3 THE CONSERVATION OF THE FRAKTUR

After removal of the fraktur from the lid, much of the adhesive which had dried on the verso of the sections could be scraped off with the back of a scalpel. The protective layers of silk chiffon, which were not strongly adhered in the first place, were removed by brushing them lightly with a flat sable brush dipped in ethyl alcohol. For about 30 minutes the fraktur sections were floated on top of distilled water. This was done to reduce acidity and impurities acquired through contact with the wood and adhesive, to strengthen the papers, and to eliminate some of the discoloration. When the sections had nearly air-dried, the remaining adhesive was easily lifted from the back of the sections with a scalpel. Before reassembling the fraktur, an attempt was made to reduce the Acryloid B72 from the colors by rolling cotton swabs dipped in toluene over them.