OT - Removing Bleaching? Sharpie Marker out of Granite Counter

[goldenfab]

I fabricated a big island counter top from granite, the color is Casa Blanca so its a white with grays blacks, and reds. When I tested sharpie for making out my cuts it seemed to wipe clean with alcohol only to realize later there I marked my offsets for my cutting fence where it won't come out. The other 6 smaller pieces I learned my lesson and used masking tape but for this big expensive piece (10'x4' and 700lb) I really screwed myself.

I've tried isopropyl alcohol, denatured alcohol, hydrogen peroxid (whatever strength you buy off the shelf), household bleach, brake cleaner, hair bleach (not a very strong one), and I still can't get it all out. I believe the rough slabs are coated with resin to fill any inclusions and then honed. Not sure if its the places where there isn't resin or if its the resin it won't come out of.

I've searched the end of the internet with no luck. What should I try? Higher strength hydrogen peroxide? Fade it out with a UV light? I've already installed it and we're living in the house. I'm holding off from sealing it to hopefully get the marker out...

 

[hvnlymachining]

Acetone (nail polish remover) works very well to remove permanent marker. Use pure acetone if possible rather than nail polish remover.

 

[Rob F.]

Most likely you are going to have to live with it. If you have done everrything else to get it ouut then the next thing to do is color it with more sharpie, just make it look like a little natural occurring blob shape, or some sort of jagged vein or something that looks like is as old as the stone, not a straight line. Let it sit a bit so it takes a good set and then do the same to remove it and you should be left with a faint shadow of the shape you drew, it will be way less noticeable than a straight mark.

 

[goldenfab]

I forgot to mention I had also tried acetone. Works well most of the time but for those suborn spots it won't get it out anymore than alcohol.

I think I read somewhere permanent marker isn't a die but rather a pigment in a solution that dries. Side note not sure if it was a sharpie brand marker or milwaukee. I'm guessing where it won't come out its porous and as such I can't get it washed out when using a solvent like aceton or alcohol. Other than household bleach and hydrogen peroxide that hasn't worked does anyone know of anything to try to try and bleach out the color of the pigment? I have plenty of scrap pieces to try in case it damages or discolors the granite.

 

[henrya]

Pictures would help, but if its just a small mark, lay an o ring down over the mark, pour in the solvent and lay a weight on top to hold it all in a puddle. Let it soak a while and maybe that will help remove it or diffuse it.

 

[Joe Gwinn]

Sharpie ink does not contain a mineral pigment, as evidenced by the fact that sunlight and/or heat can cause fading. The color is from organic dyes. Magic-marker ink is basically a kind of dyed lacquer.

Bleaches et al will not work because the dye is protected by the plastic component that contains the dye.

Acetone usually works, but the old-time solvent to use was toluol:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toluene

Also try Xylene.

The other trick is selective heat - solvents will migrate towards the warmer side. And of course vapor will travel from hotter to colder.

 

[memphisjed]

Off, the bug spray. Do not let it touch a plastic.
I think the family/kids flavor works better, has a lot of oily stuff in it.

 

[Homeshopblob]

Motsenbocker's #3 is worth a try. It will remove permanent sharpie marks from whiteboards. I've used it successfully on some other odd stains that shop chemicals and cleaners wouldn't touch, like cleaner stains on anodizing.

 

[richard newman]

If sunlight causes Sharpies to fade, which is my experience, I wonder if you could use a uv black light to lighten the stain. My understanding is that the stone is colorfast, so it should only affect the dye.

 

[Joe Gwinn]

Motsenbocker's #3 ought to work. From the SDS circa 2015:

Component CAS No. Amount
Glycol Ether DB 12-34-5 10-20%
Acetone 67-64-1 5-10%

Balance appears to be water.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycol_ethers

 

[goldenfab]

Pictures would help, but if its just a small mark, lay an o ring down over the mark, pour in the solvent and lay a weight on top to hold it all in a puddle. Let it soak a while and maybe that will help remove it or diffuse it.

 

[goldenfab]

Off, the bug spray. Do not let it touch a plastic.
I think the family/kids flavor works better, has a lot of oily stuff in it.

Forgot to mention I tired that.

Acetone usually works, but the old-time solvent to use was toluol:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toluene

Also try Xylene.

I'll give those a try

Motsenbocker's #3 is worth a try.

I'll give that a shot.

If sunlight causes Sharpies to fade, which is my experience, I wonder if you could use a uv black light to lighten the stain. My understanding is that the stone is colorfast, so it should only affect the dye.

That's what I was thinking. If I had one I would have tried already. Might get one still.

Thanks for all the comments.

 

[DavidScott]

So far all you have done is wash the stain deeper, and perhaps damaged the resin. You need to use a solvent that works on the sharpie and doesn't attack the resin in the stone, with a poltice to suck it out. I am not sure of what exactly to do, but DO NOT do what you are doing or any of the sugestions so far. When I am on my computer I will try to find the corect info.

 

[MilGunsmith]

Ask at shop that does granite work. The shop that did my kitchen was using some sort of white paste to remove marks on another countertop when I was in ordering mine.

 

[rons]

The final word over here is lacquer thinner. If id don't come off with that then it's either a chisel or sandpaper.
Lacquer thinner in this case could cause damage. It can sure eat stuff away. I prefer it to acetone.

 

[Homeshopblob]

There are a lot of different concoctions all sold as Lacquer thinner. They even smell different.

 

[DavidScott]

The hot ticket seems to be denatured alcohol and volcanic ash, but short of having the ash laying around baking soda works too. Next is straight Clorox but not sure how it would work with baking soda. For best results cover with plastic sheet taping the edges and leave for a day or so before removing. To be clear a poultice is solvent with a powder to keep the solvent in place and absorb it as it dries out, pulling the stained solvent out of the stone, and hopefully the stain. The powder can be most anything that will do the job and not react with the solvent or stain the stone. Marble powder, diatomaceous earth, baking soda, etc. You may need to repeat it a few times. Do not seal until the stain is gone or you have given up since a good sealer will really make it hard to remove the stain.

For more info search "poultice to remove stains from granite" but DO NOT use acetone or other solvents that will attack either polyester or epoxy resins.

If you just want to buy a product then the pre-water-based version of this is what I have heard is the best.

Lacquer thinner is one of the best solvents for deep stone cleaning, including hard water stains.

 

[Yan Wo]

Have you tried contacting the company that makes the pen you used?

 

[hvnlymachining]

I don't know about your granite countertop, but a customer of ours used to build tables and counters from granite and they didn't apply anything to the surface for finish or filler, always just pure granite. Any slabs that arrived with inclusions were rejected, some were cut down to remove the blemish and the rest often crushed to gravel. We were given a pickup load of cutoffs and slab chunks by them to use for lapping and setup plates. Just a little FYI.

Looks like the only thing not mentioned is Citrol cleaner, maybe perhaps? It does work well for a lot of things!

 

[Glug]

The first rule of fixing something is "first do no harm"

You said you made cuts, so experiment on a piece of the scrap. Then you can look at it under a microscope, see how deep the mark is and whether it can be scraped, picked, painted, filled, heated, media blasted, UV'd, acid, caustic, etc. Take it to the granite shop for advice, etc.