In the smoker of car 150 there are three or four car cards that might date back to service on the LSE. Unfortunately they have been covered with some substance, perhaps shellac, that has turned red and is very opaque and alligatored. I'm leary of trying to remove it, since the cards might be wrecked in the process. The coating also makes the flash reflection worse. This card has an address at the bottom in either Cleveland or Toledo, I don't remember which.In any case, this dates back to the days when one could evidently live well on $100 a month.
3 comments:
If it's shellac, you might be able to remove it (albeit slowly) with some denatured alcohol and Q-tips.
If you really want to remove for preservation and possible reproduction I would consult someone who is an expert in document restoration. They may be able suggest a method that would leave the document in good enough shape to be restored. I would be afraid of just trying something in the hopes that it would work.
Chris Chestnut
I'd thought about trying alcohol, but it might also damage the ink and paper, and sounds like a real mess. I'm not even sure it could be removed in one piece. In any case, the 150 isn't going to be restored any time soon!
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