I was curious, so I looked for more about the Plank.
And I believe It's an example that can be used to clarify how I view things.
I'm in favor of light surface cleaning to remove buildups of "stuff" on the surface. Some stains can be removed or reduced the same way, usually only reduced.
I'm also in favor of professional deacidification for items that need it.
The key being professional.
The conservation work I had some links to shows what's proper. Cleaning, preserving, making it stable in a reversible way that won't cause further damage years after the work was done. And documenting the work done.
All that implies limits to what should be done.
I believe the surface cleaning I did on my card was limited and proper. The card is better off long term. (And I must admit being surprised at the grade -I was expecting maybe a 35-40 or an A, and hoping for a 50) I didn't document the process other than before and after scans, but I'm very open about what was done and how.
Now that I know the Plank actually is that whitened and has actually lost the degree of color shown in the scans rather than the scan being brightened here's my take on that card.
It's sloppy poorly done work. Anything that would remove both the stain and that much color would need to be neutralized properly. But someone who can't avoid damaging the color while taking out the stain probably is too sloppy to do that.
Meaning not only is the card overcleaned and improperly whitened, but it's probably in for further damage from whatever was used.
That steps over every boundary for proper conservation, and should NOT be done.
Steve Birmingham
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