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I recently bought a few nice Japanese woodblock prints. Upon taking them out of the frames I found that they were glued or taped to a thin backing board. This of course is not what I was hoping to find, but it wasn't possible to take them out prior to purchasing them. I would like to liberate them from this prison, and so I am researching methods to achieve that goal. I thought I would check to see if any of you have done this sort of work and if so what worked best for you, what type of materials and set is required, etc.? Thanks so much for anything you can share! John
I’ve restored around a hundred woodblock prints.
Depending on the type of tape or glue, you either have water-soluble rice or animal glue, or synthetic glue/tape that can be removed with acetone.
Test with a cotton swab using first whit water. If the tape / glue doesn’t loosen, then the acetone will do the trick.
In rare instances, prints are mounted using an iron on type of contact paper…. It’s waxy and plastic like, and sadly near impossible to remove.
Prints are not generally damaged by water nor acetone unless it’s a print with red dye, or a print that has imbedded mica in the ink.
I thought of using acetone in the past on prints, but have always been scared to do so on any kind of such material. Kool thanks. JT
@greeno107 Thanks for the info, but what do you mean by "whit water"? Did you mean hot water? Also, am I supposed to put the moisture on the edge of the print try to work it slowly up, or do I moisten the whole thing? The three prints I need to do this to are glued or taped (hopefully it's not that iron on crap you mentioned) to thin posterboard type material. Should I moisten the posterboard from underneath as well? Do I moisten top and bottom or just the print itself?
@johnshoe I fat fingered it… yes, warm water…coffee temperature.
Best you post some pics as to the strategy that best suits your prints.
You could bathe the whole print in a plastic bin…. That would remove possible acids in the paper that could be dulling the colors, but there are extra steps for drying to keep the print from wrinkling.
Let’s see what you’ve got, first.
@johnshoe I’d let sleeping dogs lie on this one.
The condition of the paper does not look very stable, and the quality of the print is such that the tape & gluing down wouldn’t significantly effect the value.
Condition aside, this is not a very good example of a 19th c. Courtesan print.
@greeno107 Here is another one. It appears to have a similar mount. You can see the tape or whatever it is around the edge of the print just like the other one. How do I get this off? I hope it isn't that bad case scenario you mentioned before.
@johnshoe This type of hinge is from the original gallery, and is made of mulberry paper (like the print but thinner) and rice glue.
You don’t need to remove it if you don’t have road it didn’t lessen value and won’t damage the print.
If you beef to remove it, just use warm water.
@greeno107 Do I submerge it in the water and let it sit for a period of time to loosen it? Also, won't it wrinkle up upon drying after getting wet? What would be the trick to keeping it nice and flat when drying?
@johnshoe In this case, just wet the hinge.
Are you sure you want to try submerging? You have to be patient. Here goes:
Use a large plastic bin, large enough the print will fit without folding… so maybe 20” x 15”. and about 6-8” deep.
Fill 1/2 way with steaming hot distilled water.
If you want to clean the print, too, add two bottles of standard hydrogen peroxide that you get in the brown bottle from Walmart.
Slide the print into the water…. It will take a few minutes for the paper to absorb the water enough that it stays submerged. Don’t worry if it floats.
Animal glue usually dissolves in about 30 minutes or less, but if your cleaning the print, just leave it in bright sunlight.
If the water turns yellow/brown or milky, have a second bin with room temperature distilled water ready to transfer the print.
The paper is generally really strong, but you want to avoid creasing, so grab the corners, then slide out of the water, and slide back into the freshly prepared bin.
If the glue has dissolved, the print is clean, and you’re ready to dry, then….
Have a 20” x 18” sheet of clean plexiglass ready next to your bin.
Lift the print out of the water by the corners trying not to crease… small creases can be corrected, but not large folds.
Slowly lower the print onto the plexi while it is dripping wet. The wetness helps to avoid trapping bubbles, but if you do get a large bubble trapped, lift the print slowly and start again.
When the print is laying flat on the plexiglass, lay a sheet of white paper towel that is larger than the print, on top of the print.
Starting from the middle, pat & gently rub the paper towel so that it lays smooth on the print. This will push out any small bubbles and/or creases, and at the same time will absorb the moisture (wicking).
When the paper towel is saturated, remove it, then repeat until the paper towel no longer wicks.
Drying should be done in a cool dry location with no direct sunlight.
Take strips of folded aluminum foil and tape them over the corners to keep the print from curling.
If it still curls, then moisten, and add more strips, but move to a cooler location… you’re likely drying too quickly.
In a day or so, the print can be removed from the plexi… use a sharp thin blade to lift a corner and the rest of the print should come up easily.
Store the print in parchment paper…. High end supermarkets sell it in the baking area. Don’t use wax paper!
Tear out a sheet of parchment paper twice the size plus about 4 inches. Fold in half. Place the print inside and fold edges in to create a large envelope.
Put it between two thick pieces of corrugated cardboard, and set a heavy book on top.
The print will be very well preserved for years in this state.
@greeno107 Thanks a million! I'm gonna get geared up with all the needed supplies and give it a shot in the near future. I'll let you know how it goes. Cheers! John
@johnshoe Try first on a print you care nothing for…. If you encountered issues and have more questions, you can ask without risk of ruining a good print
On the second print, the black and white one, I would have a new mat cut and placed in a nice black frame and hang it in a study and enjoy it. It is relaxing.
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