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Help me fix my mistake! Sharpie touch-up on vintage box.

I will never trust sharpies again! I used a red sharpie to touch up the red trim on a vintage White Owl box. Now the Sharpie ink rubs off on everything, including the clothing of the person holding the guitar (me)!

What is the best way to remedy this? Ideas I am considering:

Wipe away as much of the Sharpie ink as I can with paper towel, kleenex, etc, then apply some kind of sealant to the box
Use Exacto-knife to score and peel away narrow strips of red trim on the outer paper (on which the Sharpie ink was applied) then apply red acrylic craft paint to replace the red trim lines. Then probably apply a sealant in this case as well.

Has anyone dealt with this? How can I save this vintage box without messing it up more?

Thanks in advance,

/Mark

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Permalink Reply by Rooster on July 9, 2015 at 8:26am

Mark, I don't know if this will work on a cigar box..............................but, a dry erasable marker will remove Sharpie ink from the dry erasable board. It would be worth a try, just leave it on for awhile and wipe off. Hope this helps :)

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Permalink Reply by Mark Jeghers on July 9, 2015 at 8:42am

Fascinating data point even if it doesn't work in this case. But I can test a small section on the bottom of the box.

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Permalink Reply by David L. on July 9, 2015 at 9:23am

There are a few ideas here for various surfaces
http://m.wikihow.com/Remove-Sharpie

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Permalink Reply by Tom T on July 9, 2015 at 9:29am

Odd to hear that a Sharpie wipes off of anything. Normally, they are "permanent" markers. That being said, if it's, coming off, then ya need to fix it. I would suggest that you get a small flat artist's brush with relatively firm bristles and brush on some polyurethane. I would use an almost dry brush to put on several very thin coats, letting it dry between coats. If the Sharpie ink is still coming off, the poly will remove some and seal in the rest.

Since it's a nice vintage box, I wouldn't attempt anything that might damage it.

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Permalink Reply by Mark Jeghers on July 9, 2015 at 11:21am

Ya Tom, they're not as "permanent" as they claim :-(

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Permalink Reply by Cause the Blue rat on July 9, 2015 at 10:07am

I've never tried this. But the first thing that comes to mind are those Mr. Clean Magic erasers. I'd start with a dry one to see if that'll work before getting any kind of water on the edge of a old cigar box.

The sharpie probably didn't cure because of the finish on the old paper. I'd get as much of it off as you can. Then use oil base paint to touch up the box. Try model plaint.

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Permalink Reply by Mark Jeghers on July 9, 2015 at 11:54am

> "The sharpie probably didn't cure because of the finish on the old paper"

I am thinking the same thing. Kinda glossy, not real porous.

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Permalink Reply by Thumper on July 9, 2015 at 10:25am

I'd use some lacquer, get a spray can and spray some in the inverted lid, then brush on.

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Permalink Reply by Mark Jeghers on July 9, 2015 at 11:23am

By "spray some in the inverted lid, then brush on", do you mean it should not be applied directly by spray?

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Permalink Reply by Thumper on July 9, 2015 at 12:54pm

If you spray it you'll have to mask everything off to prevent overspray

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Permalink Reply by Cause the Blue rat on July 9, 2015 at 2:06pm

NO. Please do not spray or paint any clear coat over a sharpie. You'll end up with that red stuff bleeding all over . Get it off and seal what you can't under something that wont turn to sludge.

I've tried this and know of others who have had the same problem with clear coating over sharpies. Some colors bleed out and spread. Especially the red.