“I use this stuff on my family photographs and documents. It says it’s archival. It’s okay to use isn’t it?” It’s the inevitable question after every “caring for your family treasures” talk. Or, “I saw this product at a scrap booking store and it says its acid-free. What do you think?” Of course I launch into “archival” doesn’t really mean anything in this situation and “acid-free” is only one concern of many.
These products always catch me by surprise and I can only address their properties in a very general way as they relate to what we consider appropriate for conservation. I guess I should spend more time in scrap booking and hobby stores. What’s out there? How much of it is acceptable? Everyone who seeks our advice generally has good intentions when they start out organizing and caring for their collections, but then cost, availability and ease of use affect their decision making.
Are sticky blue dots or adhesive dot rollers something we should approve if individual handmade, Japanese tissue photo corners attached with hand-stirred wheat starch paste are not really an option? Let’s face it, archival photo corners often fail quickly and what we expect from conservators goes well beyond the skills, knowledge, and patience of anyone else. Is there something in between? Sticky blue dots state that they are photo safe and permanent. No mention of staining over time or cold flow issues. Will it soften emulsions over time? Indirect contact or not, there is opportunity for adverse chemical reactions, but are there any? Adhesive dots are from the same company that brought us Post-It, a removable adhesive that becomes pretty permanent over time. Did they warn us about that? I’m not picking on 3M, I love their stuff, but our intentions and expectations my be different when viewed with time as a variable and also reversibility as a criteria.
Maybe you all can help me out with my grocery list. What have you been asked about? What have you heard about or seen that made you go “hmmm?” Perhaps I’ll have a chance to do some simple testing on my own and at least understand what the potential risks are.
August 28, 2012 at 7:58 am
This product doesn’t claim to be archival, but once when I was working a “preserve your family treasures” event, a man asked me if it was OK that he was storing his books in mothballs. Pest control is a good thing, but since mothballs contain naphtha, which is a conservation solvent, I’d definitely say no.
August 28, 2012 at 8:19 am
Good points. There are household products out there that are often used like kitty litter or milk of magnesia and soda water. Good intentions but there are better options. We need to continue to educate.
August 28, 2012 at 10:30 am
I really started thinking about all this during my stint at Gaylord (’98-’99) when I also ran their Helpline. In the (really) pre-email days this was a great way to interact with the public about preservation and conservation issues. The first thing I learned is that people will do what they will do, and they will be persistent in pushing what we in this community feel are the boundaries. A few choice examples:
“I bought some “archival” stickers to use in my scrapbook, applied them to some photographs and when I tried to remove they destroyed the image.”
“I’m a conceptual artist and work in a wide range of media, including found objects, random paints, plywood, plastic, … I just sold a work for a lot of money and want to make sure its archival and will last forever…”
I could go on…
Another one of those terms is acid-free…
While at Gaylord I also did customer service training for their staff who faced many of the same types of questions. While they (and still don’t) did not provide advice they get the questions as they are the front line.
Those training sessions became local/regional workshops and most recently webinars…
Marketing is driving the market and people want to do the right thing. The two often collide. Sometimes it doesn’t matter. Often it does.
One can never do enough education.
Peter