Featured Works on paper - foxing and other issues

I am considering buying an etching that has some issues. Besides watermarks in the margin, there is minor foxing throughout. It is mostly in the margins that will be matted out and I don't mind the appearance of the print itself. At nearly 100 years old, it shows its age. I would want to stabilize it before framing. Any surefire easy methods for doing so?

I have considered trying to teach myself paper conservation but that is more than I would want to do for this print, nor would I want to experiment on it. I don't care about deacidification or toning in general, as the print is not terribly valuable. Having work professionally done would not be worth it. I can buy this same print in better (but not perfect) condition, but it is 3 times more in price. I can live with the condition of this print but don't want it to get any worse.

Appreciate any input and hope this brings up a general discussion about paper conservation.

 

I don't believe hiding the foxing....will stop it from continuing to degrade the paper..

 

I know that degradation from acid in the paper will continue. I am talking about making sure any active spores that cause foxing are killed before I frame. Since I posted the above, I have been doing some reading in this area. One book conservator suggests that keeping humidity below 50% will arrest any mold/mildew proliferation. I don't think this is feasible in a home atmosphere. Others suggest freezing but say temperatures need to be below -18 degrees F. I would also think that once removed from the freezer, the cold paper would attract condensation, possibly creating a bigger problem. There is some suggestion that microwaving can kill spores, though the vedict is out regarding this. Another suggestion involves heating in an oven to 180 degrees.

Proven methods involve washing the papers with chemical solutions. Drying wet paper is problematic and probably beyond the scope of what I can do. Using alcohol might be an alternative but I have not found a good description of how it is done. Anyone with experience in any of this?

 

@moreotherstuff @2manybooks ... and others?

 

I have any number of prints that need conservation, but I don't do it myself. I've washed prints, which does not make foxing go away, but that's about it, and I can't be sure I've done the right thing.

 

I've heard good things about Steve Poulin, out of T.O. for works on paper.

 

It might be helpful if we could see photos of the etching you intend to buy. Is it just black ink, or are there colors?

The causes of foxing can be varied. Sometimes it is caused by fungi, but more often it seems to be due to corrosion of tiny metal contaminants that came from the machinery used in making the paper. Sometimes it may be a combination of interactions - the metal contaminants causing localized degradation of the cellulose, which renders it more subject to fungal activity.

I routinely use rubbing alcohol to wipe down the exterior of books that show signs of mildew, and some sources suggest an alcohol spray (which I have not used). For a single piece of paper, you might try "fumigating" it by putting alcohol in the bottom of a container you can seal, and support the paper (flat or rolled) on a screen or rack above the alcohol. I would not anticipate any problems with a black and white etching, but the reaction of any colors might be more problematic.

https://www.ifla.org/treating-fungal-and-mould-infestation/

 

I too have an antique painting that has discoloured over the years. Ihave looked into conservation of it and I got a quote to have the work done. They asked for £2k which is probably way more than it is worth. I thought about oing it myself but I haven't the nerve to float it in a bath of 3% peroxide solution which is what one web site suggested. Let us know how you get on and what technique you use please.

 

Howdy. How did you go about this please?

 

Vinegar is what I use on mold as it's what is recommended to kill it utterly and it has always done so for me. I don't think you need to soak it, but perhaps spot treat areas? I know conservators use solution baths but they have a much more advanced set up.

UV also kills mold. If the foxing is only in the margins where there is no print, that would be ideal for this method. Cover the printed areas with acid free paper to size and a weight, and let it sit in the sunshine for a while?

Obviously foxing could be mold, or it could come from the particles in the paper itself. In which case it's just going to look it's age.

Interested to know what others think. I haven't done a deep dive into paper conservation because their methods look intimidating, but I wonder what info is out there for DIY.

 

Honestly, I suggest you look this up online. There are YouTube videos that show prints being washed. If I chose to do something to one of my prints, then what the result is, is on me. I have absolutely no training in paper conservation, and I am 100% unqualified to give advise.

I have done enough to know that it can go horribly wrong.

 

The first pic is of the print in question. Should enlage if you click on it. It is from the auction listing, so the best available. This is the worst corner and, as you can see. only a few marks extend in to the image. The print is black ink only.


This second pic is from a companion piece by the same artist that is in worse shape. It is the same money so I do not intend to buy it. Just gives you an idea of what kind of damage we are looking at.

These works are under glass and I do not know if any cleaning has been attempted. I am pretty confident that the first can be made presentable. The second is much more of a mess, with a lot of the image being impacted. The seller is asking $70.00 each, which would be a very good deal if these were in good condition. At this stage, I have not contacted the seller to try and negotiate. They do not have a make an offer option.

 

It looks like you might be pleasantly surprised to find that much of the discoloration is actually just on the back of the glass, and not directly affecting the print.

This would probably be the best first step (instead of the fumigation I suggested earlier. Sometimes I have better Ideas after sleeping on a problem.) You can just place the paper in strong sunlight for a day.

Next step might be "dry cleaning", using a product such as Dietzgen Skum-X powder or a soot sponge - https://www.talasonline.com/Dry-Cleaning-Sponge-Dirt-Eraser - You need to carefully brush away any residual eraser bits.

I would avoid any spot treating with any type of liquid, as there is the danger of creating "tide lines". Liquids can solubilize embedded dirt and contaminants and deposit them as discolored rings where the liquid evaporates. This is one of the reasons conservators prefer to treat an entire sheet of paper uniformly, submersed in a bath. Care is taken to control the evaporation process as well.

One of the risks in washing an etching or engraving is the potential loss of the plate mark as the paper fibers swell.

 

No, no, no, no.

One of the essential first steps is to correctly identify what you actually have and what the materials are. This thread has been about an etching on paper, not a "painting".

 

Vinegar is a readily available source of acetic acid, which can kill mold. But I would not recommend its use on antique paper unless you can also proceed to deacidify the paper in a bath.

 

Ditto.

 

In the link above provided by 2manybooks, I found these tidbits:

"Please note that foxing is not strictly regarded as a dangerous process for documents, therefore no further treatment is recommended."


"To mitigate mould or fungi it is most important to put them in a dry environment and reduce the humidity in the air. All cleaning should trap the mould instead of spreading it to adjacent areas. After treatment, items should be kept in dry environments where the humidity and temperature can be controlled.

• Manually cleaning of dried spores with a soft-hair brush near a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter to trap the spores."

Perhaps doing nothing more than cleaning with a soft brush is the way to go. If the print remains dry, perhaps any fungi related foxing will be stabilized.

Thanks, excellent suggestions!

This is why I am hesitant to do any water-based cleaning. I know that professionals give paper baths but I don't think it is something I want to try.

 

My father studied conservation at the Newberry Library in the '70s when deacidification was the big thing. There was a system of washing in various cleaning baths and basic solutions. Complicated, and mostly for monochrome prints or typography. Color prints presented further challenges, and a disadvantage was changes to the paper's texture.

Foxing was then and still is not well understood. Mildew is different. Foxing will present as reddish-brown, often circular, discolored spots, often adjacent to coated paper, as in the plates of a book. The belief is that a it's caused by a mix of microbes & paper chemistry, and exacerbated by heat and humidity.

Mildew is usually black, sometimes pink or green or blue, and can have a fuzzy physical presence. It can be a health hazard. Both alcohol solutions and ultraviolet light kill the microorganisms that cause it. I suppose vinegar might, too, but acid and paper don't mix.

For a mildewed piece, If we don't just throw it away, we brush off - outdoors - any surface debris with a brush used only for that purpose, then either wipe with a rag or paper towel moistened with rubbing alcohol. This is NOT without risk, as both alcohol and the water it's diluted with can affect paper, ink, and pigments. Experience and the willingness to lose the work are important. The work can also be laid out in the sun, not behind glass, for a few hours. The corners should be weighted so the paper doesn't curl, and both sides should be treated. There are several methods of surface cleaning involving erasers, pads, and rubber sponges, which often don't do much, but are occasionally surprisingly effective.

Foxing we don't worry about. There used to be a lot of bad advice about bleaching and other chemical treatments, most of which will have unpredictable long-term effects. If kept in a reasonably comfortable human environment, it is not likely to worsen - it flourishes in damp basements, hot attics, and still parlors.

There used to be a deacidification spray called Wei T'o, but I think it's no longer produced, though there are comparable products out there.

For your situation, I'd de-frame the print, do a little surface cleaning, and re-mat and frame in archival materials.

I'd be very cautious about following random YouTube advice. Look at the online catalogues of reliable sellers of conservation materials like TALAS and Gaylord, and check reliable scholarly sources. But the key is knowing what the actual problems are before undertaking random treatments. Experience, practice, and experiments on otherwise valueless objects help, but there's no KNOWING what the long-term results will be.

Dad used to keep the old Hippocratic motto for doctors above his workbench: PRIMUM NON NOCERE - "first, do no harm."

 

Following the link to the dry cleaning eraser sponge, I see other products for cleaning paper. The kneadable erasers and the Absorene look particularly interesting. Anyone have any experience with these products?

 

I worked at the Newberry for a couple of years! Late '80s, though... so I probably didn't see or know your father.