Conservation Treatment for Works of Art and Unbound Artifacts on Paper

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Many conservation procedures are available for bound materials, several of which are briefly described here. Books of value should exist examined individually, and the virtually appropriate handling should exist chosen based on apply, condition, and the nature of the value of the volume. A conservator may recommend 1 or more of the following. Although some procedures seem straightforward, they are not and crave the judgment and technical expertise of a conservator to avoid harming a book.

Surface Cleaning of Book Pages

Superficial grime, dirt, and soot disfigure and abrade book pages. They can be removed with a soft brush or with a powdered eraser or a soft block eraser. Accretions similar insect specks and mold residue may have to be removed mechanically with a small sharp tool like a spatula or, in the case of mold, with an aspirator, which vacuums the mold.

Removal of Sometime Repairs and Tape on Volume Pages

Past repairs may have been made with materials now known to be harmful, such every bit rubber cement and most tapes, and should be removed. Repairs that were made using water-based adhesives tin exist removed in a water bath, with moisture, or with steam. Many synthetic adhesives and pressure level-sensitive tapes crave apply of an organic solvent for removal.

Washing Book Pages

Immersion of pages in h2o helps to remove dirt and lessen stains. It also helps to reduce acidity, which is 1 of the major causes of newspaper deterioration. Prior to washing the pages, every ink and color must be carefully tested for solubility to make sure media are stable and will not fade or blur during the washing procedure. Occasionally a carefully controlled corporeality of alkaline material may be added to the h2o to assistance in the cleaning process.

Deacidification of Volume Pages

Deacidification and alkalization of acidic paper, ordinarily referred to simply every bit deacidification, is a generally accepted conservation practise, which can exist carried out aqueously or nonaqueously. The purpose of the treatment is to neutralize acids and to deposit in newspaper a buffer that will protect it from the germination of acid in the futurity. Even though the effectiveness of deacidification is questioned in certain instances, such every bit in the treatment of degraded ground woods lurid newspaper, it is generally believed to exist beneficial. A few materials, however, may be contradistinct past deacidification and should not be treated. Certain colors, for example, may modify under alkaline conditions, either immediately or over time. For this reason pages with colors are frequently not deacidified. Besides, some papers may not require deacidification considering of the high-quality fibers from which they are made, such every bit linen or cotton rag papers, or because they take been stored well and are in skilful condition. Washing followed by aqueous deacidification is a more thorough treatment than nonaqueous deacidification. Yet, aqueous handling requires that a volume be disbound. If the volume should not be disbound or if inks are soluble in h2o, nonaqueous deacidification is an acceptable alternative.

Mending, Filling, and Guarding Volume Pages

Tears in leaves can be carefully aligned and repaired with sparse strips of Japanese newspaper and a starch paste or other adhesive of conservation quality. Holes or losses can be filled with inlays of Japanese paper pulp (leaf-casting). Another option is inlaying with a paper like to the original in weight, texture, and color. This is extremely time consuming and is reserved for books of significant value. The folds (Effigy 1) through which folios are sewn together when a volume is bound oftentimes require reinforcement prior to rebinding. In this procedure, referred to as guarding, strips of Japanese tissue are adhered to the folds with a starch paste.

Figure 1: Folio (a folded slice of paper), leaf (one half of a folio), and page (ane side of a leaf)

Sewing Book Pages

This refers to the fastening together of the leaves of a volume past means of thread. Several techniques are used in conservation binding. Sewing is often achieved by group several folios together, one inside another, to class sections. The sections are then sewn to each other with thread (Figure two). Ofttimes sections are sewn to sewing supports such as tapes or cords. Unbleached linen is the blazon of thread nearly frequently selected by conservators. The original sewing in a volume should be retained if this is possible; it can exist reinforced using new linen thread and sewing supports.

Figure two: Sections of a book sewn with thread onto sewing supports

Leather, Cloth, and Paper Rebacking of the Bounden

This procedure is appropriate for those books that have partially or completely detached boards (covers) and/or spines (Effigy 3). Original boards are reattached to the sewn pages using new leather, cloth, or paper dyed to blend with the original covering fabric. The new material is worked nether the original at the joints, and the fragments of the spine covering of the original bounden are adhered to the surface of the new spine material.

Figure iii: Rebacking of the bounden

Rebinding Using a Laced-in Construction

If the existing binding is too deteriorated to retain, the volume may be rebound in a binding made of new materials of conservation quality. A laced-in construction (Figure 4) is ofttimes called by conservators for books that are to exist jump in leather. When properly synthetic, this is a stiff yet flexible structure that provides adequate support for a book while allowing it to open fully and exist hands read. The term "laced-in" refers to the way the boards are attached to the text block: they are laced to the text block past the sewing supports to which the sections are sewn. Although this structure can be used on books of any size, it is oft chosen for large, heavy books considering of the structural back up it provides. This is a durable construction and, if made of good quality materials, will final a long time.

Figure 4: Cut-away drawing of a laced-in bounden

Rebinding Using a Split-Lath Structure

An culling to a leather-covered laced-in structure is a split-board construction (Figure v). The term split-board too refers to the way the boards are fastened to the textblock: stubs, which are sewn to the text cake, are slipped into a separate in each board and adhered in place. This structure is about often chosen for medium to large books because it provides adequate support for them. This construction tin can be covered in leather or cloth. When cloth is used, it is a expert alternative to a leather laced-in structure for some medium- to big-sized books considering it provides acceptable support and costs less to construct due to savings in time and materials.

Effigy 5: Cut-away drawing of a split-lath binding

Rebinding Using a Example Structure

For lightweight books a case construction (Effigy 6) is adequate. In this type of binding the example (cover) is made separate from the text cake and is attached to it by existence adhered to the endpapers, either directly or by means of a swivel. This structure is not as strong as a laced-in or dissever-board structure and should exist limited to light- to medium-weight books. The case is well-nigh frequently covered in cloth, although information technology tin be covered in paper or leather as well. This structure takes less time to produce than a laced-in or split-board construction and thus costs less.

Encapsulation in Polyester Film and Bounden Using a Post-Binding Structure

When all the leaves in a book are extremely weak and/or breakable and crave overall support, encapsulation in polyester film and post-binding may be advisable (Figure vii). Polyester film is a clear, inert plastic that provides excellent back up for fragile paper. Each leaf of the book is placed betwixt two sheets of polyester motion picture, and the film is sealed along all four edges. Ultrasonic welding is the preferred method of sealing the film. The encapsulated leaves can be leap together in what is referred to equally a post-bounden. Boards (covers) are attached to the encapsulated leaves by means of screw posts, which laissez passer through the covers and polyester film to produce an album-manner binding. Although the boards tin can be covered in almost any textile, they are usually covered in fabric.

If the leaves of a book are still in folio class, the folios will usually demand to exist cut along the fold to facilitate encapsulation. However, paper requiring encapsulation is usually so fragile that whatever folds that once existed have already broken. (If the book has artefactual value, then the cutting of folios and the spine should exist avoided if at all possible and another conservation treatment selected.) Polyester motion picture has an electrostatic charge. For this reason encapsulation is not recommended for leaves that have loose, flaking, or friable media because the electrostatic charge may loosen media even more than.

Documentation of Treatment

Preparation of written and photographic records is a requirement of responsible conservation treatment for materials of value. (See the Code of Ethics of the American Institute for Conservation.) The purpose of documentation is to record the advent and condition of a book prior to treatment, depict the handling that was done, and specify the materials that were used in the treatment. The purpose is also to identify a volume that has been treated and to provide information helpful to conservators who may in the future treat that volume further, especially every bit new improved techniques and materials go available. Documentation includes a written description of the status prior to treatment, a listing of the procedures and specific materials used in treatment, and a statement of where and when the handling was done. Written records are supplemented by photographs taken before, after, and sometimes during treatment. These records should exist retained permanently.

Collation of Book Pages

Collation is an important part of documentation. In the context of the conservation treatment, this process includes careful checking of each page of a volume to document the number and lodge of pages, plates, maps, etc.; to cheque for missing pages; and to note serious tears, stains, or other types of damage or irregularity.

Minimal Treatment (Basic Stabilization)

This refers to the minimal amount of treatment required to boring deterioration of a volume. Information technology excludes all cosmetic treatments and many structural repairs as well. For example, a book with detached boards and fragile paper may only be microfilmed, nonaqueously deacidified, and boxed. This level of treatment is about often chosen for books of limited value or for those that receive little employ.

Extensive Treatment

This refers to full treatment of both pages and binding. It includes structural repairs and often cosmetic treatment also. It frequently involves disbinding, surface cleaning, washing, aqueous deacidification, mending and guarding of pages, resewing, repairing the original covers, and reattaching them to the text. If the original covers are too deteriorated to reuse, the book is rebound in one of a variety of bounden styles (example, splitboard, or laced-in structure) and titled. This level of treatment is ordinarily reserved for books of high value.

Boxing

Boxing is crucial to the preservation of many books. Boxes provide both structural back up for a volume and protection from dust, dirt, light, and mechanical damage. Books with bindings of celebrated or aesthetic value, which should exist retained as much as possible in their present status, should be boxed. Damaged books, which are rarely used and practice not warrant treatment or repair of the binding, should also be boxed. Boxes should be synthetic of durable materials of conservation quality and should be custom fabricated to fit a volume'southward dimensions exactly. Both drop-spine (Effigy 8) and stage boxes (Figure 9) are acceptable. Drib-spine boxes are preferable because they provide better support and go on books cleaner; however they are more expensive. Both types of boxes are available from commercial suppliers.


Figure 8: Driblet-spine box		Effigy 9: Stage box

REFORMATTING

Reformatting tin be a cost-effective alternative for preserving information when extensive treatment of the original is not possible. Reformatting also has advantages when combined with treatment; by eliminating the demand to handle fragile materials, reformatting makes minimal treatment adequate for many books that would otherwise require all-encompassing treatment. The use of a surrogate copy allows added security by enabling off-site storage of the original and also provides researchers with easier access to unique information.

Preservation photocopies can sometimes exist used as surrogates for fragile books and documents that require regular utilize. A photocopy tin can be created using permanent and durable paper, equally described in ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 – Permanence of Paper for Publications and Documents in Libraries and Archives. Copies can exist produced in-house, making this a quick and toll constructive solution. While advisable for admission, preservation copies are more often than not not produced in color and are therefore non well suited to certain material types. Additional recommendations for the creation of preservation facsimiles are available from the Library of Congress (https://world wide web.loc.gov/preservation/intendance/photocpy.html).

Digital reformatting allows for the use of digital surrogates in identify of the original. Digitization can play an important role in preserving book and paper based collections, but is not a preservation strategy in and of itself. Digital imaging can be expensive and time consuming and is non appropriate for all materials. For more information, see NEDCC's Preservation Leaflet vi.half dozen – Preservation and Selection for Digitization.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Written by Sherelyn Ogden (1999) and updated by Bexx Caswell-Olson (2019).

COPYRIGHT Argument

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Source: https://www.nedcc.org/free-resources/preservation-leaflets/7.-conservation-procedures/7.6-conservation-treatment-for-bound-materials-of-value