Very basic restoration from a noob

[DarianCastle]

Hey all,

I have a few posters that are need of some simple restoration.

I have a few posters with some pretty significant fold separation and minor rips. I just bought some "filmoplast P" to reinforce the posters on the back to prevent further ripping. I have no intentions on ever getting any of my poster fully restored or linen backed, can anyone give me a good reason to not apply this tape to my posters to prevent further ripping or damage?

I also bought some "bestine" from  amazon to remove some old tape and tape residue on the front of the posters. It appears that it may take several months before i get it though. I didn't notice that it would take 2 months before they would actually ship the bestine. In the future i hope to experiment with tape removal.

Also, along the fold lines on several of my posters the ink is faded or gone. What is safe to fill in those lines with? I read that others use colored pencils, is that the best way to fill in the faded fold lines? I'm only going to do it on my posters where black is the color that is needed and then go from there.

While i'm at it, i have a few posters with stains, is there anyway to minimize staining? I've read about bleach being used, has anyone one used bleach on their posters to good effect?

Any help advice appreciated
D.
 

[erik1925]

Hey Darian,

Im sure others will chime in but the tape you bought is good for repairing tears and reinforce those fold splits and other tears.

http://www.allposterforum.com/index.php/topic,1041.0.html

You are in the US, right? Bestine can be bought in most hardware stores here, so if you want it quicker, cancel the Amazon order and run to Home Depot or something similar. And be sure you have good ventilation too. Another option while you wait for your order, as far as tape removal, is lighter fluid. There are several threads here that discuss using it, too, with great results.

http://www.allposterforum.com/index.php/topic,2010.0.html

Water color pencils are your best bet for retouching fold lines. Look for brands like Faber-Castell, Prismacolor or others. Just make sure they are water soluble.

And the bleaching that is discussed and that restorers use is NOT Clorox..lol. That would kill and disintegrate your poster. So dont use that. There may be some thread here that discuss the bleach bath in more detail.

Check this link for an overview: http://www.collectorsguide.com/fa/fa010.shtml

Or Dan Miles of Backing to the Future, Im sure would explain it in greater detail, too.

http://www.allposterforum.com/index.php/topic,11859.0.html

[AjTheGreat]

Damn, you're making me want to try my hand at poster restorations lol.

Hey Darian,

Im sure others will chime in but the tape you bought is good for repairing tears and reinforce those fold splits and other tears.

http://www.allposterforum.com/index.php/topic,1041.0.html

You are in the US, right? Bestine can be bought in most hardware stores here, so if you want it quicker, cancel the Amazon order and run to Home Depot or something similar. And be sure you have good ventilation too. Another option while you wait for your order, as far as tape removal, is lighter fluid. There are several threads here that discuss using it, too, with great results.

http://www.allposterforum.com/index.php/topic,2010.0.html

Water color pencils are your best bet for retouching fold lines. Look for brands like Faber-Castell, Prismacolor or others. Just make sure they are water soluble.

And the bleaching that is discussed and that restorers use is NOT Clorox..lol. That would kill and disintegrate your poster. So dont use that. There may be some thread here that discuss the bleach bath in more detail.

Check this link for an overview: http://www.collectorsguide.com/fa/fa010.shtml

Or Dan Miles of Backing to the Future, Im sure would explain it in greater detail, too.

http://www.allposterforum.com/index.php/topic,11859.0.html

[Communicationsguy]

Hello Darian,

I am biased when it comes to linen backing and restoring a poster that is damaged with tape residue, staining, fold separation and missing paper. A piece in that condition can look so nice when restored properly, but this takes the talent and skill of professionally trained artists.

You can certainly improve the appearance of your posters by filling in the lines with some pencil crayon or water color, but to match the color perfectly takes skill and experience.

As for bleaching, we do this as part of the linen backing process, since the mild bleach solution is mixed with water the poster ultimately will get wet. Once wet, the poster will have to be dried properly or mounted on linen, not something I would want to be doing with a valuable poster if I had never done it before. At very least, I would stay away from experimenting with bleach or any other cleaning solution as the results could be disastrous.

Please let me know if you have any additional questions. I want to ensure your collection does not meet with an unintentional accident. Email me anytime at backingtothefuture@gmail.com or call me at 905-213-1476.

All the best, Dan Miles, Backingtothefuture.

[jayn_j]

Hi Dan,

I have recently started experimenting with cleaning up old lobby cards.  My first attempt turned into a bit of a disaster, in that the edges were more damaged than I thought and disintegrated in the de-acidification bath.  However, I learned a lot from this experience and will do better next time.

The materials necessary are not all that expensive.  More that all this has a learning curve, but there are folks around willing to help.  One thing I would agree on is not to start on your copy of the King Kong 3 sheet.  Find some posters with little or no value that have similar condition issues and practice on them.  Bruce at emovieposter regularly has material that is in lesser condition that sells for just a few dollars.  Look carefully at his bulk lots.  I have been doing this and have a dozen or so lobbies now that I will try for my next efforts.  If I ruin them, no real loss.

[erik1925]

Hey Darian,

Did you receive the Bestine? Have you tried using it yet?

If so, how's it coming along?

[DarianCastle]

Thanks for the all comments, recommendations and willingness to help guys. I still haven't got the bestine yet, i've looked at a few local hardware stores but no one ever knows what it is. I'm fine just waiting for it to come in, i don't understand why it has to take so long for them to ship the stuff though.

I did some poster tape and reinforce a few bigger tears. The tape is pretty difficult to work with, it's really difficult to separate the tape from the paper but the results are quite nice.

D.