Replies

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Apr 18, 2006 12:26am | #1

   I suppose that photo's are succeptible to similar problems that clothe would be, namely acid vapors from the wood.  A generally acceptable solution to this is to finish the inside of the box with shellac which acts as a barrier coat.  Apply sufficient coats of shellac to give full film coverage. 

2. 
   Gretchen | Apr 18, 2006 03:11pm | #2

   Is this a sort of display box to leave out and show photos to visitors? I'm not sure shellac is good for the interior. I think you might visit a site that sells archival photo storage systems and perhaps line your box with something from them.

   The physical enemies of photographs include obvious villains (like direct sunlight, insects and rodents) and those that are more subtle: adhesives that degrade over time, sulfur compounds that can be given off by wood or rubber and trigger fading, and high humidity that can encourage mold growth.

   Experts advise against storing photographs in basements, attics and garages. They recommend storage materials specifically designed for long-term stability (called "archival" products). Surprisingly, many of the products sold by frame shops and retailers contain materials like high-acid wood pulp and Polyvinyl Chloride that can trigger deterioration.

   So the first set of recommendations is based on common sense: use archival materials and keep your photographs away from bright light, widely fluctuating humidity, and extreme temperatures

   Gretchen
1. 
   DarrellN | Apr 18, 2006 04:08pm | #3

   Yes this will be a display box for a coffee table etc.

   So you think an archival box inside of the box would be better?

1. 
   Gretchen | Apr 18, 2006 05:13pm | #5

   I think it depends on what you reallly want to do with the pictures eventually. It may not matter, but it would be easy enough to build a box around a box.Gretchen

2. 
   WillGeorge | May 03, 2006 06:14pm | #9

   Gretchen YA So Smart!I was thinking along the lines if the silver could replaced by GOLD!!

3. 
   SteveSchoene | May 03, 2006 08:29pm | #10

   Shellac appears in a number of conservation articles as being one of the acceptable finishes if you must have a wooden case.  Ordinary alkyd and one-part polyurethane finishes give off their own vapors over time.  Shellac is one of the best blockers, both of water vapor and of the natural vapors from the wood.  (This is part of the same property that makes shellac a stain blocker under paint.)  Museum level archival storage would probably want to eliminate wood all together of course, or line wood with laminates of polyethylene and foil.  But short of that shellac is OK, much better than other clear film alternatives.  But it must be a full coating, not just a couple of coats of 2 lb. cut, more like a half dozen coats of 2 lb. cut.  Of course, you would want to give the interior time for the alcohol to fully dissipate. 

3. 
   RickL | Apr 18, 2006 04:13pm | #4

   View ImageThe following materials should be avoided when mounting, displaying or storing your prints. They either give off gases or leave a residue that is harmful to prints.

   • Materials with high acidic levels.
   • Plastics containing pvc or acetate materials
   • Cellophane tape
   • Masking tape
   • Rubber cement
   • Cardboard
   • Wooden boxes; This is interesting because a wooden frame might be considered a wooden box. Robert E. Mccomb, PH.D., a 26-year veteran of the Library of Congress' Preservation Research and Testing Office, one of the leading authorities on image stability, recommends the use of a good frame, preferably metal. I must admit this seems a little picky but might be considered an archival measure.
   • http://www.photodon.com/phcare01.htm
   • Do a search on archiving photos. We worked with some archival specialists on a storage case for some DaVinci manuscripts and no wood was allowed near the documents. We had a metal drawer case with gasketed seals. All the materials involved in the construction had to be carefully checked to insure it was safe.

   So a sealed archival box in a wooden box would work.

   
   

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   Edited 4/18/2006 9:16 am ET by RickL

1. 
   Jimma | May 03, 2006 10:08pm | #11

   OK, Rick -- so come clean on this --- are you the secret custodian of the DaVinci code?

4. 
   swines | Apr 18, 2006 08:36pm | #6

   Look at http://www.lightimpressionsdirect.com. They are a supplier of archival storage materials for photographs.  There is a lot of good information on the website regarding photographs.  Color photographs need to be stored with non-buffered materials while B&W photos do better with buffered materials.

5. 
   DarrellN | Apr 18, 2006 09:32pm | #7

   I want to thank everyone for their input. With your help I was able to find something called MicroChamber Emulsion at this website. http://www.conservationresources.com/Main/section_21/section21_23.htm

   I talked to them and they said that if this were painted on and then a liner put in it, he recommended velvet but said most anything would do except wool, that this would do the job quite nicely.

   I am not trying to make a box for permanant storage, this is just a box to throw snapshots in so company can come and flip through them.

   What do you all think about this, think it will work ok?

   
   

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   Edited 4/18/2006 2:33 pm ET by DarrellN

1. 
   mbholden | May 03, 2006 12:42am | #8

   If the pics are for showing off, then just make the box to look nice.

   Archival considerations are not truly applicable here. In the box and out of the sun they should be fine for 20 years or more.

   I would keep the negatives in an archival box in a humidity controlled area.

   If you have the negatives, then replacing the prints is easy, if you dont have the negatives, then replacing the prints is difficult.

   Mike