Rubber cement stains

Miriam A. Kilmer <miriam [at] risingdove__com> writes

>Does anyone know of a safe and effective way to remove rubber cement
>stains from paper?  Robert C. Morrison wrote in 1995: "To my
>knowledge, there is no solvent for rubber cement [made from natural
>rubber]."

Like Jon Derow, I have also had success using hydrogen peroxide for
the staining left behind by rubber cement; however, there is a
commercial product available specifically for dissolving rubber
cement adhesive called "Bestine". It is basically Heptane and is
available at artist's supply stores.

Before applying hydrogen peroxide, I remove all of the adhesive by
swabbing the area with the Heptane using cotton swabs or cotton
balls. The solvent is left for a minute or two to soften the
adhesive, which is then gently scraped away with the edge of a
micro-spatula (if the paper is strong enough) followed by rolling
Heptane dampened cotton swabs absorbing the remaining adhesive into
the swab. If the paper cannot take scrapping with a micro-spatula,
rolling the dampened swabs will also work, but will take more time.

Heptane has a great advantages: it does not dissolve dirt and
therefore does not leave tidemarks; does not require a fume hood or
suction table; and I have yet to find an ink that is soluble in
Heptane (although testing first is always wise). I do recommend
wearing Nitrile gloves when working with this chemical.

Good Luck,

Kyla Ubbink
Paper and Book Conservator (CAPC Accredited)
Owner-Ubbink Book and Paper Conservation
6544 Bilberry Drive
Ottawa ON K1C 4N6
613-830-4968


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 26:20
                  Distributed: Sunday, October 7, 2012
                       Message Id: cdl-26-20-002
                                  ***