Beth
Antoine
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Treatment Report

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PCS#: Beth's PCL Board Attachment

ACCESSION OR CALL #: PCL 944 p455C Ser. 1 v. 39

Author: Cayet, Pierre Victor Palma, 1525-1610

Title: Chronologie Novenaire: serie 39 de collection complete des memoires relatifs a l’histoire de France

Imprint: 1824, Foucault Libraire, Paris

Description:

The quarter style, rigid board, tight joint binding is covered in tan leather and brown and cream marbled paper with parchment tips and has a natural hollow. The leather is finished on the spine with a gold-tooled title, decorative banding, and ornamentation; black stamped panels; and faux raised bands. The boards are attached to the textblock with three sawn-in sewing supports laced through the boards.

The slightly rounded and hammer backed textblock is sewn all along with linen thread on three twisted cord recessed sewing supports. The spine is covered with at least one continuous paper lining, likely adhered with animal glue. The edges of the textblock are finished with a decorative marble pattern in green, dark blue and cream. The sewn on, single folio endleaves are cream colored laid paper of heavier weight than the text paper. The decorative folios are a glossy brown and cream marble paper and are stiff-leaved to the first and last flyleaves. There is a bookplate on the front pastedown and a library checkout record on the first flyleaf. The textblock is comprised of folios of cream colored, slightly textured, medium weight laid paper, printed with black printer’s ink.

Condition summary:

The binding is in fair condition overall with the spine detached from the front board and the front board partially detached from the textblock. The front board is detached approximately from the center to the tail with the third sewing support broken at the hinge. There is loss on the leather covering at the spine head and tail and abrasion of the marble paper at the center of both boards and at all corners. The corners are soft and bent and the foredges are crushed in a few areas of both boards. The textblock is in good condition, though somewhat stiff. It comfortably opens approximately thirty degrees. The paper exhibits minor foxing and normal planar distortion. All media appear to be stable and in good condition.

Treatment Objective:

The goal of the treatment is to stabilize the object to allow safe handling by researchers in a circulating collection setting.

Treatment Proposal:

1. Reinforce front board attachment by hinging-on heavy weight, long-fiber paper onto entire spine lining and under lifted leather covering on the front board.
2. Reinforce spine covering attachment to back board using a heavy weight, long-fiber paper v-hinge.
3. Reattach spine covering to front board using a heavy weight, long-fiber paper v-hinge.
4. Overlay front outer joint with thin long-fiber paper toned with acrylic paints.
5. Touch up joint area with colored pencils.
6. Reinforce inner joints with long-fiber paper as needed.
7. Reinforce corners with wheat starch paste.

Treatment Performed:

1. Lifted leather on front board and adhered hinge of HM-10 100% Kozo Natural Tissue under lifted leather and across spine lining with 3:1 Lascaux 498 HV/ wheat starch paste. Applied light pressure with Teflon folder and allowed to dry in lying press. (2.5 hours)
2. Adhered v-hinges of HDE International Handmade Mulberry Paper 1506 to the top of the shoulder at front and back of spine and spine covering with 3:1 Lascaux 498 HV/ wheat starch paste. Allowed to dry under Velcro boards in lying press. (30 minutes)
3. Toned 100% Kozo machine-made tissue with Liquitex Acrylic paints diluted with de-ionized water. (2 hours)
4. Adhered strip of needle-torn toned tissue just under lifted leather on front board and abutting spine covering and re-adhered lifted leather on front board with Lascaux 498 HV. (2 hours)
5. Brushed-on thin coat of Cellugel diluted with isopropanol onto leather, followed by a thin application of SC6000. Note: Several adhesives were tested for adhering the toned tissue overlay onto the repaired joint area, but all adhesives darkened the delicate blonde calf unacceptably (Lascaux 498, B-72, CromptonÕs heatset tissue). The Cellugel consolidated the surface of the leather, but was unable to prevent the adhesives from darkening it. The area was coated with a thin application of SC6000 for protection from abrasion and the overlay was not attempted. The Cellugel and SC6000 both changed the color of the leather as well. These changes were much less distracting than those of the adhesives, so it was decided that they were acceptable for protection that they provided. (1 hour)
6. Reinforced corners and board edges with wheat starch paste diluted to heavy cream with de-ionized water applied with a syringe. (15 minutes)
7. Retouched joint area and abraded areas on both boards with colored pencils. (15 minutes)

Total Treatment Time 8.5 hours

Materials Used:

HM-10 100% Kozo Natural Tissue, Hiromi, 2004

HDE International Handmade Mulberry Paper 1506, Korea, 2008

100% machine-made Kozo tissue, Hiromi, 2004

Liquitex Acrylic paints

Lascaux 498 HV, Conservation Resources International

Precipitated wheat starch paste, 4:1, cooked 20 minutes in de-ionized water, Colophon

Cellugel, diluted in isopropanol, Fisher

SC6000 Leather Treatment, Leather Conservation Centre

Prismacolor colored pencils

Mylar