I’m wondering if q-tip + water would be a safe method for trying to remove small stains from old blueprints? I’m assuming the blue pigment wouldn’t be water soluble? These are small town high-school blueprints from the 1920s, so I’m guessing the quality of materials may not have been the best.
The stain almost looks like rust, so I’m not sure water will even touch it, but thought that might be a place to start.
Any other suggestions?
From the general colour of blueprints and the age of these, I’d say the pigment used is prussian blue. I wouldn’t say that water couldn’t form a tide mark (from say a spill) A q-tip less so, but I couldn’t personally recommend it.
I’m a vistor here. The direct people of MITRA can’t give out advice on restoration.
Marc.
Hi there, as a paper conservator I would strongly recommend not cleaning old blueprints with water; this will most likely cause tidelines on the surface where water is used. Unfortunately, you will need a conservator to safely clean stains off the blueprint – I know this might not be good news, but blueprints can be tricky. It is likely that the stain will not budge with water alone at this point anyway, and might need something a bit more targeted. The American Institute for Conservation has a “Find a Conservator” tool that is very helpful for finding someone in your area who might be able to take a look.
Best wishes,
Gillian
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