Do you know of a product that does this?

April 28, 2023 11:46 AM

Scrapbooking and acid-free.... Please help!

Hello everyone! I am devastated to discover that Krylon's "Make It Acid-Free" is no longer in production. Now what? I have inherited a number of old documents and photos and you name it. I'm going to scan and print the photos and documents but I need to, as the name says, make them acid-free.

I have searched everywhere for a reasonably priced product but can only really find a librarian's spray that is something along the lines of $65 for 3/oz. I just want to make sure the paper is acid free and I'll add an archival varnish on them. I just need the acid free part.

I've tried Michael's, Hobby Lobby, Joann's, Scrapbook.com, Amazon, E-bay and just plain Google and I can't find a thing!

Any suggestions? Why would they stop making this?

posted by magnoliasouth to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (3 answers total)

My understanding, as a former picture framer, is that they stopped making it because it makes the acid situation worse. Inherent acid can't really be counteracted by a spray, and the spray can seriously interfere with the stability of other components (photo emulsions, backer boards, etc.)

Your best bet is to scan and reprint your items to acid-free stock, and put the existing items in a neutral box in a cool dark place.
posted by blnkfrnk at 2:41 PM on April 28, 2023 [5 favorites]

Have you looked into "buffered" paper? It's slightly alkaline, so it absorbs and neutralizes acids in paper or other materials. You can buy buffered interleaving tissue paper, designed to go between items that contain acid.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 8:46 PM on April 28, 2023 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Many thanks for all of the answers. They're very helpful!
posted by magnoliasouth at 5:47 PM on April 30, 2023