Deacidification spray

Terry Hart cpf

SGF, Supreme Grumble Framer
Joined
Sep 23, 2003
Posts
2,084
Location
Excelsior, MN
I had a customer inquire about getting a can of deacidification spray. It looks like LJ no longer carries it (I think they did at one time?). Checked my main art supply distributor and they don't carry it. I haven't used one in years, are they still around?
 
Try this:
https://archival.com/deacid.html
I tyried asearch for Lascou spray and nothing came up.

Also United Manufacturers sells Archival Mist which is the can I have.A 5 oz bottle costs $43.31.
 
Archival Mist and Bookkeeper Deacidification Spray both come up in a Google search for "deacidification spray"
 
I thought United was out of business. I see that sprays do show up on a search but I think this customer would be better off just ordering online themselves. I was always kind of skeptical as to how well they worked. Maybe that's why they seem a little hard to find? 20 years ago it seems like everyone carried them.
 
I thought United was out of business. I see that sprays do show up on a search but I think this customer would be better off just ordering online themselves. I was always kind of skeptical as to how well they worked. Maybe that's why they seem a little hard to find? 20 years ago it seems like everyone carried them.

Decor bought the name and is doing business as UMS.

I'm not a conservator but I have always considered these amateur products. I don't think I would trust anything of mine that is valuable to it. But whaddaiknow.
 
This is the first time I've heard of such a product.

Aside from the painfully obvious name of "deacidification", what is this stuff designed/marketed to be used for? Is it to spray onto a non-archival product (mat, foam, etc.) to create an acid-free(ish) buffer between it and the artwork?
 
This is the first time I've heard of such a product.

Aside from the painfully obvious name of "deacidification", what is this stuff designed/marketed to be used for? Is it to spray onto a non-archival product (mat, foam, etc.) to create an acid-free(ish) buffer between it and the artwork?

Short Answer: "A buffering agent, magnesium oxide is delivered via a safe liquid carrier. Used to neutralize acidic papers and reducing the risk of running inks and softening adhesives and coatings in the process. "

Long Answer: https://cool.conservation-us.org/coolaic/sg/bpg/annual/v15/bp15-17.html

And here is another thread on the subject: http://thegrumble.com/index.php?threads/deacidification-spray.74891/
 
Actually, I think you should suggest to the cutomer that they go online and get it themselves. Then you have heped them out without the hassle of ordering and shipping and all that.
 

Jim Miller's post #7 in this thread is worth checking out. Before, I had imagined that one could spray an already acid-damaged item, with corrective results. His mention that it doesn't retroactively correct damage was very helpful.

Conservators sometimes bleach acid-damaged paper. They consider various factors (i.e. the medium, etc..) in deciding. Signatures can pose a challenge, as bleaching that might be fine for the paper and ink can sometimes fade a signature of another medium. It's possible for them to apply a protective surface over the signature during bleaching, so the signature isn't affected, but this can also result in a bleached artwork with a little rectangle of the original color around the signature.
 
Before scanning and printing were practical, I used to employ it once in a while on newsprint that was to be framed. This met the qualification of "easily replaceable," and I had no qualms about using it in this way.

The dangers I observed were that it was nearly impossible to get a truly even coating and It was impossible to tell if the application had been effective in achieving the desired result until some months or years had passed.

That was enough for me to cease using it as soon as it was practical and to refer anything that wasn't a recent newspaper to a conservator. Stubborn as I am, I did get the message early about not allowing a customer to make their problem mine.
 
I agree that this product sound more than a little sus. If acid damage could be corrected by a simple squirt from a spray can why do conservators faff around for weeks doing this?

There is also the fact W mentions above that problems arising out of interaction between the spray and the artwork, or the fact that is hasn't worked at all, may only surface months or years down the track.

Best for us to stick to framing and let conservators handle conservation work.
 
Snake_Oil_Liniment.png
 
As noted in this and previous threads, deacidification is an imprecise and risky process. In my experience, framing a high-quality digital reproduction and placing the original in a protected storage package would be a much better way to go.
 
Wouldn't mind having a file of that snake oil poster that is big enough to print. In my neck of the woods, it would be suitable for framing.
 
A guy I worked with a long time ago used that kind of stuff on some Currier & Ives prints. We ended up paying a lot to get them fixed when some white stuff developed on the paper. A big headache that I had to apologize for and deal with since he had moved on to another occupation. Truth be told, they were never the same afterward. What a shame, beware.
 
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