Deacidification

Jack C. Thompson <tcl [at] teleport__com> writes

>Juliette Murphy <juliettemurphy [at] dali-estate__org> writes
>
>>... The
>>deacidification spray that has  been recommended to our paper
>>specialist has proved to be inadequate for the task required. I
>>would like to ask what other paper conservators might recommend.
>
>...
>When it is possible, I prefer washing the paper to remove the
>detritus of degradation which will re-hydrate the cellulose fibers
>and strengthen the sheet (renew hydrogen bonding), and then apply a
>deacidification treatment.

I agree with Jack here. Washing can often result in a significant
improvement in many qualities of paper (Vincent Daniels demonstrated
this in an article published from the Cambridge 1980 papers). You
might want to review Anne Lienardy and Philippe van Damme's article
on paper washing in the Paper Conservator, v. 14, 1990; washing
requires specific knowledge of the the paper type and condition as
well as ink and colorant stability.

If you still feel you need to deacidify, then please review Margaret
Hey's wonderful article "The washing and aqueous deacidification of
paper" in the Paper Conservator, v. 4 1979. Identifying the nature
of the degradation of the paper and what strategies have been used
to address them is important.

On the other hand non-aqueous strategies like those discussed by
L.R. Green and M. Leese in Restaurator, v 12, 1991 might be helpful
as well. On the  other hand, placement of deacidification compounds
in the paper structure may not result in the outcome you desire,
this problem is discussed by George Kelly and Stanley Fowler in the
JAIC, v. 17, 1978 and was noted earlier by Mervyn Ruggles in the
IIC-AG-1971 article he produced.

The question often is not appearance, but paper permanence which
Adel Koura and Thomas Krause addressed in an article in The
Conservation of Library and Archive Materials and the Graphic Arts
in Cambridge in 1980. You might also want to review issues of the
Abbey Newsletter/Paper Preservation on the problems of washing and
deacidification.

Niccolo Caldararo
Chief Conservator
Conservation Art Service
San Francisco, CA


                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 21:17
                  Distributed: Saturday, July 21, 2007
                       Message Id: cdl-21-17-005
                                  ***