Tape and adhesive removal

Sometimes earlier interventions have to be removed to make sure the document survives. Adhesive tape is the most common case: applied to “save” a tear, within a few years it becomes the main threat to the sheet.

Why tape damages paper

The tape’s adhesive migrates into the fibres, yellows, then turns brown. The plastic carrier eventually comes away and leaves a sticky stain, then a lasting brown one. The longer you wait, the harder it is to reduce.

How I remove it

• The carrier is lifted with a spatula, sometimes slightly heated, without pulling on the paper.
• The remaining adhesive is softened and removed with solvents chosen after testing, or with gels that limit how far they spread.
• The brown stain left by old adhesive can then be reduced, though rarely erased completely.

One piece of advice

Do not try to peel old tape off yourself: the paper splits and comes away with it. Leave it in place and send me a photo.