Smith’s New Grammar - full treatment (wash, guard, re-sew, leather reback)

Before Treatment

During Treatment

After Treatment

Download Word Version of Treatment Report

TREATMENT REPORT

AUTHORIZATION
The undersigned requests and authorizes the Kilgarlin Center University of Texas-Austin, Austin, TX, to undertake conservation treatment of the artifact described in the attached Condition Report according to the procedures outlined in the appended Treatment Proposal.  In the event the Owner/Custodian authorizes the Kilgarlin Center to proceed with the treatment recommended in the proposal such authorization shall be deemed to include acceptance by the depositor of the terms and conditions appearing in the original Authorization for Examination and Treatment.

Signature of Responsible Officer
For Owner/Custodian:                                         
Date:      

TREATMENT OBJECTIVE
Improve the stability of the volume for access and handling.

DESCRIPTION
An early 19th century school book bound in a quarter style with sheep skin leather and printed-paper on rigid boards.  The tight back sheep leather is split, abraded and suffers from red rot.  The binder’s board covers are unshaped and intact, but the corners are bent and delaminating.  There is a significant space between the top of the shoulder and the boards.  The cased cover to text attached is tenuous on the front board and stable on the back.  The textblock is slightly rounded with a negligible shoulder.  The smooth spine has one visible paper lining between the covering material and the text, possibly adhered with protein glue.  The spine consolidation suffers from adhesive failure, the linings are brittle and the textblock has preferential openings.  There is no evidence of endbands on the volume.  The trimmed edges of the textblock were sprinkled.  The sprinkling has faded and the edges are sooty, especially along the head.  The original two-on sewing on two sawed in cord supports is still present.  The sewing is loose and split in sections.  The paper endleaves are sewn on and the paper is similar to the text.  The textblock is comprised of a flexible, machine made, medium weight, slightly textured, cream-colored paper.  The paper has surface dirt, accretions and suffers from foxing.  The text is comprised of a black printer’s ink with a visible type impression.  The ink is not abraded and is in stable condition.  Graphite annotations are visible throughout the textblock.  The graphite is in good condition and does not exhibit signs of abrasion.

PHOTODOCUMENTATION
Digital photographs were taken before and after treatment in ambient light.  The photographs include overall shots, as well as detailed shots.

TESTING
Protocol
The ink was tested for stability using three different tests:

• Particulate offset was tested using a dry cotton swab and gentle abrasion.  The test was done under a microscope so that the smallest amount of offset would be detected.
• Dye offset was tested by contacting a piece of chromatography paper, moistened with deionized water, with the medium for up to 10 seconds, and looking under a microscope for offset of the medium onto the chromatography paper.
• Solubility was tested by applying a very small droplet of deionized water to an inconspicuous area of the medium and allowing the water to sink into the paper.  The test was performed under magnification to detect the first sign of change.

Results
Black Printing Ink

• No particulate offset when tested with a cotton swab.
• No offset onto the moistened chromatography paper.
• No change with the water droplet test.

TREATMENT PROPOSAL

• Dry-clean textblock. (30 min.)
• Consolidate board corners. (20 min.)
• Consolidate red-rotted leather.  (20 min)
• Reinforce front board attachment (20 min.)
• Rehouse in an acid-free tuxedo box. (30 min.)

Total Treatment Time Proposed: 2 hours

Change in Treatment Objective
It was decided to use this personal collection material to complete various “full-treatment” procedures to gain experience in special collections treatment options.

TREATMENT PERFORMED

• Dry cleaned textblock with a soft brush.  (30 min.)
• Pulled the sewing dry. (30 min.)
• Washed sections 1-11 and the front flyleafs in two successive deionized water baths.  Air-dried the washed leaves on Remay for 24 hours. (2 hrs. 30 min.)
• Resized sections 7-11 with a 1% gelatin solution and air-dried leaves on Remay on a drying rack for 24 hours.  (1 hr. 30 min.)
• Guarded broken outer folios, as necessary, with long fiber paper and wheat starch paste.  (2 hrs.)
• Resewed the textblock two-on over two hemp cord supports using the original sewing holes and the original endpapers. (1 hr. 30 min.)
• Consolidated and lined the spine of the textblock with a long fiber paper reversibility layer applied with wheat starch paste and allowed to dry overnight.  Additionally, an overhanging cotton fabric and then a western medium weight handmade paper were adhered with PVAc.  (20 min.)
• Lined the spine with a thin piece of alum tawed goat skin, adhering the suede side to the spine of the textblock with PVAc.  Sanded the skin to roughen and even out the surface. This lining will improve the opening properties and insure the best tight back leather adhesion. (30 min.)
• Mechanically lifted a 1 cm strip of the spine side of the pastedowns. (45 min.)
• Mechanically lifted a 1 cm strip of the covering material along the outside spine side of the board.  Removed degraded leather from the boards as necessary.  (1 hr.)
• Faced a 3/8 inch strip of the original covering material along the outside spine edge of both the boards with LC heat set tissue activated with heat. This was done to insure safe handling of the brittle and acidic paper covering material where the leather tannins had migrated.  (20 min.)
• Leather for new spine covering material was cut and pared.  The original leather was sheep, but thin brown vegetable tanned calf leather was chosen as the reback material.  (2 hrs)
• Adhered new leather to spine, on top of boards, under the original lifted paper covering material and around turn-ins using a full strength wheat starch paste.  Allowed the leather to dry for a few days wrapped in felt.  (1 hr.)
• Adhered over hanging cloth lining under the lifted pastedowns with wheat starch paste.  (30 min.)
• Re-adhered lifted pastedowns with wheat starch paste.  (15 min)
• Adhered small strips of a thick long fiber tissue along the top and bottom of the inner hinge to make it look visually unified.  Adhered a long strip of thin long fiber tissue to slightly bridge the inner joints.  (1 hr.)
• Mechanically removed the heat set tissue facing from the covering material and then re-adhered the lifted paper covering material along the spine with wheat starch paste.  (30 min.)
• Consolidated the bottom corner of the front board by carefully splitting the corner of the board and placed a thin piece of oversized delaminated binder’s board, with wheat starch paste, between the two board pieces.  Allowed to dry under weight and trimmed off the excess piece of delaminated binder’s board.  (15 min.)
• Re-adhered small lifted bits of paper covering material along the board edges with wheat starch paste.  (15 min.)
• Created custom enclosure. (1 hr)

Total Treatment Time:  17 hrs. 40 mins.