diff --git a/lib/damask/asciitable.py b/lib/damask/asciitable.py
index b69dd56a5..4575b2fe4 100644
--- a/lib/damask/asciitable.py
+++ b/lib/damask/asciitable.py
@@ -113,6 +113,7 @@ class ASCIItable():
 
 # ------------------------------------------------------------------
   def data_write(self):
+    if len(self.data) == 0: return
     if isinstance(self.data[0],list):
       self.output_write (['\t'.join(map(str,items)) for items in self.data])
     else:
diff --git a/processing/post/deleteColumn.py b/processing/post/deleteColumn.py
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..8f8872012
--- /dev/null
+++ b/processing/post/deleteColumn.py
@@ -0,0 +1,128 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+
+import os,re,sys,math,string,damask
+from optparse import OptionParser, Option
+
+# -----------------------------
+class extendableOption(Option):
+# -----------------------------
+# used for definition of new option parser action 'extend', which enables to take multiple option arguments
+# taken from online tutorial http://docs.python.org/library/optparse.html
+  
+  ACTIONS = Option.ACTIONS + ("extend",)
+  STORE_ACTIONS = Option.STORE_ACTIONS + ("extend",)
+  TYPED_ACTIONS = Option.TYPED_ACTIONS + ("extend",)
+  ALWAYS_TYPED_ACTIONS = Option.ALWAYS_TYPED_ACTIONS + ("extend",)
+
+  def take_action(self, action, dest, opt, value, values, parser):
+    if action == "extend":
+      lvalue = value.split(",")
+      values.ensure_value(dest, []).extend(lvalue)
+    else:
+      Option.take_action(self, action, dest, opt, value, values, parser)
+
+
+
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------
+#                                MAIN
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+parser = OptionParser(option_class=extendableOption, usage='%prog options [file[s]]', description = """
+Remove column(s) containing scalar, vectorial, and/or tensorial data.
+
+""" + string.replace('$Id$','\n','\\n')
+)
+
+parser.add_option('-v','--vector',      dest='vector', action='extend', type='string', \
+                                        help='heading of columns containing 3x1 vector field values')
+parser.add_option('-t','--tensor',      dest='tensor', action='extend', type='string', \
+                                        help='heading of columns containing 3x3 tensor field values')
+parser.add_option('-s','--special',     dest='special', action='extend', type='string', \
+                                        help='heading of columns containing field values of special dimension')
+parser.add_option('-d','--dimension',   dest='N', action='store', type='int', \
+                                        help='dimension of special field values [%default]')
+
+parser.set_defaults(vector = [])
+parser.set_defaults(tensor = [])
+parser.set_defaults(special = [])
+parser.set_defaults(N = 1)
+
+(options,filenames) = parser.parse_args()
+
+if len(options.vector) + len(options.tensor) + len(options.special)== 0:
+  parser.error('no data column specified...')
+
+datainfo = {                                                               # list of requested labels per datatype
+             'vector':     {'len':3,
+                            'label':[]},
+             'tensor':     {'len':9,
+                            'label':[]},
+             'special':    {'len':options.N,
+                            'label':[]},
+           }
+
+
+if options.vector  != None:    datainfo['vector']['label']  += options.vector
+if options.tensor  != None:    datainfo['tensor']['label']  += options.tensor
+if options.special != None:    datainfo['special']['label'] += options.special
+
+
+# ------------------------------------------ setup file handles ---------------------------------------  
+
+files = []
+if filenames == []:
+  files.append({'name':'STDIN', 'input':sys.stdin, 'output':sys.stdout})
+else:
+  for name in filenames:
+    if os.path.exists(name):
+      files.append({'name':name, 'input':open(name), 'output':open(name+'_tmp','w')})
+
+# ------------------------------------------ loop over input files ---------------------------------------  
+
+for file in files:
+  if file['name'] != 'STDIN': print file['name']
+
+  table = damask.ASCIItable(file['input'],file['output'],False)             # make unbuffered ASCII_table
+  table.head_read()                                                         # read ASCII header info
+  table.info_append(string.replace('$Id$','\n','\\n') + \
+                    '\t' + ' '.join(sys.argv[1:]))
+
+# --------------- figure out columns to process
+
+  columns = []
+
+  for datatype,info in datainfo.items():
+    for label in info['label']:
+      key = {True :'1_%s',
+             False:'%s'   }[info['len']>1]%label
+      if key not in table.labels:
+        sys.stderr.write('column %s not found...\n'%key)
+      else:
+        columns.append([table.labels.index(key),info['len']])               # remember column and extent of requested data
+        if (info['len'] == 1):
+            table.labels.remove(label)                                      # remove single column head
+        else:
+          for i in xrange(info['len']):
+            table.labels.remove('%i_%s'%(i+1,label))                        # remove multidimensional column head
+
+  columns.sort(key=lambda x:x[0],reverse=True)                              # sort from highest column to delete backwards
+
+# ------------------------------------------ assemble header ---------------------------------------  
+
+  table.head_write()
+
+# ------------------------------------------ process data ---------------------------------------  
+
+  while table.data_read():                                                  # read next data line of ASCII table
+    for col,len in columns:                                                 # loop over removal candidates
+      del table.data[col:col+len]                                           # remove each associated entry
+    table.data_write()                                                      # output processed line
+
+# ------------------------------------------ output result ---------------------------------------  
+
+  table.output_flush()                                                      # just in case of buffered ASCII table
+
+  file['input'].close()                                                     # close input ASCII table
+  if file['name'] != 'STDIN':
+    file['output'].close                                                    # close output ASCII table
+    os.rename(file['name']+'_tmp',file['name'])                             # overwrite old one with tmp new
diff --git a/processing/setup/setup_processing.py b/processing/setup/setup_processing.py
index 9ce864c05..f0bbb3b02 100755
--- a/processing/setup/setup_processing.py
+++ b/processing/setup/setup_processing.py
@@ -100,6 +100,7 @@ bin_link = { \
                 'addStrainTensors.py',
                 'addCompatibilityMismatch.py',
                 'averageDown.py',
+                'deleteColumn.py',
                 'mentat_colorMap.py',
                 'postResults.py',
                 'spectral_iterationCount.py',