Personal computing discussed

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Vatic
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Son wrote on laptop screen with a pen!

Sun Nov 06, 2011 2:02 pm

Hi guys,

I'm not sure if this is the correct forum, so if not I apologize. My son decided to take a pen to my wife's laptop screen this morning. I tried several things I saw on the internet but nothing seems to be working. Have any of you tackled a problem like this and have any sort of help for me? Thanks in advance!
 
sweatshopking
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Re: Son wrote on laptop screen with a pen!

Sun Nov 06, 2011 2:10 pm

you're trying to remove the pen? the screen is otherwise ok, just covered in ink? what kind of pen? ball point?

you tried these?
http://chemistry.about.com/od/cleaningt ... oveink.htm
coloring a dry erase marker overtop of another ink and then wiping off works well too. I use that to clean up any permanent marker issues.

Those are what i'd recommend, good luck homie!
 
Vatic
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Re: Son wrote on laptop screen with a pen!

Sun Nov 06, 2011 2:12 pm

thanks, I'll check those out! yes the screen is fine, just ball point pen on it.
 
mikehodges2
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Re: Son wrote on laptop screen with a pen!

Sun Nov 06, 2011 2:26 pm

I dont know how it'd affect the screen, but I know deodorant used to dissolve ink from my old school shirts (not anti-perspirant)
 
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Re: Son wrote on laptop screen with a pen!

Sun Nov 06, 2011 2:51 pm

mikehodges2 wrote:
I dont know how it'd affect the screen, but I know deodorant used to dissolve ink from my old school shirts (not anti-perspirant)

Aqua Net hair spray is the local favorite for this task, but I doubt it would be all that good for any coatings on the screen.
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just brew it!
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Re: Son wrote on laptop screen with a pen!

Sun Nov 06, 2011 3:06 pm

Have you tried isopropyl alcohol yet? That's the first thing I always try whenever faced with removing foreign substances from anything electronic. If that doesn't work, I move on to stronger stuff.

The 91% stuff is better for electronics, since it contains less water...
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FireGryphon
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Re: Son wrote on laptop screen with a pen!

Sun Nov 06, 2011 3:08 pm

Wouldn't alcohol destroy the finishes on the screen surface?
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just brew it!
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Re: Son wrote on laptop screen with a pen!

Sun Nov 06, 2011 3:13 pm

FireGryphon wrote:
Wouldn't alcohol destroy the finishes on the screen surface?

Well... I've used it on LCD monitors many times without ill effects. It is also likely to be *less* harmful to the screen than glass cleaners (which tend to contain ammonia). But yeah, there is probably some risk...
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Re: Son wrote on laptop screen with a pen!

Sun Nov 06, 2011 4:14 pm

At my old job the waitresses loved to use the tip of their pens on the touchscreen of the pos system. It always came off just scrubbing with a damp cloth.
 
SecretSquirrel
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Re: Son wrote on laptop screen with a pen!

Sun Nov 06, 2011 4:27 pm

FireGryphon wrote:
Wouldn't alcohol destroy the finishes on the screen surface?


My container of anti-static monitor wipe, marked "safe for laptop and LCD screens", contains isopropyl alcohol. Most of them seem to be a 50/50 mix. The big thing in general is to use a very soft cloth. Normally, a soft cloth and distilled water is the best for cleaning things. In this case, assuming you have nothing to lose as the screen is already "damaged", I'd start at 50/50 and work my way up. Might also try adding in distilled white vinegar, but I would be careful about letting that solution get inside the laptop. As other have said, stay away from anything with ammonia in it.

--SS
 
kitsura
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Re: Son wrote on laptop screen with a pen!

Sun Nov 06, 2011 5:18 pm

Simple, just go over the ink marks with white out.

Sorry I just couldn't resist.
 
FireGryphon
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Re: Son wrote on laptop screen with a pen!

Sun Nov 06, 2011 6:00 pm

just brew it! wrote:
FireGryphon wrote:
Wouldn't alcohol destroy the finishes on the screen surface?

Well... I've used it on LCD monitors many times without ill effects. It is also likely to be *less* harmful to the screen than glass cleaners (which tend to contain ammonia). But yeah, there is probably some risk...


If you look at the instructions that come with a new pair of high-end sunglasses (like my Ray-Bans), it tells you to never use any alcohol to clean the lenses lest the coatings get destroyed. At the same time, the store that sells 'em to you pushes their lens cleaner that is a mixture of water and alcohol.

Clearly someone's not being forthright...
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Vrock
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Re: Son wrote on laptop screen with a pen!

Sun Nov 06, 2011 7:39 pm

I question the usefulness of any "coating" that dissolves on contact with a little isopropyl alcohol. I've cleaned tons of electronics with the 91% stuff and never seen anything come off on the rag. I think it's BS. It's like the binoculars manufacturer that tells you need a special lens paper to clean the lenses because terry cloth will scratch the coating. Whatever.
 
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Re: Son wrote on laptop screen with a pen!

Sun Nov 06, 2011 10:14 pm

Vrock wrote:
I question the usefulness of any "coating" that dissolves on contact with a little isopropyl alcohol. I've cleaned tons of electronics with the 91% stuff and never seen anything come off on the rag.

I tend to agree. However, I still would not recommend using it on a frequent basis. If you're exposing your electronics to enough crap that you feel a need to clean it with alcohol on a weekly (or more) basis, you really need to re-think how you're treating your electronics!

And you won't necessarily see anything come off on the rag before damage occurs...
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