Re: SAFE URETHANE OR VARNISH?

Bob,

   Try to find "The Life of a Photograph" by Keefe & Inch (Focal
Press/Butterworth) 2nd. Ed. 1990. Keefe & Inch both worked at Light
Impressions for years. It's my "bible" on conservation & storage questions.
Out of print, but worth looking for. Amazon.com can steer you to Rare & OOP
dealers who would have it, or try Barnes & Noble's services.

Pages 260-262 "Drawer Storage" covers exactly what you need to know. The
book is priceless.

Bill Clark
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob Kiss" <bobkiss@caribsurf.com>
To: <alt-photo-process-l@skyway.usask.ca>
Sent: Thursday, March 03, 2005 6:18 AM
Subject: RE: SAFE URETHANE OR VARNISH?

> DEAR MICHAEL,
> Thanks! I will look into your suggestions!
> CHEERS!
> BOB
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: msb@f32.usask.ca [mailto:msb@f32.usask.ca]On Behalf Of Michael
> Briggs
> Sent: Thursday, March 03, 2005 5:42 AM
> To: alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca
> Subject: Re: SAFE URETHANE OR VARNISH?
>
>
>
> On 02-Mar-2005 Bob Kiss wrote:
>> DEAR LIST,
>> This may sound off topic but not far. I just got two great wood flat
>> files in which I hope to keep my alt prints and 100% cotton papers. They
>> are made of plywood. What worries me is that I know I shouldn't put
> prints
>> or papers near raw plywood inside the drawers. I am hoping that I can
> seal
>> them with a urethane or other varnish to provide a barrier between the
> acids
>> and lignin in the plywood and the prints/papers.
>> Please suggest which type of varnish is best (archival?) for this
>> purpose.
>
> I am not an expert of this. From my reading, paint, especially fresh,
> emits
> fumes that are bad for silver-based photographic materials. Fresh paint
> can
> damage photos in a few days. Hydrogen peroxide is emitted for at least
> weeks.
> Painting your wood files could make the situation worse. Baked enamel on
> steel
> is considered the best because of low emission of fumes.
>
> The Kodak publication "Conservation of Photographs" reports (p. 84) that
> latex
> (water based) paints are much better than alkyd (old based) paints. The
> research seems to be from circa 1952, so the materials may have changed
> since
> then. I _speculate_ that if you want a clear varnish, the newer so-called
> water
> based clear finishes might be better than the older urethane varnishes.
> The
> technology has some similarities to latex paint. I say so-called, because
> while water is the main solvent, other petroleum-based solvents are used.
>
> Another clearish finish that _might_ be good is shellac. Shellac is made
> from
> an excretion from insects that is dissolved in alcohol (ethanol). The
> best
> shellac is made by mixing fresh solid shellac flakes with ethanol, rather
> than
> buying pre-mixed. I don't know of any studies of the effects of shellac
> on
> phtographs.
>
> I suggest further research. If you decide use a finish, let it air out
> for
> at
> least one month.
>
> --Michael
>
Received on Thu Mar 3 19:33:52 2005