[daveart]

Curious if anyone has a way to measure for potential UV damage from lighting. 

Assuming you frame a modern print with modern UV plexi or better.  Assuming you are in a modern building and the windows that most likely have some type of UV filtering as well.   Is there any type of meter? or paper guide ?  that could tell you what the potential light damage could/would be over a long period of time in a well lit room.   Still out of the way of direct sunlight but in a room with a lot of natural or bulb made light.

of course i could cover half of an image with heavy paper and waiting 5 years , remov the paper, and seeing if there is any difference side to side.  but i dont want to wait five years and i dont want to ruin a print just for an experiment either.

so, curious if relying on UV plexi is enough .. or if my incessant closing of blinds and only hanging art in the darkest areas is really worth the effort... and if there is any way to test for this to know for sure.

[samfrost]

Light is the enemy of all things paper. Avoid it as much as possible for works on paper especially.

[Deleted]

Dec 30, 2015 18:07:25 GMT 1 daveart said:

Curious if anyone has a way to measure for potential UV damage from lighting. 

Assuming you frame a modern print with modern UV plexi or better.  Assuming you are in a modern building and the windows that most likely have some type of UV filtering as well.   Is there any type of meter? or paper guide ?  that could tell you what the potential light damage could/would be over a long period of time in a well lit room.   Still out of the way of direct sunlight but in a room with a lot of natural or bulb made light.

of course i could cover half of an image with heavy paper and waiting 5 years , remov the paper, and seeing if there is any difference side to side.  but i dont want to wait five years and i dont want to ruin a print just for an experiment either.

so, curious if relying on UV plexi is enough .. or if my incessant closing of blinds and only hanging art in the darkest areas is really worth the effort... and if there is any way to test for this to know for sure.

You can do it a lot quicker on a hot sunny day.

Put a small print on the  car dashboard in the sun for a few days and cover half with cardboard. Or outside in the sunshine or on a window sill facing outwards.

The ultra violet will fade it. The inks could fade depending on the type of ink used but today they should be lightfast if quality inks are used.

[natstan]

I visited an art conservator lately and he mentioned even as bad as there is too much daylight, hiding prints away in a dark and poorly ventilated room is worse if not as bad, doing the paper damage in time to come. Mould or mildew may grow.

[mla]

UV plexiglass is not enough to stop fading. If your artwork is exposed to natural light, it will fade. Invest in quality blinds or blackout curtains.

[Deleted]

mini curtains over each picture which close automatically when the sun rises and open by an app when bringing a young lady home to show her ones etchings.

[Pipes]

Dec 31, 2015 12:30:08 GMT 1 mla said:

UV plexiglass is not enough to stop fading. If your artwork is exposed to natural light, it will fade. Invest in quality blinds or blackout curtains.

By exposed do you mean non-direct light, just natural light from a room?

[Deleted]

Dec 31, 2015 13:24:56 GMT 1 Pipes said:

Dec 31, 2015 12:30:08 GMT 1 mla said:

UV plexiglass is not enough to stop fading. If your artwork is exposed to natural light, it will fade. Invest in quality blinds or blackout curtains.

By exposed do you mean non-direct light, just natural light from a room?

Basically not direct light which can get sunlight directly or UV light coming from outside. Even on a cloudy day there is UV light.

If a picture hangs on a wall which is always in the shade, that is the place to hang it.

Antique furniture and tables etc often have one side ver faded which faced a window.

     Even so some ltd editions of the past have faded a lot even when hung away from UV light.

Prints by William Russel Flint are often faded and some badly.

  If the print is an investment then condition is everything.

Keep it in a folder in an architects chest of drawers.

Buy a cheap copy of the print if available and frame that


      A lot of collectors do that with fine art too.

[mla]

Dec 31, 2015 13:24:56 GMT 1 Pipes said:

Dec 31, 2015 12:30:08 GMT 1 mla said:

UV plexiglass is not enough to stop fading. If your artwork is exposed to natural light, it will fade. Invest in quality blinds or blackout curtains.

By exposed do you mean non-direct light, just natural light from a room?

By far, the worst thing for your artwork is direct sunlight, however, even indirect natural sunlight on your artwork will fade over time, as well as incandescent bulbs and fluorescent bulbs.

I'd recommend reading this document pertaining to museum conservation put out by the Government of Canada. Simple and easy to understand:

www.cci-icc.gc.ca/resources-ressources/agentsofdeterioration-agentsdedeterioration/chap08-eng.aspx

The whole document is a good read, however, the most pertinent section would be "Deterioration by Light, UV, and IR".

[Pipes]

Thanks - I get the direct sunlight issue - would never do that.

[daveart]

Great information - thanks for the post mla - The only thing to do appears to be to buy a light monitor and measure and really see what is happening in a room. i cant imagine many people here have rooms that are without windows. And whats the point of windows if you have a light blocking shade drawn all day long.

Obviously you dont want to hang a banksy print in direct sunlight. but i wonder if some prints get a lot more light exposure than the owner really realizes.

i don't really enjoy the thought of buying fake prints to hang.. hmm.. lets see.. buying two of each i want is an option wait no no no.. must not buy more art..

[South Bound]

I guess you could get a color temp meter and light the room (when blinds are drawn) at a color temperature which minimizes UV and other negative elements.

[daveart]

After some looking around .. i found this site :

www.gaylord.com

i am going to buy a number of these test cards:

www.gaylord.com/Environmental-Control/Light-Monitors-%26-Meters/Blue-Scales-Textile-Fading-Card/p/61-212


i'll put them around my office and house next to art hanging in various setting .. this will not be a quick process but should yield some interesting results over time.

I'll give you all an update in a few months :-)

[Deleted]

If you have a moth.

Set the light levels low enough for the moth to flap about.

Moths don't like UV light.

[Swiss Alan]

Are there specific light bulbs I should be using at home at avoid fading/ damage?

[Black Apple Art]

Excellent PDF link here. It also lists a few products that filter 100% UV.

Acrylite OP-3 0 100.0% 
Lucite Lux Museum Grade Acrylic 0 100.0% 

www.conservation-us.org/docs/default-source/annualmeeting/20-evaluationofultraviolet.pdf

[trapnel1]

Jan 2, 2016 11:59:18 GMT 1 Swiss Alan said:

Are there specific light bulbs I should be using at home at avoid fading/ damage?

My understanding is that LED bulbs emit very little (if any) UV, so I prefer to use them where possible.