Need Advice Repairing Paper (gengas, layout, etc.)

[Pixel]

Okay, I was recommended to get some filmoplast-P for repairing my Azu layout/genga, and I've got it on it's way. I got the 1" x 100' roll, is that alright?

I've also got some eucalyptus oil and Q-Tips with paper sticks, to try and get that nasty piece of tape off. I intend to try to closely match the studio's intended registration of the layout, but I might not get it perfect.

I hope it's alright that I bring the scan of it over to this thread. I'm hoping this thread will prove useful for others with torn/registration-corrected genga like this, that's part of the reason I'm making a separate thread for it.



How should I go about taping it back together? Use small pieces, I got that. Can I tape over the spots where the acid-based tape burned the paper, or do I need to tape over clean paper?

As for the lone piece of tape left on it at the top, should I remove it before taping the genga back together?

Do I have enough clean paper left on the actual drawn part above the solid back border that I can tape it back without covering that border? I'm so OCD, I don't like the thought of covering that border. I intend to do it if it means the piece fairs better over the long term that way.

One of my big concerns is I will misalign the sides of the genga while taping it back up. Is there any particular trick to getting that right?

Thanks in advance.

[sensei]

I'd say if the top is loose already (which happens when old tape dries up and gives way) then it would be easier to remove the remaining strip of tape, let the solvent air out completely, and then reassemble the two. The burn marks from the tape strips will give you a convenient guide to matching the two in original registration. My practice is to put the archival tape on the back only. That way you will not be putting any tape directly over any of the artwork or penciled studio instructions. I don't think it makes any difference whether the tape is over a spot burned by the tape or not. And if you bag the sketch with a backing board and don't plan to get it out and handle it often, then use the minimum of tape strips needed to make a stable join. Certainly one on the left and one on the right, and it that still appears flimsy, then a teeny one in the middle. Don't try to put tape all the way across, in other words.

Since the two have been apart, the best you can do is get the original orientation as close to original as you can. But, in truth, that would be essential only if the sketch were on its way to the next animator's desk in the process of creating the show. So if it looks good and is now stabilized (by removing potentially damaging adhesive), then you have done your job.

[Pixel]

Would it be okay to use a whole piece of acid-free matting for the backer board to place in the bag with the genga?

[sensei]

Would it be okay to use a whole piece of acid-free matting for the backer board to place in the bag with the genga?

I think so. So long as the backing is acid free and protects the edges of the art, it will do the job.

[Pixel]

What I found on the back of this genga, it's awful. I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was. I even cried just a tiny tiny bit. I have attached pictures of the carnage.

I was going to follow sensei's procedure as best I could to remove the one piece (or so I thought) of tape still remaining on the top of the Azu layout. When I went to pull the strip out of it's protective sleeve, I felt a tug. I tried to be careful, and finally got it all out. I had no choice but to take it all out, once I found where the resistance was coming from. Turning the genga over, I found 2 pieces of what looks like postal tape, one on each side, holding the two pieces of the genga together! One on the upper left, the other upper right. They both go down into what would be the visual/graphic part of the drawing on the front.

The upper right piece of tape covers the registration hole, making the genga stick through the hole from the back to anything I try to put it in. I can't even store it properly, much less display it.

I also found to my dismay, most of the studio tape is still on it, too.

With it in this state, I was afraid to even try to remove the studio tape.

I don't know who did this. Is this wide tape something the studio would have used?

EDIT: At first, I thought the seller had not mentioned so much tape, but then I looked, and he did in fact say "top edge taped on". I didn't realize he meant like this, I misunderstood him. I guess that's what I get for not asking for details.

I know in the grand scheme of things it's just a piece of paper. Well, two pieces and way more tape than I thought. I can't help but be upset over the whole thing, though. With a series where no character cels exist, this is visually my very favorite of all the Azu genga I've come across for sale so far.

I don't know what I'm going to do to fix it now, with such wide tape behind the graphics of the drawing. I'm concerned if I try to remove the large piece over the registration hole, the paper around it will tear out from the stress and being wet with solvent.

Can it even be fixed? Suddenly, I don't feel so good.

EDIT: The one break I got in this is that the wide tape missed the area directly behind Yomi's head by about 1/8" She was at the most risk being the tallest of the three girls pictured. Having the tape actually behind her head would have been a out-and-out catastrophe, if this is not already. Interestingly, if it had instead been the even taller Sakaki drawn standing in the same spot as Yomi, all else being the same, the same piece of tape in the same position would have went right through the area directly behind the top of Sakaki's head.

[sensei]

No, I don't know that any studio used tape in that sized blocks, though some certainly did slap it on like it was going out of style. Also, since it has not begun to burn the paper, I'd guess it is relatively fresh. Could have been put on at lots of stages: the Library of Congress actually found a piece of celotape on the original Declaration of Independence that someone had put on with all good intentions to fix a little rip.

I'd say find a well ventilated place (like a bathroom with a strong ceiling fan), get a stout piece of cardboard, and get out your swabs, eucalyptus oil, craft knife, and box of tissues. If the pieces on the back are relatively fresh, they should come off without trouble.

Start by finding a spot on the back of the sketch, at the edges or in between the tape that's due for removal, and tack the strip in place with the archival tape you plan to leave on. The filmoplast tape that I use is buffered with calcium carbonate so it will remain acid free indefinitely. Be careful not to use the solvent on these spots of you'll loosen this tape too.

Dab the oil around the celotape margins on the back, painting an outline of the tape strip that penetrates to the other side, then flip it over and saturate that part with the solvent. If there are remains of the tape on the front side, they may resist the solvent, but you should get enough into the paper to loosen the tape adhesive on the back. Wait a few minutes, and then carefully use the craft knife to pry up a corner of the tape. It should then peel off easily. Be sure to put some more solvent on the paper after you remove the tape and get all of the sticky adhesive off, as this is what hurts the paper in the long run.

Remove the tape on the back first, and then any remaining tape on the front will come off with less trouble. And the archival tape will keep the top strip in registration with the sketch. Good luck. I have experienced very few problems with the solvent affecting graphite or colored pencil art. Once in a while, if I remove tape from a photocopied layout, the solvent will soften the xeroxed material and it will smudge. But from what I see you will not have to worry about that. Let us know if you encounter any problems.

[Pixel]

There's one thin piece of celotape wrapped around the top edge and cut in two, blocking me from getting much eucalyptus oil under the obverse sides there. How should I approach removing those pieces?

Should I tack the strips down with filmoplast, go for the big pieces first, then go for the smaller narrow ones?

Also, more for future reference-some genga have magic marker highlighting, scribbled over the characters. Will eucalyptus oil mess with magic marker?

[sensei]

Always take the tape off the back side of the sketch first. That way if you experience a paper peel, the damage will be invisible and once that side is off, the tape on the front will come off safely. And if you work carefully and dab a little on the tape as you go, you should be able to get that off ok.

And yeah, if you can, tack the sheets together before you start. If you can't, do the edges first, let the solvent clear (20 minutes is usually enough) and then tack on each end and do the middle. I hang the sketch on a coathanger with a plastic clip and put it over one of the heat vents, which helps evaporate the solvent. Be sure to give yourself adequate ventilation: while eucalyptus oil is not harmful, it is intense (it's the active ingredient in Vicks VapoRub).

I haven't seen an issue with magic marker running with this kind of solvent.

[Pixel]

Finally, after as much as 16 years for some of it, that awful tape is GONE! While things didn't go perfectly, they went far better than I feared. It looks like my girls will be okay, and frankly I'm relieved. At first I was leery of soaking the entire front side area above the wide tape, but once I began to remove the piece behind and above Kaorin, I knew I had to do it that way for it to work. I worked above Kaorin first because she seemed a much safer distance away from the tape.

I got just a tiny bit of peeling in one spot on the registration strip at the top. It was on what I think was an old piece of studio tape above Yomi (can't say I'm surprised), but I'd much rather a little peel on the back in a non-graphically important spot then having the acid eat through to the front. Can the acid leach beyond the bounds of the tape, into the surrounding untaped paper?

Perhaps if I had been more patient, and with a little more oil, I might have got off clean. It's not the end of the world though, is it?

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A little bit of peeling-registration strip, above Yomi.

azu_e6_c13_regpeel_koyomi.jpg (336.8 KiB) Viewed 3429 times

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Incidentally, it's easier for me to track where the tape was by referencing the character most directly below it, since right and left of the genga change relative to perspective, but the location of the tape relative to the nearest character remains the same.

I lifted both the paper tape, and the protective backer off the roll of archival tape. I think the protective film was supposed to stay tacked to the roll. I had to use my bare hands to work a piece apart from the liner. There's just a tiny bit of a crease in the tape on the genga. I tried to keep my hands washed and dried though. The stupidest thing I did with the archival tape was set the roll edge-on on a piece of the damaged tape with oil on it that I'd already separated from the piece. I didn't ruin the roll did I?

I may have nicked the registration hole above Yomi just a tiny tad getting the tape off as it wrapped around to the front. The wrap around piece of studio tape was right next to it, and was adhered to the studio strip tape running perpendicular. The postal tape, that wrap-around strip, and the studio's registration-realignment strip of tape were all adhered together. I decided to sever the tape that I had gotten clear the genga with the craft knife before taking the front pieces off, when I realized that a sudden backflip of the piece over the front could have it landing landing sticky side down right on Yomi's face!

I got a little bit of the oil on Kaorin's hair during handling. I don't think it hurt it though.

Even though I had some difficulty, I was afraid from my own ignorance of what I was doing it would go horribly. I can't help but think from what I've been told, the alternative (leaving the tape on) would cause much more serious problems in the years to come. The tape had to come off anyway, it wasn't just a hazard for the future-it was sticking to the art bag I tried to put the genga in the other day. I just knew I was going to tear the registration hole above Kaorin clean out if that tape kept getting stuck to things.

I have not yet tacked the sides of the genga down, I'm trying to figure out if I got all the adhesive off first. I'm not sure I got all of the adhesive off though - is there any way to tell from pictures?

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Treated area above Yomi, back side tape removed.

azu_e6_c13_back_koyomi.jpg (331.75 KiB) Viewed 3429 times

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Treated area above Kaorin, back side tape removed. Rather cool to see the studio name showing through the back.

azu_e6_c13_back_kaori.jpg (337 KiB) Viewed 3429 times

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The studio tape is gone from the front. The only piece of tape on it at all right now as far as I know, is the archival tape I placed to maintain registration. I had a pic of the front, but I can't remember if I took it before all the tape was gone. I'll try to get another photo of the front shortly.

[Pixel]

Full view of back, tape removed.

azu_e6_c13_notape_back.jpg (258.14 KiB) Viewed 3429 times

[Pixel]

Full view of front, tape removed

azu_e6_c13_front_notape.jpg (387.16 KiB) Viewed 3428 times

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You can see a bit of shininess where the studio tape was. Does that mean I have more work to do on removing the adhesive there? Is it okay if I split the work up and come back to it tomorrow (Saturday)?

[sensei]

Very rushed with Xmas business -- but thanks for reporting in. My best method for telling if you have gotten all the adhesive off that you can get off is to run my finger gently over the spot. It should not feel sticky any more. When old tape dries and starts to peel off, there's no way I've found for getting the dried remains of the adhesive off. That you just have to live with. But if you remove the still-sticky adhesive, then you have stopped the damage in its tracks.

[Pixel]

I checked the area above Kaorin late last night, was no longer sticky as best I could tell. Still a bit sticky above Yomi, so I went back for another round. I gave Karoin's side another light pass just in case. Is it possible to overdo the eucalyptus oil on the paper?

EDIT UPDATE: Two more rounds of oil above Yomi. One, and a small corner was still sticky, another and I can feel ridges in the area where the postal tape was, but I don't think they're sticky anymore. Above Kaorin is good to go, not sticky. I'm pretty sure her side can be taped as soon as it is dry. I don't really have a good way to hang the drawing up to dry though. There was no old tape left to bother above Osaka, that's why she's not really in it anymore. I did tack the archival tape above her in the back as instructed. I did not apply oil directly to the back of the lower piece of the genga where they overlap. I just let it soak through from the back, while applying some on the front relatively late in the process last night to get the studio tape off. I almost thought about keeping the studio tape. Never had a piece of Japanese celo-tape before. I know, I'm crazy.

This level of detail is in part some documentation of my venture. I hope when all is said and done it will help someone in the future.

[Pixel]

While I haven't handled it in a few days, it looks like the area above Kaorin is still darker where the tape was, like the paper might not be drying properly from the oil. I'll have to get it out and check it over. Also, the top edge of the lower section is curled up about 1/4" from the part lying flat.

Are these causes for concern?

[Pixel]

UPDATE: I finally finished taping this genga back together with the good stuff. After leaving it on white acid-free backer for a number of days, the darker spots mostly went away thankfully.

At last it should finally be stable, ready for the years to come. Thank you so much sensei, I'd have been in a mess without your guidance.