Aqueous Treatment & Paper Tape Removal

Paper, essentially a relatively flat sheet of bonded cellulose or plant fibers, can be surprisingly strong and long lasting. As with most organic substances though, it is susceptible to decay when exposed to certain environmental conditions such as too much or too little humidity or excessive heat. Paper can also begin to break down due to the acidity from pollutants in the paper fiber, from media (such as ink) that have been applied, or from surface dirt or grime, such as oils from human skin as the paper is handled. 

Black printing ink created a brownish mirror image on the
facing page as the acidity leached from one page to the next.

Book and Paper Conservators have various treatment methods for removing or reducing the harmful effects of pollutants from paper, such as surface cleaning, deacidification, and aqueous treatment. Aqueous treatment is most often described as the process of cleaning and deacidifying paper by submerging it in a bath of water, or a series of baths. Depending on the item being treated, each bath may last from about fifteen minutes to more than an hour. After each bath, the item being treated is removed from the bath and the dirty water is emptied and replaced with clean water. This process continues until the bath water runs clear or almost clear after soaking. Aqueous treatment reduces the acidity of the paper somewhat, often reduces the discoloration caused by age or environmental exposure, and helps remove some of the dirt and grime from the paper. It can also be a great method for removing some types of tape and adhesives from previous repairs like paper tapes.

Map of Boston from The Life of George Washington, 1807.

Two layers of paper tape were attached to
the folded edge of the map.

This map of Boston is from The Life of George Washington, 1807, and was at one time attached in the book with paper tape or else mended with paper tape at some point. Paper tape often has a water-soluble adhesive, so aqueous treatment is an effective way to remove it, provided the paper can be submerged in a bath of water. Sometimes the paper is too fragile to withstand aqueous treatment or it might contain media, such as ink or watercolor, that is soluble in water, which prevents a conservator from using an aqueous treatment. For that reason, the media must first be tested for solubility. If it is stable, aqueous treatment can proceed.

Water droplet applied to ink to test for solubility.

A small piece of blotter was used to absorb the water
droplet and determine if the media was stable.

The blotter was clean, as seen above, so the media
was stable and aqueous treatment could proceed.

Once the media for this map was tested, the map was placed on a piece of Hollytex. Hollytex is a thin, strong, acid-free, woven polyester that acts as a support while the paper is in the water bath. A second sheet was placed on top so that the map was sandwiched between and it was easier and safer to handle. 

Map resting on Hollytex prior to humidification

Before placing the map in the water bath, it was humidified lightly to help it absorb water more easily once submerged. A Dahlia Sprayer - commonly used in conservation, was imported from Japan, and was selected for its ability to provide a fine mist without droplets or splatters - was used to humidify the front and back of the page prior to submersion.

The water flow was tested prior to misting the map.

 

The back of the map was also sprayed prior to
submersion in the water bath.

 
Once the map was humidified and the fibers were relaxed, the second piece of Hollytex was placed on top and the map was carefully submerged into a bath of water. Light pressure was applied to encourage the map to absorb water and sink into the bath for soaking.

The map, sandwiched between two pieces of Hollytex,
was submerged into a bath of water.

 

Light pressure was applied to encourage the map to
absorb water and sink into the bath.

The map was left to soak so that the paper tape's
adhesive could dissolve and release.

The paper tape

After soaking for about a half hour, the adhesive from the paper tape had softened enough to release from the map. The paper tape was peeled back to the extent possible, then a microspatula and a larger plastic spatula were both used to loosen and lift the remainder of the paper tape carrier.

Once both layers of the paper tape were removed, the surface of the map where the tape was adhered was lightly massaged to remove any remaining adhesive.

Using fingertips to gently massage the paper surface
to remove the remaining adhesive.

The map was then soaked in several successive baths to remove acidity and discoloration to the extent possible.

When tilted, it was easier to see how discolored the water had become.

After the last bath, the map was removed from the bath and placed on a blotter to air dry. Sometimes, paper items will need flattening after washing, but fortunately this map dried flat on its own.

The Hollytex makes it much easier to handle the wet paper.

Draining the majority of the water out before placing on blotter.

Wet map drying between Hollytex on blotter.

The map will be mended and hinged back into its place in The Life of George Washington with Japanese paper and starch paste. Because it was washed, much of the acidity has been removed, so it will be stronger and hopefully be used for many years to come.

Preservation Services on YouTube

The Preservation Services is releasing its first film about procedures in conservation treatments that are performed in our Division of the University Libraries. The film was possible through a joint effort with the Digital Media Commons, especially Cheryl Cross, who patiently recorded hours of  this treatment, to then be reduced to just eight minutes of viewing. What a fast conservation treatment!!!

The book, I Vespri Sicilliani, is part of our Cello Music Collection and was a donation received in 2013 from George Darden Piano and Opera collection.
http://uncgspecial.blogspot.com/2013/10/george-darden-martha-blakeney-hodges.html

The Storing of Larger Materials

The Robert C. Hansen Performing Arts collection is housed in the University Libraries Special Collections and University Manuscripts division of UNCG.  http://libcdm1.uncg.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/Hansen
During a recent digitization project, it was discovered that several large scale theater posters were in need of restoration.
Once restored, these items needed special housing to continue in the process of preserving these unique items from University Manuscripts.










Preservation Services welcomed the challenge of designing and constructing enclosures that would allow for their protection.

The restored posters were rolled onto archival tubes that are 11" in diameter and 48" long.  A layer of Reemay was rolled with the poster and a length of cotton cord was used to tie at either end.

The boxes were built with an interior support to hold a rod upon which the tubes were suspended. 

This suspension allowed for the tube to hang freely, eliminating any pressure or weight from pressing on any part of the restored poster.

The dimensions of the boxes are 51" x 12" x 12".  A nice solution to a unique project.

 

The Conservation and Restoration of a Unique Item

Last week we finished the conservation treatment of a very special volume. Méthode Elémentaire de Violoncelle: Suivie de 92 Études: Oeuvre 60 by Friedrich August Kummer and Adolphe Le Dhuy (translater).  It is part of our Cello Music Collection of Janos Scholz, dating back to the second quarter of the XIX century. We are one of two OCLC libraries worldwide to have this particular edition in our collection.

The book arrived with the original cover in a very poor condition. It was bound in a quarter leather and decorative papers, the textblock was still holding the freshness of the first years of life. There were losses on the spine, boards splitting at the fore edge and bottom, the decorative papers were badly damaged with missing parts, as we can see in the photos below. There was no trace of the original label. The leather on the cover was very brittle and already affected by red rot. Like any organic material, leather through the years can lose it is primary component, colagen, the fibers once elastic start to break and those affected areas become very powdery. 

Front cover

Back cover

The cover was in such a bad condition that I thought twice about rebinding the book per original . At the same time, I could still see the beauty behind the damage of this volume. I knew it was going to take more work and time but the simple fact that the book is part of our Cello Music Collection makes it worth the effort.  I persevered on the conservation and restoration, working hard to save the original cover to make it functional for the use of any scholar researching in our library. The following pictures speak for themselves:

Front cover during treatment

Back cover during treatment

For the large missing area on the decorative paper at the back, we used a digital solution. A photo of the pattern was taken and printed on a Japanese Paper Moriki, which was then consolidated with Klucel G to assure permanence of the toner ink. After the restoration of the area, the printed Japanese Paper was placed with starch paste.

Below part of the book corner and the Japanese Paper Moriki with the printed pattern we photographed.

 

The finished book after conservation treatment.

NEW LEATHER BINDING FOR THE WORKS OF THE RIGHT HONORABLE LADY MARY WORTLEY MONTAGU

A few months ago, we received in our lab three books from a set of five, dating back to 1803, in need of care. They are to be added to our special collections through a gift we received.

The book covers were in very poor condition with very damaged boards, brittle leather and marble papers, and missing endpapers. The original leather on the spine was flaking with very little left of the original title. Almost all of the gold tooling that had been applied was gone. 

It was evident that no restoration could be performed to the original boards to save them, so it was decided that a new binding in leather (calf) and marble papers, similar to the original one, would be best to provide these volumes with a longer life.

The textblocks were in good condition but in need of cleaning. They were all dry cleaned, mechanically, to remove the surface grime. The few tears they had were mended using Japanese Paper Tengujo 5gs and rice starch paste. New endpapers were added using handmade McGregor papers.

  

Now the books are ready to be part of the Hodges Special Collections and University Archives, at UNCG,