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  • 1.  Conserving a Palm-Leaf Manuscript with makeup on it

    Posted 03-10-2026 07:53

    Hi,

    I have a palm-leaf manuscript that apparently has some recent makeup on several of the leaves. If I use a dry Q-Tip on a leaf without the lampblack, it comes off, but I don't want to damage the leaves. It somewhat spreads when I do that. Anyone have any tips to remove this? Here are some of the leaves:



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    Ram Meenakshisundaram
    Minneapolis
    United States
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  • 2.  RE: Conserving a Palm-Leaf Manuscript with makeup on it

    Posted 03-10-2026 12:56

    Hello Ram,

    Thank you for reaching out to C2C care! This isn't my area of expertise so I've reached out to some of our collections care experts for advice. I'm not sure that any of them will have experience removing makeup residue specifically, however, I imagine they will have some general insight on proper surface cleaning techniques for palm leaf manuscripts that can be applied to your situation. I will share their responses as soon as I hear back from them.

    Best,

    Nemi



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    Nemi Velez
    Connecting to Collections Care Community Monitor
    Collections Care Technician
    Case Western Reserve University Library
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  • 3.  RE: Conserving a Palm-Leaf Manuscript with makeup on it

    Posted 03-10-2026 17:20

    Thank you Nemi for your assistance. It is very perplexing as to how makeup ended up on this manuscript. It arrived in this condition yesterday and I have been looking for a way to conserve this manuscript. Palm leaf manuscript conservation is somewhat dated and I wish there were more recent conservatory instructions on this... 



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    Ram Meenakshisundaram
    Minneapolis
    United States
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    Original Message


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