Mounting adhesive

The following inquiry is forwarded from another list from someone who is
not on the Cons DistList.  Please reply either to Mitch Park directly or
to me and I'll see that it's posted on the PPFA Discussion List.

    Date: 8 Jan 98
    From: Mitch Park <mfpark [at] xtra__co__nz>
    To: PPFA Discussion List
    Subject: Wet-mounting glue

    Has anybody ever heard of a wet-mounting paste called D87?  Made
    in Auckland, New Zealand by National Starch.  I don't know if it
    has been tested in any conservation labs.  My understanding is
    that it is based on dextrine, which I gather is made from malt.
    I wrote to the company but they never replied, so I suppose it's
    a trade secret, but I would like to know if D87 qualifies as an
    archival and/or conservation paste suitable for hinging.  Any
    ideas about how I can find out?

    Properties:
    supposedly non-toxic (but it tastes awful);
    water-soluble even after some weeks;
    used to be faintly brown, translucent and gelatinous (in bulk)
    and was definitely a brown colour when spread for wet mounting
    and when dried afterward;
    now it looks more like lemon honey and spreads and dries much
    more nearly clear;
    when delivered in 5kg jars or 20kg containers it is gelatinous
    in appearance, but when stirred it becomes much more
    free-running and easier to spread.

Paul Storch

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 11:59
                  Distributed: Friday, January 9, 1998
                       Message Id: cdl-11-59-009
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