Protect Your Materials
Every scrapbooker should learn how to protect their scrapbooking materials and memorabilia properly. Knowing how to choose and use acid-free papers is only the first step. Aside from using acid-free and lignin-free paper, there are several more ways in which you can protect your precious work from being destroyed or ruined for many, many years. If you learn the best ways to preserve your work and apply this knowledge meticulously, your scrapbooks (and all of the photos and items inside) will be enjoyed by your family and friends for generations to come.
Caring for your scrapbooking materials — photos, embellishments, heirlooms, etc. — is very much like doing skin care. If you’re following the right techniques, you will be certain to enjoy beautiful, long-term results. This article was written with preserving your valuable photos and heirlooms in mind (especially when creating a heritage scrapbook), but it is also applicable to all other projects. With that said, here are 9 important facts that you should know about protecting your scrapbooks and the elements within:
Avoid liquids as much as possible. In fact, glue should be the only liquid to touch your scrapbooks. Keep this in mind and take very good care to avoid spilling even a drop of any liquid onto your pages and materials. Those liquids will destroy your photographs, memorabilia, embellishments, papers, and everything else inside your albums. Always make sure to keep your supplies where it is free from humidity and heat. And of course, never keep beverages on your work desk, especially when you’re working on a project at the moment.
Keep your scrapbooking stuff away from direct heat or sunlight. Sunlight is a dangerous enemy to photos, negatives, and heirlooms. If you care about the value of your scrapbooking items, make sure that they are all kept out of direct sunlight. Also make sure that your work desk is located away from windows where sunlight could stream inside and onto the work surface. If you need light, just use indoor lighting.
Extreme temperatures, whether hot or cold, can and will ruin your scrapbooks and everything that’s in them — photos, layouts, papers, page protectors, and embellishments. Believe me, you don’t even want to think about the damage that extreme temperatures can do to your precious heirlooms. So make sure that your scrapbooking materials and supplies are stored in an area where it is cool (but not cold), and free from wetness or humidity.
Always wear gloves whenever possible. You need to make sure that your fingerprints do not make contact with your photographs, layouts, and negatives, because the oils from your skin will slowly destroy the photos and papers over time. You should hold photos by the edges whenever possible, if you’re not wearing gloves, or else use a pair of tweezers to handle the photographs. However, you should also be careful when using tweezers, because they can also cause scratches or tiny indentations in your photos if used improperly.
You need to have an organized storage system for all your scrapbooking materials and supplies. Storing your scrapbooking stuff properly will help to prevent scratches, dents, tears, and bends. Separate and categorize your papers, as well as your embellishments. Metal items should be kept separate from other materials, adhesives should be properly sealed, and everything should be properly labeled and kept in their own storage containers. There are a few good articles I have written about proper storage for scrapbooking supplies, so make sure that you read them and apply them to your own work area.
Never assume that all plastics are safe. As a matter of fact, there are a lot of page protectors, binders, and photo corners being sold in the market right now that can eventually ruin your photos and memorabilia. The culprit? Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), or “vinyl” in layman’s terms. This type of plastic is used in the manufacturing of several products, including the items that are being sold as scrapbooking supplies. PVC slowly releases hydrogen-chloride gas over time, and if it’s inside your scrapbook albums, you can be sure that it can corrode your photos and your heirlooms.
To avoid having PVC products in your albums, make sure that you buy only those supplies and materials that do not contain PVC or PVA (polyvinyl acetate). This plastic is nearly similar to PVC and does as much harm as its cousin. Your best bet would be to use materials containing polyester or acrylic. Some products are easily identifiable if they contain PVC, because all you need to do is read the label. However, you may come across products that do not readily provide this information, so you may need to do a little bit of sniffing in this case. You can tell if a product is made of PVC by the strong “plasticky” odor. In any case, buy polyester or acrylic products if you’re not sure.
Do not assume that all the paper and cardstock being sold in your local scrapbooking shop are acid-free and lignin-free. Take a careful look at the labels before going to the cash register. You need to make sure that the product packaging specifically states that it is acid-free and/or lignin-free. Some stores also have separate shelves with displays that can tell you this information. And one more thing: it is common to see several background papers or cardstock of different colors being sold in one package, so don’t assume that just because the white and pastel-colored papers are acid-free, the dark-colored papers are, as well.
Photographs taken with a Polaroid camera should never be cropped or trimmed if you’re planning on using them for your scrapbooks. These pictures have a protective layer on the surface to ensure that your photographs remain sharp and vivid over a long period of time. Cropping or trimming Polaroid pictures will break the protective seal and can let air in, therefore canceling out the protective effects of the seal. If you already have Polaroid photos that have been cropped or trimmed, your best bet would be to copy them in color or else scan them, then use those instead.
Aside from being an accomplished artist and art/design teacher, Kimmo Hakonen is also the author of “Scrap Ideas”. You can read more about Kimmo and the “Scrap Ideas” e-book here: http://www.scrapideas.net
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