Preserving Sword With Signatures

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Frame Chick

Frame Chick

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Joined
Dec 10, 2007
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Morgan Hill, CA
Hi All,

I have a client that has a new sword, made of stainless steel, with numerous signatures on the blade in Sharpie pen. He cannot afford to frame it currently, but asked me about what he could apply over the blade to protect the signatures, if anything. Some sort of clear coat?

Any ideas or thoughts on where to look for an answer?
Thanks!
 
Frame Chick said:
Hi All,

I have a client that has a new sword, made of stainless steel, with numerous signatures on the blade in Sharpie pen. He cannot afford to frame it currently, but asked me about what he could apply over the blade to protect the signatures, if anything. Some sort of clear coat?

Any ideas or thoughts on where to look for an answer?
Thanks!
Click to expand...

NO!!!! Clear coat will dissolve sharpie ink!!! Otherwise,I`m stumped...L.
 
Leah:

According to Sharpie's MSDS the ink consists of dyes in a cocktail of alcohols, and is soluble in water.

I'd be leery of applying any coating!!!!

Why not put in an enclosed acid free box?
 
Its been discussed that Sharpies will fade in time, i.e. on jerseys. So there's probably not much than can be done.

If the customer doesn't want to frame it, recommend to them an acrylic case. But then, that would cost the same as framing it. :thumbsup:

I do believe the only way to protect the signatures would be to carefully built a lint-free cradle holding the sword with minimal contact, sealing it in a vacuum tight light-proof container, then storing in a climate-controlled vault for the millenium. But that doesn't sound like much fun either.

(Oo! idea! write this down: You want to have preservable signatures on your sword? Use an engraving tool instead of a sharpie!)
 
W.C.Framer said:
Its been discussed that Sharpies will fade in time, i.e. on jerseys. So there's probably not much than can be done.

If the customer doesn't want to frame it, recommend to them an acrylic case. But then, that would cost the same as framing it. :thumbsup:

I do believe the only way to protect the signatures would be to carefully built a lint-free cradle holding the sword with minimal contact, sealing it in a vacuum tight light-proof container, then storing in a climate-controlled vault for the millenium. But that doesn't sound like much fun either.

(Oo! idea! write this down: You want to have preservable signatures on your sword? Use an engraving tool instead of a sharpie!)
Click to expand...

dremel with a carbide bit? Marvellous! Spent a weekend next to a couple that engraved and sold swords,they did nice work!! L.
 
Even bad pictures will out last the sharpie.... they're screwed.
I wrapped mine in a soft cloth... and then in a leather zipper case. Hid it in
the closet........
Four months later I brought it out to sell when Conan came out...... nice blade covered in etched fog of post-sharpie.
 
Thanks everyone for the depressing news! This client is an instructor of medieval weaponry and wound up choreographing some sword fighting scenes in a music video for some new up and coming boy band (so potentially no big loss on those signatures?). i don't think a lot of thought went into the signing of the sword!

I will suggest a plexi box with appropriate stand, but I think money's the issue currently. Hey, maybe I should barter and get my Conan on!
 
Just don't punch out any camels...... they might make you a Govenator... or at least Garlic Queen.

Man I miss that festival...... you could smell it all the way from King City. :D
 
Ray!!!!!! It says PERMANENT on MOST surfices.......at least it said that on the package I just opened.......:shrug: :nuts:
 
Ray Bragg said:
All of my Sharpies are marked right on the pen that they are permanant marker. are you saying that they are lying to me!!!
Click to expand...

No, like any paint or ink they are absolutely 100% PERMANENT..On any surface ,when applied accidentally.Otherwise,yeah they do fade,badly sometimes...Except ironically, on the tailgate of a Voyager.L
 
From Sharpie FAQ (emphasis is mine):

What makes a marker permanent?

A marker can be classified as a permanent marker if it:

1. Adheres to most surfaces and/or is water resistant.

2. Uses dyes or pigments

The dyes or pigments used, which give the ink color (colorants), determine how well a marking will resist fading. Pigmented inks resist fading the best. The combination of ingredients used in the ink formulation gives the ink permanent properties. Each permanent marker that we manufacture may have one or both of the characteristics mentioned above.

How long does a permanent marker last?

We do not have a mathematical formula to figure how long a permanent marker will "last." With outdoor exposure on a nonporous surface, the marks from a dye base marker will be gone in perhaps three to four months. With indoor exposure on a porous surface, like artist canvas or paper, we would expect marks from a dye base marker to last several years.

Resins or surfactants give the ink the ability to adhere to various surfaces. Thus, we have markers for non-porous and glossy surfaces, markers for oily or wet surfaces and markers that can withstand extreme heat.

The solvents that are used mix all of the ingredients together, or dissolve them to form the ink. The solvents used also determine the solvent resistance of the markings. Various solvents used in inks are alcohol, ketone, xylene and glycol ethers.​

And note that the Sharpie Fine Point Marker MSDS specifies that it contains dyes not pigments.

Hardly 'permanent'.
 
--why again hasn't sakura come out with a variant marker-like product? Those scrap-brooking pens are okay, but I like the microns. They're of decent quality and they're moderately priced.


The Sharpie doesn't belong in any art/collectible market. It's just a marker, with a superb MARKeting dept. I'm laying it on REAL thick. :o
 
Wanta B.Framer said:
--why again hasn't sakura come out with a variant marker-like product? Those scrap-brooking pens are okay, but I like the microns. They're of decent quality and they're moderately priced.


The Sharpie doesn't belong in any art/collectible market. It's just a marker, with a superb MARKeting dept. I'm laying it on REAL thick. :o
Click to expand...
Great minds think alike! Got a big fist full quantity of microns lying maybe 3 inches from this computer right now,Love em!REALLY love the Copic sketch markers,they are alcohol based,and you can blend them.Very expensive though.BUT....You can refill em L.
 
If it is OK to re-ink signatures on the Declaration of Independence (as was recently discussed on this very forum) perhaps engraving over the Sharpie scrawlings of a boy band would not be such a travesty.

Just make sure the person doing the engraving has done it before and has a steady hand and a good eye. Me, I can't even trace over my own handwriting the same way twice. ;)
 
Framar said:
If it is OK to re-ink signatures on the Declaration of Independence (as was recently discussed on this very forum) perhaps engraving over the Sharpie scrawlings of a boy band would not be such a travesty.

Just make sure the person doing the engraving has done it before and has a steady hand and a good eye. Me, I can't even trace over my own handwriting the same way twice. ;)
Click to expand...


Honestly, why shouldn't it be widely accepted? It's a fairly accepted practice for conservators to paint over the work of a master. Then again, maybe the the scarcity of a signature greatly diminishes should it be re-inked? I dunno. Where is Presevator in this conversation?

Does it seem too far-fetched to suggest that famous people use fading ink on purpose! It certainly does create an almost deliberate rarity to the item. Where ever money is involved, not much surprises me, greed begets greed.
 
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