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snodvan · 06-07-2004, 18:07

Folks here seem to have made some very enthusiastic responses and put in a considerable amount of effort. Nice. OK, the OTHER issue is what to do with the original print.

Take it to a professional photographer is good advice but personally I would not want ANYONE messing around with the original ie treating it directly. I am (very) aprehensive about laminating as a long term solution. My advice is based on the odd 40 years a chemist and with some knowledge of photography and of paper products for the packaging industry - keep the original as DRY AS POSSIBLE. Dryness will halt just about all of the chemical reactions. I have used the technique described below over the last 20-30 years so as to "stop the clock" on a big collection of family photos and paper-based WW2 memorabilia.

I would

a. Get the original back between two sheets of glass (minimises air contact)
b. Buy some silica gel granules (granules are better the powder form. You can buy this from a pharmacy - or a glazing supplier because they use it to remove moisture between primary and secondary glazing.
c. Dry the silica gel by heating it GENTLY in an oven at 150oC for 30 mins. DO NOT trust that it is already dry. It is possible that they gel you buy will contain some indicator gel crystals. These are pink when the gel is damp but blue when it is dry. Pay a bit extra for these if necessary.
d. As soon as the gel is cool pack it in a plastic bag punctured with some holes (you do not need many holes - stab the bag a couple of dozen times with a big needle/ BBQ skewer)
e. Put a flattened bag of gel in front and behing the glass-enclosed original print and then pack the whole lot in another plastic bag sealed with tape. Use a good, thick, plastic eg builder's rubble bags or (and this is the technique I use) put the silica gel bags and photo in glass into an A4 polypropylene document box file (Staples BK-365-703 because these are black/ opaque) and seal the box with tape. Personally I always pad out the box file with more plastic bags so that the package is firm/ does not rattle. It just 'seems' safer that way.

Experience speaking - MARK the package to say what it contains and that it is fragile. Put it somewhere cool and safe.

REMEMBER
- Where you have put it
- Once per year open the outer pack to check the print but importantly to re-dry the silica gel in the oven.

Hope that helps

06-07-2004, 18:07	#111
snodvan Inactive Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: North West Posts: 300	Re: help Folks here seem to have made some very enthusiastic responses and put in a considerable amount of effort. Nice. OK, the OTHER issue is what to do with the original print. Take it to a professional photographer is good advice but personally I would not want ANYONE messing around with the original ie treating it directly. I am (very) aprehensive about laminating as a long term solution. My advice is based on the odd 40 years a chemist and with some knowledge of photography and of paper products for the packaging industry - keep the original as DRY AS POSSIBLE. Dryness will halt just about all of the chemical reactions. I have used the technique described below over the last 20-30 years so as to "stop the clock" on a big collection of family photos and paper-based WW2 memorabilia. I would a. Get the original back between two sheets of glass (minimises air contact) b. Buy some silica gel granules (granules are better the powder form. You can buy this from a pharmacy - or a glazing supplier because they use it to remove moisture between primary and secondary glazing. c. Dry the silica gel by heating it GENTLY in an oven at 150oC for 30 mins. DO NOT trust that it is already dry. It is possible that they gel you buy will contain some indicator gel crystals. These are pink when the gel is damp but blue when it is dry. Pay a bit extra for these if necessary. d. As soon as the gel is cool pack it in a plastic bag punctured with some holes (you do not need many holes - stab the bag a couple of dozen times with a big needle/ BBQ skewer) e. Put a flattened bag of gel in front and behing the glass-enclosed original print and then pack the whole lot in another plastic bag sealed with tape. Use a good, thick, plastic eg builder's rubble bags or (and this is the technique I use) put the silica gel bags and photo in glass into an A4 polypropylene document box file (Staples BK-365-703 because these are black/ opaque) and seal the box with tape. Personally I always pad out the box file with more plastic bags so that the package is firm/ does not rattle. It just 'seems' safer that way. Experience speaking - MARK the package to say what it contains and that it is fragile. Put it somewhere cool and safe. REMEMBER - Where you have put it - Once per year open the outer pack to check the print but importantly to re-dry the silica gel in the oven. Hope that helps