Question about tape on original art

[oceans11]

I haven't seen any discussion about this so I apologize if I've missed something that's been discussed a lot in the past. I just got an original page of art from 1980 and it appears that the bottom two panels had been cut from the board and rearranged, or maybe replaced. The two panels in question were put back on the board and secured there with a gratuitous amount of what appears to be masking tape. Understanding that art wasn't necessarily viewed as being "preserved" at the time, I'm wondering about long term effects of the tape that was used, which I'd assume isn't acid free. The front of the page has a little yellowing discoloration happening and I'm wondering if that's from where the tape was applied on the back; as it looks to line up that way. Anybody here have any thoughts on this and how to handle it? Do I leave it alone? Do I remove the tape and replace with an acid free version? Any recommendations on removing the tape if that's the route to go? Or do I find a conservator to deal with it? Page isn't cheap, but it's not Kirby expensive either. (It's definitely not the $10 that's listed on the back. That would have been great.) Still, it's pretty significant to me and I want to preserve it the best I can of course. Heres a pic of the back of the art:

 

 

Don

[malvin]

It sounds like the page matters to you.

 

I have a few pages like that and I let them be.

 

If you want to do it yourself, you can use rubber cement thinner to remove the tape (make sure the page uses india ink! otherwise that thinner will also dissolve the ink, try a small area first) and replace it with acid free tape afterwards. It will be a time consuming procedure though, I've done it before and it takes a lot of time.

 

Or get a conservator.. I'm guessing the costs will be like 200 to 300 to do what you need. Of course get a proper quote from them but that's my estimate based on my experience.

 

Malvin

[mtlevy]

If it is a keeper have the tape removed

 

Professional is always best but my impression is a skilled amateur can do this as well

 

Mark

[blowout]

The masking tape will damage the paper over time, so if you plan on keeping it long term it is best to have it removed and replaced.

[Bird]

SHOW US THE FRONT! SHOW US THE FRONT! SHOW US THE FRONT! SHOW US THE FRONT! ;-)

 

1980 Marvel, eh? hmmmm. but if you see yellowing on the front get that tape off asap.

[pinupcartoonguy]

I'd just leave it alone or peel it off carefully. Masking tape just gets brittle over time, and 30-50 year from now it will flake off leaving a bit of residue behind. I don't think it would go through something as thick as comic art board.

[oceans11]

SHOW US THE FRONT! SHOW US THE FRONT! SHOW US THE FRONT! SHOW US THE FRONT! ;-)

 

1980 Marvel, eh? hmmmm. but if you see yellowing on the front get that tape off asap.

There is a slight discoloration on the front and it generally appears to line up with the tape on the back. The tape does seem to be on pretty secure so I'll have to see what can be done with the utmost of care.

 

Also, I guess it wasn't really fair of me to not show the front of the page. I didn't want to turn this into a "look what I got" post, but more focused on the tape on the back. But since you asked, here is the front:

 

 

Marie Severin, with Bruce Patterson inks, art for Peter Parker Spectacular Spider Man issue 48 featuring Roderick Kingsley (the man who would become Hobgoblin) shooting Spider Man dead. The bottom right corner is Narda Ravanna, who was actually the villian Belladonna.

 

The yellowing doesn't really show in my scan as I had to "piece" it together from two separate scans and I increased the contrast a bit. Still, it is there, mainly on the bottom right corner and the edges where the cut out panels are put back in.

 

Don

and without giving anything away, Spider Man really isn't dead.

 

 

 

[Catwoman_Fan]

 

and without giving anything away, Spider Man really isn't dead.

 

 

 

D'oh! Should have had a spoiler alert!

 

Cool page! I've removed some 20 year old tape off my art, but now need to deal with the sticky residue. Not sure if removing it was the best call.

[heartened]

Leave it alone. It will outlive you and your kids. This was a common occurence in the 70s/80s to re-do panels by slipping a new one in. I actually kind of like seeing it, as it is part of the production process.

 

[JadeGiant]

Leave it alone. It will outlive you and your kids. This was a common occurence in the 70s/80s to re-do panels by slipping a new one in. I actually kind of like seeing it, as it is part of the production process.

 

Agreed.

 

I have a Sal Buscema page with the same treatment and I had not even thought about doing anything about it.

[Bird]

Thanks for showing the front.

[pinupcartoonguy]

On top of everything else, I don't think I'd spend the $300 to fix a $10 page

[blowout]

Leave it alone. It will outlive you and your kids. This was a common occurence in the 70s/80s to re-do panels by slipping a new one in. I actually kind of like seeing it, as it is part of the production process.

 

To say the tape will outlive you and your kids is incorrect.

 

The glue on the tape will discolour the art board over time as it breaks down. If you want a worsening brown stain in the shape of the masking tape on the front of your artwork, then by all means leave it alone. If not, have the tape removed.

[heartened]

You're gonna have to back that up with an example. I have one from 40 years ago and I'm pretty sure the front looks the same as it did back then.

 

[mtlevy]

I don't like to disagree with Hari, since he is smarter than your average bear, but for nicer pages I have masking tape removed...I don't have scans handy but I have had some pages where I can see where the tape is from the front and that can't be good. Also, it should not be a $300 job...

 

 

[pinupcartoonguy]

I was joking about the $300 part as I saw the page had a price listed on the back of $10--the point being how much do you want to spend restoring a relatively inexpensive page even if there is a risk of damage.

 

Re seeing the tape though the front--comic board isn't completely opaque, so anything on the back, whether archival or not, will appear to show through the front.

 

Like Hari, I have art that is over half a century old, and I noted earlier, the tape just flaked right off leaving a bit of residue on the board--but nothing seeped to the other side.

[blowout]

You're gonna have to back that up with an example. I have one from 40 years ago and I'm pretty sure the front looks the same as it did back then.

 

I have some examples that I will scan and post tomorrow. I think you might be surprised at how bad this can be.

[heartened]

Thanks. How old are the pages? I think the boards from the 70s were stronger than they are today. It might end up being a decision made case-by-case.

 

And, Mark, you can disagree with me. I still love ya!

 

Hari

 

[blowout]

Thanks. How old are the pages? I think the boards from the 70s were stronger than they are today. It might end up being a decision made case-by-case.

 

The examples below are both from the 1980's.

 

Things to note:

The discolouration you can see on the front of both pages is not the masking tape on the back of the board showing through due to paper translucency, but the art paper itself has browned. Presumably, this is due to the glue from the tape breaking down over time and accelerating the aging of the paper in front of it.

 

The rest of the art board is very white, but the paper browning does seem to be spreading beyond the tape boarder, again presumably due the decaying glue spreading.

 

Disclaimer: I am not an expert in these matters, but just judging things from my own collecting experience, and other examples I have seen over the years. Maybe a paper conservationist can chime in with a more accurate synopsis of what is going on here?

 

[heartened]

Thanks. How old are the pages? I think the boards from the 70s were stronger than they are today. It might end up being a decision made case-by-case.

 

The examples below are both from the 1980's.

 

Things to note:

The discolouration you can see on the front of both pages is not the masking tape on the back of the board showing through due to paper translucency, but the art paper itself has browned. Presumably, this is due to the glue from the tape breaking down over time and accelerating the aging of the paper in front of it.

 

The rest of the art board is very white, but the paper browning does seem to be spreading beyond the tape boarder, again presumably due the decaying glue spreading.

 

Disclaimer: I am not an expert in these matters, but just judging things from my own collecting experience, and other examples I have seen over the years. Maybe a paper conservationist can chime in with a more accurate synopsis of what is going on here?

 

 

 

 

 

Well, it does look like you are correct on this one. Seems browned where the tape is. What's interesting is that I definitely have older art that this hasn't at all happened to. I'm thinking art board stock changed in the 70s somewhere and modern boards can't handle it.

 

So, my guess would be leave alone the stuff from the 70s that has held up and maybe take it off the moderns?

 

Hari