Goldbeater's skin

Susanne Grieve <susannegrieve [at] hotmail__com> writes

>I am researching the use of goldbeater's skin. My main concern is
>that it will be a source for bugs and other types of infestation.
>Has anyone had a problem with this before?

There are a number of ways of preparing the outer membrane of ox
(and other mammalian) intestine to manufacture goldbeater's skin.

But the preparations for goldbeater's skin (which include: ...
"infusions of cinnamon, nutmeg, and other warm and aromatic
ingredients in order to preserve them...."  in: Andrew Ure's
Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines, D. Appleton and Company,
New York, 1873.  Vol. I, pp. 949-50) are probably not very
attractive to bugs/infestations.

And in fact, bugs (in my experience) are more likely to attack paper
than vellum/parchment.

And it is not necessary to go through the preparatory stages for
goldbeater's skin to process the outer membrane to manufacture a
suitable repair material for mss. written on animal skin.

My method of manufacturing goldbeater's skin was printed in:

"Notes on the Manufacture of Goldbeater's Skin", AIC Book and Paper
Group Annual, 2 (1983); the actual manufacture and application of
goldbeater's skin to a vellum manuscript being restored is shown in
a videotape which I produced entitled, "Manufacture of Goldbeater's
Skin."

Thompson Conservation Lab.
7549 N. Fenwick
Portland, Oregon  97217
USA
503-735-3942 (phone/fax)


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 18:2
                   Distributed: Friday, June 18, 2004
                        Message Id: cdl-18-2-004
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