As promised, here's the formula for homemade newspaper preservative:

(from the now-defunct National Observer, late August, 1974)

=====

"Papers...can be preserved, says George Martin Cunha, director of the New
England Document Conservation Center in North Andover, Mass.

"Cunha explains that several things cause deterioration of newsprint.
Ultraviolet light from the sun or from fluorescent lamps hastens yellowing.
That can be remedied by storing papers in darkness.

"But a process called acid hydrolysis does most damage. Archivists fight it
with various special carbonate solutions. The layman can get similar results
by using the following process recommended by the center:

"Drop a crushed milk of magnesia tablet into a quart bottle of club soda and
recap tightly. Let the mix stand overnight in the refrigerator, and, next
day, soak the newsprint in the clear solution for an hour. The solution
won't keep from day to day; it must be made fresh daily.

"Carefully remove the newspaper from its bath.Thoroughly dry it on a level
surface covered with paper towels or blotting paper.

"Do that to The Observer's special edition and you can safely store it for
50 years."

=====

The clipping, which I treated over 25 years ago, is holding up fine -- much
better than untreated 10-year-old clippings I found in the same box.  It is slightly
yellowed, but not lumpy or waterlogged as I had feared.  It feels somewhat stiff to
the touch -- closer to construction paper than to newsprint.

Again, I do not recommend this to museums as a substitute for professional paper
conservation.  But for the home user who wants to save today's headlines without
busting their bank account, it's a reasonable alternative.

-- Eugene Dillenburg
Exhibit Developer
Science Museum of Minnesota

651-221-4706
[log in to unmask]

"According to the laws of quantum mechanics, God can be omnipotent, or He
can be omniscient, but He can't be both."

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