Hindsight is 20/20 and I realize this probably wasn’t the best idea to begin with…
(Scott Kirkland, if you were wondering…)
Clean the area carefully (you want to remove existing dirt and skin oils without damaging the autograph any further).
Mask the area off with painters tape.
Spray with 3 thin coats of spray polyurethane from the hardware store.
Give it a couple days to completely cure before handling it.
May be better to wait a bit between coats? Just so it dries a bit.
Always follow the label, otherwise you invite trash results. Waiting depends on the specs.
E.g., Many Rust-Oleum products have a closed window period. You can spray them up quite a bit in a certain window, then you have to wait for things to completely cure–sometimes like 24 or 48 hours before you can spray it again.
You’re absolutely correct. It’s been a while since I’ve used the rattle cans. I’ve been spoiled with an airbrush. Totally forgot about those directions, sorry.
Listen to this commenter, follow the can directions.
I don’t mean to brag, but I’ve screwed up many projects by not bothering to read the label. 😏
You and me both. My least favorite is finding out you missed a small step in a recipe and that you can’t fix it and just have to try to make the best of it hahah.
META: It’s successful posts like these that show that Rule 5 of this community is misguided.
People want to ask and answer these types of “How do I…?” questions. There are no negative comments here. It adds value and activity to the community. They should be allowed.
Rule 5 should be changed.
Piefed’s new “block posts in a subscribed instance by tag” feature could be a really useful thing for this if it spreads to lemmy and mbin, so that posts like these can be tagged “help” or something and people who are happy with rule 5 can block them
only if the tag can also apply only to a community
I think it does, but the feature just came out and I haven’t interacted with it at all outside of seeing @rimu@piefed.social’s post yet so take that with a grain of salt
Yes, each community has it’s own separate tag/flairs.
https://piefed.social/c/piefed_meta@piefed.social/p/2216045/you-can-now-block-posts-based-on-their-flair
Thanks!
I think they could specify rule five to disallow questions that would be answered on the first page of any search engine or on the Q&A on a relevant site, but more complex questions like this should be allowed.
But I guess it’s easier to have a strict rule and look the other way/allow some posts to break it as long as no one complains, rather than to have loose/non-specific rules and constant arguments with OP+community about which side every post falls on and have to make a different judgement call for every complaint.
Those discussions are inevitable. But it’s better to have them about the use of a post than about the technicalities of the phrasing of a written rule.
If this is a seriously prized signature, here’s what you do: scan it, isolate the signature in GIMP (or Photoshop if you’re into that sort of thing), and send your phone to a laser engraver who can permanently fix the design in place. Then wash off the original. As a side bonus, you can get the same thing done on future phones in perpetuity.
He is kinda my heartthrob as I have seen dozens of his shows over the last 20+ years. It’s invaluable to me, and that is the important bit. :)
That is a sick idea, and not actually out-of-scope.
I’ll need to think on that as the “pristine” nature of it in its current state would literally get etched away. Alas, it is slowly fading now anyway, so the memory still could be preserved for a lifetime.
As they say: Think, but think fast.
The choice is yours! Is it the traces of sweat, skin particles, and smudges of ink you treasure, or is it the memory of meeting an idol while they were still hot and unproblematic?
I got answers here but you’ll need to do a little leg work.
First off, get a good guess at what the marker is. If it’s permanent ink, it’s probably using alcohol base, if it’s acrylic it’s water, etc. Depending on the solvent used in the marker you can pick a coating material that won’t damage the original markings. You’re going to want it in spray can form unless you own an airbrush.
If all else fails, someone else pointed out automotive clear coat. That will do fine if you follow the info carefully.
Once you have a clear coat that either does or preferably doesn’t react with the mark, you’re going to tape off your phone. Masking tape is fine, I find washi tape from the scap booking section to work better. It sticks tighter but peals back up easily and without residues. Go around the camera hump, over the surface, around the outside, and completely cover the screen. Always do more than you think is necessary, because it’s easier to waste tape than remove paint.
Now for the best results you’re going to want a hot, dry, windless environment. If it’s not like that outside you can do it indors with ventilation, just lay down and old sheet and open some windows.
Now your clear coat is going to be in a spray can. Look around the tip for a mark on the can, that will indicate the angle of the intake. Point the sprayer the same direction and test it a few times on cardboard until you have a good and steady stream. Practice the next part if you have any doubts about yourself. Just cut a piece of cardboard that’s phone sized and pretend you’re doing the real thing.
You’re going to start each spray off to the side of the target. The initial push and your ability to move is not perfect even after years of doing this and will lead to a wet spot. Make sure that spot is on the work area and not the piece. Steadily move across the piece and end the spray on the work area again, this prevents splatter.
You’re going to gently dust the phone in coat. Adjust to the next pass and do it again. Then let this coat dry completely not tacky, not dull, full dry.
Turn the phone 90 degrees and do it again. You’re going to repeat this process 30 or 40 times. Eventually it will build up into one solid coating across the entire surface. Ideally you let that cure for 24 hour.
This is your phone so I understand if that’s not doable, just make sure to ler each coat dry.
I studied paper conservation so this is technically out of my wheelhouse. But while I was doing my MA we had an external tutor come in and demonstrate how to conserve various synthetic paints. The problem you’re having is the pigment has become friable as the solvent has evaporated. It may be possible to replace some of that lost solvent by exposing the signature to the right solvent in a gas chamber (stuff that you should leave to a professional conservator that works in this medium). The signature will still be susceptible to being abraded off so a cover would be needed. Preferably one that doesn’t contact the signature.
Professional conservation work is not cheap so you’d need to get a quote and judge if it is worth it to you.
It looks like the solvent from the ink has stained the case which will be more permanent than the friable pigment. You could just accept that the pigment is going to fall off and live with the signature’s underlying stain (though you’d still probably be wise to put a clear case on the phone to reduce the abrasion caused by handing and pocket storage). Be aware that the stain may become less recognisable with age (like an old tattoo) as the solvent spreads on the case.
If you are keen to try to fix it yourself the most important thing to do is get your hands on the exact same marker and a similar substrate as the phone body to test any proposed solutions. Give any test time to show itself. I relabeled thousands of books in an archive with a permanent archival pen then put adhesive clear covers over them, after five years none of those labels are readable anymore as the solvent in the adhesive made the ink spread. They were fine while I still worked there but I was getting some stink eye when I paid visit those five years later.
Hydrogel or glass back protector? I’m not sure what happens when you remove those though. But you might not need to
Get a new phone case and keep this one sealed in a clear box
It’s on the phone itself, unfortunately. The case is off in this pic.
Then get a transparent case.
I’ll see if I can find one that doesn’t actually contact the back of the phone, but the trial and error to find one of those may end up destroying the autograph.
I may end up just buying a new phone, TBH.
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A spray fixative should do it. You can get it at an art supply store. I had a similar thing on glass and it worked great… but for display, not something going in and out of your pocket. Is that the actual phone or a case? Either way if the autograph is important to you its now a display piece.
The autograph is on the phone itself, and I have a durable Spiegan case for it. I head out to the art supply store tomorrow and see what options they have as far as spray fixatives go, for sure. (Thanks! Knowing the name of things is usually half the battle and “spray fixative” was not part of my regular vocabulary.)
The first idea is to seal it somehow, and then have the case protect it from daily wear. (When I get sad or something, I can just always have it with me to cheer me up in a pinch.)
But yes, I am also considering the option of this being a permanent display piece or simply even a moment I can simply keep etched in my memory.
I’d be concerned the case will rub on the fixative layer.
I don’t have an answer, just something to consider.
Maybe after the fixative, a thin layer of plastic, similar to screen protector. Then the case.
Go to an auto parts store and get some spray clear coat! Do a few layers
I mean, taking a high quality picture of it, like this, is a great way.
And that is exactly what I have resigned myself into, my friend.
If all other options fail, this exact picture is perfect.
I’ll still remember looking at this completely starstruck while me and my wife (of 25 years this month; hence the TCM+Okenfold concert being the perfect marriage, in itself, of our musical taste.) were sitting on the street tripping our balls off in the wonderful Denver atmosphere of weed smoke and piss smell, all while trying to enjoy the fresh air with a few drags from an American Spirit cigarette. (Incidentally, I was wearing the same cargo pants she bought me for one of our first parties over a quarter century ago.)
In the most literal sense, a picture is worth a thousand words in this case. It’ll be an instant flashback, at anytime.
That’s a lovely story. Thank you for telling it to me.
I have one for you, where I accidentally ended up getting a free ticket to a concert at Red Rocks but turned it down because I was confused and uncertain.
And I wasn’t high or anything.
Red Rocks is a wonderful venue, too! Awww! Sorry for your loss. :(
I only go there for artists that absolutely respect what that place has to give. It’s a “sacred” venue for me, TBH.
We were at Cervantes Ballroom tonight, and TBH, it’s a bit cramped and can be a little rough for some, but the sound is absolutely peak quality. Don’t turn down tickets for that place either, is my point. (I am friends with a local death metal singer that knows the owner and he said quite a bit of money was spent on that sound system.)
I once encountered GoatWhore in an underground pirate ship just off the coast of Lake Tahoe because I was protecting the propiety of my very beautiful friend.
There’s nothing quite like getting screamed at 2 feet away. And loving it.
