Let me have 'em! Arggg...just noticed I might have some PVC on the reverse. I'll address that ASAP! It's a miracle I didn't have a problem with all of them considering the age of the 2x2's.
Yea, you're right....no worries, I'll get it off. Please don't consider it in the grade, it will be gone tomorrow after I swing by the bank and grab it.
"It's a miracle I didn't have a problem with all of them considering the age of the 2x2's. " If this is the case I would make it a weekend project to acetone them all this weekend I would also clean the cointains with alcohol as well as you can move the PVC as it is the consistency of a gel.
For those that I know are going to ask, here's what I did: 1) Sonicate for 10 minutes in reagent grade acetone. 2) Rinse thoroughly with fresh acetone. 3) Rinse with isopropanol. 4) Rinse with toluene. 5) Rinse with isopropanol. 6) Rinse with acetone.
I am not sure whether it will grade now or not. You seem to have caught most of it in time, but I am pretty sure I can still see some. What is with the alcohol? Or is that just your SOP?
Sorry for the dumb question, but is the PVC breaking down and sticking to the surface? Whats this doing to all the hockey and baseball cards sitting in slabs? Just wondering.
It looks great in hand now, there's not a trace of PVC left. My pictures do these morgans no justice. I wanted to use toluene to remove all organic materials from the surface. The IPA acts as an intermediate solvent during the rinsing and helps cover a wide range to polarities. In my mind, this was the best way to ensure all of the plasticizer residue was removed. I have all these reagent grade chemicals at my disposal, so why not use them?
Technically, from what I have heard, it is the plasticizor that is causing the problem. That is what they put in the PVC to make it flexible. I am not familiar with just what they use with the cards, but it might be. Although, PVC is pretty much mutually exclusive with archival materials.
