Had any luck removing stain from York Caramels?

[big80s]

Hello friends,

I just picked up this 1927 York Caramel card and it has a nice stain on the back of the card. Is it worth trying to remove or should I leave it?



Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

[FrankWakefield]

Have you soaked it?

[big80s]

Nope. Would you recommend it? I haven't dealt with caramel stains before (assuming that's what it is).

[Leon]

I think that stain will be hard to get off by yourself. You might search out Dick Towle (the stain remover guy) and see what he says. You can do a few searches and easily find him plus he is a member here and checks in sometimes. I have heard he is good at what he does *(taking stains out of cards) though have never used him. Personally, I would leave it alone.

[big80s]

Thank you, Leon. I appreciate the input.

[FrankWakefield]

First, I don't think that's caramel, I think it's rust.

The card will soak. I think some of that will leave the card, but a bit will remain.

And Dick Towle has the products, tools, knowledge, and skill set that enable him to remove that. And if he can't, then I have doubts that anyone could.


You might soak it, and see what you think of it after the soaking. Then, you could contact Mr. Towle. Soaking is free, Mr. Towle isn't.

[big80s]

Interesting. I guess I assumed it was caramel because of the card issue.

Thanks for the reply, Frank!

Jeff

[Leon]

Originally Posted by big80s

Interesting. I guess I assumed it was caramel because of the card issue.

Thanks for the reply, Frank!

Jeff

I don't think any of us will be definitive on what the stain is without real testing but I will guess it is oil from the caramel product. It looks soaked into the card fiber, not sitting on top of it. Any rust I have seen on cards has been more orange or red. Just a guess on this and Frank could be right too. I would have a concern that a regular soaking could make that stain worse (spread out albeit a few shades lighter). It definitely is not something I have tried before. I have only soaked cards to get paper or paste residue off not stains. (that I remember)

[birdman42]

Originally Posted by FrankWakefield

First, I don't think that's caramel, I think it's rust.

Frank, that was one thought I had, too. Then I looked at it a little more, and it looks to me like a stain from one of those gummy old rubber bands. I have a few newer cards with a stain like this one: straight but uneven, and about that color.

Bill

[FrankWakefield]

Might be right about the rubber band. Seems to be a slight indentation at the top where the stain is, could have been caused by a rubber band or a paper clip. I don't think a short soak would hurt that, should only help. I don't think it would bleed, if you're worried about that, check on it every 5 minutes or so, and see how it's doing. If it looks like it's bleeding, blot it dry and abate the soak.