Anime-Beta TNG

Okay, I've collected cels for a while but never got to frame them because I've been a chicken in terms of finding The Right Person To Do It. My in-laws were gracious enough to offer a few framed as an early Christmas gift. This morning we took them to a framing place (I had been assured he was an expert, but when we brought them in he said he hadn't seen one of those in a while, and that he had only seen Disney ones). One of the cels I'm not too worried about except for the fact that it seems to be a little bent. It is one layer. The one I'm concerned about is two layers, and it was separated by a piece of plastic wrap, presumably to protect the paint. I removed the plastic wrap. It also is being held together at the corners by tape. My questions are:

-Does this tape need to be removed? It is only in contact with plastic, not paint. I'm just concerned it won't allow for a good seal.
-Do I need to get a piece of transparency paper to put between the layers, or something similar in order to protect both cel layers?
-I'm planning to go back sometime in the next few days once I get info. A little research has told me that floating the cel between two mats is a good idea. Should I go back and make sure this is being done?
-If this stuff gets framed before I can go back to double check everything's being done right, how screwed am I?
-Is there anything else I need to make sure this guy does?? I do know that the glass provides 99% UV protection and I'm planning to store them completely out of sunlight. I will also make sure everything is acid-free.

Thanks in advance!! Trying not to freak out over here...

a couple of things.

1. you might consider changing from "museum glass" to a UV coated plexiglass. Even though it might not be as crystal clear it does not break and damage the cel if it falls off the wall in cases such as an earthquake. My 1st several framed pieces were with the glass but if I could go back and do it again I would use the plexiglass.

2. when dealing with layers I had them use a separate mat between the layers as well as the background. This which is now framed http://ryan.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_ ... mID=365964 had to have the "special effects layer (the glowing feathers)" mounted in the forefront and the main cel then floated away from the background.

UV light can damage but also so can heat so be careful of heat souces such as bright display lights or long term direct sunlight.

Good luck your project.

I'd be worried just like you...maybe I will learn from any mistake you make? kidding

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8XlmfxmKBs

I've seen that video ^ where she runs through the basics, the difference between plexie glass and glass etc. not the greatest video in the world but might help

Good luck, would be interested to see the end result if you were going to post pics here after

I have some experience in this; mostly from my own research and some help from a family friend who worked in framing...note that this is ultra-paranoid/conservation...take with a grain of salt:

I can't think of any immediate damage that could happen in the worst of framing jobs; most framing issues are mid-term and long term (eg, cel condition after months or years)

Anyway, the "Best" way to mount a cel is with edge strips. I have framed a cel like this, and it works great:

http://www.arclight.net/~pdb/nonfiction ... -cels.html

I'd definitely get matting between every layer and the backing; you don't want any part of a layer touching anything. Partly because paint sticking, and partly to increase air-flow in case of Vinegar Syndrome. Also, if you can get 8 ply museum rag, that stuff rocks. It's twice as thick as normal matting and stays really flat, which can be important for larger cels.

(As an aside, some cheap acid-free mats are only acid free on one side. Ensure it's acid free all the way through)

On things tape:

Corner pockets or taping the corners is very standard, but can make cels unhappy in the long run. The problem is that if the tape is holding the cel really tight, then the cel is under constant stress pulling across its surface; as the cel naturally expands/contracts with temperature/humidity, it could hurt the paint. Obviously the tape needs to be acid-free/archival safe.

If the tape is not tight, the cel will "bend", which could cause cracks as the paint gets more brittle with age. Likewise, moving the frame will cause motion in the cel. Obviously, this is a bit of a catch-22...

The only good compromise using tape is if there is a single piece of tape at the top and nowhere else, in which case it works well. The cel stays lightly clamped between two mats and can expand as it needs, although it still has tape stuck to it. Obviously it can move a bit if you're moving the frame around too much, as there is very little preventing motion.

The edge strip method solves everything by creating channels around the cel that hold the entire edge; there's no single high pressure point. Likewise, these channels allow for natural expansion of the cel but still hold the cel in place so it does not bend or warp.

Personal opinion:
No way in heck would I let tape touch a raw cel. Acid-free tape holding the mats together, acid free backing, 8-ply museum rag, and museum glass/plexi-UV, and 100% cotton acid/lignen free edge strips lightly clamping the edges of the cel.

Thanks so much guys. I'm going to stop by today or tomorrow to make sure these things are being done. My only question now is: it's not a background cel and a character in the foreground. It's one character - her bald head is the background and her hair and clothing is the foreground. Would that make too strange of an effect if they were separated by too thick a mat?

I think I'm going to stick with the museum glass - I'm nowhere near earthquake land! (Virginia USA)

I don't know but that sounds like a valid concern, Id make the distance very minimal so it looks as it should

Oh and I meant to clarify - there was tape holding the cel layers together when I bought it NOT put on at the framing place. Is it a problem to remove it? None of it touches the paint, only the bare plastic.

The single-layer cel is already curling. I have a feeling this is because it wasn't cared for well and probably went through temp changes when it was shipped to me last month.

currymuttonpizza wrote:Oh and I meant to mention - there was tape holding the cel layers together when I bought it. Is it a problem to remove it? None of it touches the paint, only the bare plastic.

The single-layer cel is already curling. I have a feeling this is because it wasn't cared for well and probably went through temp changes when it was shipped to me last month.

That single-layer cel may be undergoing Vinegar Syndrome; is it wavy-curling around the edges? Smell it; if it smells like vinegar (it's usually obvious and distinctive), remove it from all matting immediately and get it to good airflow.

It's your call if you want to split up the cels in this case; I tend to just leave them together when the individual cels don't look right without the whole setup...if it doesn't look good with distance between the layers, then there really isn't a point to splitting them up even if it's more sound in terms of conservation.

In general tape should be removed (Cheap Anime Studio Tape (R) tends to yellow and become a mess with age. Likely acidic too), but if you need to hold the layers in the right spot...probably fine. Someone else might have better advice...

You could get a very thin mat between them; something like .030" (2 ply ish, I think) would be hardly noticeable but still keep them separate. I'm assuming the cels can already be split; if the paint is stuck between them already, it may be best to leave it.

And yeah, museum glass is beautiful ...even if you replace it later, having a sheet around is really useful for other photography purposes.

While it is best to keep layers separate there are times (which might be in this case) where it is ok to display them non separated even if down road they might stick together.
I have this AMG movie cel http://ryan.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_ ... mID=107330 in which when I got it all 6 layers are quite stuck together. Rather than risk damage by attempting to separate them I kept them that way as all the layers make up that scene.

Okay, we went back today and are sure that it'll be floated between two mats. The guy said the tape that was on it looked like 3M, which he said was what they use at library of congress.

The single layer cel is not curling as much as I remember, and I suspect it was helped by the fact that it was taken out of the plastic to breathe. It didn't smell like vinegar - just paint.

I didn't get to ask to make sure no more adhesive would be touching them, but I'll call them back another day to make sure. I will ask about edge strips. Hopefully he will know what I mean. It's a tricky situation because having them framed is a gift from family and I am afraid of seeming too particular if I back out of this. The guy framed my husband's family's antique handwritten letters, but they're mounted on adhesive. I'm sure the guy is an expert on dealing with documents but I'm iffy on how much he knows about cel preservation.

If need be, does anyone know of any specialists in the Washington DC area? I'm willing to travel a while!!

I uploaded pictures of the cels here: http://imgur.com/a/7uA6D they are from my favorite episodes of the entire Tenchi franchise so they are my babies!!

Great cels

I talked with a random framer once, and he knew what edge strips were, so you may have some luck. That framer's first go-to was to use corner pockets (scrap-book style) which work pretty well, especially on standard size cels. (Larger cels will tend to buckle when their middle isn't supported.)

It's perfectly valid to be worried about tape damage; I can't imagine it is a rare request for framers, especially if people have letters from Abe Lincoln or other art mediums.

Anyway, best of luck; those will look fantastic framed when everything is said and done!

Very nice cels, with the cel where her head is one layer and hair is another id have thought you wouldnt need to seperate at all?

Doesnt look like its at any risk of bleeding through to me?

JWR wrote:a couple of things.

1. you might consider changing from "museum glass" to a UV coated plexiglass. Even though it might not be as crystal clear it does not break and damage the cel if it falls off the wall in cases such as an earthquake. My 1st several framed pieces were with the glass but if I could go back and do it again I would use the plexiglass.

2. when dealing with layers I had them use a separate mat between the layers as well as the background. This which is now framed http://ryan.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_ ... mID=365964 had to have the "special effects layer (the glowing feathers)" mounted in the forefront and the main cel then floated away from the background.

UV light can damage but also so can heat so be careful of heat souces such as bright display lights or long term direct sunlight.

Good luck your project.

I would just like to second JWR's recommendation. Plexiglass/PMMA/Acrylic is far less likely to damage the cel in the case of falling or other impact, and while it isn't as chemically inactive as glass, it is pretty good, and maybe better than polycarbonate (not to mention cheaper). On top of that, UV absorbing or reflecting coatings are not as big a deal as they would be with polycarbonate or glass (where it is absolutely necessary) because PMMA is a pretty strong UV absorbing material. If it clouds over time, that just means that is from UV that didn't make it to your cel.