Paddler
March 18th, 2016, 01:38 PM
The April, 2016 issue of the Scientific American has an article entitled "The Art of Saving Relics". It discusses the conservation of modern materials. Cellulose nitrate and cellulose acetate (used to make many fountain pen bodies) are considered by conservators as "malignant" because they out-gas nitric and acetic acid, respectively. The gasses, when confined to the environment of the plastics accelerate their decomposition. They also can corrode innocent bystanders in the same display case. Other plastics and acrylic paints are also mentioned.