Cels Forum

     Usually it's not too difficult to remove the paper 
from the cel.  I haven't had any problems doing it myself.  
Just be gentle and patient.  It may take you several minutes 
if it's really stuck.  I saw one guy at a convention try to 
do it himself.  (Unfortunately, he sort of ruined his cel).  
But many people are able to do it correctly.  I don't 
recommend trying to remove a cel stuck to another cel layer 
or a cel stuck to a background.

Here's some guidelines: You might want to wear 
some cloth gloves, or at least be sure to wash your hands 
good.  Take the cel, and place it face down on a clean, 
flat surface.  Try not to handle it too much, and avoid 
bending the cel.  Now what you do is keep the 
cel flat and gently pull back the paper.  Try to start 
from an area of the cel that has a large painted area.  
     Remember that the cel is the important item, not 
the drawing or backing paper.  Quite often the drawing 
may get damaged when you remove it from the cel, but that's 
usually a fact of life.  If the paper is really stuck (and 
doesn't have a drawing on it), then you may want to cut the 
paper in a few trouble spots to make it easier to remove.   
     (continued)