Album Paper Acid Free And Lignin Free

After asking the question I looked at some other articles about lignin and the destruction of paper. The problem is the acid produced by the decomposition of the lignin. The acid does transfer to anything in contact. Some paper is acid free only by the addition of a base agent to the paper. (Ive seen calcium carbonate or chalk) Once this base agent is eaten up by the acid destruction continues.

I agree that the mounts would be the best. But from a cheaper perspective I thought about buying some plastic comic sleeves and cut a small stamp sized piece from an edge. Then after cutting a small slit in the back to accommodate for a hinge attach the whole mess to a page using scrapbook adhesive.

Does the stamp paper itself have lignin in it?

Absolutely.

The nature of the materials
Paper
Paper, the most common image support material, appears to be simple but is, in fact, extremely complex and very variable in composition. Its main constituent is a web of vegetable fibres which have been formed by a sieving action on a watery suspension of the fibres together with a range of additives which improve water absorbency and surface finish. The raw material is first processed and converted into free, single fibres which are then suspended in water and formed into a mat by the action of the papermaking mould or continuous wire mesh. Paper from the early part of the 19th century in Europe contained fibres from rags, that is cotton, linen and some hemp. Sizing agents, added to reduce the water absorbency of the sheet, consisted of gelatine or starch or alum/rosin or a combination of any two or three. As the century progressed, other fibres were introduced into the paper. There has, in the history of papermaking, always been a shortage of suitable vegetable fibres and the quest for alternatives has been and is still very intense. Esparto grass was introduced in the 1850s, ground wood in the 1860s, chemical wood in the 1880s, for example. Modern papers are made almost wholly from wood which has been treated chemically to varying degrees to remove or reduce the lignin content and to which is then added synthetic sizing agents. It is this residual lignin present in many papers made from wood that causes one of the biggest problems in preservation. Lignin, a generic term for the brown resinous material which is deposited in thickened plant cell walls, particularly woody tissue, is decomposed by heat and light. On decomposition it produces complex strong organic acids. In addition, it absorbs atmospheric acidity, which does little for the permanance of paper.

The care and preservation of philatelic material

collings and schooley west
isbn 0712301364

....and if we keep this up we will be into tannins and ph and .......

I'm no paper expert, but through researching this topic when looking for suitable paper, I read (coming from someone who works at a museum) that the decomposition of lignin and other chemicals in non archival paper gives off gases, and these can in fact make their way through stamp mounts.

As it says in Rod's post, lignin also attracts atmospheric acid, and acid can also react with stamp mounts.

I would suggest, certainly for any valuable collections, that the paper used should be genuine archival, which means not only acid and lignin free, but alkaline buffered. Buffered paper neutralises atmospheric acid.

Of course archival paper will not be white, it will be a bone or beige colour, since it will not have optical brighteners. I prefer this, but some may not.

Balf

But isn't the lignin inherently neutral. Its the moisture and common gases in the atmosphere that start the chemical soup running on/in the paper producing the destructive acid. I guess there might be some internal gasses produced that wont be good as well. UV light does its damage too. From sunlight and I guess fluorescent light too.

I was thinking of backing the plastic with a black acid free construction paper on the outside of the plastic to show off the stamp. But if its going to destroy my stamps faster than I can live to enjoy them I may have to rethink this.

But that's the point,
I break down collections in old cheap as chips
stamp albums that have laid dormant for 40 years
and the outward appearance of the (mint) stamps are pristine,
The same when mounting stamps (Readers Digest stamps)
packed in el cheapo plastic for 30 years
They all seem fine to me.

Generally, the best I reckon I can do for my collection
is to keep them dry and away from dust and extreme humidity.

I must agree with Balf though, (although I havn't found it yet)
alkaline buffered seems to be on the lips of the
conservers around paper history.