Leather portfolio stuck severely to a wooden shelf?
My daughter's leather portfolio has been stuck severely to a wooden shelf for a few years in the attic. This portfolio has her photos and is extremely important. How can we easily remove it?
Related Discussions
How to get rid of mice?
We seem to have some unwelcome Mickeys and Minnies in our house. What is the best way to get rid of them?
How to remove popcorn ceiling with asbestos?
I want to remove my popcorn ceiling, but it has asbestos in it. How do I go about this safely?
How to caulk baseboard gaps?
How do I fill gaps at baseboard, should I caulk? If so, does anyone know how to caulk baseboards?
How to fix squeaky hardwood floors?
How do I fix squeaky hardwood floors?
How can I remove these water marks from wood tables?
My husband bought these tables and a few of them are in good condition while some have like water marks on them (not sure though). I would like to know what could I ... See more
Cat scratch pulls on a couch
I have an ivory, jacqaurd fabric couch. I recently rescued two young cats and one has claws. I came home one day to find she scratched the front of the arms. They had... See more
I would try to slightly lift an edge and get some olive oil between the two. Use a plastic scraper or old credit card to keep lifting while adding oil.
Can you remove just the pictures? The portfolio would be secondary to the contents. Then try as Ann suggested, use olive oil and a scraper of some sort to loosen and none of the oil on the pictures.
You might try using a hair blow dryer to "warm up or soften" the contact between the portfolio and the wood. The olive oil could then perhaps be used as well.
As odd as it may sound, I would heat the area with either a blow dryer or low temp on heat gun. Add a lubricant like WD40 to help the process along. The case is most likely a lost cause but at least you can possible save the photos. Although, once exposed to high heat they may also need restoration. I have a friend who does it on his computer as a hobby so I'm sure there software available to assist you.
I agree with the heating up idea, it was the first thing that came to my mind as well! Can you use a hair dryer underneath the shelf?
Try a butter knife gently between the leather and the wood apply gently upward pulling as you do.
30 Easy Ways to Unstick Something That's Stuck
https://www.wisebread.com/30-easy-ways-to-unstick-something-thats-stuck
Spray some WD40 underneath. Use some Goo Gone applied with a small paint brush
Hello agree with the heat idea with a plastic nylon type spatula or pancake flipper to help ease it off the shelf.
Hi! Can you remove it from the attic? Even with good ventilation most attics aren't the best for delicate or valuable items. Once you have it in a more climate controlled environment, I would try to gently work it loose. The main problem I have with WD40 for example, is the smell. Since it's leather you are dealing with, I would try Goo Gone or a leather cleaner working from the edges. No matter how carefully you remove it, it may be damaged. I would remove all the photos before working on it. Good luck!
Hello,
Try heat to soften the polish/varnish. Best wishes. I would remove the Photo's etc. first.
Hi Deb, so sorry to hear that. I would remove the photos first if possible and then run a thin piano wire or possibly even the wire you use to hang pictures gently between the leather portfolio and the shelf, wriggling it softly as you go. Best of luck
Worked on this problem and finally Goo Gone worked. Thank you
You might try using a hair blow dryer to "warm up or soften" the contact between the portfolio and the wood. The olive oil could then perhaps be used as well.
I have the same issue. Did you use heat and did the goo gone damage the leather book?