Microfilm cleaners

There are a number of cleaners available, the two I know of are
PEC-12 which is made in America and Aspec 270 produced here in the
United Kingdom.

I am not sure just what PEC-12 contains, I hear it's very good and
one sees it in an awful lot of trade catalogues around the world,
but the long list of precautionary warnings on every bottle always
seemed rather worrying to me.

Aspec 270 is a neutral pH, waterless, anti-static emulsion cleaner
which the makers say is for use on modern hardened emulsions (not
suitable for non-hardened gelatin, albumen, instant slide film, dye
transfer matrix or glass plate material).

Whichever one uses good ventilation is appropriate together with
suitable protection against any offgassing.

It is best to talk to a good Photographic Conservator, show him/her
your film and find out what options are open before you try any of
the commercially available cleaning products.

Seems like a good research project for someone: do we know enough
about what these cleaners contain; do they actually do any harm to
the items they are designed to cleanse; and what if any are the
long-term effects of their use.

Mark G. Vine
Conservation Resources
England

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 9:28
                Distributed: Sunday, September 24, 1995
                        Message Id: cdl-9-28-009
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