Page 332 - Green - Maritime Archaeology: A Technical Handbook. 2nd ed

Chapter 11: Artifact Drawing 311
line and working away from the line, scrape off the offending ink. You may end up with a glassy surface if you are too rough; in that case it is better to rub out the whole area. As a rule, be gentle and try not to scratch the surface. In particular, it is important to avoid using the point of the scalpel, as this will scratch the surface.
To remove a line or a badly blotted line a fine film rubber (usually white plastic) or a coarse ink rubber (usually gray and abrasive) and an erasing shield are useful. The shield can be made by using scraps of old drafting film. It is then placed over the work to be protected and the exposed offend- ing ink work is erased. The film rubber works best if it is damp (use the tip of the tongue or a damp cloth) and rub in the direction of the line holding the shield firmly over the material to be protected. The other option is to erase the beginning of the line with a scalpel and then use the fine rubber to erase the rest of the line, thus avoiding the possibility of the rubber smudging the line more. If the scalpel breaks into the good work and the line has to be touched up, use the coarse rubber to smooth the surface where the scalpel has been. This helps to improve the surface in prepara- tion for the new ink. It may be worth selecting the next finer pen if you find it the line thickening too much.
When correcting wet work there is no point in using a scalpel as it will simply move the ink around on the film. The best method is to use absorbent paper tissues first to dry the mistake, and then to use a hair dryer to dry the work so that it can be worked on with a rubber. Using the rubber, clear as much of the error as possible, and then work with the rubber parallel to the direction of the lines so that the smudging is confined to the line itself. If the work is reasonably dry, an eraser shield can be used. Often, after a line has been erased, a ghost line will be noticed, either of the line or of the smudge. This is caused by the rubber drying a fine layer of greasy ink on the film. It can be removed with either a damp, fine rubber or a coarse rubber.
B. ERASING INK LINES ON PAPER
Erasing ink on paper is very difficult, and it is one of the reasons why paper is not recommended for drawing. The only real solution is to use type- writer correcting fluid to block out the error. If the offending ink can be isolated it may be possible to paste a piece of white paper over the mistake and re-draw it. If the correction is in a complex piece of artwork, the drawing over the correcting fluid is very difficult, because its surface tends to be soft and takes the ink differently from paper. It is advisable to experi- ment with correction fluids before using them.