Cleaning off paint from cels?

Priss-chan · Post by **Priss-chan** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 5:27 pm

Ok, some cels arrived today that I'd gotten via SMJ. Two of them, from the same episode but very different sequences, were stuck, but fortunately neither chara was touching. So I separated them as best I could, but there's paint residue on both cels now. (Both charas look fine, for the record. Don't shoot me XD)

So how do I clean that off? Do I use alcohol, and if so, what kind? If not, what ought I use?

moonrabitt · Post by **moonrabitt** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 5:59 pm

There should be a thread on that......
I cleaned off one of my cels thanks to the tips from that thread...Let me find it ^_^
Yep: Alcohol, just be SUPER CAREFUL

*off to look for thread

Found it :

http://www.anime-beta.com/phpBB/viewtop ... =cel+clean

Some nice tips from the thread:

Moop wrote:
moonrabitt wrote:3).How can you remove the paint that is stuck on top of a cel after another cel was put above it, and left part of itself on the top
If the paint is seriously adhered, a Q-tip dipped in isopropyl alcohol (a.k.a. rubbing alcohol) - and squeezed out enough so that it is just moist - will remove paint from a cel with a minimum of gentle wiping. Two things to remember: Never use it close to paint or ink that you don't want removed, because it is completely indiscriminate! And secondly, after you are done removing the paint, remove all traces of alcohol with a bit of distilled water. Then air dry, or dry with a lint free cloth. I was given this method by an aquaintance who does professional restoration, and it proved highly effective for removing cracked and peeling correction paint. Years later, the cel still looks perfect.

As for any basic questions you may have, Key's FAQ remains one of the best available quick answer resources. You can do a search from there, or access all of the subheadings.

Edit: In her post below, Kata is SO right, and I shouldn't have left this out on the assumption that you knew it already! Always check the surface of your cel under a bright light before doing any work on it. Trace lines, especially, can be easy to miss if you don't look for them.

Kero · Post by **Kero** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 6:09 pm

Sensei posted about cleaning tape off of sketches:
http://www.anime-beta.com/phpBB/viewtop ... ht=inferno
and mentions that eucalyptus oil would probably take paint off of cels too. Of course, it might also eat a hole in the cel itself as it eats holes in some plastics, but not others. As he said in his post you'd want to see if it worked on an extra cel that you don't care about.

I have carefully scratched paint off with my finger nail, but it was never very much paint.

Maybe nail polish remover? I think the biggest trouble will be finding something that takes paint off but doesn't hurt the acetate. Good luck!!

lcatino · Post by **lcatino** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 7:12 pm

I'm not sure if nail polish remover would work or not, but they do make non-acetone nail polish remover, which should be available at any drug store.

Good luck!

moonrabitt · Post by **moonrabitt** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 4:43 pm

I followed the tips and Used "Rubbing Alcohol" with a Q-tip....
But before I made sure that I looked at the cel with light, and made sure that the lines where NOT painted on the top of the cel, since Rubbing Alcohol may rub them off

I used it, and successful took of a bunch of extra paint that was ruining the cel....^_^
Just be VERY CAREFUL..

Xelloss · Post by **Xelloss** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 7:55 pm

Don't use anything acetone based or it will melt your cel...

Rubbing alcohol on a q-tip works well, but be sure to dab it off on a tissue before using so it doesn't drip, go slow, and be careful... because it is very very easy to erase too much.

- Karen