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I have a Chessex battlemap and it's been working great. Sometimes, though, I want to prepare maps in advance to save time during the session. However, I know that marker left on the mat for too long it will become permanent.
If I prepare my map 6-7 hours before using it, will it stain? How long is safe to leave marker on the mat?
I once left marker maps—fairly dense and intricate—on my chessex mat for weeks at a time so I didn't have to redraw the arena the party competed in week after week after week. Not only did the mark hold up well, there were no stains at all.
I use Crayola washable markers and store-brand wet-wipes to clean the mat of ink afterwards. Those markers never stained the mat. However, I used sharpies once and they have been impossible to fully un-stain. so be careful.
I am joking, but I can assure you that even permanent markers can easily be cleaned off Chessex maps after months if you use isopropyl alcohol to clean it off.
I have a mat that I stored for a little more than a year and everything came off nicely, as if it was never marked in the first place, and it had drawings with both permanent markers and sharpies on it.
If that doesn't work, it means your mat absorbed some of the pigment. Then you can clean it afterwards using acetone, which will break the pigment apart and allow you to clean it off with the alcohol. Dip some alcohol, rub a little, dip some acetone, rub a little more, then dip some alcohol and rub some more. Keep repeating until all the pigment is gone. Just don’t rub it too hard, to not damage your mat.
