Posted by geo. (50.47.143.236) on July 04, 2011 at 23:43:38:
In Reply to: Re: Toyokuni I - bust portrait in pr posted by Andrew on July 04, 2011 at 12:08:35:
Andrew,
No that's not a typo. Over-the-counter HP is too weak to do much of anything. I've been using a commercially available HP of about 50% strength and then diluting it by half with distilled water.
I know this is a touchy subject amongst true hangaphiles and I shouldn't even be discussing it for fear of summary execution, but I think there's a place for d.i.y. conservation if you're working with otherwise worthless, extremely damaged prints.
I've been doing this for a few years now with mostly overly-abused prints off of eBay, and I've had a lot of good outcomes (and, as I said, some notable dismal ones).
And, dispite what you may think, the colors don't run. They do fade some if you've got a really trashed print that you have to soak for an inordinate amount of time. But, generally they come out brighter than they went in.
But I do NOT recommend anyone trying that on a worthwhile print. But if you've got a badly toned run-of-the-mill late-Edo or Meiji print that's adhered to an acidic backing and the print is worth a hundred bucks in good condition and nothing in the condition it's currently in, what's the harm?
O.K., I'm ready, lemmee have it...