At 11:57 PM -0400 12/15/96, Jeff Gorman wrote:
>David Hunkins wrote:
>
>~  >For generally removing sticky labels, I use a hair dryer. It seems
>~  >unlikely to do much harm to a wooden surface. With luck, most of the
>~  >adhesive comes away with the paper.

This long winded diatribe was in response to a side bar about the evils of
scotch tape:

>>I recently bought a Stanley 271 in the box.  The box has scotch tape all
>>around the top.  I think it is to hold the top together.  Do you have any
>>thing in your archives o conservation on how to remove scotch tape from
>>paper.
>
>Jim...
>
>This all depends on the age of the tape. If it is new enough for the
>adhesive to be sticky, than you can use one approach, but if the tape is
>old and the adhesive is dried, you have to attack it in a different manner.
>
>New (sticky) tape: One method is to apply a moderate heat source to the
>tape to soften the plastic and adhesive just enough to peel the tape off.
>You can buy fancy tools for this, but I use two art spatulas... the thin
>flexible type.  Warm one in hot water, wipe it off and quickly press it to
>the tape.  As the adhesive softens, gently slip the other one under the
>edge of the tape and lift.  Keep on doing this a little bit at a time.  It
>is slow, but using a higher heat source risks damaging the paper.
>
>Once the tape has been removed, you can work on the remaining adhesive.
>The problem is that the solvent to remove the adhesive may disolve or
>discolor the paper.  You have to test a small area first. I use a q-tip
>slightly moistened with the solvent (naptha is good due to it's fast
>evaporation, but I have also used ethyl alcholol) and roll it across the
>surface (don't rub, roll).  If the adhesive lifts, let the surface dry and
>check for changes in color.  If acceptable, you can now do the same with
>the remaining adhesive.  Just remember to roll the applicator instead of
>rubbing.  And change to fresh applicators fequently.
>
>Old tape:  you may be able to peel the old tape off without heating.  Take
>two spatulas with thin but not sharp blades.  Place the edge of one against
>the leading edge of the tape. Place the other spatula on top of the first
>one.  Pressing the bottom spatula against the paper, slide the top spatula
>a little bit under the tape and lift with a rolling motion.  The idea is
>that the bottom one prevents the paper fibers from lifting and tearing
>while the top one separates the tape from the paper.
>
>If this is not possible, you can try the heat method to see if the adhesive
>will soften.  With either method, you will likely have some dark staining
>remaining from the adhesive.  But I prefer that to the tape.
>
>If the tape is really stubborn, you may have to use a solvent directly on
>the tape.  This is time consuming as you can only work on a small area at a
>time.  You have to be careful not to saturate the paper as much as
>possible.  Some saturation is inevitable, but with care you can minimize
>the affects.
>
>If it helps, I have a 45 in a cardboard box held together with duct tape.
>I waited about 1 year for the tape to become sufficiently dry for me to
>peel it off.
>
>Hope this helps

Gary Roberts groberts@s...
Boston, MA...Antique tools, Art Pottery, Hong Kong cinema, what else is there?