Caring For And Preserving Photos And Old Documents
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By The Tree Shaker-
If you want to try to salvage what is on the film in print form, a lot of the photograph stores can usually get the pictures off of the reels and print them for you. It depends on how much it means to you because it can get pricey to get these prints made.
If plastic around pictures or documents starts to turn a yellowish color, you need to try to get the picture or document out of the plastic and in something else before it starts destroying the item. Make sure once you get the item out that you throw the album or plastic away so it doesn’t spread to other items.
The best photo album to use is one that is acid free and archival quality so that it protects the photo better. It is not good to use the magnetic page photo albums because after time the glue pages will stick to the photo and you will not be able to save the photo. Peeling away a photo from these magnetic pages usually only causes damage to the photo or document.
If you have photo albums that were passed down to you that are in these magnetic pages, the best thing to do is to just scan the whole page and save it to your computer so you can separate and reprint the photos.
Archival pens are good to write on a cloth strip that can be tied on to a piece of furniture or clothing that you have inherited so you can label it. Archival pens are not good to write on the back of photos, with. The best thing to use when writing on the back of photos if you don’t have photo albums with the area beside the photo is a number two pencil.
When you have old books or old photo albums you need to watch for mold from moisture. When mold is sticky, it is active and needs to be addressed promptly. When mold is powdery, it is inactive. If you need to figure out what you want to do with an item that has started to develop some mold the best thing to do is to stick the item in the freezer-that will slow down the process of the mold and keep it from spreading to other items.
You can get mylar sheets to put between photos or documents to help protect the item. Also, ethofoam is good to put in a box to help protect an item or book. Some have used pieces of pool noodles under furniture to help protect the floor or the edges of a piece of furniture. Cutting a slit in the pool noodle can be good protection for an old fishing pole also.
If you don’t preserve and take care of our history, what history and stories will we have for the future?[[In-content Ad]]
If you want to try to salvage what is on the film in print form, a lot of the photograph stores can usually get the pictures off of the reels and print them for you. It depends on how much it means to you because it can get pricey to get these prints made.
If plastic around pictures or documents starts to turn a yellowish color, you need to try to get the picture or document out of the plastic and in something else before it starts destroying the item. Make sure once you get the item out that you throw the album or plastic away so it doesn’t spread to other items.
The best photo album to use is one that is acid free and archival quality so that it protects the photo better. It is not good to use the magnetic page photo albums because after time the glue pages will stick to the photo and you will not be able to save the photo. Peeling away a photo from these magnetic pages usually only causes damage to the photo or document.
If you have photo albums that were passed down to you that are in these magnetic pages, the best thing to do is to just scan the whole page and save it to your computer so you can separate and reprint the photos.
Archival pens are good to write on a cloth strip that can be tied on to a piece of furniture or clothing that you have inherited so you can label it. Archival pens are not good to write on the back of photos, with. The best thing to use when writing on the back of photos if you don’t have photo albums with the area beside the photo is a number two pencil.
When you have old books or old photo albums you need to watch for mold from moisture. When mold is sticky, it is active and needs to be addressed promptly. When mold is powdery, it is inactive. If you need to figure out what you want to do with an item that has started to develop some mold the best thing to do is to stick the item in the freezer-that will slow down the process of the mold and keep it from spreading to other items.
You can get mylar sheets to put between photos or documents to help protect the item. Also, ethofoam is good to put in a box to help protect an item or book. Some have used pieces of pool noodles under furniture to help protect the floor or the edges of a piece of furniture. Cutting a slit in the pool noodle can be good protection for an old fishing pole also.
If you don’t preserve and take care of our history, what history and stories will we have for the future?[[In-content Ad]]
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