Removing adhesive tape from sketches

[sensei]

I don't know. I'd guess that if the adhesive is sticky still, it's still capable of making the paper deteriorate even more. With some sketches the adhesive has solidified completely onto the paper, and the plastic part simply drops away. As an obsessive white rabbit, I've taken my craft knife and scraped away as much of the hardened adhesive as I could, figuring that it was high-acid and might continue to hurt the paper. But I don't know if this is so. It's possible that the reaction might just "burn itself out" after a while, and so further conservation has to be limited to protecting the sheet from light and careless handling. It might also be good to isolate the sheet from other sketches that might be damaged by residual acids in the damaged part.

But I'll be happy to hear other opinions on this front from more experienced collectors.

[redwolf]

Awesome writeup, Sensei!

I got the tape off of my Mushishi background sketches last year (summer? spring? I can't remember). I meant to upload, write up descriptions, get screenshots and then send you a message, but I've never gotten past the upload part. They're still all naked on my RS gallery....

I think I remember the eucalyptus oil left some faint marks on the couple less important Simoun backgrounds (taped to layouts) that I tried it on. I meant to try it on some more, but I've never made time for another eucalyptus oil day. If I can't refine my methods using your tips, I may just remove the tape from the layouts only.

[sensei]

They're still all naked on my RS gallery....

I think I remember the eucalyptus oil left some faint marks on the couple less important Simoun backgrounds (taped to layouts) that I tried it on.

That could be one of two things. If the layout was a copy, you might have gotten some bleeding through from the photocopy print, which eucalyptus oil unfortunately does lift and dissolve. That's why I don't use it on anything that is a photocopy or is on a photocopy base (like some of the Mushishi art boards, which are marked up color copies). Studio letterhead seems to be stable, but if you're working with a layout, you might want to test the print on a corner or unessential part before using a solvent on a more visible part of the art.

More likely, it's a "tide mark" caused by the oil lifting and transporting some of the dirt and finger oil that any sheet of paper picks up from being used, as inevitably happened during the studio's daily work. What's happening is that the oil is "cleaning" the spot where you left it, but then dropping all the gunk in a little "ring around the collar" place around the edges of where you put it. I saw this too on the one bg where I used it heavily, and the solution was to let the ring dry thoroughly, and then to dampen a cotton ball in the eucalyptus oil and gently blot the ring. That redistributes the dirt back to where it came from.

(Another solution is to fill a tray with the eucalyptus oil and immerse the entire sheet in it, thus dissolving all the gunk and cleaning the art. But that seems a drastic solution, and I'd be reluctant to do it unless I was sure that it wouldn't lift or alter the art in the bg. Librarians doing damage control with documents affected by celotape or Post-its, which likewise will leave damaging acidic residue on paper, will sometimes go this route.)

[Yupa]

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post in old threads (some other forums call it "necroing"), but I really wanted to thank you for making this guide on removing adhesive tape from sketches.


I bought a bottle of eucalyptus oil (and found out that 100 mL is way too much for me. Oh well, I'll have enough for the next years I guess. ), with which I successfully removed the tape from roughs on thin green paper, copy layouts and backgrounds. The sketches were no problem at all once I used the eucalyptus oil, the backgrounds were a little harder because of the thick paper. Once all oil had evaporated from the paper I found a few "tide marks", so I'll probably do those over to remove them.

Oh and I definately needed a fan, the scent was overwhelming indeed. (I hope I get the scent out of my room. )

[sensei]

Thanks, Yupa. I find that a screened porch or garage with the door half open is the best place to do this. For small jobs, a bathroom with the ceiling vent going is fine. The "tide mark" is cosmetically ugly but not difficult to correct by dabbing at it with a cotton ball dipped in the oil.

Eucalyptus oil has many other uses in aromatherapy and holistic medicine. It repels insects, treats itchy bites, clears decongestion (it's the active ingredient in Vicks Vaporub), deodorizes rooms, kills household germs, and clarifies the vision of your mystical "third eye." However, it is too strong to use full-strength. Dilute a few drops of it in water, an odorless oil like jojoba, or a basic commercial skin lotion. You can find the dilution rations at various alternative medicine sites online.

And do keep the jug of it locked up away from pets and children, as exposure to the undiluted oil can be dangerous for both, even if they only get it on their skin.