Posts: 109
From: Bogangar NSW Australia
Registered: May 2018

posted 08-26-2019 03:48 PM               

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I have a vintage tin moon globe recently signed by Frank Borman. The signature appears to be fading.

I very much doubt it is the pen as it was signed in a mail in signing at a reputable company. The signature has never seen sunlight and is on display in an unused room.

Is there anything I can do to stop it fading any more? Maybe a clear coating or varnish of some sort? The pen appears to be a blue fine felt tip.

Perhaps the aging paint on the globe is absorbing the ink. Any advice would be appreciated.

Posts: 731
From: Upstate New York, USA
Registered: Mar 2001

posted 09-02-2019 01:34 PM               

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Sharpie tends to seemingly "evaporate" from certain smooth non-porus surfaces. I have seen the same effect on signed wooden models with high gloss varnished surfaces. These items were NOT exposed to UV light. Black Sharpie seems to be the most affected.

I do not believe you should coat a tin surface with poly to seal it. My guess is the poly would not adhere well and then you'd have a real mess.

I hate to say it, but I don't think you have any options other than to hope it doesn't get any worse.

Posts: 4167
From: England
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 09-03-2019 03:10 AM               

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Over the years I've acquired a number of models signed with Sharpie. I confine the signatures to the bases which are not finished to the same extent avoiding the spacecraft themselves and I've never had a problem with fading.

I agree with Steve. Any kind of permanent coating will only bring with it a host of issues and possibly in quick order.

I think you have two options: leave well alone or perhaps experiment with a small closely cropped piece of cling film. That should help prevent futher evaporation and could easily be removed. But in this instance I would check the film at regular intervals to check it is not somehow adhering to the surface.

Posts: 2474
From: Guyton, GA
Registered: Jan 2006

posted 09-03-2019 06:43 AM               

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Steve, a very interesting point on gloss models. I have a Shuttle Training Aircraft model that was made for me and I took it to an Astronaut Scholarship Foundation signing just a couple of months after I received it. The model is signed by a few astronauts in a thin black sharpie and one is with the "normal" thick black sharpie.

The thin ones are faded almost a green color now and the thick or normal sharpie is unchanged. I thought maybe the model gloss coat had not fully cured and caused the fading but the normal marker never has faded. I wonder if there is a formula difference in those two types of tips?

All that to say it has been experience that the best approach is to leave it alone and enjoy the item with hopes it stabilizes.

Posts: 731
From: Upstate New York, USA
Registered: Mar 2001

posted 09-03-2019 10:50 AM               

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I have a Saturn 5 wooden model I've accumulated a bunch of signatures over the years. Some signatures look as fresh as the day they were signed and others have suffered this "evaporation" effect. All signed with black Sharpie.

I have toyed with the idea of coating with spray poly to seal them in. Anyone tried this?

Posts: 2474
From: Guyton, GA
Registered: Jan 2006

Posts: 355
From: Andover, MN
Registered: Dec 2013

posted 09-03-2019 11:23 PM               

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I've been collecting autographs for 34+ years now. I'm trying, as much as possible, to move away from Sharpie. While they've improved over the years, standard Sharpies are still water-based, and prone to fading, discoloration, and bleeding.

While it's nearly impossible to avoid using them, particularly if a signer gets one in their hand and runs with it, I have been moving more and more to paint pens, or my personal favorite, the blue Vis-a-Vis permanent transparency marker. These haven't been made in several years now, but can still periodically be found on eBay. They're not the dry erase variety that are still available, but a permanent, oil-based marker. They dry almost instantly, have a richer color than a blue Sharpie, last a long time, and are more fade resistant. On the downside, because they're no longer made, they command a premium price now, but I still think they're worth the cost.