RE: SAFE URETHANE OR VARNISH?

Thanks Ralph

Eric Neilsen Photography

4101 Commerce Street

Suite 9

Dallas, TX 75226

http://e.neilsen.home.att.net

http://ericneilsenphotography.com

  _____

From: rrphotog@intergate.ca [mailto:rrphotog@intergate.ca]
Sent: Thursday, March 03, 2005 11:22 PM
To: alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca
Subject: Re: SAFE URETHANE OR VARNISH?

    My 1984 copy of the "same book" has a couple of chapters on Drawer
Storage - pg 242.

    In reference to the wood drawers: " These flat files come in two
materials: wood or metal with a baked enamel finish. The wood is not
recommended, but if it must be used each drawer should be lined with
buffered, acid-free paper like Permalife. Most styles can be purchased with
either a compressor plate or a drawer-wide dust cover sheet; these
accessories keep the prints flat when the drawer is opened so that the
leading edge does not catch on the front of the file. When a compressor
plate is present a sheet of neutral pH board should be placed between it
and the prints to prevent possible crease marks." It then goes on to say
" When using this kind of file, each print should have its own folder of
acid-free board in order to equalize distribution of pressure from prints
above. The most common type of print abuse found in the use of these files
is overfilling of the drawer, so the curator or collector must take rigorous
measures to limit the amount that goes into any one drawer." That's about
it in my early version of the book.

    Ralph

> Well Bill, If you can quote the page, can you at least tell our friend Bob
> if he is on track?
> Wow. Give'm a break ( I'd like to know too. You see, I picked up an old
> school flat file for $5 but don't need to "burn" up the images inside of
it
> to save money)
>
> EJ Neilsen
>
> Eric Neilsen
> http://ericneilsenphotography.com
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: William Clark [mailto:bill.clark@charter.net]
>> Sent: Thursday, March 03, 2005 7:34 PM
>> To: alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca
>> Subject: 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 Fri Mar 4 07:33:32 2005