2 HAND PULP TECHNIQUE

HAND METHODS for filling losses with paper pulp have been in use around the world for a long time. Keiko Keyes outlined her technique at the AIC Conference in Dearborn in 1976. She demonstrated how a hand method, depending on the skill of the conservator, could be successfully used to repair damaged artwork quickly without requiring expensive equipment. Because the entire sheet does not require complete wetting, artifacts with media too vulnerable for immersion casting can be safely treated with hand technique. Also, more control may be achieved with hand placement of fibers than with mechanical leaf casting. Damaged paper with small-to medium-sized holes are perfect candidates for this method, though larger losses in smooth regular papers are difficult to fill evenly by hand. A combination of hand and mechanical methods for use on a vacuum suction table provides a practical alternative to such problems.