New collector questions

For the n00bs of cel collecting and production art . . . and for some of us old-timers, too. Post your questions on anything that puzzles you.
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Siskan
Newbie
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Dec 12, 2015 3:26 pm

New collector questions

Post by Siskan »

Hello!

I have tried to educate myself as much as possible about cels. I'm just starting out and I own three of them (I haven't received the last one yet).

I still have a few questions though, I appreciate all the help I can get.

One of my cels is from 1985. It has two layers (the top layer contains the exact same lineart as the one beneath it, along with some shadows). It was slightly stuck, but it came off very easily without any damage. The reason I thought it was necessary to separate them was because of an excess of dust and even what appeared to be a tiny amount of liquid being trapped in between. What's the safest way to wipe the dust off?

Also, the entire thing is slightly concave. Is there a good way to flatten it? Since the line art appears on both layers, the top one casts a shadow on the bottom layer as there is some space in between, which isn't optimal.

Lastly, the back layer is mostly stuck to a sheet of paper. I suppose there's no safe way to remove this? I'm slightly worried that it isn't acid free and it's also a bit ugly. My concern stems from the fact it has yellowed a whole lot more than the douga which came with it.


On to the second cel from around 1990. There's a lot of yellow on this. I've read about this somewhere I believe. It seems to affect the lineart on the front. In sections it has either faded to brown, smudged or even worn off. The lines which appear on top of other colors look better, but not perfect. Can anything be done about this?

This cel is also slightly smelly. I suppose this is related to the vinegar syndrome I've also seen mentioned. It's not warping however and the smell is not that strong. But it's definitely noticeable. The other cel doesn't smell at all.
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nowherekid85
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Joined: Thu Apr 17, 2014 1:57 pm
Location: Orlando FL
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Re: New collector questions

Post by nowherekid85 »

Siskan wrote: Lastly, the back layer is mostly stuck to a sheet of paper. I suppose there's no safe way to remove this? I'm slightly worried that it isn't acid free and it's also a bit ugly. My concern stems from the fact it has yellowed a whole lot more than the douga which came with it.

This cel is also slightly smelly. I suppose this is related to the vinegar syndrome I've also seen mentioned. It's not warping however and the smell is not that strong. But it's definitely noticeable. The other cel doesn't smell at all.
I have removed sketches from cels before, following some advice I learned from a longtime collector at a con. It works for me because I live in an area with extremely high humidity. I rigged up a big dog airline kennel that I had, to protect it from the elements and bugs, to put the cel inside, and left it outside overnight. It took a few nights but I was able to eventually separate the two carefully.

For the smelly cel, you can buy some microchamber paper and put that with the cel, to help absorb the bad stuff the cel is letting off. Every new cel I get goes into a brand new cel bag and I put a piece of microchamber paper in with it as well. I've gotten a few new cels that smelled a little weird, and they seemed better over time. There's a thread in this section about that paper that should give you more info on it!
Siskan
Newbie
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Dec 12, 2015 3:26 pm

Re: New collector questions

Post by Siskan »

Oh that's good news then! Unfortunately the climate here isn't very humid, but I could probably simulate the effect somehow.

I checked out the other thread as well. Thanks for the tip. Guess I'll buy some of this magical paper.
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