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Preserving Your Paper Items
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There's a great deal to know about the preservation of paper materials, but some basic knowledge will help you make the correct decisions for the safe storage and handling of your antique prints, maps, books, magazines and other vintage paper items.
When storing your paper items keep them:
* cool and dry: the temperature and humidity of the environment where the paper is stored is important, because extremes of these or great fluctuations in them are major enemies of paper. A climate-controlled living area is fine from this point of view, but beware of using basements or attics for storage.
* clean: cleanliness of the storage area, and of hands when touching paper is important. A clean, dry storage area also minimizes the possibility of insect damage, mold and of foxing (rust-colored spots).
* dark: light causes fading and changes in the composition of the paper, so minimal exposure to light is desirable.
There are several ways you can pack flat pieces of paper, whether they are prints, maps, magazines or ephemera. One good method would be to put the items in bags or envelopes (sleeves). These should be made of an inert material, such as polyester (e.g. Mylar), polyethylene or polypropylene. This will allow you to handle the items without fear of soiling them or of putting stress on the paper, which might cause edge tears. When handling paper it is always advisable to use two clean hands and to provide support for larger items. Prints and maps can also be stored in archival mats, with a piece of Mylar or other archival material placed to protect the area where the print is exposed. Don't use regular adhesive tape or paper clips on paper - get an archival (acid free) tape for small tears and consult a conservator for more major repairs
When framing your prints and maps:
* use acid-free or archival matting and hinging materials
* consider the use of ultraviolet-filtering glass or plexiglass, to minimize the detrimental effects of light. Never hang items in direct sunlight.
Books should be stored upright, and not allowed to lean or fall over (this will put stress on parts of the book not meant to receive it, and cause damage). Make sure that they are not stored in direct sunlight (fading to the spine of a book is unfortunately a common fault, just because this is the part of the book which is most exposed to the light).
Non-commercial web sites with more in-depth information on conservation of paper include:
National Parks Conserve O Grams which can be downloaded in pdf format. Helpful short articles on conservation techniques for all kinds of materials, including books and paper items.
Preserving Works on Paper: Manuscripts, Drawings, Prints, Posters, Maps, Documents from the Library of Congress.
THE CARE AND PRESERVATION OF Documents and Works of Art on Paper from the Henry Ford Museum.
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To all Visitors
This site has been developed not just to sell Antiques and Collectibles (of course it does some of that) rather it is to provide information about Antiques, Collectibles, artwork, art pottery, furniture types, furniture styles, jewelry, and militaria from the Revolutionary War to the Vietnam War. This site is all about information and history that is not readily available elsewhere on the Internet. We think West St Paul Antiques is one of the best Antique Malls in the State of Minnesota and we have been working hard to create that excellence for the last 12 years. We have expertise on Antiques & Collectibles and as we read and study about history and antiques we also strive to be historians. We will share that expertise with you and all the visitors to our site. Stop by and visit our Antique Mall in West St Paul, Minnesota. Or, you are all welcome to visit us on the web.
This is a new website for us at West St Paul Antiques. We hope you enjoy the site. Please feel free to email me directly at floydruggles@weststpaulantiques.com if you have any questions or feedback about this site. Please sign our guest book and check out our Poetry Coffee Cup Cafe, or the Out and About Gallery. The Reference Library an all 5 Museums are open to you 24/7 on this website. Stop by one of the 1st Recon Battalion pages where you can read about my experiences in Vietnam. Oh, by the way, also check out all our Antiques, Collectibles, artwork, art pottery, clocks, mall specials, furniture types and styles, jewelry and militaria items for sale on this site and in our Antique Mall. Check it out by going to Antique Mall Tour. This site will be totally commercial free with no fees to pay. I'll be working on this site over time so bear with me. It should be finished by the end of 2010 with over 500 pages at that time and 900 pages by the end of next year.
Click here to go to our web Site Map and Categories.
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To browse our Home page, Look over our Museums, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion pages, Recon Photo Gallery,
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