a tidbit of info

[gene]

I have a light brown velvet fabric  that I put on a furniture piece. It is synthetic but I don't know exactly what type of fibers they are. No cotton in it I'm sure.

There was a yellow Sharpie mark on the back panel, down toward the bottom.

I won't share with you how and why a yellow Sharpie was used on this fabric. Just trust me when I say it was a really stupid thought process that went into making this mistake.

Anyway, I thought I might lessen the yellow color by rubbing white chalk over it. It didn't make any difference other than to put a white chalk mark on the fabric.

I noticed that some of the yellow Sharpie came off on the end of the chalk stick. So, I rubbed the chalk on a scrap piece of fabric to take off the yellow Sharpie, and rubbed the chalk on the mark that was on the back of the furniture.

I did this many times, each time rubbing the chalk on the scrap fabric to take off the yellow from the chalk.

It totally took off all the yellow Sharpie, and a damp rag took the chalk off also.

Who would have thought?!?

gene

[Darren Henry]

By a "yellow sharpie", do you mean that writing instrument that some people call a "highlighter" like you would use to draw attention to a passage in a document?

How long after the "Oh my EXPERLATIVE!" did you start the process. I'm curious to know if this a "If you catch it in time kinda thing".

[west coast]

Over the years I have found chalk to be a very good way to remove or disguise something you need gone.

[MinUph]

Chalk is an absorbent. Like powder it will draw a stain. It in itself is sometimes hard to remove. I did this just yesterday. Well not a sharpie but a drop of oil. I use Capture and ground some chalk to sprinkle on. It did absorb some oil. But was very hard to remove the chalk. So I went with Baby powder which is a cleaner product and easier to remove. After a few times the stain was 95% gone and allot of brushing. This was on a headboard using Microfiber fabric.

[JuneC]

I recall my mom laying clothing that had grease marks on the bed and then coating the stain with baby powder to absorb the stain.  Leave for a day or so.  Worked like a charm.  Same idea with cat litter and grease on the driveway or garage floor.   I never would have thought about sharpie being absorbed though.  Only thing that will take sharpie out is alcohol since the ink is alcohol-based.  At least that was the theory till now.  Thanks Gene!

June

[gene]

I'm glad I mentioned this. I'll keep 'chalk' in mind as a possible remedy for other things.

Yes, it was a magic marker Sharpie. I delivered the sofa yesterday afternoon and it sat out in the room with the back visible to those walking through the room.

I never thought I would feel so grateful for a piece of chalk.

gene

[SteveA]

Gene
I'm thinking Bruce from Howdini can solve the mystery of the yellow marker - think about bookmarking his web page below -

http://www.howdini.com/video/7073571/how-to-reupholster-a-chair-cushion


SA

[MinUph]

Now there is some "new talent" for ya.

[JuneC]

LOL...  I don't think I've seen anyone that bad with a pair of scissors since kindergarten.  He needs to go back to upholstery school and take "scissors 101" as a refresher.

June

[byhammerandhand]

Another answer for "How come it costs so much to reupholster?  It's not that hard."


I think I've worked on some chairs he's re-upholstered.

[bobbin]

Wow.  A fine example of "pride in workmanship".  Lol, "new talent". 

[Lo]

FYI - - a little known fact about baby powder . . . it works wonders on sunburn!!

Yup, that is right . . . sprinkle on sunburn to absorb the sub-surface sweat that builds up under the damaged tissue. It also relieves the itch, cools the burn, and adds a buffer layer to clothing that reduces the rub effect.

Only thing is, make sure you do this over carpet as it is really dangerous on smooth surfaces and may cause a slipping accident next.

P.S. Not to get too far off topic: When I have chalk 'stay and stick' to the face fabric I have had success with using a small piece of the same fabric to rub it out . . . not sure why it works better than brushing or vacuuming, just know that it does.

[Darren Henry]

I don't think I've seen anyone that bad with a pair of scissors since kindergarten.

I don't remember anyone being that bad IN kindergarten,LOL

FYI - - a little known fact about baby powder . . .

I used to always keep a small container of it in the shop. If it got muggy and my window plastic or vinyl started sticking to the sewing machine I'd just "dust" the machine with powder. The main reason I had it though was for lasting shoes etc... where I was stretching wet leather over any kind of mold.Without a liberal dusting of powder it is very difficult to remove the mold once it's dry.