Remove construction paper backing?

[Natalya Murphy]

A customer came in over the weekend wanting to frame 2 art pieces her high school senior did -- one pastel, one watercolor. Each piece was glued to a colored piece of construction paper with rubber cement to give it a strip of color around the art.

Am I correct in thinking the backing paper should be removed if possible because of its acidity? I did some searching today and found references to Unseal. Would that work to remove the backing paper and the glue, or is there an easier way to remove rubber cement? I have the customer's written permission to try to remove the backing paper.

Also, any special considerations when dealing with the pastel and/or the watercolor when trying to remove the backing papers?

 

[Jim Miller]

For preservation purposes it would be nice to remove the construction paper and replace it with a similar-colored alphacellulose board backer. However, the rubber cement is the worse culprit, and not easily removed.

Especially with the pastel, I suggest caution. Unless there is some compelling reason to remove the paper backing, I would probably leave it in place. Dissolving the rubber cement without damaging the artwork may be difficult, so I would call that a conservator's job. How's the budget?

Eventually the rubber cement will let go, but that may be years down the road. In any case, the rubber cement's residue and stain will probably be permanent.

For students' art, destructive methods and temporary materials are typical. We just have to do the best we can with them, understanding that deterioration is probably inevitable. Sometimes they come in folded or wadded up, having been stuffed in a backpack for the trip home. We call that sort of thing "the character of the art" and let it ride as-is.

 

[preservator]

As Jim noted, the rubber cement is a more critical issue than the constrution
paper, but taking them off is a real problem, with great risks and little reward.
If those things can be overmatted with zeolite containing mat board, their
damaging potential may be reduced, slightly, but they will still damage any
better quality paper in their proximity.


Hugh

 

[Natalya Murphy]

Is there any value to at least trimming down the construction paper to the edge of the artwork or am I better off just leaving it all as-is?

 

[Framar]

I never realized how lucky we are in Buffalo to have schools that can't afford rubber cement so they have to use staples!

I'd just leave the construction paper backing intact - as Hugh and the others say, it is the rubber cement that is the main bug-a-boo here - not the construction paper.

 

[Jerry Ervin]

Most of the schools close to me use masking tape looped around. It comes off very easily with a tacking iron. I guess I'm lucky too.

 

[Framar]

So, Jerry - an unanticipated bonus to school arts budget cutbacks.

 

[preservator]

The construction paper that is beyond the edges of the art is not likely to
do much harm to the art paper, especially if it is covered with mat board.
If you must trim it, be sure to leave a small amount of it around the edges of
the art paper, as proof that you did not trim the art paper.


Hugh

 

[Dave]

I seem to get quite a number of such pieces of children's art and as others have said, they've often laid around in a drawer and gotten wrinkled and torn. Most parents consider this part of the character of the piece and are most interested in preserving and displaying the memories as best as possible without trying to alter the art or go to great means of preservation.

Using UV glazing will dramatically prolong the life, or at least the appearance of the art as light is the biggest culprit with construction paper causing severe fading in a short period of time.

Rubber Cement is an adhesive meant for short term placement of art and it's primary use was in doing paste up for camera ready art in the graphic arts.

The only really constructive advice I might offer other than UV glazing is, if possible, to spot apply a better adhesive to the back of the art in the corners to help hold when the rubber cement eventually gives way.

Resign yourself to the fact that rubber cement will eventually release and will stain the art.

Dave Makielski

 

[Natalya Murphy]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I'll leave the paper as-is and hope the frame package slows the decay. We're using Artcare matboards and museum glass, so hopefully that will help. One of the art pieces was already starting to separate from the backing paper, that's why I considered trying to pull it all the way off. But, as has been pointed out, the rubber cement has already absorbed into the art paper so there isn't much to be done there.