How to get ink off acrylic finished pen

[scotian12]

I have a client who left his computer pen out in the car in the cold weather. The ink refill broke and ink leaked onto the outer acrylic surface of the pen. What would you use to clean the ink off without damaging the acrylic surface? Thanks Darrell Eisner

 

[toddlajoie]

Can you disassemble the pen? If so, I would do that, and then warm soapy water should remove the ink from the acrylic, maybe a bit slowly, but it will work without damaging the acrylic.

If you have an old buffing wheel you don't mind getting dried ink off of that should take it off too.

If you want to test it on a scrap or an old blank, see if Orange Erase or Goo-Gone affect the acrylic or not, they will take the ink off very easily, but I can't say for sure if they will affect the acrylic finish...

 

[ChrisN]

Try denatured alcohol. Or maybe some cleaner such as simple green. I wouldn't go too much stronger than that, for fear of melting the plastic.

 

[monophoto]

This is an acrylic pen, and not a wood pen with an acrylic finish on the surface?

A mild hypochlorite (Chlorox) solution should do the job very well, even with inks that are notorious for staining (just as Noodler's Bay State). Rinse in the hypochlorite solution, and then flush with water.

If its wood with an acrylic surface, the problem could be that the ink has gotten into the wood under the finish. In that case, there may not be a solution.

 

[Charlie_W]

What about good old WD 40?

 

[toddlajoie]

Try denatured alcohol. Or maybe some cleaner such as simple green. I wouldn't go too much stronger than that, for fear of melting the plastic.

DNA can react with some plastics, I would suggest you test on scrap first... If you have a cuttoff from a similar blank ( you mentioned it was a "Computer" pen, does that mean a clear cast circuit board? If you don't have any cutoffs, some shavings in a small container of DNA for an hour or so will tell you if there is any reaction. I would give it a decent amount of time so it is clear if there is a reaction or not, as it won't take much of a reaction to affect a nice shiny smooth finish...

 

[Ed McDonnell]

To follow on Todd's comment:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU9Ty0L0g7E

Ed

 

[scotian12]

Thank you all for your replies. I will pass on your recommendations to my client. I guess another example of leaving a pen in extreme heat or cold. Darrell

 

[mmyshrall]

Darrell,

You might also want to consider using a plastic polish like Novus #1 with a microfiber cloth. Since it is some folks final pen step, it should be the most gentle method without worrying about damaging the shine.

Michael

 

[PapaTim]

Thank you all for your replies. I will pass on your recommendations to my client. I guess another example of leaving a pen in extreme heat or cold. Darrell

I'd ask the client to let you have the pen for a couple of days. If you remove the stain for him, at no charge, he'll tell others of your incredible customer service and highly recommend you.