Quick question regarding microchamber paper
Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2015 6:40 am
With a fair measure of the usual I'd-rather-have-a-root-canal factor, I'm about to embark on the dreaded rebag-all-cels mission. I don't collect much that's pre-1990, and even though I've never used microchamber paper, I've yet to see any signs of chemical change besides a few fading trace lines. Whew! This time, though, I'm going to play it safe by adding that extra bit of precaution to the mix.
I know that the standard way to do it is to place the paper against the unpainted side of the cel before bagging, but I'm wondering if anyone knows whether the direct contact is actually necessary...? Like most collectors, I store my artwork in Itoyas, with one end of the bag open and facing the open end of the Itoya page to allow the escape of any gases. My question is, assuming that the microchamber paper attracts and absorbs gases as they develop, would it still do its job effectively if it were placed inside each Itoya page, rather than inside the cel bag itself? I really dislike papering the front of all of my cels for a couple of reasons - but primarily because when I can no longer look at them, I become strictly a museum curator...and while I will do everything possible to keep these little bits of plastic healthy and beautiful, in all selfishness, that's not why I started collecting them.
I know that the standard way to do it is to place the paper against the unpainted side of the cel before bagging, but I'm wondering if anyone knows whether the direct contact is actually necessary...? Like most collectors, I store my artwork in Itoyas, with one end of the bag open and facing the open end of the Itoya page to allow the escape of any gases. My question is, assuming that the microchamber paper attracts and absorbs gases as they develop, would it still do its job effectively if it were placed inside each Itoya page, rather than inside the cel bag itself? I really dislike papering the front of all of my cels for a couple of reasons - but primarily because when I can no longer look at them, I become strictly a museum curator...and while I will do everything possible to keep these little bits of plastic healthy and beautiful, in all selfishness, that's not why I started collecting them.