Digital BW, The Print

Does anyone have any experience with or knowledge relating to the issue of
deacidifying paper?

There appears to be a large body of information relating to mass
deacidifying the huge body of old documents that are now self-destructing
due to the acid content of the paper used.  A related issue is deacidifying
individual papers, posters, etc.  The goal, of course, is to extend the life
of these papers.  Numbers like 300 - 500 years are tossed around.  It
appears to be a big deal with some lofty claims.

The process is to impregnate an acidic paper with acid-neutralizing
chemicals and buffering.

Two companies have sprays that are said to be ideal for individual posters,
etc.  These two products are called "Wei T'o" (the name of a Chinese god who
protects books) and Bookkeeper.  The Wei T'o website has substantial
information on it.  See http://weito.com/intro.htm

A several year old test on a Stanford cite draws into question the
effectiveness of the Bookkeeper spray product, while indirectly indicating
to me that the overall approach does have merit.

The obvious concept:  why not just spray the back of EAM with a Wei T'o
spray to deacidify the paper while not touching the surface (where buffering
might reduce the lightfastness of the pigments).

If we can't find a better-looking paper, maybe we can make the paper better.

Paul
http://www.PaulRoark.com

Light Impressions carries a product that may or may not be one of the 
products you mention. It's in their conservation section.

www.lightimpressionsdirect.com/servlet/OnlineShopping 

It comes in a spray can or a bottle for brush on application. It 
sounds intriguing but is the back of the paper a different Ph from 
the coating? How much would you gain? I guess there is no way to know 
except to try it and perform a fade test...


--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "Paul Roark" 
<paul.roark@v...> wrote:
> Does anyone have any experience with or knowledge relating to the 
issue of
> deacidifying paper?
> 
> There appears to be a large body of information relating to mass
> deacidifying the huge body of old documents that are now self-
destructing
> due to the acid content of the paper used.  A related issue is 
deacidifying
> individual papers, posters, etc.  The goal, of course, is to extend 
the life
> of these papers.  Numbers like 300 - 500 years are tossed around.  
It
> appears to be a big deal with some lofty claims.
> 
> The process is to impregnate an acidic paper with acid-neutralizing
> chemicals and buffering.
> 
> Two companies have sprays that are said to be ideal for individual 
posters,
> etc.  These two products are called "Wei T'o" (the name of a 
Chinese god who
> protects books) and Bookkeeper.  The Wei T'o website has substantial
> information on it.  See http://weito.com/intro.htm
> 
> A several year old test on a Stanford cite draws into question the
> effectiveness of the Bookkeeper spray product, while indirectly 
indicating
> to me that the overall approach does have merit.
> 
> The obvious concept:  why not just spray the back of EAM with a Wei 
T'o
> spray to deacidify the paper while not touching the surface (where 
buffering
> might reduce the lightfastness of the pigments).
> 
> If we can't find a better-looking paper, maybe we can make the 
paper better.

> 
> Paul
> http://www.PaulRoark.com

Paul,

There's also a product called Archival Mist that I heard about a year or two
ago, but I haven't tried it.

What does the Library of Congress do, if anything, re deacidifying paper?

Tom Keesling
Intelligent Design, Inc.

For things like newspapers, I think our Conservator washes them several
times - mainly, I think, in distilled water...

I'll ask her

tim

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Thomas Keesling [mailto:tom.keesling@...]
> Sent: Saturday, September 21, 2002 1:24 PM
> To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [Digital BW] Deacidifying EAM
>
>
> Paul,
>
> There's also a product called Archival Mist that I heard about a
> year or two
> ago, but I haven't tried it.
>
> What does the Library of Congress do, if anything, re deacidifying paper?
>
> Tom Keesling
> Intelligent Design, Inc.
>
>
>
>
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----- Original Message -----

From: "Thomas Keesling" <tom.keesling@...>
To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, September 21, 2002 9:23 PM
Subject: [Digital BW] Deacidifying EAM


> Paul,
>
> There's also a product called Archival Mist that I heard about a year or
two
> ago, but I haven't tried it.
>
> What does the Library of Congress do, if anything, re deacidifying paper?
>
> Tom Keesling
> Intelligent Design, Inc.

Here in the Netherlands several methods exist.
There's an expensive technic with a kind of gas chamber etc where books in
batches are deacified.
That is used by archives to preserve the enormous amount of books with bad
paper of the last 250 years
with Alum sizing etc.
Another disaster are some of the writing inks with an iron in it. The
chemistry changes and the paper next to the writing is completely destroyed,
no remedy for it I believe.

Ernst