Getting tiny pieces of scrap tobacco off a T205?

[obcbeatle]

Hello ... has anybody ever soaked a T205 (or T206) Polar Bear card ... to try to remove tiny pieces of scrap tobacco? These would be two very tiny pieces of scrap tobacco that you can see ... AND feel by touch. My understanding is Polar Bear was scrap tobacco (pieces of chewing tobacco?) that commonly stuck to the card and often caused staining (because perhaps the card was loose in the tobacco pouch itself?). I don't want to try to gently push the two pieces of tobacco off using a fingernail or any other device as I believe it would tear the paper off. Thus my curiosity about soaking it to see if the tobacco pieces come off on their own in the water ... or perhaps trying to nudge them off gently while the card is soaking? I thought maybe someone has already tried this before? The card is not a HOFER or anything like that. It is just a Fair condition card that I'd like to increase the eye appeal a little since the pieces of tobacco are ill placed. So no worries about damaging an expensive card. I've only soaked a few old cards ... to remove paper that was glued to the back (scrap book paper). Soaking those worked very well. Thanks in advance! Jerry.

[Leon]

I don't think I have tried the Polar Bear scrap as far as getting it off the back of a card. My guess is that if it has been on there for a hundred years getting it off might reveal close to the exact same size stain.

Originally Posted by obcbeatle

Hello ... has anybody ever soaked a T205 (or T206) Polar Bear card ... to try to remove tiny pieces of scrap tobacco? These would be two very tiny pieces of scrap tobacco that you can see ... AND feel by touch. My understanding is Polar Bear was scrap tobacco (pieces of chewing tobacco?) that commonly stuck to the card and often caused staining (because perhaps the card was loose in the tobacco pouch itself?). I don't want to try to gently push the two pieces of tobacco off using a fingernail or any other device as I believe it would tear the paper off. Thus my curiosity about soaking it to see if the tobacco pieces come off on their own in the water ... or perhaps trying to nudge them off gently while the card is soaking? I thought maybe someone has already tried this before? The card is not a HOFER or anything like that. It is just a Fair condition card that I'd like to increase the eye appeal a little since the pieces of tobacco are ill placed. So no worries about damaging an expensive card. I've only soaked a few old cards ... to remove paper that was glued to the back (scrap book paper). Soaking those worked very well. Thanks in advance! Jerry.

[drcy]

I would think tobacco could cause staining that would be hard to remove.

[obcbeatle]

Thanks Leon/Drcy ... I hadn't even thought about the stain probably being as bad as the actual tobacco scrap sticking to the card. I guess I hadn't thought this through :-) So far this is the only "T" card I've ever owned that had actual tobacco scrap clinging to a card. I wonder how common that is? I guess more so for Polar Bear. Anyway ... thanks for the quick replies! Jerry.

[brob28]

Jerry, I've had some decent luck removing tobacco stains and small pieces. Its hard to completely remove them, but I think the results of this Willis soak show you can certainly improve the cards appearance.

[Bocabirdman]

Originally Posted by brob28

Jerry, I've had some decent luck removing tobacco stains and small pieces. Its hard to completely remove them, but I think the results of this Willis soak show you can certainly improve the cards appearance.

Bill's results are quite typical. Use a bit of patience and avoid a heavy hand during the dying process and you should be able to remove the heavy stains, leaving a lighter footprint. With a little luck, some stains will completely disappear. Realistic expectations are key. His Willis is not perfect after soaking but it sure looks a helluva lot better.