Deteriorated PVC and photographs

Ruth Oliver <ruth.oliver [at] natlib__govt__nz> writes

>We have recently received some PVC albums that contain silver
>gelatin DOP prints. ...
>...
>... The issue is
>how to remove the plasticiser from the prints to prevent it being
>transferred into the new albums.

We had a similar problem with a number of PVC-sleeve photo albums in
the Buddhist Archive of Photography in Luang Prabang, Laos. Although
blocked with the sleeves, the prints could be removed quite easily,
but were covered in a transparent, somewhat gooey substance. With
lack of virtually any way of further investigating this in that
remote setting, I found that the substance could be readily removed
with ethanol on swabs. I have revisited the prints over the course
of two years and haven't found any later deterioration relating to
my treatment. While two years in a tropical climate probably
translate to five or ten years in a climatized vault, it is of
course still a short time.

This treatment also worked on colour transparencies from
deteriorating PVC sleeves, by the way.

Martin Juergens
Restaurator fotografische materialen
Rijksmuseum Amsterdam
Hobbemastraat 22
PO Box 74888
1070 DN Amsterdam
Nederland
+31 20 674 7127


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 24:14
                  Distributed: Monday, August 30, 2010
                       Message Id: cdl-24-14-003
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