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From: (Carole Allen)
Subject: Preserving large document
Date: Fri, 01 Oct 2004 06:59:01 GMT


My nephew has a large item that he wishes to preserve. When his
grandfather was in late stage cancer and could not sleep at night he
would go to the kitchen and write words expressing his love for his
wife. He appears to have used parchment paper (probably the kind you
use for baking purposes, as it would have been handy in the kitchen).
With age it has become more fragile, almost approaching tissue paper.
It is large, at least 18 x 24 inches. For awhile after he died it was
hung on a wall with tape, but more recently has been kept in a tube.

We intend to try some photographs with my digital this weekend. (I
have a sony P100.) We have Photoshop and my sister has access to a
high end output machine in the print shop where she works. So we are
confident we can preserve images of it, manipulate the image size and
clarity, etc. We will likely reduce and frame one copy for his
grandmother to have so she can hang it.

My nephew's larger concern is preserving the actual item. I was
thinking if we could get archival acid-free paper in large enough
sheets, that the item could be "blanketed" in such sheets on both
sides, then rolled and inserted into an archival tube. I see
unbuffered tubes on the net for sale, but don't see the paper in large
sheets.

My nephew wanted to laminate the thing, as he has access to a large
size cold press laminator at his college, but the item is so fragile I
would be concerned that it would wrinkle or even tear in the rollers
of the laminator. Also, I don't think lamination is a very good
medium for preservation long-term. So for now he is holding off on
that idea.

Suggestions?

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