As you can see black shows up better than blue. The ones on the right were kept in a dark, cool place. The ones on the left were pasted to the window of a car, exposed to light. The results are quite astonishing.

Hey Grapher,
ANY Really GOOD ballpoint pen is recommended for baseballs. NEVER NEVER NEVER use a sharpie or marker on a baseball although it may not fade eventually it will bleed into the ball.( best example: someone gets a tattoo when there 18 and then look at it when there 60 the ink bleeds and you'll have one big black or blue blob or whatever color sharpie you use. I have 127 baseballs all in UV protectors and in a showroom with minimal outside light and not one has faded some I have from 1945. Also always use a blue sharpie to have pics. signed as the blue sharpie has demonstrated over the years it will not fade as will black and other color sharpies. Also never use paint pens as eventually especially on pics. it will eventually dry and start to flake off. however I have used paint pens on hockey pucks , footballs and helmets and none have shown any signs of flaking some as old as 30 yrs. ago. Hope this helps.

I still buy sharpies in the UK. I use them to sign my own photos

I get them from either Staples, Office World, Asda/Wal*Mart or via mail order from Viking Direct.

To view/order Sharpies on Viking Direct, click here: http://www.viking-direct.co.uk and enter SHARPIE in the search box

Ian

james wrote:Hi cernan,

I know that they no longer make them in the UK for definate, but maybe they still do in the USA.

James

That's probably it.

Hi cernan,

I know that they no longer make them in the UK for definate, but maybe they still do in the USA.

James

james wrote:

cernan wrote:Hey there-
There was a study conducted on another site that proved that black sharpie is much better for longevity. As long as you keep your baseballs out of sunlight and in light-resistant boxes, you should be fine. I personally find fine point sharpies very nice for longevity and bold signatures. Hope this helps!

Hi Cernan,

Sharpies are also very good, but they are no longer made. If you look on eBay, you can get some very good deals for them, but after the Packaging costs, the BIC pen is probably alot cheaper.

Just my opinion though

Hope this helps,
James

I never knew that they stopped manufacturing sharpies. Here in the US, you can still go to any stationary store like Staples or Office Depot and get them.

cernan wrote:Hey there-
There was a study conducted on another site that proved that black sharpie is much better for longevity. As long as you keep your baseballs out of sunlight and in light-resistant boxes, you should be fine. I personally find fine point sharpies very nice for longevity and bold signatures. Hope this helps!

Hi Cernan,

Sharpies are also very good, but they are no longer made. If you look on eBay, you can get some very good deals for them, but after the Packaging costs, the BIC pen is probably alot cheaper.

Just my opinion though

Hope this helps,
James

Hey there-
There was a study conducted on another site that proved that black sharpie is much better for longevity. As long as you keep your baseballs out of sunlight and in light-resistant boxes, you should be fine. I personally find fine point sharpies very nice for longevity and bold signatures. Hope this helps!

Hi grapher,

Have a look out for this pen:
BIC Permanent Marker Grip Pocket

It is usually £1.29, and has a 1.6mm tip.

Picture:


It is low odor, doesn't dry out even with the cap off and it's fade resistant

Try this pen out as it seems quite good value for money, it dries easily and quickly, and is fade resistant.

Hope this helps,

James

Im looking for a pen with a ink that wount be likely to fade on baseball like most. Every time I get a ball signed, within a year or two the ink will start to fade out. I need something that will last for many years. Thanks