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While nothing lasts forever, you can make a newspaper clipping last for several decades or longer if you treat it carefully. This will be easier if you start with a brand new newspaper clipping. You can't reverse the damage to old newspaper that's already faded or yellowed, but you can prevent further decay. For starters, make a photocopy of the clipping on high-quality paper, preferably paper that is acid and lignin free. Acids, lignin, and various chemicals commonly found in paper goods and glues will slowly degrade the paper over time. Craft stores often sell scrapbooking papers, adhesives, and albums that are chemically stable and should last for a lifetime.
Both new and old newspaper clippings may benefit from being treated with a de-acidifying spray such as Wei T'o, Bookeeper, or Archival Mist. This will preserve new newspaper and prevent further yellowing and fading of old newspaper. These sprays can be found where scrapbooking and archival supplies are sold. If you can't find these sprays, you can soak the newspaper clipping in a solution of milk of magnesia and club soda. Newspaper ink can run so make sure to photocopy the original before soaking. You may also want to test-soak a small scrap from the same newspaper first. To safely store your preserved newspaper
clipping, sandwich it between a sheet of Mylar and a sheet of acid- and lignin-free paper. Then you can file the clipping safely or put it in an archival-quality scrapbook or photo album. A word of warning: Don't use magnetic photo albums -- the glue on the "magnetic" pages will speed up the deterioration of your papers and photos. Follow the above tips and you should be well on your way to preserving the past.
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