Remove permanent marker from gear?

[Axtman]

How do you remove permanent marker from a variety of surfaces (plastic, rubber, painted metal, etc.)?

I buy used test equipment from a variety of sources. Occasionally the equipment is marked up and I would like to remove those marks. Thanks.

[m3vuv]

if the plasick is smooth i normaly polish it off with 'T cut ' paint restorer,sometimes acetone,if it doesent melt the plastic.

[SeanB]

First pass I just run over it with a dry wipe marker, any colour, and then see if that has at least removed a lot of it. Then use some ethanol and see how much that removes with mild rubbing. For smooth plastic this gets most of it off in a single pass, for textured plastics you need a few passes of the dry wipe and alcohol trick. you can also use label remover ( Label Off 50 from Kontact Chemie here) which removes a lot of marker and label residue as well, and which in general is not too damaging to plastics, though if it is a clear polystyrene all bets are off, it is going to be there forever.

[Mr. Scram]

First pass I just run over it with a dry wipe marker, any colour, and then see if that has at least removed a lot of it. Then use some ethanol and see how much that removes with mild rubbing. For smooth plastic this gets most of it off in a single pass, for textured plastics you need a few passes of the dry wipe and alcohol trick. you can also use label remover ( Label Off 50 from Kontact Chemie here) which removes a lot of marker and label residue as well, and which in general is not too damaging to plastics, though if it is a clear polystyrene all bets are off, it is going to be there forever.

Beware of using dry wipe markers. I've made stains worse using them.

[amyk]

The solvent in dry-erase markers is usually the same as in permanent ones, that's why that trick works. Unfortunately the solvent formulations have changed over the years so pigment that was dissolvable in an older marker's solvent (xylene/toluene) might not be with the newer ones (some form of butanone/other alcohol?)

[emece67]

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[amspire]

The most successful thing I have found so far is a household disinfectant called Detol. Active ingredient is Chloroxlenol. It is the thing I use if someone has used a permanent marker on a whiteboard.

[ArthurDent]

Doesn't IPA remove it?

IPA (India Pale Ale) works best if taken internally. 

[macboy]

The most successful thing I have found so far is a household disinfectant called Detol. Active ingredient is Chloroxlenol. It is the thing I use if someone has used a permanent marker on a whiteboard.

Interesting. It's always nice to find a good off-label use for common products. I don't have any but might pick some up to use for this.

I have always gone for 99% Isopropanol (Isopropyl alcohol, IPA), but the issue with it is that some residue is almost always left behind. Acetone can take care of that, but is too aggressive to many plastics and to silkscreen inks/paints. Adding just a very small amount of acetone to IPA (<<1/10 ratio) will reduce its aggressiveness enough to still be effective on the marker but much less harmful to plastics. Anything abrasive, including "magic eraser" melamine sponges or polishing compounds, should be saved for a last resort. They usually change the appearance of the surface compared to the surrounding area. I'd choose a label removal job over marker removal any day.

[dnwheeler]

WD-40 is usually effective against permanent markers.

[Al the Pal]

WD definitetly worked for me a few time

[David Hess]

I start with IPA which is relatively safe and if that does not work, acetone if the substrate will not be damaged.

[pcmad]

i used in the past

IPA
wd40
nonperenat marker and wipe off soon after
Acetone (or nail pollish remover)
Tcut
wire wool
sandpaper
paint over it

depending on the pastic  some will work better than others