Stuck Cels

I just bought some cels and the paint is stuck to the production drawings behind them. I was wondering if there was a way to get them apart without ruining them?

The method here outlined will certainly work but I suggest using distilled water as it is ph neutral, and tap or filtered water is always slightly acidic like a 7.3 vs the neutral 7. This will ensure as little damage as possible.

***OMG DON"T*** do what is said in these posts you will destroy your production drawings. The easiest and best way to remove stuck drawings is to lay your cel face down on a clean white T-shirt turned inside out(it's softer) next to a open window at night only. the moist air is enough to release the bonded weave of the paper from the paint. Each morning lightly tug up at the edges some will come loose each day. put a pencil between the paper and cel to hold open to the next nights air and after as little as a day or up to a week the drawing WILL come free and no harm will come to your drawings. This comes from a Disney archivist who showed me a great many years ago how to do it. Some use of a mister box has been used in the past but you have to have a super fine mist for this to work and it can cost alot to make one that will not soak your drawings. Use the night air, it works the best. if you have a covered screened porch all the better to lay them out under on a table. But never leave the artwork in the heat of the day or if it's going to rain, just put it out at night time with no chance of rain. I have done this to 2000 dollar cels very safely. good luck. Roy Aka Backlotanimation

I usually just slowly pull around them with very little force to test if the connection is unstable. After about an hour of slow pulling it comes off if it's not stuck in the middle. Typically the cel is stuck to the paper at these little spots. However you do it, you have to carefully detach it from the spots without ripping the paper or damaging the cel.