Kathleen,

If the glass fragments are in good condition then it is a fairly straight-forward proposition to use a combination of solvents and gentle mechanical methods (teflon spatulas) to remove the old tape and residues. What also matters is if the tape holds the glass in situ in the sign or if it is just just on the fragments that were separated from the sign. If the glass is not in good condition (oxidized or has paint on it) then you should get a conservator's advice in your area. This may not be something you want to jump into right away.

You are welcome to send me digital photos showing the details off the list and I will be happy to give you more specific advice.

Cheers!
Dave

David Harvey
Senior Conservator and Museum Consultant
Los Angeles, CA


On Tue, Jan 5, 2010 at 8:32 AM, Britton, Kathleen <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Good morning list!
 
We're going through and doing some storage upgrades to our material culture collection. When she started this morning, the volunteer working on the project discovered an old brass and glass lighted sign; one side of the sign is in good condition but the other is broken and the glass sherds being held in place with old and very dried masking tape. We're trying to remove the tape (the glass sherds will be placed in a separate envelope that will be in the sign's storage box), but not all of it will come off and what does, leaves some residue. Any suggestions on how to safely remove both the tape and residue? I don't want to use anything really abrasive as the sign is etched and I don't want to risk damaging that or the glass itself.
 
Many thanks!
Kathleen
 

Kathleen Emerson Britton
Interim Director/Curator of Collections
Rochester Medical Museum and Archives
333 Humboldt Street
Rochester, NY 14610
(585) 922-1847 / [log in to unmask]

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