All Poster Forum
Common Poster Subjects => Restoration => Topic started by: DarianCastle on April 12, 2017, 11:47:20 AM
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Hello,
I know this has asked before but it looks like it was asked several years ago. I sure with time new products and better methods come to the surface. I wanted some advice on removing tape and tape residue. There is a poster i want to buy off ebay but it has several pieces of tape on but other than that it's in pretty good condition and would please me.
here's the damage:
thanks
D.
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Hello,
I know this has asked before but it looks like it was asked several years ago. I sure with time new products and better methods come to the surface. I wanted some advice on removing tape and tape residue. There is a poster i want to buy off ebay but it has several pieces of tape on but other than that it's in pretty good condition and would please me.
here's the damage:
thanks
D.
I think the recommendation is still the old tried and true -- Bestine and q-tips. Saturate the tape area from both sides of the poster, slowly remove. Obviously stop if the surface of the poster starts to lift with the tape. I've found some tape comes off easy, and some is for whatever reason damn near impossible. Be sure to work in a well-ventilated area!
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Darian, know, too, that if you are able to remove the tape successfully, but it has left a discolored stain that has "soaked" into the paper fibers, that that stain is there to stay. There are methods used by restorers to lighten those stains (light bleaching), but oftentimes, they have to be airbrushed over, if someone wants them hidden completely.
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hello,
Is the process to dip the q-tip in the Bestine and rub it over the sticker/residue from the top and below the poster with a generous amount? Then let the poster soak it all in and then lift with a razor, if there was a sticker? If it was just residue then just rub it with a q-tip until the residue is gone? Would applying heat aid in anyway or make matters worse?
I think i need to get a really rough poster to practice on.
thanks for the help guys
D.
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I have used a hair dryer.
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hello,
Is the process to dip the q-tip in the Bestine and rub it over the sticker/residue from the top and below the poster with a generous amount? Then let the poster soak it all in and then lift with a razor, if there was a sticker? If it was just residue then just rub it with a q-tip until the residue is gone? Would applying heat aid in anyway or make matters worse?
I think i need to get a really rough poster to practice on.
thanks for the help guys
D.
I more or less do everything as you described. Although I've bought a small artists scraping tool to use instead of a razor. And in terms of a technicality, the paper won't soak it all in so much as it will evaporate too quickly to use. I have to reapply often even when working on a single piece of tape.
I also mean to put some sort of gloves on (what will not react? Nitrile maybe?) but always forget and end up with white fingers--which can't possibly be good! And once again, please use proper ventilation.
Finally, be VERY careful adding heat into the mix--Bestine is highly flammable in addition to being toxic. Fun stuff.
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If I may offer a tip... I've found that if you take say a half inch paint brush and use it once you get the tape started you can dip the brush in the bestine and use it as a separation tool/mechanism to work the tape off the poster. A razor blade often cuts the tape at some point... I've removed meters of tape using this method... I removed entries OS posters from foam board using a 1 inch brush and bestine...
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@ Dan Miles:
Dan what is your method and procedure for doing tape removal and how do you deal with stains that have been embedded into the paper fibers?
Thanks in advance!
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Hey Jeff,
I prefer to use lighter fluid and a sharp razor blade to remove tape and tape residue. In the majority of cases the lighter fluid dissipates and does not leave any staining. However, you need to take care not to remove any paper, or as little paper as possible. Even after doing this for 20 years it can be a challenge.
As for tape stains themselves, scotch tape stains are typically permanent and need to be airbrushed out. When scotch tape ages the plastic simply falls off leaving a permanent stain so I simply resign myself to the fact that it will have to be airbrushed.
Old masking tape is a nightmare because it crystalizes and almost becomes part of the paper. In this case, if it doesn't lift using lighter fluid, I carefully sand it off, but this is very time consuming.
My favorite is butcher tape which simply falls off during the linen backing process.
We just finished linen backing a three sheet which had masking tape along every fold line on the back. It took two of us 90 minutes to remove. It was a monumental task.
Let me know if I can ever provide assistance.
Cheers, Dan Miles, Backingtothefuture.
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As always, great info.
Thanks for explaining what you do, here, Dan.
cool1
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They don't have bestine in Canada right Dan? I remember Dario saying it's a controlled chemical or something?
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Here's a tape removing video from http://www.preservationequipment.com/ - an excellent company based in the UK
https://vimeo.com/207617193
Also see:
http://www.preservationequipment.com/Blog/Blog-Posts/No-pressure-removing-pressure-sensitive-tapes
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Great info, thank you everyone.
One question though-
Is this method used for all types of US 1-Sheets? Would you still use this same procedure for more modern posters that are slightly thicker and have more of that "glossy" finish? (As opposed to older posters, pre-80's, that have less-gloss. And then the even older one's that are more "papery")