Removing duct tape

Janis Wilkens <jwilkens [at] museumofthenewsouth__org> writes

>We have a mid-20th-century agricultural seeder, made from unfinished
>wood, that we are preparing for exhibition. One of the handles is
>cracked or broken, and was mended by the owner with duct tape (we
>won't know exactly what the damage is until we can get this off). We
>want to remove the duct tape and effect a more secure mend,
>especially because this piece will be traveling and thus subject to
>more than the usual handling.
>
>Can anyone recommend a method for removing the tape, suitable for a
>non-conservator? And, do you have any thoughts about stabilizing
>such an item?

I assume the seeder will not be used and is to be preserved in the
collection. Have you considered preserving the duct tape on the
machine, as you mention that it "was mended by the owner with [the]
duct tape"?  A nice folkloric addition to such an object in a
collection as a bit of the "patina" resulting from actual use.

Laurent Sozzani
Senior Paintings Restorer
Paintings Restoration Department
Rijksmuseum Amsterdam - Atelier Gebouw
Hobbemastraat 22
1071 ZC Amsterdam
The Netherlands
+31 20 6747294
Fax: +31 20 6747001


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 21:28
                 Distributed: Friday, October 26, 2007
                       Message Id: cdl-21-28-010
                                  ***