I do not now which conservator was queried about this matter, but stains from margarine/butter are treatable. An individual conservator may choose not to treat a particular artifact, based upon an examination of the artifact, but that is not the same thing as saying that an artifact cannot be treated. I regularly receive requests to conserve artifacts which I am not competent to treat. When that happens, I refer the inquirer to a conservator in whom I have confidence with respect to the artifact in question. Jack C. Thompson Thompson Conservation Lab Portland, OR [log in to unmask] On Sat, 27 Apr 1996, Rebecca Andrews wrote: > I wanted to share this information with the list about a conservation > issue with a work of art on paper. I DID call a conservator first! A > recent donation of a silkscreen print came into the museum with 2 blobs of > 'I Can't Believe It's Not Butter' (tub) on the image, much to the chagrin > of the donor. They had very carefully wrapped the print on the kitchen > table before coming to the museum. I called a local paper conservator, > who said that this is most likely not treatable (grease on paper). > Because the paper is a very thick rag, the grease of the butter (NOT) > would probably require water in addition to solvents to treat. > Unfortunately, these types of inks are water soluable... > > So we will live with the stains, and isolate the print from > others in the collection. > > > Rebecca Andrews > Collections Manager, Ethnology > Burke Museum > University of Washington >