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PRECIOUS MEMORIES

Volume 2, Issue 3

Area 64 Archives
Page 6

ENCAPSULATION?

Encapsulation is the preservation process that provides greater support to a document that is in fragile condition. It is a process that allows a fragile document to be sealed between two sheets of polyester film for protective viewing and ease of handling. The final result is called a capsule. Contrary to prior archival wisdom of ages past encapsulation does not slow down the rate of deterioration of a document. The reverse is true. Without proper preparation to the document before it is encapsulated the rate of deterioration is actually faster than if stored under standard archival conditions. This, however, does not diminish the role and value of encapsulation for rare and fragile documents that have intrinsic historical value.
Encapsulation is primarily used for single sheet documents. If there is more than one sheet to be encapsulated within a given document it stands to reason that each sheet should be encapsulated separately from the others.
It is important to know that there are many different types of polyester film on the commercial market. Let the buyer beware! Only one type of polyester film is considered stable enough to be archival. There are two companies who manufacture this type of film. One product is called Mylar® Type D (manufactured by the DuPont Corporation) which is commonly referred to as Mylar. The other product is called Melinex® 516 (manufactured by ICI Americas). The sheets come in pre-cut sizes or rolls. These sheets are available in 3, 4, and 5 mil thickness. The weight and size of the document determines the thickness of the sheet. Most smaller documents will be encapsulated in 3 mil sheets. Medium size documents should be encapsulated in 4 mil sheets and larger and/or oversized documents should be encapsulated in 5 mil sheets. The greater the thickness the more expensive the sheet.
Another important fact to remember is that only one type of double-sided tape is considered archival and safe for encapsulation. Use only 3M Scotch Brand double-sided tape no. 415®**. This tape comes in both ¼ and ½ widths. The latter width is used primarily with larger and heavier documents. Do not use any other type of double-sided tape since they are not archival and can cause irreversible damage to your document!

WHAT DOCUMENTS SHOULD OR SHOULD NOT BE ENCAPSULATED? Here are a few suggestions in deciding what record types can or cannot be encapsulated.

THINGS THAT SHOULD'T BE ENCAPSULATED:

  • Charcoal drawings
  • Pastel drawings
  • Thickly applied water colors
  • Records with small tears on the borders where information is lacking
  • Some pencil based writings
THINGS THAT COULD BE ENCAPSULATED
  • Fragile documents with a long tear(s) in them
  • Photographs
  • Certificates
  • Handbills
  • Broadsides
  • Small textiles such as bookmarks, swatches, etc.
  • Other paper based records                                                  http://daggerrose.com

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