How to get ink out of paper

Everyone remembers the painting "Deuce Again" from school, but if the hero of the painting knew how to erase a pen from paper, he would have one less problem. Then, probably, the picture would not have been like that.

All this is of course a joke. But sometimes it becomes necessary to erase the inscription of a ballpoint pen from paper, and not necessarily in a diary. This can be notes on the margins of a book that needs to be returned to the owner or the need to correct a drawing made in ink, but you never know in life situations. Removing an inscription from a sheet imperceptibly is not an easy task, but doable.

Features and composition of ink

All currently existing types of pens for writing can be divided, according to the design of the writing unit and the composition of the ink, into categories:

• feather pen;
• ball pen;
• with gel ink;
• with a needle roller.

It is impossible to find out exactly the chemical formula of this or that ink, since it is protected by copyright and trade secret. But we will be able to find out something. The ink for conventional ballpoint pens has a polymer base. Gel group - water-soluble, they have a lower viscosity, soft and easy to apply to paper.

The main building blocks of ink are:

• film-forming agents, resins or mineral oils;
• pigments that determine the color of the composition;
• solvents;
• plasticizers that provide the viscosity of the substance;
• driers - auxiliary compounds to accelerate drying;
• thickeners;
• other additives and excipients.

How to remove ink marks

Removing ink from paper is a meticulous process that requires a filigree approach. They say that the paper will endure everything, but removing the marks from the pen is not the case. If you act rudely and carelessly, this gentle representative of the office will not forgive mistakes. Paper will answer your rudeness with a simple hole, but with such a document you yourself understand nowhere. How do I erase a pen? With hands, with the help of chemicals or tried and tested folk methods.

Folk remedies

According to the old tradition, we will begin to get acquainted with the methods of how to remove the inscription of a ballpoint pen from paper with, repeatedly tested, folk remedies. It is not difficult to guess that they are all based on the use of scrap materials and household chemicals. Having familiarized yourself with the most common methods, you can choose the one that suits you and start the operation.

Acetone

If you need to remove the marks from a blue or black ballpoint pen, it is best to use acetone. It can be found among tubes and jars of cosmetics in a bottle called Nail Polish Remover. We moisten a cotton swab or a toothpick in liquid and carefully process the unwanted inscription on paper. A larger ink blot can be treated with a pipette. After that, blot the surface with a soft cloth.

Hydrogen peroxide

Ink marks on a sheet of paper can be removed with hydrogen peroxide, which is applied to the stain with a sharpened match or toothpick. The resulting stain with ink residues should be blotted with a table napkin. Dry the page by placing it between paper towels, which, due to their high hygroscopicity, will absorb the remaining moisture. Instead of pyroxide, you can use hydroperite, having previously dissolved it in warm water. Four tablets are enough for half a glass.

Vinegar

Not sure how to erase a gel pen from a sick leave or any other paper carrier? Use acetic acid. To do this, heat a small amount of vinegar to a temperature of 45-50 degrees and carefully apply to the ink trail. Wipe lightly with a damp cotton swab or disc and attach a paper towel. After a few minutes, moisten the cotton with dishwashing detergent, use only a colorless detergent, and thoroughly blot the vinegar-treated paper. Air dry the peeled paper.

Alcohol

Ethyl alcohol is quite effective at removing ink marks. The removal technique is as follows:

1. Medical alcohol with a cotton swab or a match, with care, apply to dirt.
2. We wait until it dries completely naturally. The alcohol will evaporate quickly.
3. Iron the dried paper with a hot iron through a clean sheet.

Large area ink blots can be moistened with alcohol using a pipette. After processing, wait a couple of minutes, then follow the described technique.

Starch

You can save your document from unwanted writing with capillary or gel pens with a starch-based mixture. What do we have to do:

1. The mixture is prepared from starch and warm, 40 degrees, water in a one-to-one ratio;
2. Pour the necessary part of the starch into a small container (cup, mug, glass) and, in several steps, fill it with an equal part of water.
3. Stir slowly until smooth.
4. We apply the starch mixture to the gel trail of ink, which should be absorbed into it, and wait for it to dry.
5. We remove the dried mass with a soft napkin or dry toothbrush.

Potassium permanganate

Potassium permanganate mixed with vinegar essence magically affects the traces of a blue, red or green pen. Operation stages:

1. Pour no more than one gram of manganese into a container with previously poured vinegar (one teaspoon).
2. After the crystals are completely dissolved, with a match or a watercolor brush with thin bristles, distribute the solution over the unwanted inscription.
3. The brown stain formed on the paper from potassium permanganate must be removed with a cotton swab moistened with hydrogen peroxide.
4. The paper that has dried after processing can be ironed with an iron.

Other means for removing the handle

You can deduce erroneous ink records using household chemicals or chemical reagents for photography. Suitable cleaning agents for this purpose are substances containing chlorine. Most bleaches are like this. The ink is processed with liquid using a sharp stick or pipette. After 15-20 minutes, the inscription will disappear, and the treatment site must be cleaned with a wet sponge made of dense foam rubber and smoothed with an iron through a cotton cloth or a clean sheet of paper.

Sodium sulfite is a common photoreagent. Crystals of this substance are dissolved in water and a solution is obtained that allows you to remove traces left by a ball rod of any color in a matter of seconds.

Finally, written errors can be masked using a proofreader. This is a special white liquid with a thick consistency, which is applied to the inscription with a thin brush and completely hides it.

Mechanical methods for removing stains (blade, sandpaper or plaster)

Removing lettering from paper mechanically is a very risky operation, bordering on failure. One wrong move or excessive force and paper with a hole. Such methods should be approached with extreme caution and should only be used for superficial, shallow writing on thick paper.

There are several technologies for mechanical cleaning, the following are popular:

1. Different size lettering can be cleaned with a sharp safety razor blade. Each character is literally scratched from the surface of the sheet. Movement should be super careful, and the plane of the blade is strictly at right angles. The cellulose fibers remaining on the surface after stripping are cut off with a blade tightly pressed against the sheet.
2. The text can be removed with a narrow strip of medical tape that matches the size of the text to be removed. The strip is glued over the lettering and, when removed, removes it along with a thin, surface layer of paper.
3. We erase the ink with a fine-grained abrasive paper. To do this, cut out a small circle of sandpaper and glue it to the end of the pencil, and then gently wipe off the ink. You should not press too much on the pencil so as not to ruin the document.

Features of removing stains from a white background

Any household bleach containing chlorine can be used to remove ink stains from a perfectly white surface. It is an active ingredient that breaks down the ink pigment and evaporates. Make sure the paper is white enough before removing, as the bleaching solution may leave light marks on the surface. The same applies to typographic drawings. Chlorine will just spoil them.

Is it possible to remove stains from cardboard

Ink blots on thick, glossy or colored paper can be easily removed in this way:

1. In a small, shallow container, mix ethyl alcohol with glycerin in equal proportions.
2. We collect in a syringe or pipette and moisten the blot.
3. After the stain disappears, blot it with a napkin and dry it. If necessary, you can use an iron.

How to print an inscription with a ballpoint pen

Ballpoint pens are the most common writing tool. No wonder that most of the mistakes and incorrect entries are made with ball-point paste. We suggest using the most effective way to remove ink blots:

1. Mix dry baking soda and finely ground salt, in equal volumes.
2. Sprinkle the blot with the mixture, cover with a clean sheet and put 2-3 volumetric books on top.
3. After 10-15 minutes, open and drip a little lemon juice into the mixture. Under the action of the acid, the ink will dissolve, and the soda and salt will completely absorb them.

Removing old ink stains

It's time to return the book to a colleague, and on the spread you find a dried ink blot? Do not despair, this is fixable. To remove the stain, you need to make a solution by mixing in equal parts citric and oxalic acid and diluting tenfold with water. After stirring thoroughly, we will begin to wash off the blot, applying the solution with a soft watercolor brush. Be careful not to ruin the paper. Rinse off until the stain completely disappears. After that, we will blot the treatment area with a paper towel.

As you can see, skillful hands and knowledge of the basics of chemistry will save you from any ink blots and blots. You just need to act patiently and carefully, following time-tested recommendations.

Video: how and how to remove ink from paper