Don't know if this is Old English or not but here's a tip when it comes to photocopying. Do not allow photocopies to be exposed to prolonged daylight or sunlight. You will soon end up with a blank page. Keep them out of the light when you're not working on them. Audrey ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Barton" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, November 12, 2006 12:10 PM Subject: Re: [OEL] OT - Old silk military map > Yes, certainly feel free to quote me, Nancy. > I'm not an expert on conservation, Liz. And I don't think I'd want to be. > For generations, our grandparents knew instincively how to care for > things, > without access to new science and materials, or having degrees and reading > technical books or going to lectures. Just common-sense. > At a guess, I'd say about half of precious items are cared for badly or > not > at all, and the other half over-conserved by 'experts' for whom no expense > is too > much. And that can often lead to complicated and rigid procedures which > neglect > some simple basic.Yes, 'draws' was a mistake for 'drawers'! > A cult of professional conservation has arisen, which is more concerned > with > selling special products, maintaining one-up-manship above common folk, > and > making a career out of common sense. > I'm not against research for really important artefacts into plastics, > etc - > and certainly > it makes sense to ensure that polyester storage sleeves are inert, because > even if there is no chlorine in the plastic molecule itself, the other > ingredients can be harmful over long periods. But I feel that basics > (heat, > light, damp, insects, moulds, fungi, industrial gases, > and dangers of floods, wars, children, theives, rodents, fire, bursting > pipes, etc) can get neglected in academic research. > I heard of a pioneer museum in which they placed notices on lace dresses > etc, "These fabrics are delicate; please do not touch them". This had > little > effect, but was solved by replacing them with "Please don't handle these > fabrics; for conservation purposes, they are treated with chemicals which > can be harmful". > Regards, > John > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Nancy Keith" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Sunday, November 12, 2006 1:08 PM > Subject: Re: [OEL] OT - Old silk military map > > >> John >> >> May I have permission, please, to forward your message to other >> genealogy-related lists? We often have discussions on conserving papers, >> photos, fabrics, and such, and your suggestions make very good sense. >> >> One question: if they are stored in "shallow draws" (which I *think* we >> on >> this side of the Pond call "drawers"[?], meaning the pull-out storage >> parts >> of chests and dressers), doesn't there need to be some sort of buffer >> between the wood on the bottom of the drawer and the material to be >> conserved? It would seem as though acid-free tissue might well be used >> there, too. >> >> What about storage in the newer drawers made of plastic materials? They >> aren't all made of archival materials, for certain. Do the >> "ultra-violet-safe" framing glasses help? Obviously, there still would >> be >> the humidity problem, but I wonder if we are lulled into thinking it is >> safe >> because of the modicum of protection from ultra-violet rays... >> >> My favorite genealogy instructor tells us to make copies of every piece >> of >> paper that we want to display, then archive the original. I think she's >> on >> to something there. >> >> Thank you. >> >> Nancy >> in cold, snowy Michigan, US of A >> >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "John Barton" <[email protected]> >> To: <[email protected]> >> Sent: Saturday, November 11, 2006 5:35 PM >> Subject: Re: [OEL] OT - Old silk military map >> >> >>> The keywords for documents (paper or vellum), letters, newspapers, >>> photos, >>> slides, negatives, fabrics and a good deal more - >>> are" COLD, DARK, and DRY. >>> A relative humidity of around 40 to 60%. And never fold. These are the >>> most >>> important, easy to remember but often neglected even in museums. >>> Framing encourages both ultra-violet light and damp damage, and nothing >>> precious should ever be framed. I suppose the motive is display, plus >>> protection from dust, touching, and fumes; but it is not an option even >>> for >>> displayed art such as oil paintings - the Mona Lisa etc. >>> 'Stapling to cardboard' presumably means the silk has - apart from >>> multiple >>> holes - contact on one side with glass which harbours growth of >>> micro-fungi, >>> and on the other with sulphuric acid-rich acid-bleached wood-pulp. >>> Fabrics >>> are best stored in shallow draws, either flat or loosely rolled between >>> buffered acid-free tissue. >>> >>> John Barton >>> >> >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >> quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> >> __________ NOD32 1862 (20061110) Information __________ >> >> This message was checked by NOD32 antivirus system. >> http://www.eset.com >> >> > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.1.409 / Virus Database: 268.14.2/528 - Release Date: 10/11/2006 > >