Volume 15, Number 2
Apr 1991

Products & Services

Steam Generation Tools Compared

Nick Hindhaugh compares the Ministeam with an early model of the Orde Solomons Steam Pencil on p. 11-2 of Paper Conservation News, December 1990. He discusses safety, noise, warmup time, spitting at the nozzle, and ease of handling, and gives British sources of each.

Equipment for Sale

Harcourt Bindery has surplus equipment for sale:

1 small nipping press
1 Hickok board shears, steel table and back gauge (like a Jacques), 32" blade
1 18 1/2" job backer, all metal
1 Kensol Library model stamping press, swivel head
New stocks of English calf, natural and medium brown, aniline dyed, excellent quality @ $12/ft.

Contact Sam Ellenport, Harcourt Bindery, 51 Melcher St., Boston, MA 02210 (617/542-5858).

Dataloggers

Special uses are being found for pocket-size temperature and humidity loggers that run off batteries, accumulating a record that can later be printed out on a computer. Besides those described on p. 147 in last year's volume of AN, there is monitoring of objects being frozen as a disinfestation measure. Lydia Preiss has a report in the AICCM Newsletter of a project in which some tapestries were frozen. Freezing will become part of their annual maintenance program for the tapestries.

One company that makes these devices is Giffords Services Corporation, 61 Brightside Ave., Central Islip, NY 11722 (516/234-1350; fax 516/234-3808). Three of their customers are Columbia University, Johns Hopkins Medical Archives and Pace University.

Suppliers' Catalogs Received

• Campbell-Logan Bindery (212 Second St. North, Minneapolis, M 55401 (612/332-1313) has a brochure that describes (with diagrams) the materials and methods they use for rebinding old books without taking them apart or stab-sewing; in other words, re-covering without destroying the old sewing ("Alphabind®").
• Archival Products (2134 E. Grand, Des Moines, IA 50305, 800/526-5640) has an attractive new catalog on their protective enclosures and brittle book replacement (copying &O binding) service. Preservation-relevant information is generously provided.
• BookLab's 1991 catalog describes its wide range of services (limited edition binding, boxmaking, collection maintenance repair and preservation photocopy), with details of matters important for preservation. They are associated with both Acme Bookbinding Co. and Bridgeport National Bindery, two Massachusetts library binderies. Contact BookLab at 8403 Cross Park Dr., Suite 2E, Austin, TX 78754 (512/ 837-0479; fax 512/837-9794).
• RandTech Archival Conservation (Proprietor Eric Randle, 677 Pritchard Rd., Comox, British Columbia, Canada V9N 6Z7; tel/fax 604/339-6800) moved from Ottawa to Vancouver Island last October. It has information sheets rather than a catalog. Clients include museums, a law library and collectors of baseball cards and other paper items. Relevant information on preservation aspects is provided generously.
• Paper Technologies sent out fliers recently on its archival boxboard (light tan, 20 pt., lignin-free) and its Neutral pH Glassine Paper, which is produced without the use of any acid. Address: 25801 Obrero, Suite 4, Mission Viejo, CA 92691 (714/768-7497; fax 714/768-7058).