Wayde Allen (wallen@boulder.nist.gov)
Fri, 15 Jan 1999 09:39:56 -0700 (MST)
On Fri, 15 Jan 1999, Tom Ferguson wrote:
> I have an interest in hand made paper making. I've never managed to
> integrate it with my photography, but it is wonderfully fun and peaceful
> pursuit in it's own right. I'm far from an expert. But, all the paper
> making literature I've read indicates that Alum is not a good size if
> archival properties are important to you. Over time (how long I don't
> know) it is said to cause hardening and yellowing.
We had a discussion about this about three years ago on the list, and you
should be able to locate it in the archives. Luis Nadeau also talks about
using Alum and other hardeners in his book on Carbon printing. The thing
that sticks in my mind from these discussions is that the use of Alum
probably doesn't much affect the archival properties of the paper if it
has been sufficiently washed. If I remember correctly, Luis notes in his
book that many very old carbon prints were hardened in Alum with
apparently not ill affect. (Please correct me if I'm remembering this
incorrectly.)
I'm curious, does anyone know the long term effects of glyoxal on paper?
- Wayde
(wallen@boulder.nist.gov)
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