Posted by Marc Kahn on August 14, 2000 at 22:37:41:
In Reply to: pasted down Hasui & Restoration posted by Anders Rikardson on August 14, 2000 at 03:11:07:
Mr. Rikardson,
The fellow with the original question has a recently printed Hasui which has been laid down on "cardboard". If nothing is done, this print is doomed to death by toning. There is a good chance that the print can be replaced at the Watanabe Print Shop in Tokyo for 20,000 yen (about $185). This print is not a part of a priceless heritage which needs to be preserved at all costs. If ever there was a case where it is justified for an "amateur" to try to save his print, this is it!
You say: "Don't try to float it off the board yourself, it will probably be disastrous." and I disagree. I have removed 8 prints from their backing, using a bath of distilled water. 5 of them floated up off of the backing with no problem because the adhesive was water soluble. The other 3 all survived with minimal damage and are, I believe better off than they were, having been laid down to non-archival backings. None of these prints were worth more than $100.00.
I fully understand your noble intentions. Many of the prints which come into our possession are not replaceable. I have a print which is laid down which I won't touch because it is too precious, and the backing seems to be stable.
However, I strongly disagree with your dogmatic stance that owners shouldn't attempt to save their doomed prints. If the professional restorers were willing to provide information to us laymen, rather than use the scare tactics which are evident in your posting, we would all be better off, and so would our prints. I can't help but think that such tactics are at least partially motivated by a desire to protect their economic position as the restorers-elite.
The "articles" section of the www.shinhanga.net website has a lot of information which may be useful to print owners who would like to understand the other side of the scare tactics. Nobody is suggesting that anything like this be undertaken lightly or irresponsibly. However, one of the great advantages of the Internet is the ability to share information.
Sincerely,
Marc Kahn