Re: pt/pd mounting > not gum related

[Katharine Thayer <kthayer@pacifier.com>]

On Sep 12, 2006, at 7:16 AM, Camden Hardy wrote:

> > I still think there's some confusion here.   The issue isn't whether
> > to use an acidic board or to use a non-acidic board;
> Actually, Katherine, it is.  That was my question.  If you refer to  
> the
> original post, I was looking to either bust or confirm the myth  
> that acid
> board is good for pt/pd prints.
Yes, I thought I made it clear yesterday that I understood that that  
was your original question, when I pointed out  that Gawain and Liam  
had initially responded to a different question  (whether buffered  
board -- board where a buffering agent is used to raise the pH above  
neutral--may be bad for pt/pd prints)  rather than your question, and  
that  the answer to your question is no,  acid board is not good for  
pt/d, or for any kind of print, no matter what someone may have told  
you.  Acid makes paper turn brown and brittle and crumble into tiny  
bits, so you wouldn't want to print on or mount on or mat with acid  
paper (see also Eric's understated comment yesterday, "I think we can  
all agree that a pH where paper is happy is neutral and above?")  So  
I thought we'd already disposed of that "myth."  So, while the  
original question was about acidic vs nonacidic board, my point below  
was that regardless of the question, the only real issue in choosing  
a board is between  pH neutral rag board (nonbuffered) board  and  
buffered board.

Besides, as far as that goes,  let's look at whether this "myth"  
makes any sense from a common-sense standpoint.  Where are you going  
to find these "acid" boards that are supposed to be so good for pt?   
There are no acidic boards, for obvious reasons. Even wood pulp  
boards are treated somehow to make them start out "acid-free" even if  
they're not necessarily going to stay that way.

Katharine



On Sep 11, 2006, at 3:41 PM, Camden Hardy wrote:


> Well, it took a while, but we finally got some interesting  
> conversation
> going.  Thanks to those who contributed.
>
> So, to make sure I understand this, here's my take on the topic  
> (please,
> correct me if I'm misunderstanding).  In theory, pt/pd has enough acid
> problems to worry about without using an acid board, so use buffered.
> However, there's no proof either way that buffered/neutral pH board
> actually increases the life of the print.  Right...?

I still think there's some confusion here.   The issue isn't whether  
to use an acidic board or to use a non-acidic board; you wouldn't  
want to use an acidic board under any circumstances.  The issue is  
whether to use (1) a pH neutral, 100% rag museum board (non- 
buffered), or whether to use (2) a buffered board where the pH is  
raised to 8 or even 9, to counteract the tendency for the print to  
become  more acidic over time.
Katharine