Last week we were busy tending each and every folio of the highly damaged and acidic books that we are restoring these days. Following pictures of just one of the books might give an idea of the kind of work we are doing these days with the help of our talented young staff. Continue reading Paper and book conservation – Part 6
Among the books being treated in our lab, one is binding of 12 journals from november 1907 to October 1908. Individual pages were mended with skill and patience. They were then joined at the central edge and signatures or journals gathered for final binding.. Continue reading Paper and book conservation : Part 5
Museum objects have so much to say! But their voice is outside their own existence.. Only curators can tell what the objects want to say, to the world, and that message should be correct! Moreover, if an object is being infested with some deteriogen, only curators can voice their pain to the doctors of the cultural objects,viz, conservators. This fact makes us understand the huge … Continue reading Curators are the voice of museum objects
Two major problems associated with old paper manufactured during mid nineteenth century onward are: Brittleness Yellowing or darkening Breaking of paper due to brittleness (loss of flexibility to bend without breaking) generally occurs in very old paper which was manufactured from wood pulp technology. Other feature found in such old paper getting brittle, is yellowing or browning. Paper becomes acidic either by absorbing pollutants such … Continue reading Paper and book conservation – Part 2
To understand and master paper conservation, one must understand the composition and manufacturing of paper. The composition of paper and raw material in its making has varied since its invention in 105 AD in China. The timeline of paper manufacturing technique and composition as understood from various sources is as follows: The invention of paper by T’sai Lun, a member of Imperial Guard and Privy … Continue reading Paper and book conservation- Part 1
