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Author
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Topic: Fading autograph from Neil Armstrong
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Henk Boshuijer
Member Posts: 450
From: Netherlands
Registered: May 2007
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posted 05-07-2007 04:35 PM
   
I have a very nice copy of a personalized signed litho of Neil Armstrong. Mr. Armstrong send it to me in 1970's. I am very proud of this picture and it hangs in a nice frame on the wall together with Buzz Aldrins autographed picture. The problem is that Neil's autograph has faded. Does anyone know if there is a chemical or another way to restore this kind of autograph? |
mjanovec
Member Posts: 3811
From: Midwest, USA
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 05-07-2007 04:55 PM
There is no chemical or restoration method that I'm aware of that will restore the signature. The best you can probably hope for is to preserve the signature without any additional fading. And the best way to do that is to keep the litho stored in a dark place, held in archival grade materials (such as a mylar photo sleeve). Of course, that means no longer displaying your item. But if the item is exposed to constant light, particularly sunlight (either direct or reflected), the fading will only continue until essentially nothing remains of the signature. I'm also quite certain that certain indoors lights are nearly as bad as sunlight...including flourescent lights. I ran an ink fade test under the flourescent lights over a year at my place of work and was surprised to see just how much modern sharpies faded...especially the blues and reds. Black was more stable, but even that showed a little fading. One good option is to make a high resolution scan of your piece and produce a photo print of it...in other words, make a copy. Even a color copy from a high quality color copier looks pretty good. Most people can't tell the difference, especially if the copy is displayed under glass. Note that Neil's blue signatures are notorious for fading over time. I've heard of some signed lithos fading that were stored properly...so even storing your litho in the dark might not halt the fading process completely, but it will likely slow the fading somewhat. |
gliderpilotuk
Member Posts: 3398
From: London, UK
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 05-08-2007 05:05 AM
...and next time he signs for you, make sure it is in ballpoint.Seriously though, I have some 1959/60 M7 sigs in ballpoint which are as fresh as the day they signed. Now if someone could invent a thick ballpoint... |
Henk Boshuijer
Member Posts: 450
From: Netherlands
Registered: May 2007
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posted 05-08-2007 06:35 PM
My copy of Neil's litho is signed with a blue pen. To be honest, it is the second one I got from Neil (the first one faded as well). Storing it in a dark place didn't work. It fades anyway.I can see under a fluorescent light that there is a message and an autograph. Maybe some sort of photo developer works? | |
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