Erasers

Sarah Wagner's piece on erasers referred to the use of Scum-X and in
particular mentioned that this product contained particles of sand. I
read this with alarm and, knowing the *new* manufacturer well, contacted
same for comment. The reply from the company's President was swift and
to the point: "We do not know of any sand in our "X" dry cleaning powders
and pads! There is no sand in our factory at all".

I wonder whether the Scum X used was the new or old type.
There are bound to be many sources around the
world still with old "Scum-X" stocks.

I should add though that I have no knowledge whatsoever of the
composition of the original Scum-X quality. I would certainly be uneasy
about using *any* rubber on the face of the photograph since even
limited pressure is I would have thought going to cause surface damage.

Mark G. Vine
Conservation Resources, England

                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 8:76
                  Distributed: Sunday, March 19, 1995
                        Message Id: cdl-8-76-001
                                  ***