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EAM Deacidification

EAM Deacidification

2002-10-29 by Paul Roark

I don't have a 100% solution to this problem yet, but there is some news to
report.

First, the Bookkeeper spray on the back has not raised the pH of the
interior fibers enough to see a difference with an acid test pen.  It may
never, but that may be more about the limited test abilities of the pen than
the effectiveness of Bookkeeper deacidification spray.

The maker of Bookkeeper has not tested EAM yet.  They have purchased some
and will get to it when time permits.  Hopefully their tests will tell us
more about whether the acidity can be lowered enough to stop the yellowing.

Ammonia does deacidify EAM.  Ammonia is a gas -- NH3 -- that is usually
dissolved in water for household use.  It is an effective deacidification
agent.  Not only does a weak liquid solution totally deacidify the entire
EAM, but the fumes alone do it.  I put an open cap-full of household ammonia
and an EAM sample in a zip lock bag overnight.  By morning, the entire
EAM -- surfaces and interior fibers -- tested as acid-free with the test
pen.

So, I've found an easy way to deacidify EAM.  However, there are at least 2
caveats.  First, ammonia gas does not leave a buffer.  So, while the EAM may
be "acid free" today, whatever it is in the EAM that is causing the acidity
may re-acidify the paper quickly.  Second, the de-acidification may affect
printing -- lowering the dMax among other things.  I'll test this soon.

On the back of one of the ammonia-deacidified test strips I've sprayed
Bookkeeper, which will add a buffer at least to the back of the paper.  My
testing ability with the pen limits the extent that I can measure the change
in pH of the interior fibers.  That plus uncertainty as to what pH level
causes the yellowing may stop us from ever having hard information on the
long run effectiveness of deacidification procedures.  However, these easy
procedures may do enough to put the yellowing problem off so many years that
it is a moot issue.

Speaking of yellowing, my fade testing suggests that the new batches of EAM
may have fewer optical brighteners.  At least the yellowing I see in my fade
tests appears to have been reduced.  I think that Epson changed the coating
formula to lessen the yellowing -- with the unfortunate lessening of the
dMax.  Perhaps they (also?) put (more?) buffers in the coating. (The coating
has never tested as acidic the way the paper base does.)

Paul
http://www.PaulRoark.com

RE: [Digital BW] EAM Deacidification

2002-10-30 by Paul Roark

The ammonia deacidification does not affect the printing at all from what I
can tell.  The dMax, etc. is the same as with a non-treated EAM.

Paul
http://www.PaulRoark.com
_________________________________
Show quoted textHide quoted text
  -----Original Message-----
  From: Paul Roark [mailto:paul.roark@...]
  Sent: Tuesday, October 29, 2002 8:40 AM
  To: DigitalB&WPrint
  Subject: [Digital BW] EAM Deacidification


  I don't have a 100% solution to this problem yet, but there is some news
to
  report.

  First, the Bookkeeper spray on the back has not raised the pH of the
  interior fibers enough to see a difference with an acid test pen.  It may
  never, but that may be more about the limited test abilities of the pen
than
  the effectiveness of Bookkeeper deacidification spray.

  The maker of Bookkeeper has not tested EAM yet.  They have purchased some
  and will get to it when time permits.  Hopefully their tests will tell us
  more about whether the acidity can be lowered enough to stop the
yellowing.

  Ammonia does deacidify EAM.  Ammonia is a gas -- NH3 -- that is usually
  dissolved in water for household use.  It is an effective deacidification
  agent.  Not only does a weak liquid solution totally deacidify the entire
  EAM, but the fumes alone do it.  I put an open cap-full of household
ammonia
  and an EAM sample in a zip lock bag overnight.  By morning, the entire
  EAM -- surfaces and interior fibers -- tested as acid-free with the test
  pen.

  So, I've found an easy way to deacidify EAM.  However, there are at least
2
  caveats.  First, ammonia gas does not leave a buffer.  So, while the EAM
may
  be "acid free" today, whatever it is in the EAM that is causing the
acidity
  may re-acidify the paper quickly.  Second, the de-acidification may affect
  printing -- lowering the dMax among other things.  I'll test this soon.

  On the back of one of the ammonia-deacidified test strips I've sprayed
  Bookkeeper, which will add a buffer at least to the back of the paper.  My
  testing ability with the pen limits the extent that I can measure the
change
  in pH of the interior fibers.  That plus uncertainty as to what pH level
  causes the yellowing may stop us from ever having hard information on the
  long run effectiveness of deacidification procedures.  However, these easy
  procedures may do enough to put the yellowing problem off so many years
that
  it is a moot issue.

  Speaking of yellowing, my fade testing suggests that the new batches of
EAM
  may have fewer optical brighteners.  At least the yellowing I see in my
fade
  tests appears to have been reduced.  I think that Epson changed the
coating
  formula to lessen the yellowing -- with the unfortunate lessening of the
  dMax.  Perhaps they (also?) put (more?) buffers in the coating. (The
coating
  has never tested as acidic the way the paper base does.)

  Paul
  http://www.PaulRoark.com



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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

RE: [Digital BW] EAM Deacidification

2002-10-30 by Paul Roark

15 minutes in a bag/zip lock with ammonia is all that is needed to deacidify
EAM (meaning the Abbey pH test pen shows good purple - pH higher than 6.8 -
even on interior fibers).  Of course, no buffer is introduced with just the
ammonia treatment.  Bookkeeper spray to the back is probably the best we can
do for buffering future acid production.

Paul
http://www.PaulRoark.com
__________________________________
Show quoted textHide quoted text
  -----Original Message-----
  From: Paul Roark [mailto:paul.roark@...]
  Sent: Tuesday, October 29, 2002 5:31 PM
  To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
  Subject: RE: [Digital BW] EAM Deacidification


  The ammonia deacidification does not affect the printing at all from what
I
  can tell.  The dMax, etc. is the same as with a non-treated EAM.

  Paul
  http://www.PaulRoark.com
  _________________________________
    -----Original Message-----
    From: Paul Roark [mailto:paul.roark@...]
    Sent: Tuesday, October 29, 2002 8:40 AM
    To: DigitalB&WPrint
    Subject: [Digital BW] EAM Deacidification


    I don't have a 100% solution to this problem yet, but there is some news
  to
    report.

    First, the Bookkeeper spray on the back has not raised the pH of the
    interior fibers enough to see a difference with an acid test pen.  It
may
    never, but that may be more about the limited test abilities of the pen
  than
    the effectiveness of Bookkeeper deacidification spray.

    The maker of Bookkeeper has not tested EAM yet.  They have purchased
some
    and will get to it when time permits.  Hopefully their tests will tell
us
    more about whether the acidity can be lowered enough to stop the
  yellowing.

    Ammonia does deacidify EAM.  Ammonia is a gas -- NH3 -- that is usually
    dissolved in water for household use.  It is an effective
deacidification
    agent.  Not only does a weak liquid solution totally deacidify the
entire
    EAM, but the fumes alone do it.  I put an open cap-full of household
  ammonia
    and an EAM sample in a zip lock bag overnight.  By morning, the entire
    EAM -- surfaces and interior fibers -- tested as acid-free with the test
    pen.

    So, I've found an easy way to deacidify EAM.  However, there are at
least
  2
    caveats.  First, ammonia gas does not leave a buffer.  So, while the EAM
  may
    be "acid free" today, whatever it is in the EAM that is causing the
  acidity
    may re-acidify the paper quickly.  Second, the de-acidification may
affect
    printing -- lowering the dMax among other things.  I'll test this soon.

    On the back of one of the ammonia-deacidified test strips I've sprayed
    Bookkeeper, which will add a buffer at least to the back of the paper.
My
    testing ability with the pen limits the extent that I can measure the
  change
    in pH of the interior fibers.  That plus uncertainty as to what pH level
    causes the yellowing may stop us from ever having hard information on
the
    long run effectiveness of deacidification procedures.  However, these
easy
    procedures may do enough to put the yellowing problem off so many years
  that
    it is a moot issue.

    Speaking of yellowing, my fade testing suggests that the new batches of
  EAM
    may have fewer optical brighteners.  At least the yellowing I see in my
  fade
    tests appears to have been reduced.  I think that Epson changed the
  coating
    formula to lessen the yellowing -- with the unfortunate lessening of the
    dMax.  Perhaps they (also?) put (more?) buffers in the coating. (The
  coating
    has never tested as acidic the way the paper base does.)

    Paul
    http://www.PaulRoark.com



          Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
                ADVERTISEMENT





    Please visit the Group Homepage to check the Files, Bookmarks, Polls and
  other resources as they are often being updated. The page is at:

    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint

    If you wish to receive no emails or just a daily digest, or you wish to
  unsubscribe, please edit your Membership preferences by visiting this same
  page.

    Please follow these basic guidelines:
    - Include your full name with your message.
    - Include the address of your website, if you have one.
    - As threads develop, trim off excess portions of earlier messages to
keep
  them short.
    - As the topic of a thread changes remember to change the subject
header.
    - Good manners are required at all time. No personal attacks or
  "flames."
    - Complete your Yahoo profile.
    - Before posting a question, search the message archives and the various
  resources on the homepage.




    Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.



  [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]


        Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
              ADVERTISEMENT





  Please visit the Group Homepage to check the Files, Bookmarks, Polls and
other resources as they are often being updated. The page is at:

  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint

  If you wish to receive no emails or just a daily digest, or you wish to
unsubscribe, please edit your Membership preferences by visiting this same
page.

  Please follow these basic guidelines:
  - Include your full name with your message.
  - Include the address of your website, if you have one.
  - As threads develop, trim off excess portions of earlier messages to keep
them short.
  - As the topic of a thread changes remember to change the subject header.
  - Good manners are required at all time. No personal attacks or
"flames."
  - Complete your Yahoo profile.
  - Before posting a question, search the message archives and the various
resources on the homepage.




  Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Re: [Digital BW] EAM Deacidification

2002-10-30 by Ernst Dinkla

----- Original Message -----
Show quoted textHide quoted text
From: "Paul Roark" <paul.roark@...>
To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, October 30, 2002 7:48 PM
Subject: RE: [Digital BW] EAM Deacidification


> 15 minutes in a bag/zip lock with ammonia is all that is needed to
deacidify
> EAM (meaning the Abbey pH test pen shows good purple - pH higher than
6.8 -
> even on interior fibers).  Of course, no buffer is introduced with just
the
> ammonia treatment.  Bookkeeper spray to the back is probably the best we
can
> do for buffering future acid production.

And they can't do that for us at the Epson paper plant ?
Very cheap process so price can not be the reason.

Ernst

Re: [Digital BW] EAM Deacidification

2002-10-30 by Jeff Randall

Ernst:

Its not the cost, its the long term effectiveness that is the point.  
The ammonia treatment will/might neutralize existing free acid in 
EAM, but it will not make the paper archival.  As Paul says, it does 
not buffer the paper.  Ammonia is a gas and will evaporate and 
therefore will not be available to neutralize future acids as they 
form.

Jeff Randall

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "Ernst Dinkla" 
<E.Dinkla@c...> wrote:
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Paul Roark" <paul.roark@v...>
> To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y...>
> Sent: Wednesday, October 30, 2002 7:48 PM
> Subject: RE: [Digital BW] EAM Deacidification
> 
> 
> > 15 minutes in a bag/zip lock with ammonia is all that is needed to
> deacidify
> > EAM (meaning the Abbey pH test pen shows good purple - pH higher 
than
> 6.8 -
> > even on interior fibers).  Of course, no buffer is introduced 
with just
> the
> > ammonia treatment.  Bookkeeper spray to the back is probably the 
best we
Show quoted textHide quoted text
> can
> > do for buffering future acid production.
> 
> And they can't do that for us at the Epson paper plant ?
> Very cheap process so price can not be the reason.
> 
> Ernst

Re: [Digital BW] EAM Deacidification

2002-10-30 by Paul Roark

Ernst,

With a wood-pulp paper base, even if the lignin has been mostly removed --
and maybe even with a cotton base -- some buffering is needed to stop acids
from being formed, at least at some level, even if due to atmospheric gases
attacking the cellulose.  So, mere deacidification by Epson would not solve
the problem.  The paper would probably be acidic again by the time we used
it.

(Acids apparently build up quickly in sealed enclosures.  Old books that are
sealed can deteriorate at 10 times the rate of those that can "breath" and
release some of the H+ ions to the air.  Some of the materials I've read on
the subject call the reactions "auto-catalytic," snowballing at ever faster
rates.  Of course, EAM is sealed until we open the containers.)

More interesting than why Epson doesn't deacidify the paper is why there is
no calcium carbonate in the paper base.  That too is cheap.  My assumption
is that there is some negative affect on the image -- either dMax or image
stability.  If this is so, then even if they just put the buffer on the back
(like with a Bookkeeper application), it would be transferred to the front
by contact, since the paper is stored front-to-back.

I noted previously that the deacidified EAM prints the same as the standard
EAM.  I now have a control, untreated EAM and a deacidified, back-buffered
EAM in the fader and we'll see what happens.  I hope that the application of
the buffer on the back avoids any negative effects it might have on the
image.  My reading suggests that, while the acids' damaging H+ ions migrate,
the buffers do not.  So the magnesium oxide buffer should be well isolated
from the image -- as long as the prints are not stacked.

Paul
_________________________
Show quoted textHide quoted text
>> 15 minutes in a bag/zip lock with ammonia is all that
>>is needed to deacidify
>> EAM (meaning the Abbey pH test pen shows good purple - pH
>>higher than 6.8 - even on interior fibers).
>>Of course, no buffer is introduced with just the
>> ammonia treatment.  Bookkeeper spray to the back is
>>probably the best we can do for buffering future acid production.

>And they can't do that for us at the Epson paper plant ?
>Very cheap process so price can not be the reason.

Re: [Digital BW] EAM Deacidification

2002-10-31 by Bob Frost

Ernst,

Couldn't the reason be that this paper is designed for color printing, and
the interaction between the color dyes/pigments and the receptors in the
paper can depend on a simple anionic/cationic interaction. So although some
might want neutral or buffered papers for max life of B&W prints, this might
conflict with the requirement to precisely localise the ink dyes/pigments
and to prevent them spreading, thus enhancing color detail.

Just a possibility, from what I have read.

Bob Frost.

----- Original Message -----
Show quoted textHide quoted text
From: "Ernst Dinkla" <E.Dinkla@...>
>
>
> > 15 minutes in a bag/zip lock with ammonia is all that is needed to
> deacidify
> > EAM (meaning the Abbey pH test pen shows good purple - pH higher than
> 6.8 -
> > even on interior fibers).  Of course, no buffer is introduced with just
> the
> > ammonia treatment.  Bookkeeper spray to the back is probably the best we
> can
> > do for buffering future acid production.
>
> And they can't do that for us at the Epson paper plant ?
> Very cheap process so price can not be the reason.

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