My MIL gifted this to my SO, and signed it the day she passed. Its very special to him and signed with metallic sharpie. How can we protect the writing?
Just wanted to add here that this controller is not being used, no intentions of using it either. Right now it rests in its zippered case. But we would like to "seal" and protect the writing, until we place it in its own display box.
Museum professional here. Don't put any kind of coating on it. Most "clear coats" will discolor over time, and will eventually yellow, flake, or otherwise deteriorate (maybe not for 10-15 years, depending, but it will almost certainly happen; also, no proper way to tell what it will do to the plastic itself over time especially without full MSDS data). Get a decent quality display case and put some manner of silica gel in the case with it. In a perfect world, the case will be completely inert (acid and lignon free) and the silica tuned according to the general relative humidity of where it's stored (you'll need to replace the silica from time to time). Museum-grade storage and display items are readily available through places like Gaylord Archival, though they can be pricey depending upon what you need. Until you can get something, keep it in its case and somewhere safe with minimal temperature changes. If you want help navigating storage solutions I'm happy to help if you pm me.
*Edit- I went to sleep and this blew up. 9500 upvotes, platinum, gold, AND silver. Thanks!
To respond to some of the more common comments (I addressed a few specific ones directly, but I have to go to work): yes, not all clear coats are going to age the same way. There are major differences amongst them, which is why I referenced not having SDS data on what might be used (and yes, there are some coatings that are used in painting restoration that are expected to hold up very well. There is a core assumption that the people asking for help here aren't professionals, and aren't going to use techniques that are still expensive for institutions. Should have been clearer.). At the point that I chimed in, Krylon was a suggestion.... Yes, sunlight is a big destroyer of everything and keep anything you want to have for a long time out of it (all light, for that matter). At the end of the day, I'm trying to help someone keep something important to them in as close to original condition as possible for the remainder of their lifetime, which could easily be another 70+ years. I also offered direct help, because we can only get so detailed on a comment chain.
And yes, they're called Gaylord. Been around forever, it's just their name...
SpyroGaming on April 18th, 2019 at 01:54 UTC »
Put it on display, never use it again
afterglow13 on April 18th, 2019 at 01:59 UTC »
Just wanted to add here that this controller is not being used, no intentions of using it either. Right now it rests in its zippered case. But we would like to "seal" and protect the writing, until we place it in its own display box.
rozyncrantz on April 18th, 2019 at 04:13 UTC »
Museum professional here. Don't put any kind of coating on it. Most "clear coats" will discolor over time, and will eventually yellow, flake, or otherwise deteriorate (maybe not for 10-15 years, depending, but it will almost certainly happen; also, no proper way to tell what it will do to the plastic itself over time especially without full MSDS data). Get a decent quality display case and put some manner of silica gel in the case with it. In a perfect world, the case will be completely inert (acid and lignon free) and the silica tuned according to the general relative humidity of where it's stored (you'll need to replace the silica from time to time). Museum-grade storage and display items are readily available through places like Gaylord Archival, though they can be pricey depending upon what you need. Until you can get something, keep it in its case and somewhere safe with minimal temperature changes. If you want help navigating storage solutions I'm happy to help if you pm me.
*Edit- I went to sleep and this blew up. 9500 upvotes, platinum, gold, AND silver. Thanks!
To respond to some of the more common comments (I addressed a few specific ones directly, but I have to go to work): yes, not all clear coats are going to age the same way. There are major differences amongst them, which is why I referenced not having SDS data on what might be used (and yes, there are some coatings that are used in painting restoration that are expected to hold up very well. There is a core assumption that the people asking for help here aren't professionals, and aren't going to use techniques that are still expensive for institutions. Should have been clearer.). At the point that I chimed in, Krylon was a suggestion.... Yes, sunlight is a big destroyer of everything and keep anything you want to have for a long time out of it (all light, for that matter). At the end of the day, I'm trying to help someone keep something important to them in as close to original condition as possible for the remainder of their lifetime, which could easily be another 70+ years. I also offered direct help, because we can only get so detailed on a comment chain.
And yes, they're called Gaylord. Been around forever, it's just their name...