Taking A Cel Out of Its Frame: Advice?

[toonybabe]

I just purchased another cel that came in a frame. I already own one and it was purchased almost 2 years ago. They are both multi cel set ups. Even though they are beautifully framed and matted, I am thinking about removing them from the frames and storing them in my cel portfolio books along with the others. I do not know if they are framed with archival/museum quality materials, but I have been storing them out of the sunlight.

I have heard that you should remove framed cels every 6 months and let them air out. Does anyone know if there is any truth to that?

Is anyone else here on Beta experienced in removing cels from frames? Is there anything I should be aware of before starting the process, if I should start it at all? Any advice would be great! Thanks.

[Caroline]

I have heard that you should remove framed cels every 6 months and let them air out. Does anyone know if there is any truth to that?

i've heard this too, and i used to remove my cels regularly from their frames to let them air out. the only thing i would suggest while removing cels from their frames is to wear white cotton gloves.

http://www.archivalmethods.com/product. ... ductid=103

other than that, just be really careful not to accidentally bend or warp the artwork. i hope this helps!

[toonybabe]

Thanks Caroline!

[Matt]

One thing I found is that if you have never removed the cel from it's frame before you can find suprises, so be prepared. For instance, I purchased two cels that were framed. When I got them they looked wonderful. But, like you said, I wanted to let them breathe then move them into my binder. I took out both cels and found that one had a huge 8 inch crease all the way though the left corner and the other was missing HUGE amounts of paint. Both of these damages were covered by the frame, glass and black paper behind the cels. *sigh* My hundreds of dollars I spent on these two pieces have become trash and not even worth the shipping I paid for them ;_;

Good Luck ^_^

[RoboFlonne]

I wonder if you could put air holes in the bottom of a frame so it can breathe??

You know kinda like how we put holes in cel bags sometimes...

[toonybabe]

Thanks everyone for the advice! I think I will just very carefully take them out of the frames to see what kind of state they are in. Depending on what they look like I might put them back in the frame or put them in my cel books.