> > > > Got a question for you experts about photo preservation. > > > > > > > > Have recently acquired a family photo album where most of the > > > > pictures are almost 100 years old. They are on the heavy card stock > > > > and in one of those padded velvet albums, but the album itself is > > > > falling apart. I intend to scan all these so that I can share them > > > > with various family members. But when I take them out of the album > > > > it may tear the pages slightly. Am I better off to put them back in > > > > this album and keep them that way or should I put them in protective > > > > covers and store in a different notebook? Some of them are tin > > > > types. What is the best way to preserve them? > > > > > > > > Patricia Kantzer > > > > > > If the album is falling apart anyway maybe you should consider > > > getting it rebound. Consult a bookbinder. He may be able to take > > > it apart safely and then rebind it when you've scanned them. > > > > > > Tin types - dunno. It sounds like a question for a specialist > > > conservator. > > > > > > Ian Goddard at goddai01@hotmail.co.uk > > > > If the cardstock is falling apart (as you say it is), check it for > > its Ph value. To do so requires an ACID TEST pen. My guess is that > > the album itself was made of very poor quality paper (with high acid > > content). If the test comes back positive, DO NOT USE that album as > > it WILL cause irrepairable damage to the photos. You are much > > better off obtaining an archival quality photo album as it will > > preserve these priceless images far longer than an acid based paper > > product will. > > > > AE Palmer <surveyor999@a-znet.com> > > My guess is that someone in the family has attempted to take some of > the photos out to see if there is anything is written on the back. > And in the process have torn some of the bottom flaps that hold the > pictures in place. I can tape those back in place. But if I have > to take the pictures out of the album in order to scan them. in that > process more of the album may be torn apart. Where do I find an > acid test pen? a Photo Shop? I want to get my ducks all in a row > before I destroy anything. > > "Patricia Kantzer" <mkdoc@roadrunner.com> Considering the resolution of current digital cameras (12 megapixels), you might consider photographing the pages in place instead of removing them for scanning. John

>>>>>Got a question for you experts about photo preservation. >>>>> >>>>>Have recently acquired a family photo album where most of the >>>>>pictures are almost 100 years old. They are on the heavy card stock >>>>>and in one of those padded velvet albums, but the album itself is >>>>>falling apart. I intend to scan all these so that I can share them >>>>>with various family members. But when I take them out of the album >>>>>it may tear the pages slightly. Am I better off to put them back in >>>>>this album and keep them that way or should I put them in protective >>>>>covers and store in a different notebook? Some of them are tin >>>>>types. What is the best way to preserve them? >>>>> >>>>>Patricia Kantzer >>>> >>>>If the album is falling apart anyway maybe you should consider >>>>getting it rebound. Consult a bookbinder. He may be able to take >>>>it apart safely and then rebind it when you've scanned them. >>>> >>>>Tin types - dunno. It sounds like a question for a specialist >>>>conservator. >>>> >>>>Ian Goddard at goddai01@hotmail.co.uk >>> >>>If the cardstock is falling apart (as you say it is), check it for >>>its Ph value. To do so requires an ACID TEST pen. My guess is that >>>the album itself was made of very poor quality paper (with high acid >>>content). If the test comes back positive, DO NOT USE that album as >>>it WILL cause irrepairable damage to the photos. You are much >>>better off obtaining an archival quality photo album as it will >>>preserve these priceless images far longer than an acid based paper >>>product will. >>> >>>AE Palmer <surveyor999@a-znet.com> >> >>My guess is that someone in the family has attempted to take some of >>the photos out to see if there is anything is written on the back. >>And in the process have torn some of the bottom flaps that hold the >>pictures in place. I can tape those back in place. But if I have >>to take the pictures out of the album in order to scan them. in that >>process more of the album may be torn apart. Where do I find an >>acid test pen? a Photo Shop? I want to get my ducks all in a row >>before I destroy anything. >> >>"Patricia Kantzer" <mkdoc@roadrunner.com> > > Considering the resolution of current digital cameras (12 > megapixels), you might consider photographing the pages in place > instead of removing them for scanning. > > news@picaxe.us She could scan them without removing them, too. In case she has no better luck photographing objects than I do. (g) Yes, I know the album is heavy. Still, I suspect most scanners can handle it. Cheryl singhals <singhals@erols.com>