Cleaning of MKVII bag....

astroboy · Post by **astroboy** » Tue Apr 25, 2006 5:36 am

I got my MKV II (1936) and it has what appears to be an ink stain on the inside of the flap ...How can I get rid of this stain??

riothamus · Post by **riothamus** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 10:11 pm

Bump.

Any ideas, I have the same problem.

Castor Dioscuri · Post by **Castor Dioscuri** » Thu May 01, 2008 3:29 am

How about that Tide stain remover?

Swindiana · Post by **Swindiana** » Thu May 01, 2008 7:31 pm

IF it doesn't show up when you have your bag closed I'd leave it the way it is. Old ink is really hard to get rid of, though some people have had their stamps accidentaly removed when washing the bag, all depending on the ink. I'd try washing it, though I know there is a chance of ruining the bag if you bring out the chemicals.

Does it look like a stamp, or is it just an ink blob?

Regards,
Swindiana

Indiana · Post by **Indiana** » Thu May 01, 2008 8:45 pm

I threw one in the wash that had a very faint stamp. It faded it even more, to the point where I can barely see it. It is an H&Sons 1942 bag. The bag still holds up fine, the washing did not affect the durability. It's been all over the world with me.

riothamus · Post by **riothamus** » Thu May 01, 2008 10:39 pm

Well, in my case it isn't the MKVII, it's an inked name on the backpack Indiana Bond found and sent to me. Here's the thread, possible spoiler though...
viewtopic.php?t=24851

TheMechanic · Post by **TheMechanic** » Tue May 20, 2008 8:54 pm

Denatured alcohol (not rubbing alcohol) will dissolve the ink. If you want to try it, I would fold up a paper towl several times until it's about 2.5 X 2.5" and saturate it with the denatured alcohol.

Blot the area until it's all 'wet' then blot with pressure using a clean dry paper towel. The alcohol will evaporate quickly and you'll be able to see how much it's faded. You can then opt to stop or keep going until it's almost gone.

After that I would treat the area with Dawn dishwashing detergent and let it sit overnight and then wash the whole bag in warm water and hang dry.

Odds are the ink stain will be barely there when you're finished.

-Jared

riothamus · Post by **riothamus** » Tue May 20, 2008 9:36 pm

Thanks a lot! I'll give that a try this weekend!