Thanks Martin,

Yes the Linseed oil soak treatment - for an unspecified period - plus a 
rinse with Ronsonol (it's branded  here in Australia as Shellite and I've 
used it for many years for cleaning) may be a good approach. I might first 
obtain  some Linseed oil and experiment with  solvents to dilute/remove it 
before doing anything with the tape. The tape is part of a set of three 
reels of the final ceremony of the 1962 Commonwealth Games held here in 
Perth. It was a big event in the life of our city. The other two (also 
Acetate) tapes must have been stored elsewhere as there is no trace of 
contamination on them and they will transfer well.

Thank  for the tips,

Tim  Gillett
Perth,
Western Australia

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Martin Fisher" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, March 27, 2019 10:01 PM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Linseed Oil tape contamination


>I always turn to Ronsonol lighter fluid as a good place to start since it's 
>good at most goo applications and doesn't, of itself, leave a residue.  If 
>that doesn't work the linseed oil idea seems worth a try then following up 
>with the Ronsonol for final cleanup if needed.  My last resort is a careful 
>application of alcohol but this sometimes is detrimental to the binder. 
>Use alcohol with caution.  If the acetate base is then prone to brittleness 
>or curling try rehydrating (method available upon request) before transfer.
>
> Martin
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List 
> <[log in to unmask]> On Behalf Of Tim Gillett
> Sent: Wednesday, March 27, 2019 6:22 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Linseed Oil tape contamination
>
> Thanks Greg, interesting idea to use linseed oil.  I guess it would take 
> some time and it would all need to be in a sealed container to prevent 
> drying out of the oil.  Thanks also for the other discussion list links.
>
> Tim.
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Greg Schmitz" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Wednesday, March 27, 2019 6:04 PM
> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Linseed Oil tape contamination
>
>
>> Tim,
>>
>> You're looking for a solvent that might remove at least some of the dried
>> and hardened linseed oil but not destroy the tape base. The first thing
>> that comes to mind is linseed oil. Not sure how effective it would be on
>> dried oil, but it might be a starting point. I've used oils to remove oil
>> based adhesives from lots of surfaces.
>>
>> --greg
>>
>>
>>
>> On 3/27/19 1:58 AM, Greg Schmitz wrote:
>>>
>>> Tim,
>>>
>>> Ugh, sounds awful. Have you thought about asking about your tape dilemma
>>> on a conservation list like ConsDistList
>>> <http://cool.conservation-us.org/byform/mailing-lists/cdl/instruct.shtml>?
>>> You might also check the CoOL archives 
>>> <http://cool.conservation-us.org/>
>>> or equivalent sites in other countries. It sounds like you've got the
>>> kind of mixed environmental contamination problem(s) frequently faced by
>>> conservators of various stripes. Reminds me of the map that was
>>> eventually retrieved, covered with oil and solvents, from the bottom of
>>> an elevator shaft at a very famous library in NYC.
>>>
>>> --greg schmitz
>>>
>>>
>>> On 3/27/19 12:29 AM, Tim Gillett wrote:
>>>> Hi,
>>>>
>>>> I've been given a few acetate 7" 1/4" tapes which by the smell of them
>>>> (as a child I used to oil my cricket bat with it) appear to have 
>>>> linseed
>>>> oil on them, to varying degrees and probably there for many years. The
>>>> oil has dried to a glue. Sand has adhered to the tapes in spots. The
>>>> tapes have been stored in cardboard boxes which are partially soaked in
>>>> the oil as if having sat flat in a shallow puddle of oil.
>>>>
>>>> General (non tape) instructions I found online mentioned removing
>>>> linseed oil with acetone and ethanol as solvents. I applied some 
>>>> acetone
>>>> to a short, blank section of tape and the tape was dissolved almost
>>>> instantly. Does anyone have experience with this problem?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Thanks,
>>>>
>>>> Tim Gillett
>>>> Perth,
>>>> Western Australia
>>>>
>>>> ---
>>>> This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
>>>> https://www.avast.com/antivirus
>