Digital BW, The Print

Paul-

At the risk of getting flamed from others, I'd have to disagree.
Pastels are chalk, layed down without an agent (liquid), so are
necessarily more delicate.  

Having worked with conservators (in a prior life) I can understand how
they would want to spray pastels. But, transposing that official
okee-dokee to inkjets, well, I don't see the stretch.

My argument has never been with spraying, but adding ANY encapsulation
other than glass or Mylar that could stress fracture over years.

A couple of questions for the testers:

1. Color shifts.  Not only when initially applied, but after some
sunlight testing.

2. How long before it stops giving off volatiles? Weeks, months, ever?
(There are tests like that on paints and how they affect photographs)

Not argumentative; just inquisitive.

Seth

=My interest in these sprays is due, in part, the de facto 
=endorsement of the products by Ross Merrill, Chief of 
=Conservation at the U.S. National Gallery of Art (at least in 
=1997) in Washington D.C.  In a 1997 speech regarding pastel 
=conservation he said as follows regarding fixatives:
=
="Today there are a number of alternatives. Krylon Acrylic 
=Varnish B72 is used by conservators. This product will remain 
=unchanged for 400 years, but does have a tendency to saturate 
=the surface. Grumbacher B77 varnish or "tough film" is the 
=same as B72, but will not saturate. Krylon workable fixative 
=and Sennelier fixative are both good products. One should stay 
=away from Grumbacher's "blue label" fixative." See 
=<http://www.bmi.net/knapp/iapsmerrill.html>
=
=He was basically saying that any pastel that was bought by a 
=museum would be sprayed with one of these fixatives to avoid 
=the pastel from being damaged. It occurred to me the our