Help! Dry Erase Marker stains on a battlemat!

Einan

First Post

• Sep 26, 2006

• #1

Okay, so my battlemat has gotten a dry erase marker used on it. Is it terminal? Does anyone know how to get the stains out?

Thanks!
Einan

 

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Cam Banks

Adventurer

• Sep 26, 2006

• #2

Options include scribbling over the dry erase marks with wet erase pen, waiting for an hour, then wiping it off, or perhaps brake cleaner fluid (not brake fluid, though!).

Cheers,
Cam

 

HeapThaumaturgist

First Post

• Sep 26, 2006

• #3

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to the rescue!

It'll take hard work and elbow grease and probably most of an eraser ... but they're like fifty cents, so, worth it.

I was careful around the grid lines when I erased my stain, but I'm honestly not sure if the eraser would pick it up.

Acetone will also remove it, but also will remove the tan dye used to dye the mat and the grid lines ... so you'll go, if careful, from a black line to an off-white line.

The mat at our game house still has a big compass rose on it from where the GM picked up one of my tact-tile dry erase markers and started to do a map before I could yell out: "Nooooooooooooooooooo!". Nobody has gotten around to spending a half hour with a magic eraser.

--fje

 

Thurbane

First Post

• Sep 26, 2006

• #4

Whiteboard cleaner fluid.

Failing that, a little methylated spirits diluted in warm water.

The above suggestions come from working for 7 years in office supplies, and using a battlemat for about 15+ years.

 

JustKim

First Post

• Sep 26, 2006

• #5

I have never had to use anything more complicated than another marker. There are chemicals in felt tips that prevent the ink from drying on its own. When you mark with these chemically treated inks on other marker ink, it returns it to a fluid state where it can be wiped off. The only side effect is that the felt tip absorbs some of the ink, so you'll ruin the marker.

 

O

Ogrork the Mighty

Explorer

• Sep 26, 2006

• #6

HeapThaumaturgist said:

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to the rescue!

Click to expand...

Warning! These things are full of fermaldehyde and, at the very least, you should be wearing gloves when you use 'em. And if you've got kids around, pitch 'em in the trash.

 

Thurbane

First Post

• Sep 26, 2006

• #7

Hang on, maybe I misunderstood the original question: is the battlemat laminated or covered in plastic? If it isn't please disregard my comments above. Ooops.

 

C

countgray

First Post

• Sep 26, 2006

• #8

I like rubbing alcohol. The higher the percentage the better. Denatured alcohol works best.

 

L

LightPhoenix

First Post

• Sep 26, 2006

• #9

I'm going to second some sort of alcohol pad, like rubbing alcohol. Used it all the time at the hospital to get out permanent marker. It wasn't 100% effective - there'd usually be some faint lines left over. It is, besides the erasable marker method, the most gentle as well.

 

S

Set

First Post

• Sep 26, 2006

• #10

Nail polish remover. Just be careful, it might lift the grid-lines right off the map, if you aren't careful!