Foxing

That peculiar smell/odor when some old books are opened, might at times be associated with mold and foxing. We come across books with foxing that may have very strong odor. All old books have vellichor, but some have stronger musty odor. Foxing is an age-related process of deterioration that causes spots and browning on old paper documents and books. The name may derive from the … Continue reading Foxing

Glassine stuck to a Photograph

We come across many different kind of problems associated with old black and white photographs. Fading, yellowing, redox blemishing, silver mirroring etc are some common problems with old photographs. These problems are generally due to the inherent causes or reasons present within the Photograph either because of the technique or material involved in making of the photograph. There are many additional problems that arise due … Continue reading Glassine stuck to a Photograph

BoPET: Mylar/Melinex/Hostaphan

All the conservation labs/workshops have mylar or melinex as the most commonly used material while treatment procedures as well as in packaging and safe storage or display etc. Such widely and frequently used material is known to all by these trade names (Mylar and Melinex), but not many know the exact properties and actual name of this material. The actual name is Biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate … Continue reading BoPET: Mylar/Melinex/Hostaphan

Case study of conservation of a map

Info from the print Condition Assessment We received the map in a folded form. There was some adhesive residue visible on the outside. On opening of the very first fold we found that due to the application of some adhesive, the folds were stuck to each other. There was an attempt in past, by someone to open it up despite the stuck-up condition. So, the … Continue reading Case study of conservation of a map