Groundwood test pen

We are seeking information about a groundwood test pen produced by
American Chemical Enterprises, Inc (2382 Centerline Industrial
Drive. St. Louis, Missouri, 63146). The information supplied with
the pen states,

   "The ink of this pen reacts instantly with the groundwood,
    changing from a pale lemon color to a vivid pumpkin orange, even
    detecting as little as 0.1% groundwood.... The main component of
    the ink is corrosive hydrochloric acid (muriatic acid) with a
    small amount of toxic p-nitro-aniline, a possible mutagen..."

This pen was brought to our attend by a concerned citizen who has
been using it to test new hardback books for lignin content.

Is anyone using the pen in the field? If so, what materials are you
testing? Are you testing for lignin content?

Kate Contakos
Preservation Librarian
New York University Libraries
contakos [at] nyu__edu

Laura McCann
Conservation Librarian
New York University Libraries


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 20:43
                  Distributed: Tuesday, March 6, 2007
                       Message Id: cdl-20-43-028
                                  ***