A Little Baseball Experiment - Part 2

Yesterday I added 6 different pens to each of the baseballs that I had planned to use. Admittedly, a few of them I was very shocked, initially, at how nice they look and a few I was disappointed with.

 

I think everyone has seen how 'nice' a Sharpie felt pen looks on a brand new ball but the sad fact is that this will change in a few months. The Sharpie 'Pen.' that I used looks surprisingly good on either ball. I am very curious to see what this will look like after some time. The Papermate Eagle, what i would consider a standard ballpoint, looks awful on either of the two baseballs. Both the Pilot Precise and the Staples Sonix are gel pens and aren't expected to hold up well considering the ink seems to set on top of the ball and doesn't soak in at all. I inadvertently smudged the Sonix ink on the Cal League ball which is not good since the leather generally soaks up the ink better.

So far, I like how the Papermate Kilometrica Plus 1.0 pen looks and writes on both baseballs. Time will tell how all these pens will stand the tests that I plan to put them through.

I have a few more pens to try and will be adding them as I find them.

Thanks for reading!

#DodgerDad
#GoDodgers

A Little Baseball Experiment

How many times have you seen youngsters, and sometimes older ones, at games trying to get OMLB's signed with sharpies? It is a pet peeve of mine and I'm sure everyone has their own opinions on this subject. However, my issue with it is the quality and durability of the pens used on each specific media.

SO, I've decided to do a little experiment. Unfortunately, this may be drawn out a little based on the subjects involved. Please use my experiment as the guinea pig before you decide to have something autographed. Send me your suggestions on which pens to use and I will attempt to find them and use them.

I want to utilize the complete scientific method in this experiment so, first, their are the Questions:
What pens are the best to use for signings on OMLB's? How long will they last? For example, (The Sharpie, as most of us in the hobby know, should NEVER be used on a baseball..ANY baseball) What about having giveaway balls and logo balls signed? Why not get these signed?

Hypothesis:
I suppose that ball point pens are the best for signing baseballs. Brand, color and media will be in question. I will test all pens suggested for the experiment.

Prediction:
I believe that some pens will soak immediately into the ball and begin to fade out and most ball point pen brands will stand out on top of the ball.

Testing:
I have 2 donor baseballs that I had laying around. One is an Official California League Baseball. It is made with the same materials(white leather, red cotton laces) as the Official Major League Baseball. It already has some scribbling on it, as I was using it to test out pens before signings.(or how I got the idea for this)
The other ball is from a giveaway a few years ago from Banner Island Ballpark, Home of the Stockton Ports. It is the type of ball that has the imitation leather and green lacing. These balls you would not want to get autographed on anyway but I want to explain why.
I will take each pen and sign each ball with the brand it is, leaving room for further brand names.
Due to the time it takes for some inks to penetrate the ball, I am giving a generous amount of time to conduct this experiment. I am hoping that a full year will be enough time to prove my hypothesis.

My Analysis will come at the end of the year and we will see which pens held up the best and which pens we will never use again!

Please send me your ideas for pens to try and will make the attempt to get them and add them to the baseballs.