New Tool For Cleaning Covers

I really dislike seeing pencil notes on covers that are 40+ years old and not anding anything positive to the cover. I wanted them off.
I just spent around $35.00 for an electric eraser. This item is for ghraphit on paper, not ink, it has noPhthalate - PVC. The product made by Sakura COlorProducts Corp - Japan. Electric Model:SE-2000 weighs less than 3 oz and comes with 2 AAA batteries and plenty of spare white erasers. I have been using them to remove inventory marks, seller marks and prices. It works just wordrerful! I'm cleaning up my collection, taks less than 5 seconds per cover.The whole collection looks much better because of it. You can get them at practacally any drafting supply web site.I'm leaving notes concerning the stamp, grill, cover etc. on the cover. I would give it a 5 star rating. It was quick and effective. Did no affect any green, blue, tan or white envelops.

Art

Good on you, lad. I politely decline to understand why the dirt the cover bore when it came into our possession is sanctified at the time, and by the act, of acquisition.

Of course, it is always possible that any artifacts of cleaning (such as that now-cleaner spot now being a bit lighter than the rest of the cover) might lead people to draw conclusions about your inner character, business ethics, and human worth, so it is best to stick (as you seem to do) to removing things which are not relevant to the 'story' that the cover has to tell.

If museums can clean & restore Rembrandts et al, why should we have to preserve every jot & tittle on a cover?

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

That device any good for removing stains?

Not good for stains nor could I detect any bright spot after the erasure. I don't think any paper was affected.

Eric Hebborn, probably the best art forger ever, used soft white bread to clean up paper and also to absorb grease spots. It is one of the art conservationist's preferred methods for erasing pencil as it is a low friction method and less likely to rub away the paper surface along with the pencil. I have never used one of the electric erasers because of the possibility of taking off the paper surface, and also, where treasured items are concerned the slower approach to conservation is less likely to result in damage to the piece generally.

Terry

Art,
We have a local dealer that rights in pencil on every cover. I have an electric pencil. I will try that. I am very intrigued by Terry's white bread deal. It took me years to get my wife to switch to whole wheat. What do you think she will say when I tell her to get white bread because I want to soak up stains and soiling on covers?
Pat

We worry about malware, and yet we cyber-hang with a guy who knows something like this?

OTOH, the words I live by:

"People who think that they know everything really piss-off those of us that do."

Good on you, TC.

I won't buy white bread to clean covers (my mother favors potato bread, so I need not risk being spotted buying white bread) but I look forward to trying raisin-cinnamon-swirl to age a few.

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

Perhaps some before and after pictures would be helpful?

smauggie,

I'll scan some images and post them this week. I'm actually very happy with the results. I should have done that with my 1st post.

Art

This is perhaps one of the worst marked up cover in my collection. Fortunately, it's on the back. These were all scanned at 1200 dpi and then reduced in size using paint.







Edited: Resized last image isnt working correctly....
Art

Well done, Art.

Hi IkeyPikey,

Mr Hebborn advocated all sorts of products for ageing his forgeries, so I am sure he would have jumped at your suggestion of raisin cinnamon swirl (sounds tasty}. My Gran made potato bread, pan bread and raisin bread in an old range oven. All white flour. I have never found anything to beat them ever since. Thank you for reminding me of my childhood. Oh for a time machine.

Terry

Happy memories, TC.

Tried potato bread on an old yellowed postcard. No discernible effect but, of course, yellowing probably run deeper than pencil, and probably involves a chemical reaction, to boot.

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

I find the bread trick rather interesting. I use a regular white eraser that comes on those "clickie pencils" and gives a great result as well. I would be interested to see your new little device if it can be managed? I suppose I could just Google it...lol

I have a few albums from collections that I purchased intact where the pricing was penciled in next to all of the key stamps; going to have to try the white bread trick to see if it'll neatly remove all of that penciling in the albums.

Hi jaxstamper,

Be very careful using bread to erase close to stamps mounted in the albums. The safe way is to make an erasing shield by cutting a small square hole in thin card. You can then lay and hold this firmly over the stamps and erase through the hole.

Terry