Message
 
-----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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A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List sponsored by the Society of American Archivists, www.archivists.org. For the terms of participation, please refer to http://www.archivists.org/listservs/arch_listserv_terms.asp.

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