Deep breath, heavy sigh.

There's a lot of information available on the internet, isn't there? 

This advice is probably not something the average museum employee should 
attempt. It presumes a whole lot of things, including but not limited to:

1) access to a fume hood--an appropriate fume hood. One that's been rated, 
inspected, properly installed, blah, blah

(Sidebar: if you don't have one of these or proper chemical storage 
equipment (is your cabinet vented outside?) you shouldn't have these 
chemicals in your workshop, either.)

2) the ability to test the laminate material to determine if it is 
cellulose acetate...or maybe one of a dozen other plastics used to 
laminate documents

3) the ability to test the ink to determine if treatment will cause it to, 
oh, color shift, bleed, fade....

4) the ability to test the paper to understand what these chemicals will 
do to it. Will they stain it, change its texture? What...

5) more than a passing understanding of paper conservation and the issues 
contained therein. 

As one who helps develop curricula for collections management and 
conservation professionals, I am aware there's a ton of information on the 
internet. Let's put on out Obvious Man (tm) suits here and admit that we 
should all know one thing...WHEN NOT TO TREAT AN OBJECT. Sorry, it's too 
cold to be on a soap box today. 

There are a lot of professional, trained, thoughtful, and helpful 
conservators working today. One good way to find them is through the 
American Institute for Conservation. Google it. or try this link: 
http://aic.stanford.edu/

Diane Gutenkauf
Chair, curriculum committee
Campbell Center for Historic Preservation Studies


On Tue, 6 Dec 2005 13:16:12 EST, Barbara Hass <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>The web site below describes removal of cellulose acetate  lamination 
from a
>paper document
>--- bathing with acetone and naptha -- it includes  photographs of the 
steps
>
>presented by a Univ of Texas graduate student
>[log in to unmask] 
(mailto:[log in to unmask])
>
>excerpt follows .. "Treatment Report
>
>1. Cellulose acetate was removed in a series of baths, starting with 
acetone,
> then naptha, then back to acetone.  The letter was bathed for 
approximately
>one hour in each.  The cellulose was mechanically removed from the letter
>while in the bath.
>2. Letter was dried flat, and residual adhesive was removed using  
acetone.
>3.  Mends were done with Lens tissue and WSP..."
>
>URL
>_http://www.ischool.utexas.edu/~geneviev/portfolio/secondyear/celluloseace
tate
>treatment.html_
>
(http://www.ischool.utexas.edu/~geneviev/portfolio/secondyear/celluloseacet
atetreatment.html)
>
>Barbara Hass
>

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