Letter by Samuel Clemens                  

Held together by strips of tape, this letter was sent to me for repair.  The immediate challenge was to preserve the signature while removing the tape and underlying stains.  The first step was to test a range of solvents to find the chemistry that would remove the adhesive tape and underlying adhesive without affecting the printing ink.  Once determined, the strips of tape were removed from the front and back and any remaining adhesive was then swabbed away.  The torn areas were reinforced using a transparent lens tissue and the final restored document encapsulated.