Removing paint

[Promethium]

I have a cel with a lot of paint on the surface that came off a cel that was kept on top. The previous owner forcefully removed whatever was on top and left a lot of paint residue.

I'd like to restore the cel and remove the surface paint.
It's on there pretty good so I'm afraid if I scratch it off, it might damage the cel.

Anyone have any tips or tricks on removing unwanted paint?

[sensei]

Rubbing alcohol (isopropyl) will remove cel paint. When I've done this, I've used a Q-tip or cotton swab to pick up a tiny bit of the solvent, then rubbed gently on the cel paint. It will give way, first stubbornly, then all at once. But be extremely careful, as the same solvent will also remove any trace lines that have been added to the front. On most cels, there are at least a few of these, and removing them will visibly hurt the image.

Also, if you're not careful, the rubbing alcohol will damage the cel paint under the image. It won't soak through the acetate, but it can drip on the surface you're using and soak into the underlying paint that way (or along the edges if you're not watching). Best bet: don't use enough solvent at any one time to let it drip or run on the surface of the cel. Keep it confined to the cotton swab alone.

That said, I've had the same issue as you are having, and with a little care and a lot of caution I've materially improved the appearance of some of my older cels that were preserved carelessly in stacks like these.

Good luck!

[Promethium]

Ohhhh! Thank you for the detailed tip, sensei! This is very helpful!!
My quick fix until now was photoshopping it digitally, which doesn't exactly fix the problem , so this is great.

[Promethium]

Worked beautifully! What a world of a difference when it's restored! Thanks again!

You've created a paint removing OCD monster...

[sensei]

Glad it worked out! I'm looking to get a Blue Bird cel that, from the scan, seems to have the same issue, so I'll be getting the swabs out pretty soon myself.