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Scrapbooking 101: The Basics
Where to start?
Start with the last roll of film you pick up after it
was developed. Don't try to tackle years of photos yet, get the current ones into an album
first, then work back. Work on first getting all of your photos and memorabilia into one
place. Look in the garage, attic, drawers, files, closets, old and new albums, frames
around your house and letters from family members. If you know that there are family
members that have photos you want, now is the time to ask for copies.
Purchase archival quality photo boxes (NOT photo
safe) for all your photos. Decide on a negative storage system and buy a negative storage
system before you begin. Investigate albums and purchase the album/ albums that you will
need to start your project. Decide on the type of album(s) that you will be completing.
Are you doing one larger family photo album with everyone's photos in it or will you be
completing an album for every child? Will you be doing vacation and Christmas albums or
will these events go in your family albums. Make these decisions now, before you sort.
Plan an evening of sorting or a month of sorting,
depending on your situation and just sort through all of the old photos and memorabilia.
You will sort first by decade and then year by year. If you are sorting for special
holiday or vacation albums keep that in mind as you sort.
Safe Scrapbooks
Scrapbooking is a unique craft /science hybrid.
The science of photography is rapidly changing and the longevity of our photos is
being increased even as I write this, which is good news. The bad news is that sometimes
it is hard to know what products are safe and which products are not safe for your photos.
Most scrapbookers feel that there is more to making a scrapbook than just making cute
pages, scrapbookers really want to ensure that they help they photos look good for as long
as possible.
In order for your photos to stay looking good, they
need to be surrounded by materials that will not accelerate their aging. Many materials
that have been used in photo albums in the past were actually damaging to the photos in
the albums. Materials to be avoided:
| Material |
Type of damage caused |
| Paper containing acid and or lignin or paper that is
not pH balanced or buffered |
Acid in paper causes the paper itself to deteriorate
& the acid also migrates to contribute to the deterioration of photos and memorabilia |
| Unstable paper or materials that are not chemically
stable or archival quality |
Paper can be acid free at the time of manufacture only
to BECOME acidic if it is not buffered to provide chemical stability. Please note that
buffering is not meant to stabilize other unsafe items on the scrapbook page, but only to
prevent the paper itself from becoming acidic in the future. |
| Lignin (the material that holds wood cells together) |
Paper will turn brown with age. Eventually the paper
will crumble and disintegrate. |
| Adhesives used in magnetic albums and adhesives that
are not archival quality |
Many adhesives are caustic and will eventually eat away
at photos and memorabilia. Acids contained in the adhesives damage the photos they adhere
to and can migrate to other items in your scrapbook. |
| Adhesives that are not permanent (Paper Cement, Rubber Cement, Glue Sticks) |
These are not necessarily damaging but after investing
hours of your time and a good amount of money in your scrapbook, you should try and use an
adhesive that is permanent. (There are un-safe and safe brands of Rubber Cement available,
but I advise staying away from ALL of these products.) |
| Photo corner, plastic overlays & pocket pages
containing PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride) |
The chlorine gas causes photos to yellow. Photos may
become sticky and may be difficult or impossible to remove. |
| Unsafe storage practices |
This isn't a material, but it needs to be noted that
you can damage your photos by tightening the strap hinge on them too tight which causes
the photos to be damaged by pressure, or by letting the strap hinge become too loose which
can cause abrasion. Because of the perils of the strap hinge, many conservationists prefer
a three ringed binder. Also do not store you albums laying down, they should be stored
upright in a cool dry place. Do not store your albums on an unsealed wooden shelf (the
wooden shelf will contain lignin.) |
| Mixing too many adhesive products in your albums |
Even though all the products may be safe, you do not
want to mix too many types of adhesives in your album. the result could be a damaging
chemical reaction even if the individual products are safe. |
| Ballpoint pen and felt tip pen inks |
Do not use regular inks in your scrapbooks. Many are
acidic or contain solvents. Please use pens that are labeled as acid free, permanent and
water free. To avoid |
| Products labeled as "photo safe" that are not
really safe for photos |
There are many reputable products on the market but
there are also companies that are more concerned with making a buck than with the safety
of your photos. Look for more than a designation of "photo safe" on a product
before you buy it and use it in your albums. If necessary, call the company and ask for
more information. Many companies have done ANSI Photographic Activity Testing (PAT)
and are willing to share the documented results with you. A reputable company should
always be willing to share the results of the testing that has been preformed on their
products. |
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