whats a player to do with a dirty battlemap? - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

whats a player to do with a dirty battlemap?

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
fishfinger
Sep 16, 2008 16:45:00 hi folks, i have a dirty battlemap, it has things like dirt and smudges on it which i have removed with ease. however i have black lines on my map i used the wrong type of pen then forgot i hadn't cleaned it off, 4 months later i go to use the map and now it is only changing colour, from black to purple, and thats it. i have used bathroom cleaner, soapy water, vodka even nail polish remover. nothing the colour just changes to purple, and if i scrub to hard on the map it removes the lines but lucky i noticed befor i did to much damage.

my next step is whitespirit but i am uncomfortable going to this extreme. is there a map cleaning service or some method i could use that can safely remove the mark from the map and leave the lines in tact, price and risk are no a bother for me aslong as this stuff is removed

Fishfinger
#2
AaronOfBarbaria
Sep 16, 2008 17:31:35 Terpentine might work.

Though your best bet for a nice clean mat is to a) buy a new one, b) make sure to use the right pens, and c) never leave something drawn on it between games.
#3
tobias_bluesummers
Sep 16, 2008 19:19:20 I don't know if it will work, but I have heard that if you draw over the marks with the right type of marker (like a dry erase) and let it sit for just a bit. The marks should lift up.

I hope it works for you.
#4
Rakor
Sep 16, 2008 19:29:30 Watered down windex or a "Mr. Clean magic eraser". As always try it somewhere safe before going at the middle of the map but I have found either of these things to take out anything without hurting my maps.
#5
1red13
Sep 16, 2008 21:11:50 Eye glasses wipes, like you get at costco have worked well. Rubbing alcohol as well
#6
kuonji
Sep 17, 2008 0:31:24
Watered down windex or a "Mr. Clean magic eraser". As always try it somewhere safe before going at the middle of the map but I have found either of these things to take out anything without hurting my maps.

Magic erasers really are magical. There are very few things that these can't clean. It's definitely worth a try.
#7
Arcane_Guyver
Sep 17, 2008 2:16:08 Hrm. Well, if you can't manage to get the crap off your battlemap, I suggest trying out a Flip-Mat from Paizo. They're relatively cheap ($13) and pretty nice. Or you could turn to Dungeon Tiles, which are fun too.
#8
Krusk
Sep 17, 2008 8:39:05 I had the same problem, I heard that really hot water would work, but it didn't very well.

In the end I used straight windex on the map and scrubbed pretty hard. It worked well enough in the end.
#9
doomsought
Sep 17, 2008 10:36:19 let it soak in a tub full of bleach, and then re-wax it.
#10
temukaalietchfield
Sep 17, 2008 14:56:41 What's this battlemap made out of, and why are you so attached to it?

I just made a game grid today. Clear plastic of the sort you might use on a dining table. Fairly heavy guage stuff.

I quickly drew a 1 inch square grid on it with a black marker.
The idea is I can doodle on it with grease crayons and wipe off. The more you use it, the more "waxed" it gets as well.

But even though it took 30 minutes to draw out, it is not infinitely valuable.

I plan to take an image to the printer asap. The plan being to have it printed out of very heavy grade stock. That's about a 10 dollar item. And I have seen a friends take an amazing amount of punishment, so I am happy mine will too.

But if something were to happen to it, a new one is just 10 bucks, and I might even like it better for that matter. Change is not the enemy.
#11
kylarus
Sep 17, 2008 15:34:55 Orange Goop. You can find it any auto shop and it does wonders for the map. It'll actually work better after it.
#12
shinydice
Sep 20, 2008 1:35:11 What kind of nail polish remover? Some polish removers no longer have actone in them to make them safer so you should make sure you use one with acetone in.

Also, I think that you may be able to rub it off using whiteboard marker. The solvents in the whiteboard marker should hopefully redissolve the ink. You might then be able to rub all of this off. It may not work on such an old mark though.
#13
minja_dup
Sep 21, 2008 12:54:58 Older the mark, the harder it is. Dry Erase markers are too harsh for most battlemats which suggest you use a projector marker.

When our DM had some problems with his, he was able to fix it all with watered down Windex.
#14
fishfinger
Sep 21, 2008 14:04:50 ok out of all these products which one is ammonia based?

i wrote the company who actully made the map and asked them for advise, so if someone can tell me which is which i would be very happy.

FF
#15
shinydice
Sep 25, 2008 3:04:45 Accoding to Yahoo answers ammonia can be bought from a chemist. Someone else also said that a lot of floor cleaner used ammonia.

As for what is listed above well I don't know what would contain it. Not nail polish remover though that is actone or ethyl acetate based.

The problem is that most cleaners don't bother with writing exactly what they have in them on the label.
#16
xxcommodusxx
Sep 25, 2008 7:14:45 Windex contains ammonia, as well as the majority of glass cleaners. If they gave you a percentage that you should be looking for then you can remember that the majority of cleaners that use ammonia usually have 10% - 15% ammonia and if you need a higher ratio you should mix pure ammonia with water in a glass bottle or glass container to the proper ratio (ie. if the battle mat manufacturer said use a 50% ammonia solution).

EDIT: I double checked the ingredient listing for Windex and it appears that SC Johnson no longer uses that formula. However, a lot of glass cleaners still contain Ammonia.
#17
Titanium_Dragon
Sep 26, 2008 18:39:13 You can always use sandpaper, if all else fails, but that will destroy that section of the surface of the battlemat as well.
#18
1_ton_ghost
Sep 27, 2008 12:18:08
I don't know if it will work, but I have heard that if you draw over the marks with the right type of marker (like a dry erase) and let it sit for just a bit. The marks should lift up.

I hope it works for you.

This has worked for me on 3 different maps...but it is contingent on the type of pen.

-Pick 1 type of pen (wet/dry) and stick w/ that for the entire map. Do not ever deviate from this unless it's sections that are clearly far apart.
-Clean as soon as you're sure encounter 'x' is over. The ink seems to marinade on the vinyl until it's worked into the material too good to come out.
-Cut 2mm non-gloss plastic or plexi. We lay down the map per normal, then use 2 enourmous planes of plexi over it. Easier to clean, firmer surface so dice roll "cleaner", preserves map.
-To the above end too, cut tinted sections of acetate work good for spell effects. They're cheap as Hell and save countless time when you have to lay out yet another 20 ft section of darkness, or fireball, or fog, etc...

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 fishfinger Sep 16, 2008 16:45:00	hi folks, i have a dirty battlemap, it has things like dirt and smudges on it which i have removed with ease. however i have black lines on my map i used the wrong type of pen then forgot i hadn't cleaned it off, 4 months later i go to use the map and now it is only changing colour, from black to purple, and thats it. i have used bathroom cleaner, soapy water, vodka even nail polish remover. nothing the colour just changes to purple, and if i scrub to hard on the map it removes the lines but lucky i noticed befor i did to much damage. my next step is whitespirit but i am uncomfortable going to this extreme. is there a map cleaning service or some method i could use that can safely remove the mark from the map and leave the lines in tact, price and risk are no a bother for me aslong as this stuff is removed Fishfinger
#2 AaronOfBarbaria Sep 16, 2008 17:31:35	Terpentine might work. Though your best bet for a nice clean mat is to a) buy a new one, b) make sure to use the right pens, and c) never leave something drawn on it between games.
#3 tobias_bluesummers Sep 16, 2008 19:19:20	I don't know if it will work, but I have heard that if you draw over the marks with the right type of marker (like a dry erase) and let it sit for just a bit. The marks should lift up. I hope it works for you.
#4 Rakor Sep 16, 2008 19:29:30	Watered down windex or a "Mr. Clean magic eraser". As always try it somewhere safe before going at the middle of the map but I have found either of these things to take out anything without hurting my maps.
#5 1red13 Sep 16, 2008 21:11:50	Eye glasses wipes, like you get at costco have worked well. Rubbing alcohol as well
#6 kuonji Sep 17, 2008 0:31:24	Watered down windex or a "Mr. Clean magic eraser". As always try it somewhere safe before going at the middle of the map but I have found either of these things to take out anything without hurting my maps. Magic erasers really are magical. There are very few things that these can't clean. It's definitely worth a try.
#7 Arcane_Guyver Sep 17, 2008 2:16:08	Hrm. Well, if you can't manage to get the crap off your battlemap, I suggest trying out a Flip-Mat from Paizo. They're relatively cheap ($13) and pretty nice. Or you could turn to Dungeon Tiles, which are fun too.
#8 Krusk Sep 17, 2008 8:39:05	I had the same problem, I heard that really hot water would work, but it didn't very well. In the end I used straight windex on the map and scrubbed pretty hard. It worked well enough in the end.
#9 doomsought Sep 17, 2008 10:36:19	let it soak in a tub full of bleach, and then re-wax it.
#10 temukaalietchfield Sep 17, 2008 14:56:41	What's this battlemap made out of, and why are you so attached to it? I just made a game grid today. Clear plastic of the sort you might use on a dining table. Fairly heavy guage stuff. I quickly drew a 1 inch square grid on it with a black marker. The idea is I can doodle on it with grease crayons and wipe off. The more you use it, the more "waxed" it gets as well. But even though it took 30 minutes to draw out, it is not infinitely valuable. I plan to take an image to the printer asap. The plan being to have it printed out of very heavy grade stock. That's about a 10 dollar item. And I have seen a friends take an amazing amount of punishment, so I am happy mine will too. But if something were to happen to it, a new one is just 10 bucks, and I might even like it better for that matter. Change is not the enemy.
#11 kylarus Sep 17, 2008 15:34:55	Orange Goop. You can find it any auto shop and it does wonders for the map. It'll actually work better after it.
#12 shinydice Sep 20, 2008 1:35:11	What kind of nail polish remover? Some polish removers no longer have actone in them to make them safer so you should make sure you use one with acetone in. Also, I think that you may be able to rub it off using whiteboard marker. The solvents in the whiteboard marker should hopefully redissolve the ink. You might then be able to rub all of this off. It may not work on such an old mark though.
#13 minja_dup Sep 21, 2008 12:54:58	Older the mark, the harder it is. Dry Erase markers are too harsh for most battlemats which suggest you use a projector marker. When our DM had some problems with his, he was able to fix it all with watered down Windex.
#14 fishfinger Sep 21, 2008 14:04:50	ok out of all these products which one is ammonia based? i wrote the company who actully made the map and asked them for advise, so if someone can tell me which is which i would be very happy. FF
#15 shinydice Sep 25, 2008 3:04:45	Accoding to Yahoo answers ammonia can be bought from a chemist. Someone else also said that a lot of floor cleaner used ammonia. As for what is listed above well I don't know what would contain it. Not nail polish remover though that is actone or ethyl acetate based. The problem is that most cleaners don't bother with writing exactly what they have in them on the label.
#16 xxcommodusxx Sep 25, 2008 7:14:45	Windex contains ammonia, as well as the majority of glass cleaners. If they gave you a percentage that you should be looking for then you can remember that the majority of cleaners that use ammonia usually have 10% - 15% ammonia and if you need a higher ratio you should mix pure ammonia with water in a glass bottle or glass container to the proper ratio (ie. if the battle mat manufacturer said use a 50% ammonia solution). EDIT: I double checked the ingredient listing for Windex and it appears that SC Johnson no longer uses that formula. However, a lot of glass cleaners still contain Ammonia.
#17 Titanium_Dragon Sep 26, 2008 18:39:13	You can always use sandpaper, if all else fails, but that will destroy that section of the surface of the battlemat as well.
#18 1_ton_ghost Sep 27, 2008 12:18:08	I don't know if it will work, but I have heard that if you draw over the marks with the right type of marker (like a dry erase) and let it sit for just a bit. The marks should lift up. I hope it works for you. This has worked for me on 3 different maps...but it is contingent on the type of pen. -Pick 1 type of pen (wet/dry) and stick w/ that for the entire map. Do not ever deviate from this unless it's sections that are clearly far apart. -Clean as soon as you're sure encounter 'x' is over. The ink seems to marinade on the vinyl until it's worked into the material too good to come out. -Cut 2mm non-gloss plastic or plexi. We lay down the map per normal, then use 2 enourmous planes of plexi over it. Easier to clean, firmer surface so dice roll "cleaner", preserves map. -To the above end too, cut tinted sections of acetate work good for spell effects. They're cheap as Hell and save countless time when you have to lay out yet another 20 ft section of darkness, or fireball, or fog, etc...