Used linen rags sought for research study

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Does anyone have access to old (old = approximately 10 years or
more), naturally aged, linen that they are willing to part with? I
am preparing to do a research study on the long term stability and
degradation of papers made from linen. Traditional research projects
have completed studies using cotton paper, however recent work has
showed that much European paper is made from linen. The goal of my
upcoming project is to study the behavior of paper that closely
resembles real, archival paper. Since papers from Europe in the
1400s-1700s were typically made from linen rags that were then
pulped, I would like to try to mimic that procedure as closely as
possible. Ideally I would need 400-500 pounds (180 - 230 kg) of 100%
linen material so that I can have the paper made at a paper mill by
a professional.

If you have any linen materials that you would like to contribute to
my project, please contact me directly and we can discuss shipping
the material to me as well as talk about the provenance of the
linen. Thank you,

Catherine H. Stephens, PhD
Art Conservation Research Center
Carnegie Mellon University
700 Technology Drive room 3317
Pittsburgh PA 15219
412-268-3233


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 22:16
                Distributed: Sunday, September 21, 2008
                       Message Id: cdl-22-16-024
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