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luke snyder
3-Apr-2004, 09:48
I'm looking for a way to protect the surface of large c-prints on crystal archive paper. They have been pressure mounted on gatorfoam but have no glazing. I would like to be able to clean the surface and protect it from spills(someone spilled what looks like chocolate milk on one in a group show, nice huh?). I've seen spray products like Macdonald photo lacquer but i am wondering if those products are more for lets say "less serious" photographers. Any suggestions?

Carl Schofield
3-Apr-2004, 10:03
PremierArt PrintShield spray or Renaissance paste wax are two high quality products for print protection.

Paul Moshay
3-Apr-2004, 15:11
I have some Getzol type B gloss lacquer that is perfect for your needs. It prevents yellowing and fading and is for color or B&W prints, negatives too, It increases the brilliance and clarity of detail in the print and definitly protects against "chocolate milk" damage. It is used by spraying on the print and dries within 5 minutes creating a glossy surface. This produce was always used by professsional photographers years ago and is now very difficult to obtain. I have one quart I can send you for just the shipping cost.

David A. Goldfarb
4-Apr-2004, 07:07
I've seen Sureguard photo lacquer on the shelf at B&H:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=155206&is=REG

They may not be able to ship it, so you might need to find a local supplier. This looks like the stuff that wedding labs use for albums.

Al Seyle
4-Apr-2004, 10:40
Is "photo lacquer" really any different (other than price) from off-the-shelf lacquer at Home Depot? I have C and b/w prints that I coated with plain (not photo) lacquer in 1969 that look fine. No yellowing.

Gary J. McCutcheon
4-Apr-2004, 11:02
I've used photo lacquers for over 30 years in portrait photography. McDonalds, Lacqeur Mat and Sureguard are brands that I've used. Formulas have changed over the years and a complete system is developed for retouching. What could not be retouched on a print surface with retouch dyes would then require coats of retouch spray, then retouch pencil work, then more spray, retouch,etc., until final coates of spray in matte, semi-matte, or glossy, semi-gloss, etc.. Some prints would be sprayed in order to avoid using glass on the frame. U.V. coatings became a regular part of more recent formulas. I very seldom if ever used spray on my fine art work because of archival tests I've run. Sprayed prints tend to shift magenta after 5 to 7 years hanging on display. Non-sprayed prints appear to last 2 or 3 years longer. Ctein in his book "Post Exposure" shows examples of his prints changing color in only two years. I'm only refering to color prints of course.

luke snyder
5-Apr-2004, 09:41
Thanks for the offer Paul, but i already ordered some of the renaissance wax. I looked it up on the web. It is used at alot of museums for conserving all types of things. They say it will work on photos as well as plastics so im hopefull that it will adhere to a c-print. I got it from a wood working site because people use it on saw blades for its hard finish which keeps the blades sharp and rust-free. It ought to protect from scratches too and is reversible. I guess it just sounds more archival than some of the lacquers which make me nervous. Has anyone used it and maybe offer some insight about the results? thanks...