-----Original Message-----
From: A.S.E. Fairfax 
Sent: Friday, July 14, 2006 12:44 PM
To: 'Michael McColgin'
Subject: RE: Burnt and Charred Papers


Thanks Michael! 
 
 I actually have a background in conservation (Let's call it conservation
"light" because it was not heavy on the chemistry), but this particular
warning had never (not once!) come up in my classes or reading material.
I'm so glad to have this advice from you!  This makes perfect sense of
course, but since we do use distilled water for cleaning paper in some
conservation situations, it is not immediately apparent why except that the
added efficacy of the distilled water for that purpose is often surmised to
be because of the relative elimination of other impurities in the water, and
therefore unlikely to leave unwanted deposits on the paper.  
 
As an aside,  (I may be older than you, or use irons that are) but every
iron I have ever used warns NOT to use tap water, but to use distilled
instead because of the possibility of tap water leaving mineral deposits on
the internal steam vents and clogging them over time.  Additionally, some
place I have lived, including here (Whidbey Island, in Washington State) has
extremely hard tap water and it does leave calcium and other deposits on
everything it touches for even a short time.  Everyone here deals with
mineral deposits on cars, glasses and other dishes, dishwashers, laundry and
washers,  even ourselves!  I would therefore be cautious about advising to
use tap water if the water is extreme.  Hmmmm.... this probably deserves
some added attention in archival classes too.
 
Have a lovely weekend!
 
Elizabeth

-----Original Message-----
From: Michael McColgin [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: Friday, July 14, 2006 8:36 AM
To: A.S.E. Fairfax
Subject: RE: Burnt and Charred Papers



Morning, Elizabeth-

 

I did not elaborate on why to see if anyone would ask why! Good for you!

 

Distilled water is a fairly vigorous solvent and can leach out all sorts of
things you might want left in. Basically, it's too pure!  When washing
paper, it is common practice to use deionized water with calcium carbonate
added. 

 

True story: A friend of mine loved the distilled water in her lab, and
that's pretty much all she drank. She started having a lot of problems with
her teeth after a few years and ended up with dentures. They figure the
water contributed significantly to her problem.

 

Ever notice how steam irons warn against distilled water? Bottled drinking
is fine for irons and us. 

 

  Have a good day,

Michael

 


  _____  


From: A.S.E. Fairfax [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: Thursday, July 13, 2006 12:37 PM
To: Michael McColgin
Subject: RE: Burnt and Charred Papers

 

Michael, I am intrigued by your comment not to use distilled water.  Why
would that be?

 

Elizabeth Fairfax, MA, CA

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Michael McColgin [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: Thursday, July 13, 2006 12:46 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Burnt and Charred Papers

The negs are your first priority. If they are oldish B&Ws, washing in cool
water (sloshing them around in a tray) will help remove some of the
contaminants from the fire. Use a bit of Foto Flo (sp?) in the water to make
it wetter. Use tap water or bottled drinking water-- Do not use distilled
water. Better yet, if you have a photo processing lab, check with them. 

 

 If the papers are dry, you can probably hold off on doing anything. In many
cases your best bet may well be photocopying them. The "scorched" smell will
take a long time (aeons?) to dissipate. Are they important? Why do you want
them? 

 

Michael McColgin

Conservation Officer

Arizona State Archives

This my opinion only. 

 


  _____  


From: Archives & Archivists [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of Kenneth Homsley
Sent: Thursday, July 13, 2006 11:39 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Burnt and Charred Papers

 

Fellow Archivists:

I have several boxes of  correspondence,  publications, and  8 x 11
negatives that were rescued from a fire.  Does anyone  have any experience
with this situation?  The negs seem to be just charred on the edges, but
some probably have more damage.  Any suggestions on how these should be
stored?  Some of the  correspondence is slighly browned, while other
correspondence is badly charred.  I plan to just keep this correspondence
separated from all other material and interleave where appropriate.  Any
other suggestions?

Thanks,  

Ken 

  


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