Last night while I was hardening with formaldehyde gelatin sized paper
(Fabriano 5), my wife walked into my work room and said, "What is that
terrible smell? No wonder I have a headache; never use this stuff again ! " .
I had been using my usual respirator mask and goggles and had no ill effects
from the formaldehyde so I had not noted the smell. To save my marriage as
well as my wife's health I think I will need to find a substitute for
formaldehyde.
I know in the past Glyoxal has been discussed in the past but a quick check
in my usual chemical catalogues fails to find this listed. Is it known by
another name?
Also is alum (potassium or other) a practical substitute for a hardener? I
have read that it is not archival but what does this mean? Do the images fade
in a year, decade or century and does it really matter maybe most of the
archivally processed images should be allowed to fade away.
Previously I have tried non hardened gelatin sized paper but found that
staining was a problem so I don't think not using a hardener is the answer.
Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.
Larry Shapiro