 
#15
^nah, gol, for some reason it has to be curdled milk....something about the level of *bleugh* that curdles the milk can literally strip ink - LOL!

The reason I know this is we did it as an experiment a LOOOOOOONG time ago at university, and now there is a lady here in Australia who has written a stain removal book, and it has this tip in it! LOL! I wonder if she went to my Uni?
 
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