Dura-Lar

A colleague of mine is wondering whether she could use Dura-Lar
instead of Mylar, since Dura-Lar is much cheaper.  She uses it for
wrapping around rolled textiles to provide a barrier that is
durable, see-through, and non-reactive.  A company that sells
Dura-Lar wrote her the following information about the product:

   "Mylar is Dupont's brand of polyester film and Dura-lar is our
    brand. Dura-lar is a general purpose polyester film.  Mylar has
    different types to designate the characteristics of it.  For
    example, Type "A" Mylar is a hazy film.  Type "D" was a clear
    film more used for general purpose than others (this has been
    discontinued by Dupont).  They also have different Types for
    electrical grades, etc.. The different treatments are applied
    either applied as a coating or within the film as it is made.
    Polyester film is pH-neutral so it is not basic or acidic
    (acid-free).  I am not sure how the coating effect the film and
    whether it would continue to be neutral. We offer our Dura-lar
    as a general purpose film because we buy it from a variety of
    vendors in the market and it could have different treatments.
    Dupont's Mylar type "D" does not have any treatments."

The coating sounds problematic to me.  Does anyone have any
experience with Dura-Lar?

Laura Phillips
Archaeology Collections Manager
Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture
University of Washington
Box 353010
Seattle, WA  98195-3010
206-685-3849


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 17:15
                   Distributed: Monday, July 28, 2003
                       Message Id: cdl-17-15-006
                                  ***