>From another list, I received the following advice from Wm Voss: I am (in another life, separate from genealogy) a letterpress printer. We often print on dampened paper when using our old iron handpress for wood engravings. I make a sandwich of dampened blotter paper/sheet of rag waste paper/sheets (number depends of weight and how damp I want them - experiment)/ waste/damp/waste/sheets/etc. I stack them all up neatly, and put them in a doubled plastic trash bag - the big 35 gallon ones -- close it tightly with some old fashioned paper clips. I put a sheet of 1" ply below and on top and add a couple of bricks. If the sheets are quite brittle, start them with no weight for the first few hours; then add the top ply; then the bricks after several more. Leave over night or more. The moisture equalizes throughout and everything stays nice and flat. Use a few waste sheets first and try different size piles. When the sheets have dampened, handle them with great care -- they will tear easily. Carefully slide the stack onto a sheet of ply. Slide a sheet of thin masonite between the waste sheets (carefully -- several extra hands help!) and then holding the new sandwich firmly, turn it off and set aside. Do the same with each stack. Leave the masonite on top and leave a day or so to allow them to dry. If you notice any warping up, add some weights. The sheets should be nicely flattened. You can add a few teaspoons of Listerine to the water -- helps kill bacteria -- and some baking soda to offset the acid in the paper. PLEASE test a few sheets first!! Give yourself plenty of room and don't rush. Wm Voss -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]On Behalf Of Scott Carlton Sent: Wednesday, 30 May, 2001 17:12 To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [LegacyUG] Help in preparing data for input into Legacy Notes John... Sorry, Ol' Man... gotta get the humidity up one way or another. Kristian's suggestion of cut potato is what I was getting at talking about salvaging the old pipe tobacco. :) I know how it is... it's about 13% here today and that's with clouds! I don't know how much material you are talking about but perhaps a plastic box ... like a sweater or blanket storage box ... could serve as a 'vault?' In that case, a sponge in a tray or wet towel could increase things for you dramatically. Just check it frequently and, of course, if mold starts to show you'll have to think of something else. Are there any large libraries or university facilities nearby? Perchance a phone call looking for their recommendations for archival storage? Sorry I can't be more help... but the end goal is to get the papers "unbrittle" ... that means increasing humidity one way or another. A vaporizer makes a good source of moisture if you have a contained-enough place to use it... small closet, etc. Just go slowly. Good luck... Scott To unsubscribe: http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/LegacyLists.asp