What the h*ll am I going to do about this?

[Karl S]

Today I recived a small parcel from Detlev Niemann. It included among other items a Bulgarian "Erinnerungs-medaille zum weltkrieg 1915-1918" plus the documents for the medal.

Well, now to the problem - I opend the paperbag where Detlev have placed the medal. It was this Jiffybag type of thing, with some kind of glue so that you can close it, open it and close it again - I think you know what I mean.
After looking at the medal for a while, I reach for the documents to have a closer look. Then I placed them on my desk again...and ofcourse I put one of them straight on the glue on the Jiffybag

So, now the bag is stuck on the document and I can´t remove it without causing damage to the urkunde.
I took a scissor and carefully removed most of the bag - but still ends up with a small piece of paper glued to the doc.

I was thinking about holding it over the steam of boiling water, but are seriously afraid that it will damage the doc. and the glue is not the kind found on letters etc.
Yes, I know I´m stupid but I would really need some

Karl S

[paddywhack]

how about holding it over a radiater or something that is very hot but doesnt involve steam! thats the best i can sugest!! hope it works!

[VerKuilen Ager]

Steaming is not a good idea unless the adhesive is water soluble (not the case here). Even then, the steam may be absorbed by the paper and cause wrinkles, color bleeding, and other problems.

Sorry I didn't see this earlier. Here's one of the most valuable collecting secrets I've ever discovered (good for other around-the-house situations as well).
The best all-around adhesive dissolver is simple cigarette lighter fluid. Cheap and readily available, it will dissolve most petroleum-based adhesives, evaporates quickly, and doesn't stain. I've used it with great luck on very old, tacky masking tape and other things you'd never think you could remove.

There are several techniques for success, depending on the situation and the materials. In your case, gently spread the two pieces of material a little bit and drip a little fluid on the area that's stuck. Then gently try to pull apart the pieces as the fluid liquifies the adhesive. You might have to repeat this several times, making only a little progress each time. If you get the pieces apart, some adhesive may remain on the item you are trying to clean. Drip fluid on the affected area and wipe it off with a clean tissue or cloth. Repeat until you get it all off.

I've found that this technique works on about 90% of situations. Once in awhile you'll find an adhesive that lighter fluid won't touch, and sometimes the adhesive is too old and dried out.

Cautions: Lighter fluid is a solvent (very similar to what is used in dry cleaning, I suspect) and it can dissolve things like typewriter ink, some xerox copy print, some printer's inks, and similar materials. It's always best to try and find a low risk test area for any restoration technique before going on to the main job.