03-72 Report

Treatment Report
Click here to see treatment photographs

Call #: Rare Books K 50 V52 1759 v.1
Temporary I.D. # PCS 03-72

Title: Vocabularium juris utriusque
Imprint: 1759

Description/Condition:

Covering/binding
The item is a rigid-board, laced structure covered in a 1/2 style binding with dark brown sheep and paper. Both the paper and the leather are sprinkled. The covering materials are all in poor condition. The leather abraded and friable. The paper is faded and very abraded. The front board is completely detached, and the back board is loose. The spine has gold tooled labels and decoration.

Textblock
The textblock is sewn on raised hemp cords, with an abbreviated sewing pattern. It is a tightback structure with no linings. Its is slightly rounded and backed. The double folio endleaves are sewn on. The textblock is split into two pieces and the first three sections and endleaves are completely detached. The title page is tipped onto the first section. There is a library property stamp, in purple ink, on the title page. The edges of the textblock have an unusual paste paper pattern.

Treatment Proposal:

Remove original boards
Mechanically remove gold-tooled leather labels
Clean spine
Consolidate and line spine
Reattach the two pieces using a link stitch
Repair and reattach loose sections
Reback as a tight back using goat dyed to match original leather.
Reuse original labels on spine if possible.

Treatment:

The objective of this treatment was to improve the ability to handle the book without causing further damage. This was achieved by re-consolidating the textblock, both adhesively and mechanically, and by reattaching the boards.

Materials:     Wheat starch paste (Colophon) - mixed 4:1, cooked for 20 min.
                      Methyl cellulose (Fisher) - 4000 cp 2.5% mixed in hot, then cold deionized water
                      Wheat starch paste/methyl cellulose mix (50/50)
                      PVA (Elvase)
                      Kizukishi (University Products)
                      Heavy kozo (Hiromi HM-10)
                      Aero linen, washed in deionized water
                      Best Blake unbleached machine thread, 2 strands
                      Barcham Green Bodeleian handmade paper
                      Hewit Clansman undyed goat
                      Sellaset leather dyes, mixed according to Leather Conservation Centre instructions

Label fragments from the original spine were removed mechanically using a lifting knife.
Prior to treatment, the textblock had separated into two parts. The remaining leather and animal glue was removed from each part with the aid of a methyl cellulose poultice. Care was taken not to place moisture on the damaged, brittle cord supports.
Once the spine material was completely removed from each part of the split text block, each was separately lined with Kizukishi and the wheat starch paste/methyl cellulose mix. The adhered Kizukishi was allowed dry overnight.

The two parts of the text block were reattached mechanically using a link stick stitch extending three sections above and below the break. New sewing holes were punched between the existing supports to accommodate the link stitch.
Fills were constructed out of cord and paste for the areas where the supports had crumbled.
A detached section from the center of the textblock was reattached with a pamphlet stitch that went around each of the supports. Again, new sewing holes were punched between the supports, and near, but not at, the kettle stitches.
An overhanging cloth lining was attached with paste. The lining did not adhere well after two applications of paste, so PVA was placed along the edges of the lifted lining.

The first three sections of the textblock were already detached. An attempt was made to release the heavily tipped sheets in the first section to allow better visual access to the text, and to prevent breakage at the glue line. After humidifying the section in a Gore-Tex pack, damp blotter was applied to the tipped area. A microspatula was used to lift the tipped area. The adhesive was resistant, and the lifting caused small tears near the bottom of the title page. As a result, the effort to fully release the tip on the title page was abandoned. Warm water and blotters were used to push the tipped area on the second page back, allowing for greater opening and readability of the text.
After mending the damaged areas of the title page and guarding the outside of the first three sections, the sections were reattached to the textblock with a pamphlet stitch through the linen lining with the pamphlet stitch looping around the supports. Again, new holes were punched on either side of the supports and near the kettles to accommodate the stitch.
A patch lining of handmade western paper (Barcham Green Bodeleian) was adhered to the spine with paste.
The previously detached boards were prepared for rebacking by lifting the leather and the endpapers. Due to the pulpy and extremely rough nature of the boards a thick layer of board was lifted along with the pastedown paper
Unbleached goat was dyed with Sellaset leather dye and fixed with Tinofix before paring.
The new leather was applied to the spine and to the boards under the lifted leather using wheat starch paste.
The lifted leather on the front and back covers was put down with PVA/methyl cellulose mix.
The overhanging linen lining was inserted under the lifted pastedowns, and adhered with paste/methyl cellulose mix.
The lifted pastedowns were then put back down over the linen with PVA/methyl cellulose mix.
A strip of heavy kozo was placed along the joint covering the visible strip of linen.

Completion of this treatment is currently pending. Discussions with the curator concerning possible gold tooling and reuse of original tooled labels are underway.