Dry Cleaning Question (Erasure)

[rob_allan]

oK I've seen several instances of a book being damaged by a pencil eraser that actually knocked a book down a grade.

 

Is there any danger of this happening with a white art eraser? I have a book with a pencil mark on the back that I am never planning to sell, and I really HATE the mark. It's in a corner in a white area on the back cover. Being that I don't have any intention to sell the book, and I'd really love the book even more if it wasn't there, I'm heavily inclined to very carefully try to remove it with an art eraser. But I don't want to make the problem worse by doing so.

 

So am I safe to do it or not? Also, if I decide to slab the run of keys this belongs to, I'm worried it would get resto-labeled also. Now, I don't think removing the mark would change the grade at all (other than maybe dropping it) so I wouldn't want it resto-labeled. I've read CGC doesn't consider this restoration, but if it leaves a residue or some other mark then... ?

 

Thanks in advance.

[Mr. Zipper]

A white eraser won't leave residue and it won't garner a PLOD.

 

As long as the underlying area is white, lightly erase using a white eraser. Don't dig in... just use a little more than the weight of the eraser. Have patience.

 

However, there still may be writing indentations even if the graphite is removed.

[rob_allan]

A white eraser won't leave residue and it won't garner a PLOD.

 

As long as the underlying area is white, lightly erase using a white eraser. Don't dig in... just use a little more than the weight of the eraser. Have patience.

 

However, there still may be writing indentations even if the graphite is removed.

 

Excellent thanks for the info! Interestingly enough, the only reason I'm even considering it is that the pencil is so light there don't appear to be indentions at all (thankfully.) Otherwise I'd leave it. But I just hate writing on my books so much that I bought this one thinking I'd probably be able to do it.

[FFB]

A white eraser won't leave residue and it won't garner a PLOD.

 

As long as the underlying area is white, lightly erase using a white eraser. Don't dig in... just use a little more than the weight of the eraser. Have patience.

 

However, there still may be writing indentations even if the graphite is removed.

 

One more thing -- when erasing near an edge, make sure that your erasing strokes go ONLY from the middle of the book outward. Don't try to erase back and forth or you'll snag the paper and bend the corner.

[rob_allan]

A white eraser won't leave residue and it won't garner a PLOD.

 

As long as the underlying area is white, lightly erase using a white eraser. Don't dig in... just use a little more than the weight of the eraser. Have patience.

 

However, there still may be writing indentations even if the graphite is removed.

 

One more thing -- when erasing near an edge, make sure that your erasing strokes go ONLY from the middle of the book outward. Don't try to erase back and forth or you'll snag the paper and bend the corner.

 

True enough! Thanks for the tip.

[rodan57]

I haven't done this but I do work with erasers in creating art. I would test it on cheap comic. It seems to me that the white eraser would remove the shine on the cover leaving a dulled area where the erasure strokes were applied.

 

Once again, not speaking from experience but just caution.

 

Dennis

[topofthetotem]

I haven't done this but I do work with erasers in creating art. I would test it on cheap comic. It seems to me that the white eraser would remove the shine on the cover leaving a dulled area where the erasure strokes were applied.

 

Once again, not speaking from experience but just caution.

 

Dennis

I read that on the boards as well that the erasure removes the gloss.

[Ze-man]

Rob, a few things I have learned regarding dry erasing.

 

First of all, practice on a lesser book before you try your hand at the book in question. If you get the results you are looking for on your dummy books, then try it on the book you want to remove the writing.

 

 

As was said, gentle pressure is better then blunt force. You can always take off more, but you cannot replace what you took off.

 

Keep your erasure clean, always have new material exposed for best results.

 

And as far as loss of cover gloss, if the book is heavily solied and you erase the white areas properly, I think the loss of gloss is minimal as you are removing the top layer of grime not the ink itself. But in your case of wanting to remove isolated writing, that might lend itself to taking off more then a few layers of paint to get it removed, so to speak. All depends on how deep it went into the fibers. You said it was light, that can only help.

 

So try it out on a similar era and condition book to see how it reacts to what you are doing to it.

 

I made a thread about this long ago if I find it I will pm you.

 

Good luck.

 

And I may be wrong, but if you try and dry erase the writing, CGC will only downgrade any damage inflicted on the book. Nothing is being added(except erasure crumbs) So if you submit it, I think you will be safe. I would call CGc and ask though.

 

Ze-

[rob_allan]

Excellent! More good info! Thanks to all. I might see if I can find a way to do scans to share my results. However, I haven't firmly committed to doing it either. I've only recently begun buying books with arrival dates. And now that I've opened myself to that (in the name of Fantastic Four 48, naturally,) I might be just fine with the writing on this other book. (I have a few ToS beaters with date stamps, but they're beaters so yanno...)

 

Just to verify, there's no odd pedigree where "19" is written in pencil on the back cover right? I have the type of luck where I'd decide to erase something and discover later it was an undiscovered Ped book. Hahaha

[FFB]

I haven't done this but I do work with erasers in creating art. I would test it on cheap comic. It seems to me that the white eraser would remove the shine on the cover leaving a dulled area where the erasure strokes were applied.

 

Once again, not speaking from experience but just caution.

 

Dennis

I read that on the boards as well that the erasure removes the gloss.

 

Believe it or not (and despite what you may have read), if you use a white art eraser and very light pressure, you will not remove any gloss at all. Gloss on the paper is created when kaolinite (a kind of clay) is impregnated into the paper during the "calendaring" process -- where the paper is sent through a high pressure roller press with smooth rollers. The gloss is not a surface coating, and this will not be removed unless you disturb the paper fibers themselves. That's why it's ok if you use light pressure AND the right kind of eraser. Don't use a really abrasive eraser (such as a pink eraser) or you will affect the gloss.

 

Don't use the eraser on colored areas, because unlike the kaolinite, the inks ARE on the surface of the paper and will be removed even with light pressure.

[topofthetotem]

I haven't done this but I do work with erasers in creating art. I would test it on cheap comic. It seems to me that the white eraser would remove the shine on the cover leaving a dulled area where the erasure strokes were applied.

 

Once again, not speaking from experience but just caution.

 

Dennis

I read that on the boards as well that the erasure removes the gloss.

 

Believe it or not (and despite what you may have read), if you use a white art eraser and very light pressure, you will not remove any gloss at all. Gloss on the paper is created when kaolinite (a kind of clay) is impregnated into the paper during the "calendaring" process -- where the paper is sent through a high pressure roller press with smooth rollers. The gloss is not a surface coating, and this will not be removed unless you disturb the paper fibers themselves. That's why it's ok if you use light pressure AND the right kind of eraser. Don't use a really abrasive eraser (such as a pink eraser) or you will affect the gloss.

 

Don't use the eraser on colored areas, because unlike the kaolinite, the inks ARE on the surface of the paper and will be removed even with light pressure.

I've heard rubber cement rolled into a ball until "tacky" to the touch will remove dirt very well. A school chum of mine tolded me he used this method on his artwork before presenting to his teachers.

[FFB]

I haven't done this but I do work with erasers in creating art. I would test it on cheap comic. It seems to me that the white eraser would remove the shine on the cover leaving a dulled area where the erasure strokes were applied.

 

Once again, not speaking from experience but just caution.

 

Dennis

I read that on the boards as well that the erasure removes the gloss.

 

Believe it or not (and despite what you may have read), if you use a white art eraser and very light pressure, you will not remove any gloss at all. Gloss on the paper is created when kaolinite (a kind of clay) is impregnated into the paper during the "calendaring" process -- where the paper is sent through a high pressure roller press with smooth rollers. The gloss is not a surface coating, and this will not be removed unless you disturb the paper fibers themselves. That's why it's ok if you use light pressure AND the right kind of eraser. Don't use a really abrasive eraser (such as a pink eraser) or you will affect the gloss.

 

Don't use the eraser on colored areas, because unlike the kaolinite, the inks ARE on the surface of the paper and will be removed even with light pressure.

I've heard rubber cement rolled into a ball until "tacky" to the touch will remove dirt very well. A school chum of mine tolded me he used this method on his artwork before presenting to his teachers.

 

Give it a test run and report back to us how it worked.

[topofthetotem]

I haven't done this but I do work with erasers in creating art. I would test it on cheap comic. It seems to me that the white eraser would remove the shine on the cover leaving a dulled area where the erasure strokes were applied.

 

Once again, not speaking from experience but just caution.

 

Dennis

I read that on the boards as well that the erasure removes the gloss.

 

Believe it or not (and despite what you may have read), if you use a white art eraser and very light pressure, you will not remove any gloss at all. Gloss on the paper is created when kaolinite (a kind of clay) is impregnated into the paper during the "calendaring" process -- where the paper is sent through a high pressure roller press with smooth rollers. The gloss is not a surface coating, and this will not be removed unless you disturb the paper fibers themselves. That's why it's ok if you use light pressure AND the right kind of eraser. Don't use a really abrasive eraser (such as a pink eraser) or you will affect the gloss.

 

Don't use the eraser on colored areas, because unlike the kaolinite, the inks ARE on the surface of the paper and will be removed even with light pressure.

I've heard rubber cement rolled into a ball until "tacky" to the touch will remove dirt very well. A school chum of mine tolded me he used this method on his artwork before presenting to his teachers.

 

Give it a test run and report back to us how it worked.

Send me our most expensive book and I will.

[rob_allan]

 

I used to do the rubber cement trick. I'm pretty worried it would leave some sort of residue atop the gloss.

[Artboy99]

Re: the erasure of the mark:

Don't do it. If the book has any value of any sort you are rolling the chance dice IMHO.

Leave it be, hate the mark, Love the book anyways.

 

Artboy99

[divad]

oK I've seen several instances of a book being damaged by a pencil eraser that actually knocked a book down a grade.

 

Is there any danger of this happening with a white art eraser? I have a book with a pencil mark on the back that I am never planning to sell, and I really HATE the mark. It's in a corner in a white area on the back cover. Being that I don't have any intention to sell the book, and I'd really love the book even more if it wasn't there, I'm heavily inclined to very carefully try to remove it with an art eraser. But I don't want to make the problem worse by doing so.

 

So am I safe to do it or not? Also, if I decide to slab the run of keys this belongs to, I'm worried it would get resto-labeled also. Now, I don't think removing the mark would change the grade at all (other than maybe dropping it) so I wouldn't want it resto-labeled. I've read CGC doesn't consider this restoration, but if it leaves a residue or some other mark then... ?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

First ask yourself . . . Why do you "really HATE the mark"?

[Ogami]

can your book garner a PLOD if you DO erase slightly in a color area and you notice that it does remove some of the color (lightens it a little?)

[FFB]

can your book garner a PLOD if you DO erase slightly in a color area and you notice that it does remove some of the color (lightens it a little?)

 

No. It just gets downgraded for the damage.

[Dad&Son-migration]

can your book garner a PLOD if you DO erase slightly in a color area and you notice that it does remove some of the color (lightens it a little?)

 

No. It just gets downgraded for the damage.

 

I second that...

[Rodey]

I have AT 25 I'm sending in to get signed by Rich Buckler. It has 1" light pencil line on the bottom on the back cover. No imprint. But I didn't want to take any chances. Does CGC still knock down for the pencil mark?