The use of permanent markers is common worldwide. It is used in houses, offices, organizations, kid’s projects, schools, and anywhere you can think of. As so many people around us use it on a daily basis, we may get curious about its working and how these markers are different from normal markers. Every marker in the market contains certain basic ingredients that make up the markers. These ingredients are responsible for the working of the markers and how they will interact and deliver a dependable, smooth line.
Don’t forget that “permanent” sometimes is a misnomer, and the markers labeled as permanent are not always light-fast unless specially marked as archival markers. To avoid making the wrong choice while looking for suitable markers, we recommend you shop from our site Safety Hardware Store. We have a variety of permanent markers that can deal with your daily needs without fail. Let’s understand the in-depth details of the permanent markers.
The Constituents Of The Permanent Markers
Every permanent marker is basically a hollow plastic tube that is airtight and saved for a single opening at the very end. These tubes clad a long stick of porous, sponge-like material that protrudes a little out of the opening known as the tip of the marker.
The material which works as an absorbent inside the tube gets saturated with the ink. A siphoning effect occurs as the ink is exhausted and drained from the open tip. This effect pulls ink from the inside of the tube to the tip outside. The permanent marker ink comprises three elements: colorants, solvents, and resins.
Colorant
The colorant is known as a pigment or dye, which is responsible for giving the ink its distinctive color. You can choose from black, blue, pink, yellow, orange, or any other color of your choice. When you draw any type of line with permanent markers, it is the colorant you actually see when you look at the line made by the marker.
The Difference Between The Dyes And Pigments
One of the major differences between the dyes and pigment is that the dyes are known to be water-soluble. Meanwhile, pigments are normally insoluble in water or any non-polar solvents. Unless you ground the pigment in fine powder, the probability of them being water-soluble is very low. For such reasons and properties, pigments are prioritized as the colorant for the permanent markers. They offer great resistance to dissolution by the effect of humidity and the other various environmental agents.
Solvent
The solvent is known as the major key for the permanent markers. Without the presence of this liquid carrier, the process of dissolving and transporting ink colorant and ink resin through the sponge by the siphoning effect becomes difficult, leading to the non-functioning of the markers. As water is a polar solvent, the ink solvents should be non-polar for dissolving colorants and resins known to be non-polar.
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In the past, the manufacturers preferred using xylene as a solvent. Still, they later switched around the 1990s to less toxic alcohols such as ethanol and isopropanol, as children started utilizing markers in their respective schools and homes. The best thing about the permanent glass markers is the solvent automatically evaporates in the air after using it on the paper or glass, resulting in only colorant and resin left behind.
Resin
The resin is known as a glue-like polymer. The role of the ink resin is to ensure that the ink colorant stays steady on the paper even when the solvent vanishes in the air. If the ink only contained the colorant and solvent, in that case, the colorant would change into dust and fall off from paper the instant the solvent gets dried and vanishes in the air. The ink resin is naturally sticky, and the ink solvent ensures that the ink resin and the fluid inside the permanent markers’ sealed tubes stay free.
Differences In the Inks
The major difference lies with the ink resin when talking about the difference between the permanent and non-permanent markers. The resin is known to be very much non-polar and does not dissolve in the water in any case. And if, in any case, this non-polar resin catches any clothing, the washing machine will not be able to offer any assistance in removing the mark.
There are processes such as dry-cleaning in which people wash clothing in a nonpolar solvent known as acetone, not water. This process is proven effective in dissolving the resin, resulting in the removal of the mark. On the other hand, the non-permanent markers utilize ink resins easily dissolved in water. Furthermore, the permanent glass markers may even use specific pigments and dyes that are not soluble in water.
Ways To Remove Permanent Markers From Any Surface
You can practically remove the stains of the permanent markers from anything. It just requires a lot of patience and little time. Here we mentioned the tips for removing marker stains from surfaces such as wood, plastics, fabric, and furniture using household substances.
Fabric
Removing permanent markers from the daily fabrics like clothes, pillows, and bedsheets is fairly easy. You can eliminate the effects of a permanent marker by rubbing alcohol, hand sanitizer, hairspray, nail polish remover, and non-gel toothpaste on your fabrics. Therefore, before you decide to dump your fabrics stained by markers in the bin, try wiping them with an alcohol-based hairspray.
Leather
Regarding leather, you must take precautions to remove the effect of the permanent marker as soon as possible. The stain can get permanently attached if you don’t perform fast actions. Distilled white vinegar on leather surfaces can remove the permanent markers effortlessly. Wait for some time so that vinegar can take action. After some time, use circular motions with a damp cloth to wipe off the stain.
Carpet
To remove permanent markers from the carpet, rubbing alcohol is the best solution. White vinegar and dishwashing soap can also effectively remove the mark. Just make sure you let them sit on the stain for some time.
Wood
Toothpaste is effective for removing permanent markers from the wood and floor surfaces. You must use baking soda to make the removal process more effective.
In The End
As permanent markers are commonly used, it is important to know the constituents and their work to gain more effective results in your daily activities. Knowing the best ways to get rid of their mark is a good idea. Because you can’t remove them easily from surfaces.
Not all permanent markers are as good as they claim. Markets have many types of markers, such as permanent glass markers. Buying from the best source is always convenient. We at Safety Hardware Store have a variety of top-quality permanent markers that offer great efficiency and lifetime. You can also browse our other sections that contain affordable household products, cleaning supplies, building supplies, etc. Gain the best shopping experience on our website.
