| abstract |
A peelable stenciling ink for imprinting indicia such as letters, numbers and symbols on a surface of an article such as a sport ball made of leather or a synthetic polymer, e.g., a thermoplastic material, consists of a solvent, a dye dispersed in the solvent, and a film-forming polymer soluble in the dye-solvent solution to form a thick paste and hardenable into a solid, flexible film upon evaporation of the solvent from a thin layer of ink applied to an article surface. A method of using the ink comprises the steps of temporarily adhering a stencil sheet in fluid-tight contact to an article surface by a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer, smearing a layer of the ink on the obverse surface area of the stencil sheet through indicia-shaped openings through the sheet onto the article surface, allowing sufficient time for dye in the ink to penetrate the article surface, and for the solvent to evaporate and cause the film-forming substance to harden into a solid film peelable from the article surface, and peeling the stencil sheet and solid film off the article surface, thereby leaving indicia markings imprinted on and dye-penetrated beneath the article surface, thus making the markings resistant to obliteration by scuffing or abrasion. |