Scotch tape removal

Factual Questions
1

I recently acquired an old album that has envelopes from the 30’s and 40’s. Unfortunately they all are glued down by the corners with scotch tape which has browned with age. This decreases the value of these items considerably. What I need is a way to remove the tape in such a way that the envelopes do not stain, and the tape and the glue lift off without removing any of the paper in the process. Thanks for your input!
Finnie

2

I would go right to the source, ask 3M:

http://www.3m.com/us/about3M/contact/index.jhtml

3

Having bought many a group of covers over the years that are like that, I can suggest that, even if you remove the tape, the adhesive will have already bled into the paper of the envelope, permanently staining it.

4

Thanks, both.ccwaterback , I sent them a message, and now wait with bated breath.

5

Scotch tape is acidic, which means that yes, the adhesive will probably have stained what’s under it. However, for tape removal in book repair, this is what we do: get a hair dryer, aim it at the tape, get it good and hot, then gently start to try to pry the tape up with the implement of your choice - in the lab we used microspatulas, but obviously you won’t have anything like that. Your fingers, a table knife, whatever you have that seems like it would work. Go slowly, keep the heat on it, and stop if it starts to "skin’ the paper (meaning starts to take that top layer off). If it does start to skin, try attacking it from a different edge. It may be that it just won’t come off without taking some paper with it, however, and there probably will be stains from the acid in the tape after it’s been there for a while. The sticky residue may be removed carefully with a vinyl art eraser, but the stain is there for good.

This, folks, is why you must take all your pictures out of those “magnetic” photo albums, the ones where you peel the plastic back, put your pictures in, and put the plastic back down over them. The glue in those albums does the same thing as the glue in the tape; it migrates through your pictures and stains and destroys them. Take your precious photographs out before it’s too late for them.