What makes a permanent marker permanent? - Big Questions - (Ep. 28)

Hi, I'm Craig. My eyebrows are drawn on with marker, and this is Mental Floss on YouTube

Today I'm going to answer I broke my scooter's big question, what makes a permanent marker permanent

Well, unfortunately for you, no one has invented a permanent scooter. But I can answer your question. Let's get started

According to Sharpie, a permanent marker does two things. One, adheres to most surfaces and or is water resistant

And two, uses dyes or pigments. So what ingredients are required for that to work

Well, different types of permanent markers have different formulas. But generally, a permanent marker consists of the following

A solvent, a colorant, and a resin. First, there's the solvent. This is what allows the other two substances to combine and exist in the sponge inside of the marker

For example, n-propanol is an alcohol that acts as a colorless solvent

Other solvents that sometimes get used in permanent markers are ethanol and isopropanol

Earlier, I mentioned that the permanent marker uses either dyes or pigments. That's what's known as the colorant. It gives the marker its color. Duh

There's a slight difference between dyes and pigments, though either can work as a permanent marker

A dye is usually a liquid or at least soluble, and a pigment is a dry powder

Finally, there's a resin, and that's what's really important here. That what actually makes the permanent marker permanent It a sticky glue substance which ensures that the marks actually stay on the paper The solvent makes it so that it not too sticky though You don want sticky marker Trust me I don know why you should trust me but trust me

A non-permanent, or boring, marker also contains resin, because the people who use those still want what they write to stick to the paper

They use a different kind of resin, though. Remember at the beginning when I said that permanent markers are water-resistant

Well, markers have resin that dissolves in water, but permanent markers don't

So if you get regular marker all over a shirt, you can just throw it in the washing machine and it gets stains out

That's not the case with a permanent marker. You do still have to do your laundry though, which kind of sucks

All that said, permanent markers don't really create marks that last forever

Like, the Sharpie website states that, quote, With outdoor exposure on a non-porous surface, the marks from a dye-base marker will be gone in perhaps 3-4 months

With indoor exposure, on a porous surface, like artist canvas or paper, we would expect marks from a dye base marker to last several years

But nothing lasts forever. That was an ad lib by me. But also a good lesson