Removing ink from bass body?

[Beedster]

Folks

I think I'm going to hang onto the bass below and finish the body with some rather lovely oil I have here. First things first however, I need to get rid of the pen marks next to the battery cover, which were made with biro so pressed a little into the wood also. Can anyone suggest a method that doesn't involve removing any wood (would wood bleach work or would it make things worse)? Worst comes to the worst I will simply sand the whole back a little, but thought I'd ask here first.

Cheers

Chris 

[Newfoundfreedom]

I can't really see how there's any way around sanding. Even if you miraculously and invisibly removed the ink, you would still have the scratches left by the biro. Any attempt at removing the ink with thinners etc would just risk a blotting effect and the ink soaking further into the wood.

[franzbassist]

If the body is already finished in an open pore method (i.e. oil and wax or somesuch), then using steam from an iron can lift broken wood fibres.  If it's a hard poly finish or somesuch then sanding

[Islander]

You could try using a paste of baking soda and water to remove the ink - it's a slow process mind and as above, depending on the finish you may just be able to steam the dents out with a little care.

Edited February 16, 2019 by Islander

[Happy Jack]

Why do you want to erase the signature of Sid Vicious?

 

[John Cribbin]

I'd be tempted to try naptha (lighter fluid) removes all sorts of nonsense without damaging the existing finish.

Caveat, if by some manner of strangeness it does cause an issue, It's your own fault for trying it, not mine!

 

[Manton Customs]

Either alcohol or acetone will both dissolve the ink, careful not to spread it about though. I’m presuming it’s already natural wood if you’re going to oil it. If it’s not already bare, the finish will have to come off anyway before oiling, so just sand it. To be honest that’s probably the best bet anyway as you’ll need to sand it to a high level before oiling. Use a soldering iron or a clothes iron to remove the dents caused by the pen as mentioned above.

[stevel]

Might be worth just trying a rubber - one of those special ones for biro ink. They’re quite a hard compound compared to a pencil rubber, and are usually blue. That will get a lot of the ink off without damaging anything - after that you’re onto the solvents & sanding etc.

Good luck!

[songofthewind]

Toothpaste will sometimes remove dark marks in wood. But I reckon you’re just going to have to sand it out, since your going to refinish the body anyways.

[MoonBassAlpha]

As biro ink is oil based, a higher fraction like petrol or lighter fuel should dissolve it.

[Bassislife16]

First thing I’d try is a baby wipe. The Mrs always uses perfumes because of the alcohol content, tends to lift permanent marker & sharpie etc.

As said above though, it’s pointless just removing the ink. You’re gonna have to sand it if you want anywhere near a semi decent looking even finish.

[Osiris]

On 16/02/2019 at 13:06, Manton Customs said:

Either alcohol or acetone will both dissolve the ink, careful not to spread it about though. I’m presuming it’s already natural wood if you’re going to oil it. If it’s not already bare, the finish will have to come off anyway before oiling, so just sand it. To be honest that’s probably the best bet anyway as you’ll need to sand it to a high level before oiling. Use a soldering iron or a clothes iron to remove the dents caused by the pen as mentioned above.

I've used Acetone too before and it works a treat for this sort of job. It evaporates really quickly so you have to work quickly, I just applied some to a rag and worked it over the stain in circles and the stain came up in a few seconds. There were no obvious watermarks either once I'd finished. I'm not sure how the acetone may affect any finish that's already applied to the body but if you're planning to refinish it anyway that shouldn't be a problem. 

[Manton Customs]

2 hours ago, Osiris said:

I've used Acetone too before and it works a treat for this sort of job. It evaporates really quickly so you have to work quickly, I just applied some to a rag and worked it over the stain in circles and the stain came up in a few seconds. There were no obvious watermarks either once I'd finished. I'm not sure how the acetone may affect any finish that's already applied to the body but if you're planning to refinish it anyway that shouldn't be a problem. 

Yep it's useful stuff. It won't touch modern Polyester but will dissolve Nitro in seconds and partially break down an oil finish also. It'll harm most plastics too, like pickguards, side dots etc....I don't think any of that applies in this case, but perhaps worth mentioning to add to the thread! 

[Maude]

I think the one question that matters and hasn't been answered yet is what finish is on it at the moment? 

To oil it it'll need sanding to bare wood and even if it is bare wood I'd still be sanding it just to remove the layer of dirt that will have inevitably accumulated on it.

All this trying to remove the ink and steam the pressure marks out seems pointless. 

Remove the hardware, a quick sand down and get that oil finish started 👍😎