Naptha is, in my 40 years of fiddling with paper, the best all-around one to use.
HOWEVER, I cannot stress enough that it VERY, VERY DANGEROUS. Rags used with naptha and completely "dry" will still be very flammable. Using naptha around a hair dryer or an iron is not wise. That could be disasterous.
I store my naptha in a clean, empty paint can with a sealed lid -- I put the small pint size can in a one gallon can. I use another can with the rags I use. And then I store than away from living quarters, my collection and anything flammable.
No one method works for all circumstances. Too many variables.
However, clear tape which has not significantly hardened can be removed by first warming with a hair drying or with an iron on low to medium, using some clean cotton material as a buffer. Generally, this can be removed after heating by peeling off. This may leave a residue which is worse than the tape itself, as it can still dry/brittle/brown, but worse yet, stick to something else. To remove the residue, you take the solvent and carefully daub it and then clean. Work slowly. Scraping works, but remember that the solvent also makes the paper "wet" and subject to surface disruption.
Any time you use solvent on ink, paper and fixatives, you have a good chance of removing ink and the fixative, if used or staining the paper or changing the color of the inks. So, always test first.
Old, crusty brown tape is a problem. Sometimes heat will not soften the adhesive and you must use the solvent directly. You will be tempted to use HEAT and SOLVENT, but try and resist. If the adhesive has seeped into the paper and dried, you are going to have little luck in removing it from the paper itself. You may be able to make it look less intense, but it is a fine line between removing that residue on the surface and removing ink in the paper.
Hints: Some times apply heat or solvent to the rear and let it soak through. This will often loosen stubborn adhesive. HOWEVER, be sure you have tested the solvent on that specific paper and make sure that a) the paper doesn't stain and/or b) the inks are not altered by the solvent.
Ventilation is essential -- the fumes can be harmful or flammable.
RDG
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Richard Garrison
1150 Rankin Street M-6
Stone Mountain, Ga. 30083
Phone 770-413-8155
Fax 770-413-7238
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Creator of the Roy G. Krenkel Virtual Gallery
SF, Fantasy Illustrator
< http://www.45acp.org>
****************************************************
Richard Garrison
1150 Rankin Street M-6
Stone Mountain, Ga. 30083
Phone 770-413-8155
Fax 770-413-7238
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Creator of the Roy G. Krenkel Virtual Gallery
SF, Fantasy Illustrator
< http://www.45acp.org>
