Help remove pen stain

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#17
My calfskin wallet and it just got stained yesterday with pen ink

. I panicked and used wet tissue to wipe it and dried it and the leather peeled off :( now the whole patch turned white
It's a pink wallet
What should I do
 
#18
marykate81 said:
Thank you for your message. I decided to send my bag to the handbag clinic in the UK - I found recommendations here for the place so hopefully they will be able to remove the stain. I will upload before and after photographs when I get my bag back at the end of this month. Fingers crossed :sweatdrop:
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I'm curious if you were finally able to salvage your handbag?
 
#19
Please be careful what you use for removing ink on leather. Using the wrong product may damage the finish on the leather and may not remove the ink.

It is crucial to know the type of leather you have before you try to remove ink from leather as some cleaners (particularly household cleaners ) etc can damage certain types of finish. Many leathers are not finished with a heavy top coat and can be much easier to damage if the wrong product is used.

Removing ink stains from leather is not a cleaning problem.

Most ink removal products will not work simply because of the length of time the ink has been on
the leather.

Ink is a dye and has re-coloured the leather (this is what it is meant to do).
The longer the ink has been on the leather the harder it is to remove because it soaks into the
finish. Once it has soaked into the finish you have to use very strong products to remove it, which will also remove finish and pigment which then need replacing.

Pigment/Protected leather

If the ink stain is on a pigmented leather then the first thing you should try is an Ink Removing Gel specifically formulated for leather. (do not use household cleaners like Goo Gone or Krud Kutter which may damage some leather finishes permanently). The fresher the ink the more chance you have of removing it. It is a good idea to have one in your house if you have pale leather and children!!!!

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

You should also be using a very good quality leather protect on your leather. This will act like a 'scotchgard' and will make any more mishaps easier to clean off.

You will see many people recommending household products to remove ink – this is not recommended as most simply will not work, some may appear to work but the damage they cause can make a much bigger problem which is then unrepairable (even by a technician).

Aniline Style Leather
As aniline style leathers are largely absorbent it means that the ink will have soaked straight into the leather itself. This makes it impossible to remove. No product will successfully remove the ink.

DO NOT try ink removing products on aniline style leathers as most will leave a greasy residue which will then cause another problem.

Because aniline style leathers are absorbent the ink will carry on moving through the leather and may become less obvious over time. Cleaning and protecting will also help to dissipate the ink.

DO NOT USE THE FOLLOWING ON INK STAINS:
Household cleaners that have not been professionally tested on leather as these are very likely to damage the finish on the leather and will make it much more costly to fix.
Hairspray - This is very risky as it can make the matter far worse by spreading the ink over a bigger area and can sometimes then be impossible to fix. Usually contains alcohol.
Nail Varnish remover/solvents (acetone) - will remove the finish on the leather even if you cannot tell it is doing so and this will then need replacing, and alcohol may do the same depending on the strength of the finish on the leather.
Baby wipes - just about the worst thing you can use on a leather as they break down the finish and will eventually ruin it.
Milk or Toothpaste - these are just silly ideas that will leave sticky residues on the surface which will help to break down the finish on your leather.
Silicones/furniture polish - should not be used on leather. They will form a coating on the surface of the leather which will not allow any moisture to get to the leather itself and will eventually break all the finish down and cause it to crack.
Hide food - will not remove ink and will leave residues on the leather which will attract dirt and oils.
Magic Erasers - these only remove the ink by removing the finish on the leather which will then be expensive to fix.
Saddle soap is far too harsh to use on the delicate finishes used in jackets and should remain strictly for saddles

Please be wary of DIY products that 'guarantee' to remove the ink as the only way these can work is by damaging the finish on the leather

Most leather cleaners will not remove ink unless a very good leather protector has been used on a regular basis!!.
 
#22
marykate81 said:
Hi Everyone,

On a visit to the States last week I bought my first Michael Kors handbag. I was sooo excited as had spent months thinking about the purchase. On return home I filled the bag with cotton towels so it would keep it safe. I left the bag in my study room & that was it. Well, I'm just about to start my day of research & thought if look at my beautiful bag & unfortunately there is a black pen mark on one side. I've no idea how this happened but it did. I'm remaining calm as I know the ladies here can advise on stains. My bag is white leather so any advice welcome.

Thank you,
Mary x
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Sorry to hear about your purse. I've used this product on several of my leather bags that had a pen mark and so far it worked on 3 out of my 4 bags without destroying the dye. Here's the link: http://www.lovinmybags.co/bye-bye-dye/
It's worth a try :)
 
#23
I have a patent leather Alma Bag from LV and somehow there are two blue pen marks on the bottom of my bag... no idea how it got on there and I took it to my leather repair man and there was nothing he could do... :(
 
#25
TheresaG said:
I have a patent leather Alma Bag from LV and somehow there are two blue pen marks on the bottom of my bag... no idea how it got on there and I took it to my leather repair man and there was nothing he could do... :(
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Hi, marks on patent LV vernis bags are really hard to remove, and trying could make it worse.

You could see the LV Faq for more on vernis cleaning: Louis Vuitton FAQs

:flowers:
 
#29
Has anyone ordered anything from this website? http://www.leatherworldtech.com/default.asp

I have a white leather bag with ink marks. I'm wondering if this would work? http://www.leatherworldtech.com/Leather-Master-Ink-Killer-p/013201250.htm

Some of the info on that website says the color will be removed when removing the ink stain, but then there's another product which can be applied to move the color around to cover the area where the color was removed.

HAS ANYONE TRIED ANY OF THE PRODUCTS FROM http://www.leatherworldtech.com/default.asp

I want to place an order, but first want to check here..... any feedback will be appreciated.... :-)
 
#30
Elliespurse said:
Hi, I'm really sorry about the pen mark. What pen do you think it is? I know a tPFer here removed most of makeup-stains inside a LV pouch with makeup-remover pads/wipes.

If it's an ink-pen mark lifting the mark with a q-tip (a little hairspray on the q-tip) could work.

But I'd first see if the pen mark is just on the surface before trying any wet removing.

Hope you can remove the mark.
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wow thanks for the tips
 
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