Seller was a nice guy, and accepted the $50. Should be a fun experiment, and I'll post the "before and after" results once I have it in-hand.

There's some blue stuff on the white felt that scares me a bit. :eek:

I don't want to talk you out of it, but I ruined this one. My only failure to date. The red batter? He's now a pink blur. What makes me mad is that it wasn't all that bad to begin with.

Congrats Mark! Glad you got it. Will be a fun experiment. A few tips...

I'd attack this one from the back. Hang the pennant vertically, face down so you're spraying the back of the pennant. I lean the bottom of a shallow, plastic storage bin against the wall and tape the pennant inside with painters tape so it's hanging down inside the bin. That way any excess water/bleach runs off. Then I'd mist the back of the pennant using a spray bottle. Don't saturate. Do a little at a time until it starts to soak through...checking the results periodically. I'd give it a good misting then let it sit for 5 minute before turning it around and checking the results. It will get whiter over time. It's not always instantaneous. Once you get a feel for the color fastness of the red paint, you can increase as needed. Don't be in a hurry. Be patient.

If the blue is stubborn, I'd probably hit that directly from the front. You can use an old, rigid pennant holder (I'm sure you have one laying around :D) to create a barrier between the stained area of the pennant and the graphics. Then you can spray liberally without worrying about hitting the paint directly. Imagine a clear, plastic wall between where you are spraying and the graphics.

In case of emergency...

I'd also have a second spray bottle with straight water. If you notice the red is running, the race is on. You have to throw caution to the wind at this point and hit the running area with water...saturate the bleeding area (use a stream so you can focus on your target area more precisely) to get that excess red paint to run completely off the pennant. It will run off without staining...and if you're using just water, the bleeding should stop. Just keep hitting with water until you see no more bleeding and all of the red run off has been washed away.

The disclaimer...

See Rob's post above. There's always the chance you may be screwed. :p

Good luck!

Well thanks for the pep talk and good advice. I feel like Sly Stallone to your Burgess Meredith. It's gonna be a knock down-drag out fight...

I'm going for it like Rocky did against Apollo Creed, with spray bottles in each hand. And if the "bleeding" becomes too much, I will use pure water to halt the fight. I do not see it going 15 rounds, and do not predict a knockout either way. Odds are, it will be a split decision, with the pennant emerging a bit better, but not perfect.

I'm nervous and punch drunk, but my OCD won't let me live with that pennant, bruised and beaten as it currently is. And even if I go down for the count, I've only been sucker-punched for $55 bucks! It could be an epic bout.

I sure hope nobody reads this... might be my worst post ever :o

In all seriousness... that red paint scares me, as the color looks exactly the same as the failed Giants Pennant... same type of dull brick red.

Rob-

Regarding your advice, I do have a question... I was going to tape off the red spine, as I don't want the bleach to "whiten" the red strip. But if I were to spray on the bleach from behind, wouldn't it infiltrate through from the back, and cause the red spine to fade?

I suppose I could tape it off vertically on the back side as well, but seems like that would create a tell-tale line. Just want to be sure I'm clear on how to handle this part.

Thanks for any clarification you can provide!

Also, might be a good idea to warm up by beating your meat (like Rocky) for at least 15 minutes before the battle. And remember “women weaken pennants!”

You’ve got a couple of options regarding the spine area. If you’re taping the pennant to hang it, you’re going to have to address that area separately regardless because some part of that area will be protected under tape.

1) The best option in my opinion is to remove the spine and once done with the bleaching process, take it to a tailor or seamstress to have it put back on. Should cost about $10. They can even line up the stitching in the existing holes so you can’t tell it was removed.

or

2) Protect the spine with tape for the spraying process. Then once pennant has dried, lay it on a table or bench and gently hand paint the area from behind with your mixture, being careful not to soak through. I’ve done it with a Q-Tip. Tedious but works. The trick is to only apply enough to address the surface and not soak through.

You are the undisputed "Rembrandt" of Pennant restoration. :rolleyes:

I'm seeing stains in tones of grey, brown, red and blue all on this pennant, so it will be an excellent test of the bleaching process. Since it's a whopping $55 investment, I'm gonna fight this one solo (no seamstress).

Many thanks, and I'll stop posting now, as I'm sure we've bored most people to death with this bleach banter. Next post will be the "before and after" results.

Here you go Mark...Thought you might want to train with Butkus before the main event.

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Good luck! Like Louis CK...I'll be pulling for ya!

Are you kidding? When I wake up, I immediately check my email and then "Hey pennant guys" … I am the exact opposite of bored by this discussion! I look forward to you posting the results and hope for the best.