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Archiver > MODAVIES > 2007-02 > 1172444959


From: "Leon O. Kearns" <>
Subject: Re: [MODAVIES] important addition to our resource center
Date: Sun, 25 Feb 2007 17:09:19 -0600
References: <693caa875874a2aa71fbfbb125b85339@grm.net>


Lanirta,

I am not a fan of laminating anything after working with those obits I just
scanned. If the get a crease in them they are hard to get unfolded.
Below is some information I came across on the internet. They make an acid
free sleeve that is used to protect documents.

How to Preserve Old Photos and Documents

WARNING!:

Archivists have discovered the hard way that using ordinary lamination
plastic for old documents, newspapers, photos, etc., does not preserve them.
The best way to preserve them is to store them in a dark place after placing
in acid-free Mylar film (not laminated). Ordinary lamination material still
permits light rays to pass through it and to cause a chemical reaction to
the acid that most modern paper and modern dyes contain, and that ALL old
documents photos contain. This causes deterioration of paper and fading of
the paper and print. The heat and pressure of most lamination processes
also damages documents.

Of course, keeping original documents is important, but one should always
copy (scan) newspapers and other documents and then print them on acid free
paper, which can be found at just about all stores selling printer paper
and/or computer supplies. Too, one should save the graphics files from
scanned documents and put the files on CDs for permanent safekeeping. Life
expectancy for data on CDs is 80-100 years for premium quality CDs.

-------------------------------------------------
EXCERPTS FROM VARIOUS WEB SITES:

The key to preserving your paper documents and photos is to keep them in an
acid-free, humidity-controlled environment. Your paper documents and photos
need protection from a variety of elements which contribute to their
deterioration -- namely: light; heat; humidity; acids in papers, plastics,
and adhesives; pollutants; and pests.

You can store and preserve your paper documents in a few different ways.
You can organize and file them in acid-free folders, and keep them in an
acid-free box. Or you could place your documents in archival-safe,
acid-free plastic sleeves and keep them in an album or binder. Another
popular alternative is to encapsulate a document between two sheets of
polyester (Mylar) film.

Regardless of how you choose to store your documents, NEVER STORE THEM IN AN
ATTIC OR BASEMENT. Extreme temperature and humidity changes cause rapid
deterioration. Store your items in a room that is comfortable to you, with
stable temperature and humidity.

Plastic enclosures are safe for documents ONLY if they are made of
polyester, polypropylene, or polyethylene. Other plastics are not
chemically stable and will release damaging acids over time. Especially
dangerous is PVC (polyvinyl chloride) plastic commonly found in
"store-bought" binders; it emits hydrochloric acid over time.

There is no problem with putting more than one document in the same plastic
sleeve, but documents should be interleaved with acid-free paper to prevent
acid migration from one document to another. Acid-free paper that is
buffered will also counteract the formation of more acids in the future.

Lamination of a document is NOT considered a safe conservation technique
because the process may potentially damage a document due to high heat and
pressure during application. Moreover, the laminating materials themselves
may be chemically unstable and contribute even more to the deterioration of
the document. Lamination also violates a cardinal rule of conservation, and
that is to only apply treatments that do not alter the item, and which can
be reversed. Lamination cannot be reversed.

Since newspapers are made of highly acidic paper and deteriorate so quickly,
you should always photocopy the information you want from them onto
acid-free paper. You can then store the original paper in an acid-free box,
or mount clippings in an archival scrapbook. Clippings could also be stored
in acid-free file folders, interleaved with acid-free paper. If you want to
frame the clipping, you should frame the acid-free copy rather than the
original clipping.

The inks used in photocopiers and printers are only moderately durable.
Most printers have no alternative ink available that will not fade with
time. Epson does produce DuraBrite ink for some of its printers, which is
water-, smudge-, and light-resistant, and is supposed to be stable for
80-100 years. It is a good rule of thumb to photocopy or scan any document
you wish to preserve onto acid-free paper. If you then keep the original
and copy away from light, heat, humidity, etc., the document should last for
several generations. Incidentally, there are archival inks for use on paper
when one makes entries by hand: Pigma ink comes in a pen (do a web search
for "Pigma ink" or "Sakura", which is the company making this ink); Actinic
ink comes bottled for use with a quill pen or in an ink pad (do a web search
for "Actinic ink").

Often when paper objects (such as wedding certificates) have been stored
rolled for many years, they become quite brittle. In order to safely unroll
your certificate, moisture needs to be restored to the document (known as
humidification). Placing your document in a humid environment for several
hours should make it more flexible, allowing you to carefully unroll and
flatten it. Watch out for ink on the document that might bleed (don't
humidify it if the ink will run). You may have to experiment with the level
of humidity and the amount of time you leave the document exposed; monitor
to make sure it does not get saturated. Attempt to carefully unroll the
document while it is still humid. (Do not proceed if it resists or begins
to crack or tear.) You could then flatten it by placing the document
between two pieces of blotting paper, and then place a heavy object on top
for a few days.

The same rules which apply for the safe storage of paper documents generally
apply to photos. Again, there are a number of options for preserving your
photos. If you prefer an album, some archival albums have acid-free
components such as scrapbook style pages, picture-pocket pages made of one
of the safe plastics, etc. Store-bought albums with "magnetic" pages are
typically highly acidic and dangerous to photos. Besides albums, there are
acid-free boxes made to accommodate between 500 and 1000 prints. These
boxes come with acid-free envelopes and sleeves for negatives. Finally,
photographs can be encapsulated in polyester film (acid-free, such as Mylar)
just like paper documents.

There are a variety of storage options available for storing negatives. The
best choice depends on the number of negatives and one's preference.
Negatives can be stored in acid-free envelopes -- paper or plastic -- and
placed in an acid-free box made for negatives and prints. There are also
clear acid-free plastic sheets which hold various size negatives and can
then be put in a binder. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
recommends non-buffered storage for color prints and negatives, and buffered
storage materials for black and white prints and negatives. Nitrate film
should be stored in buffered materials.

When photos have been glued to photo album paper, the safest and recommended
way to remove them from the paper is to carefully try to lift the photos off
of the album page with a tool called a micro-spatula or a small spatula.
Slip the micro-spatula under the edge of the photo, and carefully move it
back and forth. The ease with which the photos come up may vary depending
on the humidity level. Dry conditions may make prints and backing brittle,
easier to lift. Or humid conditions may soften the adhesive and ease
removal. Experiment with it, but DO NOT force the photos so that they tear.

If you cannot lift them, cut away the black paper around the photo. If
photos are on both sides of the page and you cannot cut around, interleave
the pages of the album with acid-free paper and store the album in an
acid-free box.




HOW TO HYDRATE OLD DOCUMENTS THAT ARE HARD AND BRITTLE, AND HOW TO REPAIR
THEM:

Old documents are often rolled or folded and stuck in cedar chests and
drawers for years before someone moves them. They are aged in their shape
and can break with handling. They are dry and need to be hydrated.

Look around your home for a container with a tight fitting lid (not so tight
fitting that the container needs to be tipped for a grip to take off the
lid). One container that can be used is a new galvanized garbage can; try
to find a small one if all you have is a few letter size documents.

Inside the (clean) container, place a heavy bowl with a flat bottom. Inside
of THIS bowl, place a glass of water. Documents can be placed, several at a
time, around outside of the bowl in the large container (outside of the
water please). Make sure they are stable enough not to tip over into the
water. Place the lid on the container and leave it alone for several hours.
Needless to say, this whole thing should be out of the way of dogs,
children, and mothers who insist on constantly dusting! Put it in a spare
room and close the door.

After several hours, check the paper. Flex it to check how well it unrolls,
unfolds, or just feels right. (It's like making dough - you learn the
feel.) Some papers hydrate very quickly. A super thick post-Victorian
wedding certificate might need to be left in as long as 24 hours, but many
papers hydrate in six hours.

Purchase white blotter paper in an art supply store. Lay one sheet of
blotter paper down on a table, and spread the documents as flat as possible
on the blotter paper. Check to make sure folded edges are unfolded, and
torn edges close together. A set of stamp collector tweezers is perfect for
this job and other steps to follow. Place another blotter paper on top.
Weigh down this whole thing with heavy books (one use for an encyclopedia
set).

The blotter paper will absorb any excess moisture and mold is rarely a
problem. Leave the documents pressed for 12 to 24 hours. If they roll when
uncovered, they either need to be pressed more or they possibly need
hydrated more (although that's very rare).

After uncovering the documents, you can begin repair. Odd smudges of dirt
and pencil can be encouraged off with a Pink Pearl eraser. Don't use any
other kind. Other types of cleaning products should only be used by
professionals, and the Pink Pearl eraser should be used with extreme
caution.

There is a special repair tape called "Filmoplast" (transparent). (Do a web
search for "Filmoplast"; you will find dozens of sources.) The back of the
document should always be repaired first. The Filmoplast tape is pH neutral
and doesn't yellow. It also can be removed and applied again during the
taping process, which is a big help for those doing this for the first time.
Don't use "scotch" tape--EVER. Remove old tape if it won't destroy the
document finish. It usually falls right off.

Mylar top-loader envelopes are fine for storing smaller documents. They can
be purchased at one of the discount chains on sale (very inexpensive, about
$4 for 50). Archival companies charge a lot more. But many documents need
bigger storage. You may also purchase a pack of large size Mylar sheets and
a heavier Mylar roll in a very large size. To use these, you need
double-sided tape. Make sure you purchase Ph neutral tape. (Again, just do
a web search for "Mylar envelopes" or "Mylar sheets".)

Cut two pieces of Mylar about one inch larger than the document you have.
Lay the now repaired and flat document in the center of one Mylar piece.
Unroll a length of double-sided tape and carefully place it from one corner
of the document to another corner, leaving at least 1/4 inch of air space
from the document to the tape. Repeat on each side, leaving an "air hole"
of 1/8 inch or slightly larger at each corner. There will be a paper lining
on the top side of the tape. Leave it in place for now.

Lay another piece of Mylar on top. Set a gentle weight on top of the stack,
so that your sheets don't move as you work. With your tweezers, work one
edge of paper lining off of one length of tape. Strip it off, and then
press the two Mylar pieces together on that side. Repeat, one side at a
time. It can be tricky to do this without making a ripple, but the tape
stays removable for a long time. An old squeegee roller can be used to set
the tape after it is checked. Trim outside edges, if needed. Store flat in
an archival box or artist's portfolio for the best preservation.

The first document is nerve-wracking to do, but it really is easy.




MORE TIPS FOR PRESERVING OLD PHOTOGRAPHS AND DOCUMENTS:

Since the beginning of time, mankind has been recording history; however,
only within the past 150 years have we been able to document history
photographically. What we learn about our past provides a transition from
our ancestors to our offspring. Photographs provide a graphic portrayal of
yesterday, but if we neglect and do not preserve our photographs, some of
our history will fade away along with those images.

DETERIORATION:

ENVIRONMENTAL - Temperature and humidity affect photographs and documents
more than any other element. Best conditions are under 70° F, with the
relative humidity under 50%. High humidity is most harmful, and high
temperatures accelerate the deterioration. Cyclic conditions (high heat and
humidity followed by cold and dry weather, followed by high heat, etc.) are
very bad for film emulsion and may cause cracking and separation of the
emulsion from the support.

AVOID THE FOLLOWING:

Attics and Basements - The worst places to store your photographs or
documents is in an un-insulated attic or basement. In the summer,
temperatures in an attic could reach 125° F, while in the winter they can
get down to less than 0°. With the constant high temperatures and humidity
in the summer, and low temperatures and humidity in the winter, the
photographs or documents will become brittle. In severe cases, the emulsion
(image) on the photograph can separate from the base (paper). These cyclic
conditions will have a devastating effect on any paper product.

Un-insulated basements are usually moist, which can cause photographs to
stick to each other. Another problem encountered in basements is that they
are great breeding grounds for insects and rodents which are strongly
attracted to gelatin and cellulose in the photographic emulsion.

The best places to store important photographs or documents are in a safe
deposit box at your bank. They are usually climate controlled and kept dark
to provide almost ideal storage conditions. The ideal storage conditions
are 68°± 2° and humidity of 50% ± 5%.

Wood, Paper and Paper Products - Wood and papers contain harmful additives
such as bleach or hydrogen peroxide. Use only paper products that are acid
free. Proper storage containers are available from archival suppliers (see
below).

Miscellaneous Materials - Rubber bands or rubber cement contain sulphur,
which degrades photographic emulsions. Paper clips can abrade or scratch
the surfaces of prints or negatives. Pressure sensitive tapes usually
contains acids which can accelerate the deterioration process. Any kind of
ink also contains acids. Fingerprints on prints or negatives create
physical damage from the oils and acids in human skin.

Fumes and Vapors - from oil-based paints, varnishes, shellac, carbon
monoxide (automobiles stored in garages), and photocopiers, including laser
copiers, cause serious damage to photographs and documents. (Most
photocopiers produce ozone as a by-product; ozone acts as a bleach and the
fumes may accelerate the deterioration). Also, the intense light and heat
from copiers are detrimental to photographs.




SAFE STORAGE:

Paper - Use only lignin-free (lignin is from paper pulp), acid-free,
un-buffered paper. Use this paper to store photographs or as interleaving
paper in albums.

Plastics - Any of the following plastics are safe to use in storing
photographs, negatives or documents:

Polyester, Mylar, Polypropylene, Polyethylene, and Tyvek.



HOW TO GET STARTED PRESERVING OLD PHOTOGRAPHS:

The first step is to identify what the pictures show, because only photos
that are identified and labeled are worth preserving. Sometimes it's best
to start with your most current photos and work backward in time. Note
what's going on in the picture, who's in it, and where the photo was taken.
Date the photo as closely as you can. Write the information on the back of
the photo with a soft 6B drawing pencil, which is available in art supply
shops. Be sure to use people's real names if you know them, not just
associations like mother or grandfather.

For home movies, write the identifications on the leader. Note when it was
shot, by whom, and what the event is. Home movies can be very difficult to
identify. If possible, sit down with the person who made the movie, ask
him/her to narrate it, and take notes.

Many people have old photos in their collections that are often
unidentifiable. You often can't say with certainty whether the person shown
is a family member. Set the pictures aside and work on them last. Put your
energy into the ones that can be identified.

After you've identified the photos, work on storing them properly. There
are two primary ways to store photographic prints - using a filing system in
archival boxes or using photo albums.

Use file photos in archival boxes if you have a lot of photos to arrange.
You can organize the pictures in files by subject, person, or year. Once
the pictures are organized, you can pick the best and put them in an album.
It's important to use acid free folders and boxes. The acids in paper
products can be harmful to photos.

Albums allow you to display pictures more easily, but also tend to be more
expensive than filing. Some of the best pre-made albums are manufactured by
Webway, a Minnesota company (do a web search for "Webway Photoalbums").
Again, seek out acid-free papers and notebooks made from archival board. Or
you can buy clear plastic pages made from polypropylene and insert the
photos. Do not use vinyl pages or notebooks. They emit harmful vapors and
shorten the life of photos.

In general, don't take apart existing photo albums. They're like diaries
and scrapbooks; they have a personal story and order to them. Often they
contain the handwriting of the person who made them. If the photos in an
old album have become loose because of detached or missing photo corners,
replace the photo corners. The exception to the "don't take apart rule" is
magnetic photo albums. They contain a sticking material that is detrimental
to photos, and they need to be taken apart. People buy them because they
allow you to easily arrange photos on a page, but photo corners allow easy
management too.

Slides can be stored in boxes or carousel trays if you keep the lid on; they
are very susceptible to dust, light, and extreme heat or cold. Non-vinyl
slide pages can also be used. And if you have slides, photo CDs, home
movies, or home videos, be sure to save the hardware that you'll need to
view them. You'll need that equipment to enjoy your images, when the
technology becomes obsolete in the future




PRESERVING NEGATIVES:

It's very important to save your negatives. Many people think negatives are
a nuisance, but they are the originals and they'll allow you to make new
prints if a print is destroyed. Negatives last well if they're not handled.
Keep them in polyethylene or polypropylene sleeves.

(A word about scanning photos, slides, and negatives. Scanning photos, no
matter how high a resolution you use to scan, will almost always appear
"grainy" if you increase their size beyond that of the originals. Slides
and negatives, on the other hand, have such a high resolution that you can
scan them and increase the size of printed pictures without degrading the
quality. As an example, if you scan a 5x7 photo and increase its size in
your computer graphics program to, say, 10x14, to print out a very large
picture, it WILL be "grainy" and have no "sharpness"; scanning the negative
from which the photo was originally made will allow you to increase the size
greatly without degrading the quality of the picture.)

Exposure to light can hurt photos. Locate framed pictures on the least
sunny walls in your house. Better yet, make a copy of the photo and keep
the original in dark storage. Metal frames are preferable to wood (wood
contains acids). Use a 100 percent rag matte board and remove any wooden
backing used in old frames.

Dark storage is especially important for color photos, such as children's
school portraits. Some studios do not process them properly, making them
more susceptible to color changes. Since they come in multiples, display
one and keep one in storage. If it changes color, have a black and white
photo made.

The absolute best film to use, if you want your pictures to be around for
your grandchildren and their children, is black and white. Most color
photos fade over time. If black and white pictures don't seem appropriate
or possible, then take color prints or slides. Prints have the advantage of
being easier to view, and they don't accumulate dust as much as slides.
Instant pictures (e.g., Polaroid pictures and Kodak equivalents) are good
for parties and games only. They're likely to disappear in 10 years, so
when you're going to document an important event, leave your instant camera
at home.

If you're going to purchase a digital camera for photos, make sure it will
take pictures with a HIGH resolution/large sizes. Older digital cameras,
and newer inexpensive ones, usually took pictures of very small sizes and
resolutions. You can't take a graphic from one of those cameras and
increase its size beyond about 3x5 inches.

Copy photography is the way to save the images on torn or defaced
photographs. A basic rule in photograph preservation is to leave the
original just the way it is. The copy photographer uses retouched copy
negatives or copy prints to bring back the image.

Leon

----- Original Message -----
From: "Lanita Sconce Smith" <>
To: <>
Sent: Sunday, February 25, 2007 3:00 PM
Subject: [MODAVIES] important addition to our resource center


> Okay you guys... I need some help. I have a couple of ideas, but I need
> some input from your guys.
>
> The DCGS have been given a paper copy [larger than 10 x 14] of a book
> which is the history of Daviess Co. from 1837-1937. As you can imagine,
> it is is poor shape with pages very delicate and brittle.
>
> I want to somehow copy these pages, and put in a book where researchers
> will be able to us without fear of destroying the pages.
>
> Would it be easier and less costly if I
>
> 1. laminate the whole original book now, without copying the pages
>
> 2. copy the pages, and then laminate them and store the original
> safely away.
>
> I need some feedback!! Which is the wisest and less costly? There's
> lots of good stuff in here, so since it is your county history, what do
> you want/prefer to have done?
>
> Lanita
> DCGS Pres.
>
>
> -------------------------------
> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to
> with the word 'unsubscribe' without the
> quotes in the subject and the body of the message
>

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