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View Full Version : Removing Vintage Auto from Bat?



ironmanfan
12-31-2005, 01:00 PM
I'd like to hear from the forum any proven remedies to remove an unwanted personalization from a bat. I have a '76 BiCent Bat of Brooks Robinson that was personalized "To Scott" back in 1976 or so with one of those thick black markers. One person suggested using lighter fluid and a cloth or even light sandpaper, but both of those suggestion didn't really appeal to me. Can anyone here help me out? Thanks & happy New Year

cardinarky
12-31-2005, 01:24 PM
Don't use sandpaper!! You don't want to mark/scuff the surface of the wood or the varnish finish that is there. Sandpaper will attract visual attention to the area.

Experiment with various solvents, and markers, using a generic similarly varnished bat. You want to remove the writing only, not the finish covering the wood below it.

This will require some trial and error.

I would suggest a Q-Tip as the tool for application of the solvent to keep the area confined.

40 years ago, I would have suggested Acetone and careful quick application/removal because contact time is a big player in how much and what is dissolved.
Rubbing alcohol may work.
But if you really value the bat and the autograph, experiment on something similar first.

stlbats
12-31-2005, 05:24 PM
Hello. I have tried several things on photos before, and it has never been completely fixed. Seems like almost every solvent and even dry erase markers leave some type of evidence behind.

Good luck and be careful with the actual bat. Experiments on a similiar bat is a great idea.

Jason

scottanservitz
12-31-2005, 05:27 PM
I have an idea. Sell it to me! Anyhow, I don't have any good remedies for you. Those Bicentennial bats are sweeeet! Good luck.

icollectDCsports
12-31-2005, 05:45 PM
I'd seek out advice from folks who have actually accomplished this successfully on similar bats with similar finishes.

My 2 cents: As was suggested, do NOT use sandpaper. And the problem with using a solvent to try to disolve the signature so that you can wipe it off is that this only would work, in my opinion, if there is enough of a sealant of some sort covering the surface of the bat such that the ink did not sink into the grain of the wood. If the ink has been absorbed into the wood, as opposed to just sitting on the surface, I think removal of ink without removing at least some wood by using an abbrasive (such as sandpaper) would be pretty much impossible. And it seems to me that glossier and more substantial finishes were not used until after '76. But this is all speculation on my part. Check with folks like John Taube, etc.