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Re: Acid content of laminate



Anthony,

Avoid laminating plastic for your bookmarks. Use Mylar Type D encapsulation film and double-sided encapsulation tape (available from Light Impressions. You can order a catalog free at 1-800-828-6216). This film has been rigorously tested and is chemically inert. It is used throughout the world by conservators, librarians and archivists for encapsulating, dividers, and barriers between artifacts and case bottoms. It comes in rolls or cut sheets. 
A good rule of thumb in judging the quality of a plastic is to obtain the specs from the manufacturer. If they cannot provide something, or the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) are ambiguous, do not use the plastic. A down and dirty way to test plastic film enclosures or laminiating plastic is to seal a sample in a clean glass jar and put it out in the sun for a week. If the plastic is offgassing, there will be a distintive bad smell produced, somewhat like rotting eggs. Inert, non-offgassing material will not produce an odor. Good luck.

Steve Hoza, Conservator
Arizona Historical Society Museum

>>> Anthony Glass <Arglass@EUREKA.EDU> 12/22/00 10:20AM >>>
Group,

Are there any sources out there that give some evidence one way on the acidity or safety of laminating materials?  We're looking for some alternatives to marking books in our special collection--on the order of acid free bookmarks, but cheaper.  Someone suggested laminating our own bookmarks, with the barcode and call number sealed in, but I'm afraid the laminating material would be just as likely to yellow and discolor over time.  Is this true?  

Anthony R. Glass
Eureka College

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